Number of fatal shootings by police is nearly identical to last year

WashPost

Police nationwide shot and killed 492 people in the first six months of this year, a number nearly identical to the count for the same period in each of the prior two years.

Fatal shootings by police in 2017 have so closely tracked last year’s numbers that on June 16, the tally was the same. Although the number of unarmed people killed by police dropped slightly, the overall pace for 2017 through Friday was on track to approach 1,000 killed for a third year in a row.

The Washington Post began tracking all fatal shootings by on-duty police in 2015 in the aftermath of the 2014 killing in Ferguson, Mo., of Michael Brown, who was unarmed and had an altercation with the officer who shot him. The ongoing Post project has documented twice as many shootings by police in 2015 and 2016 as ever recorded in a single year by the FBI’s tracking of such shootings, a pattern that is emerging again in 2017.

Since Brown’s killing in Ferguson, other fatal shootings by police, many captured on video, have fueled protests and calls for reform. Some police chiefs have taken steps in their departments to reduce the number of fatal encounters, yet the overall numbers remain unchanged.

Academics who study shootings give weight to The Post’s accounting.

“These numbers show us that officer-involved shootings are constant over time,” said Geoffrey Alpert, a criminologist at the University of South Carolina who has studied police use of force. “Some places go up, some go down, but it’s averaging out. This is our society in the 21st century.”

As in previous years, the data gathered by The Post showed that police most frequently killed white males who were armed with guns or other kinds of weapons. One in four people killed this year were mentally ill. And police have continued to shoot and kill a disproportionately large number of black males, who account for nearly a quarter of the deaths, yet are only 6 percent of the nation’s population.

This year, fatal shootings of unarmed people have declined, continuing a trend over the past two years. In the first six months of this year, 27 unarmed people were fatally shot, compared with 34 for the same period in 2016 and 50 in the first six months of 2015. [MORE]

Miami judge rules Florida’s new Stand-Your-Ground law is unconstitutional

Miami Herald

Florida’s updated “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law is unconstitutional, a Miami judge ruled on Monday.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch ruled that lawmakers overstepped their authority in modifying the law this year to force prosecutors to disprove a defendant’s self-defense claim at a pre-trial hearing.

The judge ruled that under Florida’s constitution, that change should have been crafted by the Florida Supreme Court, not the Legislature.

“As a matter of constitutional separation of powers, that procedure cannot be legislatively modified,” Hirsch wrote in a 14-page order.

The ruling is a victory for prosecutors who have firmly opposed a law they believe makes it easier for defendants to get away with murder and other violent crime.

Hirsch’s ruling isn’t binding – other trial courts across Florida can follow the law if they choose. But it does get the ball rolling on the appeals process, and possibly getting the law reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court.

Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, told the Miami Herald he believes the Legislature acted lawfully.

New Study Links Militarization Of Police To More Non-White People Killed

Mint Press

Police officers stand by as buildings are set on fire after the announcement of the grand jury decision, Nov. 24, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo.

Black Lives Matter activists protesting police violence and the killing of Michael Brown were met with heavily armed officers during the Ferguson protests in 2014. Indigenous people and environmental activists protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline faced a similar scene in 2016 when militarized law enforcement used violent tactics against the peaceful demonstrators.

Scenes of heavily armed police forces are becoming more common across the country. New research from the Washington Post finds that this militarization results in more individuals killed each year by law enforcement. The study found that twice as many people are more likely to die in counties that receive an influx in military equipment. Additional research conducted in 2016 also found that police are more likely to be attacked when they are militarized, which raises the question of how beneficial it is to pad police forces with military-grade weaponry.

The researchers looked to anthropologist Peter Kraska to define militarization as the “embrace and implementation of an ideology that stresses the use of force as a good way to solve problems.” The definition encompasses four dimensions of militarization: material, cultural, organizational and operational. Researchers argue that providing law enforcement agencies with more military equipment also increases militarization along cultural, organizational and operational lines. “Militarization makes every problem—even a car of teenagers driving away from a party—looks like a nail that should be hit with an AR-15 hammer,” the researchers wrote.

The militarization of police leads not only to more civilian deaths, but to the deaths of animals as well. To prove that high levels of violence were not the cause of an increase in militarization, researchers argued that more pets would be killed by police in areas where officers are more prone to violence. Their theory was correct: Data from the Puppycide Database Project tracking police shootings of pets found that officers kill more animals in counties where law enforcement receives more military equipment.

Trump’s DOJ Civil Rights Pick Defended Corporations Against Discrimination

The Root

Last week, President Donald Trump put forth his nominee to head the Justice Department’s civil rights division, giving many social justice and LGBTQ activists major pause.

Eric Dreiband, a Washington, D.C., based labor attorney, served as general counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under President George W. Bush. He has also made a career of defending major entities against discrimination lawsuits. 

CNN reports that Dreiband has represented such companies as R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in an age discrimination case; Bloomberg in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit; CVS Pharmacy in an employee severance agreement lawsuit brought by the EEOC and Abercrombie & Fitch in a Supreme Court case involving a Muslim woman who was not hired because she wore a headscarf.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund released a statement last week outlining its opposition to Dreiband, including the fact that he has done no work around voter suppression and policing reform.

Latino Umpire Angel Hernandez Sues MLB for Racial Discrimination

Bleacher Report

Major League Baseball umpire Angel Hernandez filed a lawsuit against MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the league as a whole, alleging MLB has discriminated against minority umpires who were in line for promotions or work in the postseason. 

"The selection of these less qualified, white individuals over Hernandez was motivated by racial, national origin and/or ethnic considerations," lawyers representing Hernandez wrote in the lawsuit, per the Cincinnati Enquirer's James Pilcher. 

Hernandez claims Joe Torre's hiring as MLB's executive vice president of baseball operations coincided with a decline in Hernandez's performance rating. He said the issues go beyond Torre, alleging discrimination from the league office is a "much deeper and more troubling trend."

[post photo-op] Trump Administration Cutting Funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Birmingham Times

Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL), Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI) and 41 members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Friday urged U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to provide clarity on cuts to an Upward Bound program designed to help low-income students attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

“We’re calling on Secretary DeVos to work with members of Congress to identify and address the issues that have led to such a devastating loss on our HBCU campuses,” Sewell said.

The Birmingham Times reported last week that Miles College, Talladega College and Tuskegee University – three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the state of Alabama — are among the 77 schools that had federal grants for the Upward Bound program rejected by the U.S. Department of Education.

“Historically Black Colleges and Universities are an integral part of our nation’s education system and our history,” said Sewell on Friday. “For many of my constituents, these schools are where the first member of their family went to college and where the next generation is getting their degree.

“The Upward Bound program has been a critical asset to these HBCUs by providing millions of students with the security of an academic support system that can eliminate achievement gaps existing between the rich and the poor and between HBCU students and those who attend other institutions. Denying HBCUs this lifeline of support puts students at risk and our history at risk.”

During the FY17 grant period, a number of HBCUs lost funding for their Upward Bound programs, many for non-substantive errors such as font or file format. Sewell was among those in Congress who signed a letter to DeVos expressing concerns.

“As the TRIO Caucus co-chair and an Upward Bound graduate, I am deeply concerned about the denial of grant funding to HBCUs,” said Moore.  “Upward Bound played an essential role in shaping my academic and professional success. Funding must continue in order to ensure that future generations have access to these resources.  We hope that Secretary DeVos will respond to this letter affirming her commitment to Upward Bound students at our historically Black colleges. This administration should work to mitigate disparities not aggravate them.”

In May, DeVos said the problem stemmed from formatting and clerical issues, but she directed department staff “to allow flexibility on formatting and other technical elements on all grant applications. Bureaucratic red tape should never get in the way of helping students.”

Upward Bound is part of the federal TRIO programs, which are outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Included among HBCUs which lost Upward Bound grants are Miles College, which has had an active Upward Bound program on its campus since the mid-1960s, Tuskegee University, Clark Atlanta University, West Virginia State University, Savannah State University. Those are just some of the HBCUs where Upward Bound programs were founded during the pivotal years of the Civil Rights Movement and which have lost their programs during this year’s competition.

Rhonda Nunn, Guidance Counselor for Miles College Upward Bound program, said 81 students will not get the benefit of the services for academic, cultural, and social enrichment that [Upward Bound] has provided in this community for more than 50 years,”

“The future for these young people should not be underrated or diminished by those who have no faith in their abilities,” Nunn said. “That anyone is considering withholding funds for the continuation of this program is heartbreaking.”

Maxine Waters: Proxymoron Ben Carson 'doesn't care about people in public housing'

The Hill

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) ripped into Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson in a speech Saturday, saying Carson “doesn’t care about people in public housing.”

“[Carson] knows nothing about the mission of HUD,” Waters said in a speech at the Essence Festival in New Orleans. “He doesn’t care about people in public housing. He believes that if you are poor, it is your own fault. And he doesn’t know the difference between an immigrant and a slave.”

Waters was referring to Carson’s remarks at a March event for HUD employees in which he referred to slaves brought to America as “immigrants.”

“That’s what America is about. A land of dreams and opportunity,” Carson had said. “There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less.”

Carson also said in May that poverty was “a state of mind.”

“You take somebody that has the right mindset, you take everything from them and put them on the street and I guarantee in a little while they’ll be right back up there,” he said in a SiriusXM radio interview in May. “And you take somebody with the wrong mindset, you can give them everything in the world, they’ll work their way right back down to the bottom.”

Waters also warned Carson that she would tough on him when he testifies before the House Committee on Financial Services, on which she is the ranking member.

“[If he] things that I am going to give him a pass, I am going to take his ass apart,” Waters said.

In Atlantic City, residents feel injustice of climate change

Racist Suspect Arrested For Murder of Black Teenage Girl in so-called "Road Rage" Incident

From [HERE] Police have arrested a white man suspected of fatally shooting a Black 18-year-old driver Bianca Roberson, in a fit of road rage because, a prosecutor said, he “didn’t want her to merge into a lane of traffic.”

David Desper, 28, is charged with first- and third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime and reckless endangering, according to Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI. He surrendered to authorities around 2 a.m. Sunday, ending a three-state manhunt.

Hogan said that because Desper was charged with a capital offense, no bail would be set. He was arraigned early Sunday and remanded to Chester County Prison.

Hogan said that a dented and faded red Chevy Silverado C1500, matching the physical description of the vehicle recorded in videos, was registered to Desper and recovered at 58 Huntington Farm Drive in Glen Mills.

The firearm and truck were found at separate locations, the D.A. said.

Hogan said a crucial piece of evidence actually came from the body of the recent Rustin High School graduate. Fragments of a .40-caliber bullet consistent with being fired from a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun were discovered.

Police executed a search of Desper’s residence, and a .40-caliber handgun was found in the defendant’s bedroom, Hogan said. In a nearby trash can, .40-caliber ammunition was discovered, the D.A. added.

Hogan said Desper purchased the gun legally on Nov. 5, 2015, and had a permit to carry the firearm.

Hogan referred to the confrontation as a “savage, senseless and brutal act,” noting the victim was “gunned down because somebody didn’t want to give way” on a roadway.

The district attorney said the young teen driver was doing something residents do routinely “thousands of times every day.”

Roberson was trying to merge at the 0.1-mile marker of the Route 100 Bypass at Route 202, when she engaged the suspect. She was killed instantly by a single bullet to the left side of the head.

“It is the exact same thing that all of us do every day — merging safely,” Hogan said. “The act of pulling a gun, aiming a gun and being able to shoot someone in the head from one vehicle to another is a calculated act.”

The shooting occurred during rush hour on Wednesday, as Bianca Nikol Roberson was returning home from a shopping trip for college clothes.

The teen and another driver started to merge into the same lane, “jostling for the position” on Route 100 in West Goshen Township, more than 30 miles from Philadelphia, said Michael Noone, first assistant district attorney for the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. Roberson’s vehicle veered from the roadway and crashed into a tree, police said in a statement.

Hogan noted the massive law enforcement effort that unfolded soon after the fatal encounter, which occurred 5:30 Wednesday afternoon. The D.A. said 20 police officers and staffers from the District Attorney’s office worked around-the-clock during the four-day investigation, launching a manhunt that captured the attention of the nation, even being covered by the nightly network news.

“We looked at all of the red pickup trucks across the region and everyone with a gun permit,” Hogan said.

The D.A. said that the homicide investigation will continue until “justice is done” for Bianca Roberson.

Roberson’s father, Rodney Roberson, said the family was excited that his daughter was going away to Jacksonville University in Florida to study psychology. She had set her sights on a FBI career.

New Art Exhibit from Vince Brown on Homelessness in DC - City Under Siege

From [VRBProductions]. June 16 - August 5, 2017

Anacostia Arts Center VIVID Solutions Gallery.

1231 Good Hope Rd SE · (202) 631-6291

Study: Seattle's $15 Minimum Wage WORKED!

More Dems sign onto bill to impeach Trump

The Hill

Four more House Democrats have signed on to a bill to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump after his Twitter rampage against MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski.

Yahoo News reported Saturday that 25 House Democrats are now working on the bill, which has been in the works since April. The bill's primary sponsor is Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD).

The bill would create a congressional “oversight” commission that could declare the president incapacitated, leading to his removal from office under the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

After Trump's tweets on Thursday, Raskin sent out an email to colleagues urging support for his bill.

“In case of emergency, break glass,” Raskin told Yahoo News. “If you look at the record of things that have happened since January, it is truly a bizarre litany of events and outbursts.”

Raskin said that Trump's tweets show a pattern of instability that means he is unfit for office. [MORE]

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