"In 2011, the number of stops of young black men exceeded New York City's entire population of young black men. Daniel A Medina followed the story of one, Keeshan, whose teenage years were scarred by the controversial police tactic a court has ruled a violation of minorities' rights." Continue reading →
"Abby Martin remarks on the second anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, highlighting a recent Reuters poll showing that only 15% of Americans are satisfied with the government's effort to prosecute Wall Street bankers, and speaks with former Philadelphia police captain Ray Lewis about why he chose to protest in-uniform at Occupy." Continue reading →
"For the humorously challenged, exposing the funny takes several ingredients. First, you need to be in a position to observe everyday occurrences that can be mocked or exposed for ridicule. Then you need the ability to craft a joke about that topic. Finally, you need the ability to deliver that joke. Vince Sicari has those ingredients. He's also a part-time judge in New Jersey, which is the sort of thing I didn't know existed (part-time judges, not the great state of New Jersey). Unfortunately that apparently makes him the bane of the legal system, as the New Jersey Supreme Court has ordered him to step down from the bench if he continues working in comedy." Continue reading →
"According to his attorney, Diane Polan, Luna was riding his bike on Crown Street on the morning of Sept. 25, 2011, when he noticed the incident and stopped to record it on his iPhone. It's not clear exactly what Luna saw, but Polan said he 'observed several police officers interacting with civilians.' Those officers confronted Luna and placed him under arrest. His phone was confiscated and the video erased, according to Polan. Polan said Luna is a former photojournalist. He was charged with interfering with an officer and was held overnight at the police department. The charges were brought before the New Haven Superior Court and later dropped." Continue reading →
"Modesto Junior College in California told a student that he could not pass out copies of the United States Constitution outside the student center on September 17, 2013—Constitution Day. Captured on video, college police and administrators demanded that Robert Van Tuinen stop passing out Constitution pamphlets and told him that he would only be allowed to pass them out in the college's tiny free speech zone, and only after scheduling it several days or weeks ahead of time." Continue reading →
"A Brazilian territory is believed to have become the first region in Latin America to ban the sale of toy guns as the country attempts to staunch an epidemic of firearm-related crime. The initiative to ban the sale and manufacture of toy guns was part of a government program to protect victims of violence. Children were asked to turn over their toy guns in exchange for a book. Local authorities set a four-month deadline and provided trade incentives to stores saddled with stocks of toy guns they can no longer sell. In 2005, the government of then president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) called a referendum to ban the sale of firearms nationwide, but 64 percent voted against." Continue reading →
"The 17-year-old, who suffers from an aggressive cancer, lost his case against Sydney Children’s Hospital in March in which he had argued that treating him with blood products or a transfusion would breach his relationship with God. 'There is no doubting (the applicant’s) devotion to his faith, but his life has been cocooned in that faith,' Justice Ian Gzell said at the time. 'The sanctity of life in the end is a more powerful reason for me to make the orders than is respect for the dignity of the individual.'" Continue reading →
"The case dates back to May 21 when Officer Dustin Fetz asked Zoe Brugger to shake out her bra during a traffic stop. A report released to the media on Wednesday afternoon revealed the results of an FBI investigation that Fertz did not violate Brugger’s civil rights. The report also said Officer Fetz would be retrained. Chief Lisa Womack did decide to suspend Fetz for one day. Earlier this month, the State Attorney called Fetz’s actions 'demeaning' and 'egregious.' Fetz pulled Brugger and her boyfriend over for a broken headlight but at one point believed Brugger may have had drugs so he asked her to 'pull her shirt up, pull her bra out from her breasts, and to shake.' Fetz never found any drugs." Continue reading →
"It sounds absurd: tickets and warning letters for parking in your own driveway. But Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor says it’s happened on two city streets – one in the West End and one in Squirrel Hill. A pregnant mother of seven who lives across the street is trying to follow the rule, but can’t get out of the driver’s side of her van anymore. She has to crawl out of the passenger’s side when she parks the vehicle between her home and her neighbor’s. O’Connor says the tickets and warning letters are issued by the Bureau of Building Inspection. KDKA was unable to reach anyone from that office Wednesday night. He says one family ended up paying a $2,400 fine." Continue reading →
"The family of a Florida man killed by a police cruiser during a pursuit released shocking dash cam footage of the incident on Wednesday, described by their attorney as an 'execution in a vegetable garden.' Marlon Brown, 38 and a father of three, died on May 8 under the car driven by DeLand officer James Harris, who was chasing Brown over a seat-belt violation. The rookie policeman was fired May 31. Last week a grand jury decided not to indict Harris. On Wednesday Brown's ex-wife, Krystal Brown, released the video of the fatal crash and stated: 'We feel betrayed by our criminal justice system.'" Continue reading →