Alternative News

We’re Locking Up Fewer Black People and More White People

The USA incarcerates a higher percentage of its citizen than any other nation on earth. (We're #1!) Needless to say, we've accomplished that feat largely on the backs of minorities, particularly black people, who are incarcerated at more than six times the rate of white people. But, the broader takeaway is that the racial mix of those we incarcerate (particularly women) is changing, but the fact of America's mass incarceration is not. 'The overall rate of incarceration in the United States remains at five times the rate that prevailed in 1970.'" Continue reading →

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Robert Ethan Saylor and the Garrity Precedent

"Ethan Saylor had Down syndrome. He was in a movie theatre and Zero Dark Thirty had just ended. Saylor wanted to watch the film all over again. A theatre employee said he either had to buy another ticket or leave. When Saylor didn’t budge, they called security, which turned out to be some off-duty sheriff’s deputies working security in the mall. The deputies claim Saylor resisted arrest and died while being restrained. The coroner has now ruled Saylor’s death a homicide. A spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s office says 'We’re taking it very seriously.' The deputies involved in the incident, however, have thus far declined to speak with investigators." Continue reading →

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New Orleans Plainclothes Cops Caught on Tape Taking Down Innocent Man

"A few questions: 1. What would have happened if the young man’s mother had not arrived so quickly? 2. What would have happened if she had not been a police officer herself? 3. What would happen if these undercover officers tried to swarm on a person who was carrying a firearm? The police often remind us that they must make split-second decisions. True. But note that this tactic gives the citizen only a split second to decide if he’s being attacked by thugs or whether it’s a police stop." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Orleans Plainclothes Cops Caught on Tape Taking Down Innocent Man

Honesty is Not a Job Requirement for Police Officers

"If you lie to a police officer, you can be charged with a crime. When – not if—a police officer lies to you, he’s carrying out a legitimate function of his job. That’s what former prosecutor Val Van Brocklin explained in an essay. Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper estimates that the typical police officer will lie several times during his daily duty shift. In a 2009 ruling, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld a decision by an arbitrator reversing the termination of Kitsap County Sherriff’s deputy who had been fired for lying and other misconduct. The court agreed that honesty was not an essential function of a law enforcement officer’s job." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHonesty is Not a Job Requirement for Police Officers

Colorado cops wrongfully shoot second dog in just two months

"For the second time in just two months, law enforcement officers in Colorado have been accused of wrongfully killing a man’s best friend. Business owner Jeff Fisher told KUSA that his 8-year-old dog, Ziggy, was shot and killed when Adams County deputies ended up at the wrong address while responding to a security alarm. Fisher recalled that Ziggy ran outside to check things out after deputies reportedly forced their way into his business. Seconds later, the dog was dead. In late November, home video showed officers in Commerce City shooting a pit bull named Chloe after she had already been restrained." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingColorado cops wrongfully shoot second dog in just two months

The Type of Man Who Wants You Disarmed

"A lawmaker brandished an AK-47 on the floor of the House of Delegates in a wild stunt aimed at rallying support for tougher gun laws. Del. Joe Morrissey, D-Highland Springs, pulled the weapon out shortly after the day's session got underway. Morrissey was disbarred and lost his law license in 2003 after attacking a man — beating him with a large ring around his finger. According to legal brief filed on behalf of the victim, Morrissey shouted, 'I’m going to kill you. I’m going to beat your head in,' and then attempted to make good on his promise. When the man attempted to escape his beating, Morrissey 'smashed his head into the corner of a brick wall.'" Continue reading →

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Armed protesters rally at Washington State Capitol

"A group of protesters brandished their guns at the Washington State Capitol on Saturday to defend their right to bear arms. The event was organized by the group 2nd Enforcers, which warned many of the 30 gun-related bills to be considered by the state legislature were a threat to people’s Second Amendment rights. The bills would expand background checks to cover all gun purchases in the state, make leaving a loaded gun in a location accessible to children a crime of reckless endangerment, allow cities to prohibit guns at parks or recreational facilities, and ban guns from school campuses, among other things." Continue reading →

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House Democrat Wants States To Get Paid To Seize Guns

"Rep. Mike Thompson, a Democratic congressman from California, has introduced a bill that would call for the federal government to pay states to take guns away from criminals and the 'dangerously mentally ill' who are prohibited from owning them. The Armed Prohibited Persons Act of 2013 would create a program within the Justice Department to give money to states that track down people who are barred from having firearms but own them anyway." Continue reading →

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Officer Claims Cops Sell LAPD Guns to Civilians and Dealers

"Los Angeles police officers bought and sold guns from the police armory for profit, and told the lieutenant in charge of the armory to 'watch his back' after he reported it, the 25-year LAPD veteran claims in court. Armando Perez sued the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department in Superior Court. Perez, who joined the LAPD in 1987, claims he was retaliated against, suspended and threatened after he discovered, through his job as 'Officer in Charge of the Armory,' that officers in the Metropolitan Division were buying and reselling guns to other officers, civilians and gun dealers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOfficer Claims Cops Sell LAPD Guns to Civilians and Dealers