Firefighter handcuffed and threatened with taser for waving at police while black

"Evansville firefighter George Madison Jr. has filed a formal complaint about an Evansville Police Department officer who he said stopped him during a bicycle ride Tuesday afternoon, threatened him with a stun gun and handcuffed him. The father of four said he feared for his safety during the stop by two officers on South Weinbach Avenue. 'I remember looking down the barrel of a Taser, because (the officer) was gritting his teeth and saying, ‘Don’t make me pull this trigger,’' Madison said Wednesday afternoon. Evansville Police Chief Bolin told Madison the department would 'look into it.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingFirefighter handcuffed and threatened with taser for waving at police while black

White House rejects petition calling for ‘Gun Free Zone’ around Obama, Biden

"President Obama needs armed security because he faces 'serious, persistent and credible threats on a daily basis,' the White House said in response to a petition meant to undercut his push for new gun controls. The petition garnered more than 40,000 signatures. The White House dismissed the call to disarm the president's security detail, noting that Congress mandated full-time protection of the president after the third assassination of a sitting president in 1901. 'Those who are the subject of ongoing threats must receive the necessary and appropriate protection,' the White House wrote in its response." Continue reading

Continue ReadingWhite House rejects petition calling for ‘Gun Free Zone’ around Obama, Biden

Here’s What It’s Like To Buy Drugs On Three Anonymous Online Black Markets

"The hardest part of scoring drugs in the age of the digital black market? Choosing among all the consumer-friendly websites ready to sell them. Our results were mixed, and far from scientific, since we made only one buy per site, and each site hosts dozens or hundreds of vendors. (The sites’ third-party seller model is more akin to eBay and Etsy than Amazon or Zappos.) We also couldn’t test the quality of the products–Our lawyer insisted we destroy them. (See video below.) But this much is clear: the age of narcotics e-commerce has arrived." Continue reading

Continue ReadingHere’s What It’s Like To Buy Drugs On Three Anonymous Online Black Markets

Former narcotics officer: We terrorized families over a bag of pot

"'Searching the house, I noticed the kids had straight ‘A’ report cards, the parent’s checkbook was balanced, and I realized that something was amiss, something was really bad.' 'I put it together years later, after I started smoking pot,' he confessed. 'You know, a lot of people report that the use of that medication helps a person self-reflect. And, wow, the veil came off and then I started doing the real research for myself instead of believing the propaganda. And I cried for a year after I found out the truth and what I had been involved in.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingFormer narcotics officer: We terrorized families over a bag of pot

As haze clears, are American opinions on marijuana reaching tipping point?

"When Washington and Colorado legalized pot -- with strict controls by established state agencies and a coherent tax structure -- opponents weren't able to raise the money to fight the initiatives. John Kane, a federal judge in Colorado, said in December he sees marijuana following the same path as alcohol in the 1930s. Toward the end of Prohibition, Kane explained, judges routinely dismissed violations or levied fines so trivial that prosecutors quit filing cases. 'The law is simply going to die before it's repealed. It will just go into disuse,' Kane said. 'It's a cultural force, and you simply cannot legislate against a cultural force.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingAs haze clears, are American opinions on marijuana reaching tipping point?

Despite focus on right turn photo enforcement, turns on red rarely dangerous

"Lawmakers in several states have begun to crack down on excessive shortening of yellow light times at red light camera intersections, and the photo enforcement industry has responded by shifting focus to right turn enforcement. The states of Ohio and Georgia were the first to require one extra second of yellow be added to an intersection where cameras issue tickets, effectively eliminating the profit available to cities for enforcing straight-through violations at an intersection. Increasingly right-on-red ticketing has become the primary source of program revenue. In many cities, turning tickets account for up to 80 percent of tickets issued." Continue reading

Continue ReadingDespite focus on right turn photo enforcement, turns on red rarely dangerous

Corrupt Cops Protecting Rodeo Board Caught by Their Own Cruiser Camera

"Oregon's Malheur County Sheriff's Deputies will apparently do anything to protect the cruel Jordan Valley Big Loop Rodeo. The sheriff's department raises money at the rodeo, and sheriff's deputies sit on the rodeo board. The sheriff's department will even make illegal traffic stops, and openly talk about what they are doing. Too bad they forgot about that cruiser camera, which recorded every word." Continue reading

Continue ReadingCorrupt Cops Protecting Rodeo Board Caught by Their Own Cruiser Camera

Security video shows Iowa cops beating mother in front of infant daughter

"In the video, obtained by Chicago-based watchdog group the Better Government Association, Redell is sitting in a chair exchanging words with the cops when an officer identified as Scott Crow pounces on her and appears to punch her several times in the head with both fists. The other officer, who has not been identified, doesn't strike her, but has his hands on her legs and waist. Meanwhile, Redell's infant daughter sits in a stroller just a few feet away. Redell eventually ends up on the floor with her hands cuffed behind her back. In his report, Crow claimed that he pounced on Redell because her 'hands were clenched' and she appeared 'willing to fight.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingSecurity video shows Iowa cops beating mother in front of infant daughter

Former Tulsa cop convicted of robbing Hispanic drivers while on duty

"A former Tulsa police officer was found guilty of 5 counts of armed robbery Thursday afternoon. Marvin Blades, Jr. was accused of pulling over Hispanic drivers and taking their money while on duty. Blades was convicted of stealing a total of $1,873 from drivers and $600 from an undercover Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs agent." Continue reading

Continue ReadingFormer Tulsa cop convicted of robbing Hispanic drivers while on duty

John Grisham: After Guantánamo, Another Injustice

"Nabil has not been the only 'mistake' in our war on terror. Hundreds of other Arabs have been sent to Gitmo, chewed up by the system there, never charged and eventually transferred back to their home countries. There have been no apologies, no official statements of regret, no compensation, nothing of the sort. The United States was dead wrong, but no one can admit it. In Nabil’s case, the United States military and intelligence agents relied on corrupt informants who were raking in American cash, or even worse, jailhouse snitches who swapped false stories for candy bars, porn and sometimes just a break from their own beatings." Continue reading

Continue ReadingJohn Grisham: After Guantánamo, Another Injustice