Police State

NYPD faces class-action lawsuit over controversial stop-and-frisk policy

"A landmark trial challenging the New York police department’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy began in a lower Manhattan court on Monday. The class action suit accuses the NYPD of violating the constitutional rights of hundreds of thousands of innocent New Yorkers on a widespread and systemic basis. New York city police officers stopped 685,724 citizens in 2011, continuing an upward trend that began when Michael Bloomberg became mayor. Nearly nine out of 10 of those stopped in 2011 had committed no crime. The vast majority were black or Latino." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNYPD faces class-action lawsuit over controversial stop-and-frisk policy

Obama administration: Warrantless GPS tracking needed to fight terrorism

"The Obama administration will argue before a federal appeals court on Tuesday that law enforcement must regain the ability to use GPS tracking devices without a warrant, which it says is necessary to continue the fight against terrorism. The use of GPS devices in warrantless snooping has been illegal since January 2012, when the Supreme Court ruled that vehicles are private property protected by the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. If the Obama administration is successful on its appeal however, GPS devices will be fair game for police nationwide." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama administration: Warrantless GPS tracking needed to fight terrorism

Video shows Pittsburgh cop yelling at bystanders before allegedly tazing man outside bar

"A Pittsburgh police detective with a history of accusations on his record was filmed during another apparent outburst on Sunday, yelling at bystanders and allegedly tazing a man who was trying to leave a local bar. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted video early Monday morning of Detective Frank Rende yelling, 'Mind your own freakin’ business' at bystanders before taking out his taser and waving Mark Keyser Jr. away from the bar on Saturday. The newspaper reported that Rende has been accused of conduct unbecoming an officer more than a dozen times during his career." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVideo shows Pittsburgh cop yelling at bystanders before allegedly tazing man outside bar

Video shows Pittsburgh cop yelling at bystanders before allegedly tazing man outside bar

"A Pittsburgh police detective with a history of accusations on his record was filmed during another apparent outburst on Sunday, yelling at bystanders and allegedly tazing a man who was trying to leave a local bar. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted video early Monday morning of Detective Frank Rende yelling, 'Mind your own freakin’ business' at bystanders before taking out his taser and waving Mark Keyser Jr. away from the bar on Saturday. The newspaper reported that Rende has been accused of conduct unbecoming an officer more than a dozen times during his career." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVideo shows Pittsburgh cop yelling at bystanders before allegedly tazing man outside bar

Cop Fractures Woman’s Face, Says “I’m Going to Push Your Nose Through Your Brain”

"Chicago police appeared at Rita King’s door after a domestic disturbance complaint. King was approached by a police officer with a taser, arrested and then taken to the police station. She remained handcuffed to a table while she was questioned. Then, allegedly, she refused to be fingerprinted until someone explained why she was under arrest. In entered police commander Glenn Evans who pressed his fist into King’s nose for three to five minutes, repeatedly saying, 'I’m going to push your nose through your brain.' King bled profusely, was fingerprinted and was finally released from the station. She attempted to walk home, but lost consciousness after one block." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCop Fractures Woman’s Face, Says “I’m Going to Push Your Nose Through Your Brain”

Will Grigg: Prison Profiteers

"One aspect of drug prohibition that gets far too little attention is the fact that the drug war is immensely profitable for prohibitionists. No decent person has anything but contempt for Drug Kingpins – but it’s difficult to see how Prohibition Profiteers are any less contemptible. And they’re hardly the only people who have become wealthy by monetizing the misery generated in the prison-industrial complex. Public incarceration is the only consistently growing sector of our increasingly socialized economy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWill Grigg: Prison Profiteers

In Greece: As ‘Austerity’ Ignites Masses, Elites Turn To Imperial Stormtroopers

"The usually reserved waitress at our favorite Greek-owned Sunday breakfast place approached us in dismay. Her daughter and son-in-law were escaping Greece for the US. Even middle class professionals were finding themselves digging in the garbage for food to eat, she said. Former Greek career diplomat Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos says that the government has hired Blackwater, the American private military firm infamous for its activities in Iraq, which now goes by the name 'Academi', along with five other international for-profit security outfits. He says bluntly: 'The Greek government does not trust the police whose salaries have also been cut.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIn Greece: As ‘Austerity’ Ignites Masses, Elites Turn To Imperial Stormtroopers

Michigan couple grew 206 marijuana plants ‘across the street from city hall’

"A couple in Coloma, Michigan was arrested Wednesday and charged in connection to a marijuana growing operation authorities claim they found in the rear of their computer repair business, located directly across the street from the town’s city hall. In all, police said they pulled 206 marijuana plants out of the building. The couple, 66-year-old Dennis Dickson and 57-year-old Emily Jacobs, were arrested Wednesday afternoon following an investigation by the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Authorities said the total value of the grow was roughly $206,000." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichigan couple grew 206 marijuana plants ‘across the street from city hall’

Appeals Court Ruling Throws Wrench in Maritime Drug Prosecutions

"Four foreign nationals were arrested after their fishing vessel with 760 kilos of cocaine was seized off the Panamanian coast three years ago. The ruling reversing their convictions has called into question current US war drug tactics on foreign territory and territorial waters. If upheld, the decision in US v. Bellaizac-Hurtado, could prevent the US from prosecuting suspected smugglers caught within the 12-mile territorial waters of South and Central America countries, and it may hinder US authorities from entering the 12-mile limit themselves while carrying out anti-narcotics operations. That would wreak havoc with US drug enforcement offensives." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAppeals Court Ruling Throws Wrench in Maritime Drug Prosecutions