Courthouse News

MANHATTAN (CN) – Once ripped from their families after World War II to populate Australia with “pure white stock,” Maltese children described “shocking violations of internationally accepted norms” in a federal lawsuit four years ago. But Supreme Court precedent and the statute of limitations means that the Catholic orders that treated them “essentially as slaves” will never see a federal jury, the 2nd Circuit ruled on Monday.

Emmanuel Ellul says that he was 14 years old when the Congregation of Christian Brothers told his parents that he and his brothers would be able to return to Malta following his education in Australia.   Continue reading “Catholic Orders Dodge Post-WWII Slavery Claim”

A Daily News analysis found 179 fatalities by NYPD officers since 1999.New York Daily News – by SARAH RYLEY, NOLAN HICKS, THOMAS TRACY, JOHN MARZULLI, DAREH GREGORIAN

A Staten Island grand jury’s decision not to indict NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo for the chokehold death of Eric Garner — a father of six — stunned large swaths of the city and added fuel to a nationwide surge of protests over police killings.

But history shows the odds were always in Pantaleo’s favor.   Continue reading “In 179 fatalities involving on-duty NYPD cops in 15 years, only 3 cases led to indictments — and just 1 conviction”

MassPrivateI

Businesses in about 100 cities register their private security cameras with DHS run police departments. Now some want to make it a mandatory.

If you feel like someone is watching you, you’re probably right.

In the latest manifestation of electronic ogling, police in dozens of cities large and small are enlisting citizens and businesses to register the locations of their private security cameras for possible use in crime investigations.   Continue reading “DHS run police departments expanding surveillance nationwide”

Free Thought Project – by Jay Syrmopoulos

Austin, Texas – In what sounds like something out of the Cold War Soviet Union playbook, Austin Police Chief, Art Acevedo urged the community to turn in neighbors and friends who are “gun enthusiasts” or who have “extreme” views, just days after Larry McQuilliams shot-up buildings in Austin.

Acevedo, in a press conference, stated that he is fearful of “homegrown” terrorists like McQuilliams who harbor “hate” and have access to firearms.   Continue reading “Police Chief: Turn in Friends & Neighbors Who Are ‘Gun Enthusiasts’ So Cops Can ‘Vet’ Them”

Alternet – by Max Blumenthal

When an Albuquerque police officer shot his 22-year-old son to death, Mike Gomez was determined to crusade for justice. Three years later, he is simply despondent.

“It’s so frustrating,” Gomez told me. “There’s no accountability here. There’s no justice. There’s no respect. There’s no humanity here. There’s nothing. It’s so disgusting that they get away with it.”   Continue reading “Inside the Twisted Police Department That Kills Unarmed Citizens at the Highest Rate in the Country”

635534202345122214-Still1205-0002511 Alive – by Jeremy Campbell

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — A Stone Mountain mother is outraged after her 6-year-old was handcuffed for misbehaving at Pine Ridge Elementary School. Her child, Patrick, is a first-grader there and is a special needs student.

“My husband got a call that something was going on with Patrick at school, and they needed us to come. We go into the school and a gentleman takes us back. I hear my son yelling and screaming” Lakaisha Reid recalled.

She snapped photos of the bruises left on his wrist on Friday after he was handcuffed by a student resource officer.   Continue reading “Boy, 6, handcuffed at school”

A punch from a Seattle police officer fractured an eye bone in Miyekko Durden-Bosley’s face. Seattle Times – by Mike Carter

Federal prosecutors say they will review an incident in which a Seattle police officer punched and seriously injured a handcuffed, intoxicated woman, after King County prosecutors said Friday they won’t charge the officer.

Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for acting U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes, said her office will look at the June 22 incident involving Officer Adley Shepherd for a possible federal criminal civil-rights violation.   Continue reading “No felony charges for SPD cop’s bone-breaking punch of handcuffed woman”

The Marshal Project – by SHAWN MUSGRAVE, TOM MEAGHER and GABRIEL DANCE

You may have heard that the image-conscious Los Angeles Unified School District chose to return the grenade launchers it received from the Defense Department’s surplus equipment program. You probably have not heard about some of the more obscure beneficiaries of the Pentagon giveaway:

  • Police in Johnston, R.I., with a population less than 29,000, acquired two bomb disposal robots, 10 tactical trucks, 35 assault rifles, more than 100 infrared gun sights and two pairs of footwear designed to protect against explosive mines. The Johnson police department has 67 sworn officers.

Continue reading “The Pentagon Finally Details its Weapons-for-Cops Giveaway”

AZ Central – by Maribel Castillo

The Tempe Police Department’s “Run From The Cops 5K,” which was scheduled to take place Saturday morning around Tempe Town Lake, has been postponed due to civil unrest in Ferguson, Mo., New York City and elsewhere.

In a statement released Thursday evening, Tempe Police Department’s Chief Tom Ryff explained that a lot of consideration went into canceling Saturday’s event.

“I have determined that out of sensitivity, respect and support for all sides of an important debate taking place all across our great country, it is necessary to proactively postpone this year’s race,” Ryff said.   Continue reading “Tempe police postpone ‘Run from the Cops 5K’”

NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpiNew York Daily News – by ERIK BADIA , TINA MOORE , CORKY SIEMASZKO

The Staten Island man who took the cellphone video seen around the world of a cop killing Eric Garner with a chokehold said the grand jury was rigged.

“I think they already had their minds made up,” Ramsey Orta told the Daily News a day after the panel voted not to charge NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo with a crime.

“I feel like it wasn’t fair at all,” he said. “It wasn’t fair from the start.”   Continue reading “Man who filmed Eric Garner in chokehold says grand jury was rigged”

The Anti-Media – by Carey Wedler

When a politician claims to improve an oppressive condition, there is usually an unspoken catch.

This week, President Barack Obama unveiled his plan to deal with police brutality and militarization (which he helped to enable over the course of his presidency). He has ordered $263 million for 50,000 body cameras and called for restrictions and oversight on military equipment.

Though on its face the plan has good intentions, it has already been criticized by activists and the media.   Continue reading “Obama Appoints Notoriously Corrupt Police Commissioner to Improve Cops’ Credibility”

The Intercept – by Ryan Gallagher

In March 2011, two weeks before the Western intervention in Libya, a secret message was delivered to the National Security Agency. An intelligence unit within the U.S. military’s Africa Command needed help to hack into Libya’s cellphone networks and monitor text messages.

For the NSA, the task was easy. The agency had already obtained technical information about the cellphone carriers’ internal systems by spying on documents sent among company employees, and these details would provide the perfect blueprint to help the military break into the networks.
Continue reading “Operation Auroragold: How the NSA Hacks Cellphone Networks Worldwide”

Wall Street Journal – by ROB BARRY and COULTER JONES

WASHINGTON—When 24-year-old Albert Jermaine Payton wielded a knife in front of the police in this city’s southeast corner, officers opened fire and killed him.

Yet according to national statistics intended to track police killings, Mr. Payton’s death in August 2012 never happened. It is one of hundreds of homicides by law-enforcement agencies between 2007 and 2012 that aren’t included in records kept by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.   Continue reading “Hundreds of Police Killings Are Uncounted in Federal Stats”