From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
Law enforcement and more than one hundred colleges and universities have convinced their students to download ‘public safety’ apps that send tips to police in real-time.
The apps go by names like ‘LiveSafe’ and ‘SafeTrek’ and their selling point is, helping students feel safe. Continue reading “Police use corporate ‘Public Safety’ apps to spy on everyone”
The Verge – by Sarah Jeong and Shannon Liao
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is testifying before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce today, fresh off the heels of a grueling five-hour joint session before the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees yesterday. In total, Zuckerberg will face questions from nearly 100 legislators, and many of those legislators have received thousands of dollars from the company Zuckerberg runs. Continue reading “Here’s how much Facebook donated to every lawmaker questioning Mark Zuckerberg this week”
Federal prosecutors say two New Jersey police officers stopped vehicles, detained the occupants and searched the autos without justification, sometimes also taking cash and other items.
The Paterson officers – Jonathan Bustios, 28, and Eudy Ramos, 31 – are charged with conspiring to deprive people of their civil rights under color of law. Continue reading “2 Paterson Cops Stopped Cars, Took Cash and Other Items: Prosecutors”
Balloons won’t fly anymore in New Shoreham, Rhode Island.
The town council there voted unanimously this week to say goodbye to balloons for good. The new law prohibits the sale and use of balloons throughout the town, which comprises the area of Block Island off Rhode Island’s coast. Continue reading “Town votes to ban balloons, fine violators up to $200”
Yesterday, it was announced that Uber acquired Social Bicycles Inc., or Jump Bikes an electric bike share company from New York.
What’s wrong with Uber acquiring an electric bike share company you ask?
Jump Bikes is much more than an electric bicycle company. Continue reading “Uber acquires electric bike share company that tracks people in real-time”
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – An arrest inside a gas station in Speedway caught on camera last week. Now, the family of the man arrested is raising the question, was this an excessive use of force?
Police are now taking a closer look at that video and we are digging into IMPD’s arrest policies. Continue reading “Family of man having seizure claims IMPD used excessive force during arrest”
It’s barely four months into the year and already, armed government workers have shot to death 294 people. This is more than twice as many people as have been shot to death by freelancers – those not wearing government uniforms who shot people at schools – during the past six years.
Last year, armed government workers shot to death 987 people. This is almost 60 timesas many people as were shot to death at Parkland. If the first three-ish months of carnage are any indication – 2018 will be an even better year. Continue reading “Soy Boy Politics”
At a recent rally in New Hampshire, Donald Trump called for the death penalty for drug traffickers as part of a plan to combat the opioid epidemic in the United States. At a Pennsylvania rally a few weeks earlier, he called for the same.
Now his administration is taking steps toward making this proposal a reality. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo on March 21 asking prosecutors to pursue capital punishment for drug traffickers — a power he has thanks to legislation passed under President Bill Clinton. Continue reading “If You Want to Kill Drug Dealers, Start With Big Pharma”
Boing Boing – by Cory Doctorow
A new Florida law redefines the reach of beachfront property owners’ claims to “the land above the mean high-tide level.” This seemingly innocuous change means that private property owners — and their patrolling rent-a-cops — will have vastly expanded powers to kick members of the public off of public beaches.
The law also bans cities from creating their own rules to ensure public access to public lands. Continue reading “New Florida law lets beachfront property owners kick people off of public coasts”
Yesterday 17 more states, the District of Columbia, and six cities joined the state of California in court challenges to plans for the 2020 Census to include a question about the citizenship of each personfound to be present in the US on census day.
Like police, census takers can ask any questions they like. But if they ask questions such as, “Are you a US citizen?”, you can, and you should, exercise your right to remain silent. Continue reading “Anything you say (to the census) can and will be used against you”
In June 2016 a Bordentown father was wrapping up his Father’s Day by playing a game of basketball with his two sons, when the ball rolled into the street and got stuck under a New Jersey State Trooper’s patrol car.
Annoyed with the number of troopers that came speeding through his neighborhood, Thomas Rowley, walked out into the street to retrieve the basketball and talk to Trooper Brennan Sullivan. Rowley didn’t expect a heated confrontation or to be put under arrest, but that’s exactly what happened. Continue reading “Dad says vengeful trooper arrested him because he complained about his driving”
Imagine walking down a public street on your way to dinner with your family, now imagine police knowing exactly who you are and the names and ages of every family member.
But wait it gets worse, because the surveillance doesn’t stop there.
Once you have entered the restaurant, police can use Project Green Light, Project Nola or any other police cam-share program to spy on you while you are eating. Continue reading “New surveillance camera software allows law enforcement to identify groups of people in real-time”
In a much-watched case, a Michigan agency has approved Nestlé’s plan to boost the amount of water it takes from the state. The request attracted a record number of public comments — with 80,945 against and 75 in favor.
Nestlé’s request to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to pump 576,000 gallons of water each day from the White Pine Springs well in the Great Lakes Basin was “highly controversial,” member station Michigan Radio reports. But despite deep public opposition, the agency concluded that the company’s plan met with legal standards. Continue reading “Michigan OKs Nestlé Water Extraction, Despite 80K+ Public Comments Against It”
Tenth Amendment Center – by Davis Taylor
TRENTON, N.J. (April 2, 2018) – A bill introduced in the New Jersey House would phase out vaccines containing mercury and push back against federal narratives on vaccinations.
Representative Valerie Huttle (D-37) introduced Assembly Bill 3569 (A3569) on March 12. The legislation would phase out the use of vaccines that contain mercury over a three-year period. Continue reading “New Jersey Bill Would Phase Out Mercury Vaccines; Reject Federal Narrative”
Police across the country are being trained to use social media to make them appear more approachable.
The Police Social Media Academy (PSMA), International Association of Chiefs of Police (ICAP), FBI-LEEDA and Crime Stoppers International (CSI) teach police officers how to use social media to their benefit.
Continue reading “Police use social media to make them appear more approachable”
Police officers lie under oath in court so often that they’ve even given the practice a nickname. “Behind closed doors, we call it testilying,” New York City police officer Pedro Serrano told the New York Times. “You take the truth and stretch it out a little bit.”
The term, the Times notes, came into common usage among cops about 25 years ago, but the issue of police perjury is far older, a problem African Americans have complained of for many decades. In rare instances, those with intimate knowledge have publicly acknowledged not only how rampant testilying is, but also how rarely cops caught in the act face consequences. Continue reading “Lying Is a Fundamental Part of American Police Culture”
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (WPLG/CNN) – Even though her doctor approved the trip, a pregnant woman says she was refused a spot on a Disney cruise, and when her family became frustrated, armed guards arrived to escort them away.
A family of 10, including a baby boy on the way, took a plane from St. Louis to Miami for their Disney Magic cruise. They were so excited they even had T-shirts made saying, “Keep calm and enjoy your Disney vacation.” Continue reading “Pregnant woman kicked off Disney cruise by armed guards”