Gangsters in Blue

Minnesota trying to force ISPs to block access to gambling and poker sites.

Speaking of Minnesota, Rep. Michele Bachman is an idiot. No, really. She’s a huge idiot.

Bill that would make it more difficult to discipline misbehaving police officers unanimously passes Florida legislature, despite strong opposition from the state’s sheriffs and police chiefs.

New York family sues after aggressive, mistaken raid by U.S. Marshals and BATF agents.

Illinois attorney general trying to shut down naughty sections of Craigslist. Must have all that violent crime, property crime, and political corruption under control.

Chicago cops captured on video beating up patrons playing pool at a bar acquitted on assault charges.

The Police Brutality Blog, started two years ago as a project of various AfroSpear members including myself, has now been recognized by the Criminal Justice Careers Guide the number eight blog among the "Top 100 Criminal Justice Blogs":

This diversity of issues makes criminal justice dynamic but it also makes it dizzyingly complex for someone trying to educate themselves in justice issues. Consequently, we have compiled this list to help anyone involved in the criminal justice field — including academics, practitioners and students — find information and resources about their niche, as well as any other aspect of criminal justice. Criminal Justice Careers Guide

Congratulations to all of the readers and writers at the Police Brutality Blog.

The Police Brutality Blog, started two years ago as a project of various AfroSpear members including myself, has now been recognized by the Criminal Justice Careers Guide the number eight blog among the "Top 100 Criminal Justice Blogs":

This diversity of issues makes criminal justice dynamic but it also makes it dizzyingly complex for someone trying to educate themselves in justice issues. Consequently, we have compiled this list to help anyone involved in the criminal justice field — including academics, practitioners and students — find information and resources about their niche, as well as any other aspect of criminal justice. Criminal Justice Careers Guide

Congratulations to all of the readers and writers at the Police Brutality Blog.

The AfroSpear's African American Political Pundit says,

Support our petition to Congress calling for public hearings on the systemic human rights violations occurring with Federal funding for the use of Tasers® against American citizens. The United Nation's Committee Against Torture has declared that Taser use can constitute a form of torture, while USA: Amnesty International has an on-going concern about the use of tasers on American citizens.

Place a link on your blog or website: http://taserhearings.blogspot.com/

I believe this is of critical importance because if the Obama Adminstration does not find a way to stop police pretrial curbside executions of Black children, women and men, then Blacks may well resort to self-help of a kind that is as predictable as whites' displeasure.

In fact, self-help and self-defense against police electrocution attempts have already begun. African American Political Pundit reports,

Woman tasers Male Cop with his own Taser
Take That!


SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Police have arrested a woman they said used a Utah Highway Patrol trooper's Taser on him. Lisa Parker, 41, was booked into the Salt Lake County jail for investigation of aggravated assault, interference with an arresting officer and unauthorized control of a motor vehicle. Authorities said a Utah Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a truck he thought was stolen on Saturday.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Nigbur said the officer attempted to arrest the female passenger but she hit him with her shoe and bit him.

Nigbur said the trooper tried to use his Taser but it didn't fire, so he threw it aside. But authorities say Parker picked it up and fired a shock called a "dry stun" into the officer.

A K-9 unit and back-up officer arrived, and Parker eventually was Tasered. More HERE

No word on if Lisa is a black woman. Tasered While Black

In my opinion, intentional or negligent pre-trial electrocution and execution of persons who have not even been arraigned is unlawful and constitues murder. Therefore anyone who believes that they are about to be a victim of this violence is within their rights to use such force as may be necessary avoid being murdered by a police officer or officers.

Last night’s event at Maryland went well. Not a huge showing, but about 30 people turned out. Here’s a write-up from a campus newspaper.

I learned a couple of new things from Mayor Cheye Calvo’s presentation. The first is that we’re now nine months removed from the raid on his home, and he still hasn’t been given a copy of the police report. Nine months later, and they still won’t give an innocent man the report describing how and why his home was invaded, his pets slaughtered, and his family terrorized.

Calvo also said that there’s a provision in the SWAT team transparency bill he was able to push through the Maryland legislature this year that specifically requires police departments to report when they killed a household pet during a raid. He said that in addition to opposing the transparency bill in general, Maryland’s police organizations waged a second campaign aimed specifically at getting the pet provision removed from the bill. I found that interesting.

I also spoke with a woman from a Maryland dog owners organization who said she’s been trying for years to get the state’s police departments to tell her how many dogs are shot by police officers. Despite the state’s relatively strong open-records laws, they’ve refused to turn the information over to her. I’ll have more on her efforts a bit later.

Obama: “Under my administration, the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over.” Not really. Science will merely be beholden to a new ideology.

Criminals dressed as cops raid a private poker game.

Union officials may have intimidated, called the police on a political operative legally videotaping a public event.

Cocaine prices falling; drug is pure as ever.

Will the Kindle be the death of literary snobbery? If it takes off, it’ll certainly reveal just how few people who buy the classics actually read them.

Obama: “Under my administration, the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over.” Not really. Science will merely be beholden to a new ideology.

Criminals dressed as cops raid a private poker game.

Union officials may have intimidated, called the police on a political operative legally videotaping a public event.

Cocaine prices falling; drug is pure as ever.

Will the Kindle be the death of literary snobbery? If it takes off, it’ll certainly reveal just how few people who buy the classics actually read them.

Obama: “Under my administration, the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over.” Not really. Science will merely be beholden to a new ideology.

Criminals dressed as cops raid a private poker game.

Union officials may have intimidated, called the police on a political operative legally videotaping a public event.

Cocaine prices falling; drug is pure as ever.

Will the Kindle be the death of literary snobbery? If it takes off, it’ll certainly reveal just how few people who buy the classics actually read them.

Israeli official offended at the term “swine flu.” Bonus stupid points: Suggests we call it the “Mexican flu” instead. Because there’s nothing stigmatizing about that!

Study suggests some conservatives think Colbert is one of their own.

So yeah. This was probably a bad idea.

Scott Horton runs down torture myths and reality.

Retired cop shoots himself in the leg at a bar. In 2001 he was fired, then reinstated after allegedly threatening to kill his wife and locking himself in an SUV with a .38-caliber handgun. In October he retired early after being suspected of drunk driving. In 2008 he was named the town’s “Officer of the Year.”

So remember Obama’s promise to post bills to the ‘net, and wait five days before signing? So far, he’s one for 11.

Over the last decade, NYPD has paid out $540 million to settle police abuse lawsuits. Bucking the “new professionalism,” the trend is toward more suits, and more money in settlements, not the other way around.

Military agency warned in 2002 that interrogation techniques were torture, unlikely to elicit helpful information that couldn’t be obtained by other means. Bush’s political appointees, who had no experience in interrogation, ignored the report.

(Slightly naughty) fun with headlines.

Arizona to spend $1.5 million in stimulus money replacing metric signs installed in the early 1980s as part of the government’s short-lived plan to switch the country over to metric.

Four things to think about before you become Amish.

Classmates.com sends alumni a message from a murdered fellow classmate.

Speaking of Obama disappointments, his administration is urging the Supreme Court to reverse a 1986 decision that prevents police from continuing to question defendants after they’ve requested a lawyer.