We USA are superior U are inferior // Justice the American way

[Steven Gaal]

Accused of Stealing a Backpack, High School Student Jailed for Nearly Three Years Without Trial

We look at the incredible story of how a 16-year-old high school sophomore from the Bronx ended up spending nearly three years locked up at the Rikers jail in New York City after he says he was falsely accused of stealing a backpack. Kalief Browder never pleaded guilty and was never convicted. Browder maintained his innocence and requested a trial, but was only offered plea deals while the trial was repeatedly delayed. Near the end of his time in jail, the judge offered to sentence him to time served if he entered a guilty plea, and warned him he could face 15 years in prison if he was convicted. But Browder still refused to accept the deal, and was only released when the case was dismissed. During this time, Browder spent nearly 800 days in solitary confinement, a juvenile imprisonment practice that the New York Department of Corrections has now banned. We are joined by reporter and author Jennifer Gonnerman, who recounts Browder’s story in the current issue of The New Yorker. We also speak with Browder’s current attorney, Paul Prestia, who has filed a lawsuit against the City of New York, the New York City Police Department, the Bronx District Attorney, and the Department of Corrections, on Browder’s behalf.

SEE http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=48415

[Steven Gaal]

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No charges against SWAT officers who maimed toddler during raid

Georgia law enforcement officers responsible for a bungled SWAT raid that left a toddler burned and disfigured will not face criminal charges, a grand jury has decided. The case is now being reviewed by federal officials.

News of the decision first broke on Monday, when a 23-person grand jury in Habersham County, Georgia, called the investigation “hurried and sloppy” but chose not to indict any officials involved in the SWAT operation’s planning or execution, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

During the May drug raid, 19-month-old infant Bounkham “Bou Bou” Phonesavanh had his face severely burned and disfigured after a flashbang grenade landed in his playpen while he was asleep. The baby – who underwent more than one surgery as a result of his injuries – had his nose detached from his face and suffered from an open gash in his chest as well as a collapsed lung.

Webmaster's Commentary:

Very obviously, the disfigurement of an innocent toddler is how Georgia police interpret the motto "...to protect and serve." But what is frightening is that the grand jury just let these cops walk.

I think this state just made my "never visit, EVER!" list.

And take a look at the following, just so you understand that police departments in Georgia are "equal opportunity killers" when it comes to age range of the people they try to (and do) assassinate in botched drug raids. As reported at policestateusa.com:

A drug task force gunned down a grandfather in his home during a botched late-night raid that was based on the word of a self-confessed meth addict and burglar who had robbed the property two nights prior. His grieving widow is disputing the official story regarding the no-knock raid that led to her husband’s untimely death. The devastating incident occurred the evening of September 24, 2014. David Hooks and his wife of 25 years, Teresa, had settled in for the evening; Mr. Hooks was asleep and his wife was upstairs in her craft room. At approximately 11:00 p.m., she noticed a vehicle abruptly race down her driveway. She saw men jump out of the vehicle and approach her home, donning black and camouflage clothing, shrouded in hoods. Mr. Hooks, a 59-year-old businessman, sprang from his bed and picked up a firearm, then took a defensive stand to protect his wife and home from the intruders. As he exited his bedroom, the back door of the house was breached, and gun-wielding home invaders charged in. What happened next was described as “chaos.” The intruders used their weapons to send a hail of gunfire into the residence; a total of 16-18 shots from rifles and .40 caliber handguns. When the gun smoke cleared, it became evident that the intruders were actually a Drug Task Force and members of the Laurens County Sheriff’s Response Team (SRT). Mr. Hooks was killed without returning fire. The officers claimed to be looking for methamphetamines. After searching the home forty-four (44) hours, not a single trace of narcotics was retrieved. Police kill Georgia grandfather during no-knock raid on wrong home

[Steven Gaal]

Gulag: 'Protection money' common for inmate families (click link)

By: DeMohrenschildt...

Tags:

Families have paid thousands of dollars in "protection money" to inmates, gangs and guards to keep their loved ones from being harmed or killed behind bars.

Days before last Christmas, Janet Stewart got a telephone call, asking if she wanted to see her son alive again. The caller wanted $400 and identified himself as an inmate at the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility — the same prison where her son was serving time.

She took the threat seriously. Gang members had already beaten her son Dec. 1. "When somebody says he has your kid for ransom, you're going to pay," she said. "You're going to do everything you can to keep them alive."

[Steven Gaal]

NYPD cop takes $1,300 from man, pepper-sprays him in the face when he complains

cell phone video shows a New York City police officer use pepper spray on a man and his sister after they complained the cop had taken more than $1,000 during a stop-and-frisk search.

Lamard Joye was stopped by police Sept. 16 in Coney Island after confronting officers who roughed up a young man nearby, said the man’s attorney.

“Is that necessary?” Joye and some friends asked police, according to the attorney.

One of Joye’s friends begins recording video, posted online by the New York Daily News, that shows an officer standing face-to-face with Joye, who oustretches his arms and says, “You see this?”

The officer then reaches into Joye’s pocket and pulls out a handful of cash, and smacks his face and calls him an “asshole” when Joye asks him to return the money.

The video shows the officer squirt pepper spray at Joye, who retreats as onlookers accuse the cop of stealing his money.

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[Steven Gaal]

COPS SEIZED $ 17,550 FROM DRIVER, NEVER CHARGED HIM WITH A CRIME

Mandrel Stuart used to own the Smoking Roosters, a barbecue restaurant in Staunton, Va. But one night in August 2012, police pulled him over and seized $17,550, without even bothering to charge Stuart with a crime. Unable to pay his bills and rent, Stuart had to close down his small business.

On the night of the seizure, Stuart and his girlfriend were headed to Washington, D.C. for a date and to buy supplies for his restaurant, when Fairfax County Officer Kevin Palizzi pulled them over on I-66. Palizzi stopped Stuart initially for having tinted windows. During the stop, Palizzi saw the movie Flashdance was also playing in Stuart’s car, which led to a $20 infraction.

A K-9 unit arrived and the dog alerted to the presence of drugs in Stuart’s car. Police then searched the car and found $17,550 in cash. A more thorough investigation of the car uncovered a miniscule amount of marijuana: just 0.01 gram. Police later gave Stuart a scrap of paper as a receipt. He was never charged with any crime.

Read more: http://ij.org/cops-seized-17-550-from-driver-never-charged-him-with-a-crime

[Steven Gaal]

Police State USA: Civil Forfeiture Under Presumption of Guilt

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October 9, 2014

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Source: Mike Mish Shedlock

Where in the world can police confiscate your money and your property, not charge you with any crime, then tell you there is absolutely nothing you can do about it?

The answer, which you may not have known (but might have guessed from the title), is none other than the USA, where people mistakenly presume the law says innocent until proven guilty.

Legalized Robbery

In a report called Stop and Seize, the Washington Post details how aggressive police take hundreds of millions of dollars from motorists not charged with crimes.

The Washington Post noted there have been 61,998 cash seizures made on highways and elsewhere since 9/11 without search warrants or indictments. Law enforcement agencies confiscated more than $2.5 billion. Half of the seizures were below $8,800. Here are a few examples.

• A 55-year-old Chinese American restaurateur from Georgia was pulled over for minor speeding on Interstate 10 in Alabama and detained for nearly two hours. He was carrying $75,000 raised from relatives to buy a Chinese restaurant in Lake Charles, La. He got back his money 10 months later but only after spending thousands of dollars on a lawyer and losing out on the restaurant deal.
• A 40-year-old Hispanic carpenter from New Jersey was stopped on Interstate 95 in Virginia for having tinted windows. Police said he appeared nervous and consented to a search. They took $18,000 that he said was meant to buy a used car. He had to hire a lawyer to get back his money.
• Mandrel Stuart, a 35-year-old African American owner of a small barbecue restaurant in Staunton, Va., was stunned when police took $17,550 from him during a stop in 2012 for a minor traffic infraction on Interstate 66 in Fairfax. He rejected a settlement with the government for half of his money and demanded a jury trial. He eventually got his money back but lost his business because he didn’t have the cash to pay his overhead.

John Oliver on Civil Forfeiture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEpZWGgJks&feature=player_embedded (LINK)

The above examples are outrageous, but the following one detailed by John Oliver is far worse.



Matt Lee, from Lake Station, Michigan was driving to California with $2,400 in cash his dad lent him to start a new business. In a routine traffic ticket pullover, police asked Lee if he was carrying any money. Lee told the police he had $2,400 from his dad and the police promptly confiscated the money.

The police officer told Lee "I have concluded my investigation and am keeping the money because you are traveling to California to buy drugs."

It is incredulous to believe someone would travel all the way from Michigan to California to buy a mere $2,400 in drugs. Yet, that was the conclusion of the officer.

It is amazing, and scary, that this happens in the US.

But it happens all the time. "Everyday I do this. It's all I do for a living. It's drug interdiction and I get money," said the Nevada police officer.

Let's describe Civil Forfeiture as it really is: Police State USA in which police act as judge and jury, with a presumption of guilt, and steal what they want for their own benefit.

Traveling to the USA? CBC news in Canada explicitly advises of the American shakedown: Police won't charge you, but they'll grab your money.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Steven Gaal

[Steven Gaal]

(CLICK LINK)

"The Throwaways": New Film Spotlights Impact of Police Killings and Mass Incarceration in Upstate NY (CLICK LINK)

Amidst national outrage over police brutality across the country, we look at a new film that documents police shootings and the consequences of mass incarceration in upstate New York. "The Throwaways" focuses on the idea that certain lives in our society are considered disposable. It follows activist and filmmaker Ira McKinley, a former felon, as he seeks to document and mobilize his community of Albany, New York.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Steven Gaal

[Steven Gaal]

Oct 11 08:02

“Bathroom Cops” Arresting Men in Public Bathrooms After “Shaking Off” When Done Urinating (CLICK LINK)

A string of recent complaints filed by alleged victims of wrongful arrest are bringing question to NYPD practices of arresting men in public restrooms. There are currently undercover cops posted up in public restrooms across New York City, waiting to catch sexual predators in the act.

However, according to dozens of alleged victims, average men are becoming entrapped by these undercover agents, when they have done nothing wrong. Many of the victims have claimed that after urinating, “shaking off” and zipping up their pants, they were accused of “simulating masturbation” in view of the police officer.

[Steven Gaal]

Ankeny Cop Tries To Search Car Because ‘Everybody that Plays Frisbee Golf Smokes Weed’ (click link)

Ankeny’s police chief is apologizing after a video surfaced showing an officer trying to search a motorist’s car because, according to the officer, everyone who plays Frisbee golf smokes pot.

[Steven Gaal]

Police agencies have used hundreds of millions of dollars taken from Americans under federal civil forfeiture law in recent years to buy guns, armored cars and electronic surveillance gear. They have also spent money on luxury vehicles, travel and a clown (click link)

The details are contained in thousands of annual reports submitted by local and state agencies to the Justice Department’s Equitable Sharing Program, an initiative that allows local and state police to keep up to 80 percent of the assets they seize. The Washington Post obtained 43,000 of the reports dating from 2008 through a Freedom of Information Act request. .

[Steven Gaal]

U.S. News

Florida man arrested by impatient cop as credit card verification stalls at nightclub

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/10/florida-man-arrested-by-impatient-cop-as-credit-card-verification-stalls-at-nightclub/

[Steven Gaal]

Another Abusive Cop Video - Excessive force used on 60-year-old man

_{(CLICK LINK)}

Edited October 15, 2014 by Steven Gaal

[Steven Gaal]

Family Dumbfounded After Cop Breaks Down Door and Kills Resident: No Explanation Given

A Colorado family is dumbfounded after an Rocky Ford police officer broke down their door, and fatally shot one of the residents in the back without apparent cause or explanation.
Sara Lindenmuth said that a Rocky Ford police officer, now identified as James Ashby, forced his way into her brother-in-laws residence after he came home around 2:00 am Sunday morning.
Lindenmuth says her brother-in-law, 27-year-old Jack Jacquez, and the officer began yelling at each other.
“He was standing next to his mom, his back turned toward the officer and then shot him twice in the back and then pepper sprayed him,” Lindenmuth said. “Then they hand cuffed his fiancé, for reasons I don’t know why. And the mom went to call the cops and the cop took her phone and threw it against the wall.”
“He just showed up,” she insisted. “No one knows why he just showed up. It just all happened unexpectedly.”
Jacquez’s fiance, Mariah, said that he had been out late because he was helping a friend babysit. She said she was asleep when she heard the gunshots.

“Came out, gun shots firing. Found my fiancé on the floor. He couldn’t breathe,” she explained.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is reportedly investigating the case. Officer James Ashby was placed on administrative leave pending the investigations outcome.
Police State Daily requests for comment made to the Rocky Ford Police Department were unsuccessful but officials have said no details will be released until the investigation is concluded. No explanation as to why the shooting occurred has been given.
Jacquez was shot at his home on 3rd Street near Swink Avenue. He was taken to a local hospital where he died.

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Read more: http://policestatedaily.com/family-dumbfounded-after-cop-breaks-down-doo...

[Steven Gaal]

Sleeping 7-year-old girl shot in head during no-knock police raid on wrong home

A Special Response Team shattered a family’s window in the middle of the night, hurled a flashbang onto a couch next to a sleeping girl, then charged in and shot her in the head. The hyper-aggressive tactics were made worse by the fact that police had taken it upon themselves to raid both sides of a duplex, when their suspect was only known to reside in one of them.

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[Steven Gaal]

AUDIO INTERVIEW & ARTICLE: Former Federal Prosecutor Reveals DoJ Corruption in New Book (click link)

By: DaveGahary

A former United States federal prosecutor has written a book that confirms that the highest levels of prosecutorial power in this country have been and still are subverting the written law to advance their own particular agendas, including imprisoning innocent Americans and even deciding which prison they should be assigned to and how they should be treated by the warden and the guards.

Dave Gahary had the opportunity to sit down with Ms. Sidney Powell, the author of Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice, a 10-year federal prosecutor who has worked under nine different U.S. attorneys. For the last 20 years, she has been in private practice doing federal appeals, and has done over 500 federal appeals, 350 of them for the government, and about 150 in private practice, and discusses her book in this informative interview (44:43).