Ex-Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty In Baltimore Jail Conspiracy « CBS Baltimore
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
A corrections officer at the Baltimore City Detention Center has pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs into the facility for members of the Black Guerilla Family gang.
Jennifer Owens, 31, of Randallstown entered the plea Tuesday in federal court in Baltimore. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison at sentencing in January.
Owens is among more than two dozen people charged in April in a vast drug-smuggling operation at the downtown Baltimore jail. One of the alleged leaders of the gang, Tavon White, pleaded guilty last month to racketeering conspiracy.
Prosecutors say Owens, who has two children by White, smuggled pills, marijuana and tobacco in the jail on behalf of White and others. http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/08/13/ex-corrections-officer-pleads-guilty-in-baltimore-jail-conspiracy/
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Saturday, August 10, 2013
FCC Agrees To Cap Exorbitant Prison Phone Rates | ThinkProgress
FCC Agrees To Cap Exorbitant Prison Phone Rates | ThinkProgress
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
After a protracted battle to end inordinate charges for phone calls from prison that exceeded $17 for a 15-minute phone, the Federal Communications Commission voted Friday to cap the rate for interstate calls at 25 cents per minutes, meaning 15-minute calls could no longer cost more than $3.25.
The 2-1 FCC decision not only relieves the burden on inmates for whom phone calls are the primary means of contact with loved ones, including young children. It also curbs exploitation of a largely unregulated sector of the phone market, which fostered generous profits and what amounted to legalized kickbacks to states in exchange for lucrative contracts.
The effort to curb prison phone calls started with a lawsuit filed more than a decade ago that was referred to the FCC. The FCC sat on the matter for years, until it agreed in November to consider action on the matter. Factoring into the FCC’s ruling was the policy’s impact on the 2.7 million U.S. children with an incarcerated parent. Increased familial communication not only benefits those children; it also lowers the chance of inmates committing a later offense. http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/08/09/2445871/fcc-agrees-to-cap-exorbitant-prison-phone-rates/
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
After a protracted battle to end inordinate charges for phone calls from prison that exceeded $17 for a 15-minute phone, the Federal Communications Commission voted Friday to cap the rate for interstate calls at 25 cents per minutes, meaning 15-minute calls could no longer cost more than $3.25.
The 2-1 FCC decision not only relieves the burden on inmates for whom phone calls are the primary means of contact with loved ones, including young children. It also curbs exploitation of a largely unregulated sector of the phone market, which fostered generous profits and what amounted to legalized kickbacks to states in exchange for lucrative contracts.
The effort to curb prison phone calls started with a lawsuit filed more than a decade ago that was referred to the FCC. The FCC sat on the matter for years, until it agreed in November to consider action on the matter. Factoring into the FCC’s ruling was the policy’s impact on the 2.7 million U.S. children with an incarcerated parent. Increased familial communication not only benefits those children; it also lowers the chance of inmates committing a later offense. http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/08/09/2445871/fcc-agrees-to-cap-exorbitant-prison-phone-rates/
Women Lawmakers Push Paid Sick Leave In New Jersey | ThinkProgress
Women Lawmakers Push Paid Sick Leave In New Jersey | ThinkProgress
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
On Thursday, a group of women lawmakers were joined by union and community leaders to promote a bill that would guarantee New Jersey workers paid sick leave.
The bill, A4125, was introduced by Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt and Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg in the spring. It would give workers at companies with more than 11 people the ability to accrue up to seven days of paid sick leave a year and five days a year for those at smaller companies.
While New Jersey is one of just three states that offer workers paid family leave, the lawmakers say 1.2 million New Jersey residents don’t have access to paid time off if they or a loved one falls sick.
The battle in New Jersey comes as the fight to pass similar legislation heats up in Massachusetts. If either succeeds in passing a bill, it would join five other cities and the state of Connecticut. New York City was the latest to pass such a law, becoming the largest city in the country to guarantee workers paid sick leave.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/08/09/2445531/paid-sick-leave-new-jersey/
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
On Thursday, a group of women lawmakers were joined by union and community leaders to promote a bill that would guarantee New Jersey workers paid sick leave.
The bill, A4125, was introduced by Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt and Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg in the spring. It would give workers at companies with more than 11 people the ability to accrue up to seven days of paid sick leave a year and five days a year for those at smaller companies.
While New Jersey is one of just three states that offer workers paid family leave, the lawmakers say 1.2 million New Jersey residents don’t have access to paid time off if they or a loved one falls sick.
The battle in New Jersey comes as the fight to pass similar legislation heats up in Massachusetts. If either succeeds in passing a bill, it would join five other cities and the state of Connecticut. New York City was the latest to pass such a law, becoming the largest city in the country to guarantee workers paid sick leave.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/08/09/2445531/paid-sick-leave-new-jersey/
Monday, August 5, 2013
The Moynihan Report (1965) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed
The Moynihan Report (1965) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
The Negro Family:
The Case For National Action
Office of Policy Planning and Research
United States Department of Labor
March 1965
________________________________________
Two hundred years ago, in 1765, nine assembled colonies first joined together to demand freedom from arbitrary power.
For the first century we struggled to hold together the first continental union of democracy in the history of man. One hundred years ago, in 1865, following a terrible test of blood and fire, the compact of union was finally sealed.
For a second century we labored to establish a unity of purpose and interest among the many groups which make up the American community.
That struggle has often brought pain and violence. It is not yet over.
State of the Union Message of President Lyndon B. Johnson,
January 4, 1965.
________________________________________
The United States is approaching a new crisis in race relations.
In the decade that began with the school desegregation decision of the Supreme Court, and ended with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the demand of Negro Americans for full recognition of their civil rights was finally met.
The effort, no matter how savage and brutal, of some State and local governments to thwart the exercise of those rights is doomed. The nation will not put up with it -- least of all the Negroes. The present moment will pass. In the meantime, a new period is beginning.
In this new period the expectations of the Negro Americans will go beyond civil rights. Being Americans, they will now expect that in the near future equal opportunities for them as a group will produce roughly equal results, as compared with other groups. This is not going to happen. Nor will it happen for generations to come unless a new and special effort is made.
There are two reasons. First, the racist virus in the American blood stream still afflicts us: Negroes will encounter serious personal prejudice for at least another generation. Second, three centuries of sometimes unimaginable mistreatment have taken their toll on the Negro people. The harsh fact is that as a group, at the present time, in terms of ability to win out in the competitions of American life, they are not equal to most of those groups with which they will be competing. Individually, Negro Americans reach the highest peaks of achievement. But collectively, in the spectrum of American ethnic and religious and regional groups, where some get plenty and some get none, where some send eighty percent of their children to college and others pull them out of school at the 8th grade, Negroes are among the weakest.
The most difficult fact for white Americans to understand is that in these terms the circumstances of the Negro American community in recent years has probably been getting worse, not better.
Indices of dollars of income, standards of living, and years of education deceive. The gap between the Negro and most other groups in American society is widening.
The fundamental problem, in which this is most clearly the case, is that of family structure. The evidence -- not final, but powerfully persuasive -- is that the Negro family in the urban ghettos is crumbling. A middle-class group has managed to save itself, but for vast numbers of the unskilled, poorly educated city working class the fabric of conventional social relationships has all but disintegrated. There are indications that the situation may have been arrested in the past few years, but the general post-war trend is unmistakable. So long as this situation persists, the cycle of poverty and disadvantage will continue to repeat itself.
The thesis of this paper is that these events, in combination, confront the nation with a new kind of problem. Measures that have worked in the past, or would work for most groups in the present, will not work here. A national effort is required that will give a unity of purpose to the many activities of the Federal government in this area, directed to a new kind of national goal: the establishment of a stable Negro family structure.
This would be a new departure for Federal policy. And a difficult one. But it almost certainly offers the only possibility of resolving in our time what is, after all, the nation's oldest, and most intransigent, and now its most dangerous social problem. What Gunnar Myrdal said in An American Dilemma remains true today: "America is free to chose whether the Negro shall remain her liability or become her opportunity."
http://www.blackpast.org/?q=primary/moynihan-report-1965
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
The Negro Family:
The Case For National Action
Office of Policy Planning and Research
United States Department of Labor
March 1965
________________________________________
Two hundred years ago, in 1765, nine assembled colonies first joined together to demand freedom from arbitrary power.
For the first century we struggled to hold together the first continental union of democracy in the history of man. One hundred years ago, in 1865, following a terrible test of blood and fire, the compact of union was finally sealed.
For a second century we labored to establish a unity of purpose and interest among the many groups which make up the American community.
That struggle has often brought pain and violence. It is not yet over.
State of the Union Message of President Lyndon B. Johnson,
January 4, 1965.
________________________________________
The United States is approaching a new crisis in race relations.
In the decade that began with the school desegregation decision of the Supreme Court, and ended with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the demand of Negro Americans for full recognition of their civil rights was finally met.
The effort, no matter how savage and brutal, of some State and local governments to thwart the exercise of those rights is doomed. The nation will not put up with it -- least of all the Negroes. The present moment will pass. In the meantime, a new period is beginning.
In this new period the expectations of the Negro Americans will go beyond civil rights. Being Americans, they will now expect that in the near future equal opportunities for them as a group will produce roughly equal results, as compared with other groups. This is not going to happen. Nor will it happen for generations to come unless a new and special effort is made.
There are two reasons. First, the racist virus in the American blood stream still afflicts us: Negroes will encounter serious personal prejudice for at least another generation. Second, three centuries of sometimes unimaginable mistreatment have taken their toll on the Negro people. The harsh fact is that as a group, at the present time, in terms of ability to win out in the competitions of American life, they are not equal to most of those groups with which they will be competing. Individually, Negro Americans reach the highest peaks of achievement. But collectively, in the spectrum of American ethnic and religious and regional groups, where some get plenty and some get none, where some send eighty percent of their children to college and others pull them out of school at the 8th grade, Negroes are among the weakest.
The most difficult fact for white Americans to understand is that in these terms the circumstances of the Negro American community in recent years has probably been getting worse, not better.
Indices of dollars of income, standards of living, and years of education deceive. The gap between the Negro and most other groups in American society is widening.
The fundamental problem, in which this is most clearly the case, is that of family structure. The evidence -- not final, but powerfully persuasive -- is that the Negro family in the urban ghettos is crumbling. A middle-class group has managed to save itself, but for vast numbers of the unskilled, poorly educated city working class the fabric of conventional social relationships has all but disintegrated. There are indications that the situation may have been arrested in the past few years, but the general post-war trend is unmistakable. So long as this situation persists, the cycle of poverty and disadvantage will continue to repeat itself.
The thesis of this paper is that these events, in combination, confront the nation with a new kind of problem. Measures that have worked in the past, or would work for most groups in the present, will not work here. A national effort is required that will give a unity of purpose to the many activities of the Federal government in this area, directed to a new kind of national goal: the establishment of a stable Negro family structure.
This would be a new departure for Federal policy. And a difficult one. But it almost certainly offers the only possibility of resolving in our time what is, after all, the nation's oldest, and most intransigent, and now its most dangerous social problem. What Gunnar Myrdal said in An American Dilemma remains true today: "America is free to chose whether the Negro shall remain her liability or become her opportunity."
http://www.blackpast.org/?q=primary/moynihan-report-1965
Saturday, August 3, 2013
John McCain: 'It's been a long time since I've been scared' - Hadas Gold - POLITICO.com
John McCain: 'It's been a long time since I've been scared' - Hadas Gold - POLITICO.com
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Fellow politicians shouldn’t try to scare Sen. John McCain with personal attacks — it won’t work, he says.
In an interview released Friday with ABC News/Yahoo, the Arizona Republican said members of Congress should not call those who disagree with them “scared,” and that it’s been a long time since he’s been scared.
Continue Reading
McCain warned that the fresh faces in Congress like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) who are threatening to shut down the government over Obamacare might need some “corporate memory.”
“The people who are pushing this Obamacare vs. government shutdown, none of them that I know were here the last time we saw that movie,” he said.
No matter who the next Republican presidential nominee is, they won’t win if Congress fails to pass immigration reform, McCain said.
“If we fail on immigration reform, it won’t matter who our nominee is because of the polarization of the Hispanic vote,” McCain said. “Now that’s not why I’m for immigration reform, but it certainly is one of the consequences of a failure.
McCain’s “crystal ball” on immigration is “a little cloudy” he said, because the August recess will be “a very seminal month.”
“Members are back interacting with their constituents and we see a coalition of Evangelicals, of the Catholic Church, of business, of labor, of small business, high tech, across the board, support the likes of which we, I’ve never seen, for one specific part of legislation. So I hope that sends my colleagues on the House side back with at least a willingness to move forward with some legislation, so we can go to conference,” McCain said.
In an interview released Friday with ABC News/Yahoo, the Arizona Republican said members of Congress should not call those who disagree with them “scared,” and that it’s been a long time since he’s been scared.
Continue Reading
“We need to be careful in the way we treat each other,” McCain said. “I have been as ferocious a fighter and I think as partisan as strong as anybody but, I really try hard not to get personal. Debate on the issue as hard as you can, but don’t say that your opponents, people who disagree with you, are scared. It’s been a long time since I’ve been scared.”
(PHOTOS: John McCain’s life and career)McCain warned that the fresh faces in Congress like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) who are threatening to shut down the government over Obamacare might need some “corporate memory.”
“The people who are pushing this Obamacare vs. government shutdown, none of them that I know were here the last time we saw that movie,” he said.
No matter who the next Republican presidential nominee is, they won’t win if Congress fails to pass immigration reform, McCain said.
“If we fail on immigration reform, it won’t matter who our nominee is because of the polarization of the Hispanic vote,” McCain said. “Now that’s not why I’m for immigration reform, but it certainly is one of the consequences of a failure.
McCain’s “crystal ball” on immigration is “a little cloudy” he said, because the August recess will be “a very seminal month.”
“Members are back interacting with their constituents and we see a coalition of Evangelicals, of the Catholic Church, of business, of labor, of small business, high tech, across the board, support the likes of which we, I’ve never seen, for one specific part of legislation. So I hope that sends my colleagues on the House side back with at least a willingness to move forward with some legislation, so we can go to conference,” McCain said.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Chicago: Hundreds of Gang Members Invited to Summit to End Violence | Your Black World
Chicago: Hundreds of Gang Members Invited to Summit to End Violence | Your Black World
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
In an effort to end the violence, hundreds of Chicago gang members have been invited to a summit to broker a deal.
Rev. Gregory Tatum, who has roots in Chicago, says he hopes Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson will attend the Sept. 27-28
summit, especially since Jackson spoke at a gang summit two decades ago.
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
In an effort to end the violence, hundreds of Chicago gang members have been invited to a summit to broker a deal.
Rev. Gregory Tatum, who has roots in Chicago, says he hopes Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson will attend the Sept. 27-28
summit, especially since Jackson spoke at a gang summit two decades ago.“This is a historical moment, this is a national moment,” said Tatum, who grew up in the Cabrini-Green public housing projects in the 1960s.
Jackson’s spokesman says he was unaware of the invitation and Sharpton’s spokesman did not confirm whether the MSNBC host would be able to attend.
Tatum says he is planning to hold the summit at Salem Baptist Church on the Far South Side. He says he eventually plans to expand his gang summit initiative.
“Next year, we will go to Los Angeles, then Detroit,” Tatum said. “The whole goal this year is black on black crime in Chicago.”
In 1993, gang summits were used as a vehicle to negotiate truces between the Black Disciples, Gangster Disciples, Black Souls, Cobras, Stones and Latin Kings. After the summit, violence actually increased, then steadily decreased over time, so it is unclear what impact the summit actually had on gang violence.
Last year there were 506 k!llings in Chicago and it doesn’t look like crime in the city is going to end any time soon. Most recently, a 4 year old girl was shot while she was riding her scooter outside of her home. According to police, her family has ties to a gang.
http://www.yourblackworld.net/2013/08/black-news/chicago-hundreds-of-gang-members-invited-to-summit-to-end-violence/
Detroit Father and Pastor K!lled For Asking Neighbors to Keep Party Noise Down | Your Black World
Detroit Father and Pastor K!lled For Asking Neighbors to Keep Party Noise Down | Your Black World
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
A father and pastor known for his community activism was shot and k!lled because he asked neighbors to keep the noise down,
according to local affiliate WDIV in Detroit.
Tim Kirby, 46, was a father of four and a local pastor known for his work in the community, but on Monday night he was shot and k!lled, all because he asked neighbors who were having a party to lower the noise.
“It was devastating. I cried for a minute, and then it was like I couldn’t cry no more,” said his daughter, Tatiana Kirby. “He was a good father. He was always a caring person. Every Sunday we were always in church. He always made sure we had clothes, good clothes on our backs, food on the table.”
“I was laying on the couch and I heard gunshots around 11:30,” said a neighbor.
Witnesses say some of the neighbors were having a party outside with loud music and screaming when Kirby came outside and asked them to keep it down. That’s when some men at the party became angry at Kirby and one man opened fire on him.
One neighbor told WDIV that it never crossed her mind that the person who had been shot was Tim Kirby.
The Detroit minister was reportedly well known for his community work and sermons. He was looking to build a bigger congregation.
“I hope my daddy gets justice because he didn’t deserve this,” said Tatiana.
http://www.yourblackworld.net/2013/08/black-news/detroit-father-and-pastor-klled-for-asking-neighbors-to-keep-party-noise-down/
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
A father and pastor known for his community activism was shot and k!lled because he asked neighbors to keep the noise down,
according to local affiliate WDIV in Detroit. Tim Kirby, 46, was a father of four and a local pastor known for his work in the community, but on Monday night he was shot and k!lled, all because he asked neighbors who were having a party to lower the noise.
“It was devastating. I cried for a minute, and then it was like I couldn’t cry no more,” said his daughter, Tatiana Kirby. “He was a good father. He was always a caring person. Every Sunday we were always in church. He always made sure we had clothes, good clothes on our backs, food on the table.”
“I was laying on the couch and I heard gunshots around 11:30,” said a neighbor.
Witnesses say some of the neighbors were having a party outside with loud music and screaming when Kirby came outside and asked them to keep it down. That’s when some men at the party became angry at Kirby and one man opened fire on him.
One neighbor told WDIV that it never crossed her mind that the person who had been shot was Tim Kirby.
The Detroit minister was reportedly well known for his community work and sermons. He was looking to build a bigger congregation.
“I hope my daddy gets justice because he didn’t deserve this,” said Tatiana.
http://www.yourblackworld.net/2013/08/black-news/detroit-father-and-pastor-klled-for-asking-neighbors-to-keep-party-noise-down/
Friday, July 26, 2013
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Says She's Not Surprised By New Voter ID Law Push Following Supreme Court Ruling
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Says She's Not Surprised By New Voter ID Law Push Following Supreme Court Ruling
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
WASHINGTON -- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she's not surprised that Southern states have pushed ahead with tough voter identification laws and other measures since the Supreme Court freed them from strict federal oversight of their elections.
Ginsburg said in an interview with The Associated Press that Texas' decision to implement its voter ID law hours after the court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act last month was powerful evidence of an ongoing need to keep states with a history of voting discrimination from making changes in the way they hold elections without getting advance approval from Washington.
The Justice Department said Thursday it would try to bring Texas and other places back under the advance approval requirement through a part of the law that was not challenged.
"The notion that because the Voting Rights Act had been so tremendously effective we had to stop it didn't make any sense to me," Ginsburg said in a wide-ranging interview late Wednesday in her office at the court. "And one really could have predicted what was going to happen."
The 80-year-old justice dissented from the 5-4 decision on the voting law. Ginsburg said in her dissent that discarding the law was "like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet."
Just a month removed from the decision, she said, "I didn't want to be right, but sadly I am."http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/26/ruth-bader-ginsburg-voter-id_n_3657858.html?ref=topbar
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
WASHINGTON -- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she's not surprised that Southern states have pushed ahead with tough voter identification laws and other measures since the Supreme Court freed them from strict federal oversight of their elections.
Ginsburg said in an interview with The Associated Press that Texas' decision to implement its voter ID law hours after the court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act last month was powerful evidence of an ongoing need to keep states with a history of voting discrimination from making changes in the way they hold elections without getting advance approval from Washington.
The Justice Department said Thursday it would try to bring Texas and other places back under the advance approval requirement through a part of the law that was not challenged.
"The notion that because the Voting Rights Act had been so tremendously effective we had to stop it didn't make any sense to me," Ginsburg said in a wide-ranging interview late Wednesday in her office at the court. "And one really could have predicted what was going to happen."
The 80-year-old justice dissented from the 5-4 decision on the voting law. Ginsburg said in her dissent that discarding the law was "like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet."
Just a month removed from the decision, she said, "I didn't want to be right, but sadly I am."http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/26/ruth-bader-ginsburg-voter-id_n_3657858.html?ref=topbar
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Stop Voter Suppression in North Carolina | Democracy For America
Stop Voter Suppression in North Carolina | Democracy For America
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
To: The North Carolina Legislature
Dear North Carolina Legislators, As elected lawmakers, you should be encouraging more North Carolinians to exercise their right to vote in every election, not making it harder. Please vote against the horrible voter ID law and its antidemocratic intent. It will do nothing but disenfranchise thousands of North Carolinians and hurt our democracy.
Why is this important?
Our lawmakers should be encouraging more North Carolinians to vote, not limiting them. Under a new proposed voter ID bill, the North Carolina Legislature wants to make it harder for voters to get to the polls. On top of strict new voter ID requirements, this bill would: *shorten early voting by one week *eliminate same-day registration and provisional voting if at wrong precinct *prevent counties from offering voting on the last Saturday before the election beyond 1 p.m. *prevent counties from extending poll hours by one hour on Election Day in extraordinary circumstances (such as lengthy lines) *eliminate state-supported voter registration drives and preregistration for 16- and 17-year-olds *repeal voter-owned judicial elections and straight party voting *increase the number of people who can challenge voters inside the precinct *purge voter rolls more often
http://youpower.democracyforamerica.com/petitions/stop-voter-suppression-in-north-carolina?Source=c_fb_0723
Trayvon Martin’s parents: Juror B29′s revelations ‘devastating’ | theGrio
Trayvon Martin’s parents: Juror B29′s revelations ‘devastating’ | theGrio
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
The mother of Trayvon Martin reacted Thursday to an interview a juror in the George Zimmerman trial gave to ABC News, in which she admitted that she ultimately, she didn’t hold out for a conviction.
The Juror, known only as B29, or “Maddy,” since she revealed herself — including showing her face — to ABC’s Robin Roberts, said Zimmerman “got away with murder” in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, but that Florida law, as understood by the jury, made it impossible to convict.
“I was the juror that was going to give them the hung jury. I fought to the end,” she said during the interview, for which ABC News aired clips on Thursday. “That’s where I felt confused, where if a person kills someone, then you get charged for it. But as the law was read to me, if you have no proof that he killed him intentionally, you can’t say he’s guilty.”
Zimmerman was acquitted on second degree murder and manslaughter charges July 14th.
Maddy, a nurse’s aide and the lone non-white juror on the panel, said she is having trouble sleeping after the verdict.
“It’s hard for me to sleep,” she told ABC. “It’s hard for me to eat because I feel I was forcefully included in Trayvon Martin’s death. And as I carry him on my back, I’m hurting as much Trayvon’s Martin’s mother because there’s no way that any mother should feel that pain,” she said.
http://thegrio.com/2013/07/25/trayvon-martins-parents-juror-b29s-revelations-devastating/
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
The mother of Trayvon Martin reacted Thursday to an interview a juror in the George Zimmerman trial gave to ABC News, in which she admitted that she ultimately, she didn’t hold out for a conviction.
The Juror, known only as B29, or “Maddy,” since she revealed herself — including showing her face — to ABC’s Robin Roberts, said Zimmerman “got away with murder” in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, but that Florida law, as understood by the jury, made it impossible to convict.
“I was the juror that was going to give them the hung jury. I fought to the end,” she said during the interview, for which ABC News aired clips on Thursday. “That’s where I felt confused, where if a person kills someone, then you get charged for it. But as the law was read to me, if you have no proof that he killed him intentionally, you can’t say he’s guilty.”
Zimmerman was acquitted on second degree murder and manslaughter charges July 14th.
Maddy, a nurse’s aide and the lone non-white juror on the panel, said she is having trouble sleeping after the verdict.
“It’s hard for me to sleep,” she told ABC. “It’s hard for me to eat because I feel I was forcefully included in Trayvon Martin’s death. And as I carry him on my back, I’m hurting as much Trayvon’s Martin’s mother because there’s no way that any mother should feel that pain,” she said.
http://thegrio.com/2013/07/25/trayvon-martins-parents-juror-b29s-revelations-devastating/
Easley files amicus brief in lawsuit over Pre-K expansion :: WRAL.com
Easley files amicus brief in lawsuit over Pre-K expansion :: WRAL.com
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
Raleigh, N.C. — Former Gov. Mike Easley, who created the More at Four early childhood education program more than a decade ago, has jumped into the legal battle over access to pre-kindergarten programs in North Carolina.
The North Carolina Supreme Court could hear the case as early as October, and Easley filed a brief Wednesday in support of wider access.
"These children, their young minds are perishable commodities," Easley said Thursday.
Two years ago, Manning threw out legislative changes to the early childhood education program that limited access and required parents to pick up part of the cost. He ruled that North Carolina has a constitutional duty to provide pre-kindergarten to at-risk 4-year-olds.
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
Raleigh, N.C. — Former Gov. Mike Easley, who created the More at Four early childhood education program more than a decade ago, has jumped into the legal battle over access to pre-kindergarten programs in North Carolina.
The North Carolina Supreme Court could hear the case as early as October, and Easley filed a brief Wednesday in support of wider access.
"These children, their young minds are perishable commodities," Easley said Thursday.
Two years ago, Manning threw out legislative changes to the early childhood education program that limited access and required parents to pick up part of the cost. He ruled that North Carolina has a constitutional duty to provide pre-kindergarten to at-risk 4-year-olds.
Rand Paul: ‘I don’t think there’s anyone in Congress who has a stronger belief in minority rights than I do’ - Yahoo! News
Rand Paul: ‘I don’t think there’s anyone in Congress who has a stronger belief in minority rights than I do’ - Yahoo! News
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
“I’m not easily dissuaded, so it’s not something that makes me shrink away, it makes me come out even stronger to say that I don’t think there’s anyone in Congress who has a stronger belief in minority rights than I do,” Paul told Yahoo News. “Because my conception of justice is that there have been many times in our history when we have done things unfairly to Japanese Americans, to black Americans. I still think that the justice system does not treat African Americans fairly in regard to non-violent drug crime, with regard to felonies being on your record.”http://news.yahoo.com/rand-paul-on-race-and-republican-minority-outreach-173957413.html
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
DES MOINES, Iowa – Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul said no one in Congress "has a stronger belief in minority rights" than he does and insists he will continue outreach efforts to black and Hispanic voters despite reports about a former aide's past connections to neo-Confederate groups.
In an interview with Yahoo News in Iowa, where Paul spoke to a gathering of Christian pastors and church leaders last week, the possible presidential contender acknowledged that stories about the aide could set back his efforts, but he defended his commitment to bringing more black and Hispanic voters into the Republican Party.“I’m not easily dissuaded, so it’s not something that makes me shrink away, it makes me come out even stronger to say that I don’t think there’s anyone in Congress who has a stronger belief in minority rights than I do,” Paul told Yahoo News. “Because my conception of justice is that there have been many times in our history when we have done things unfairly to Japanese Americans, to black Americans. I still think that the justice system does not treat African Americans fairly in regard to non-violent drug crime, with regard to felonies being on your record.”http://news.yahoo.com/rand-paul-on-race-and-republican-minority-outreach-173957413.html
What is it like to be Muslim in Congress? | Power Players - Yahoo! News
What is it like to be Muslim in Congress? | Power Players - Yahoo! News
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
Keith Ellison stands out on Capitol Hill.
The Minnesota Democrat is the first Muslim elected to Congress, and now is only one of two. He leads a progressive caucus in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives. And he’s not afraid to break out the guitar that he keeps in his office, even playing a few chords of a song for his interview with “The Fine Print.”
When it comes to his religion, Ellison says his fellow members of Congress have generally been respectful but that there have been “a few crazy incidents.”
“Recently, you know, a member said Muslim Americans are not condemning terrorism enough,” Ellison says, referring to a comment made by Rep. Mike Pompeo, R–Kan., that implied that Muslims were being “potentially complicit” in acts of terror if they did not speak out against them.
“And I said, 'well, let me guarantee you, Muslims are condemning terrorism every day all the time ...' and I gave him a whole list, and he said, 'Thanks for telling me, I didn't know, I won't be saying that again,'” Ellison says.http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/power-players-abc-news/muslim-congress-113159405.html?vp=1
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
Keith Ellison stands out on Capitol Hill.
The Minnesota Democrat is the first Muslim elected to Congress, and now is only one of two. He leads a progressive caucus in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives. And he’s not afraid to break out the guitar that he keeps in his office, even playing a few chords of a song for his interview with “The Fine Print.”
When it comes to his religion, Ellison says his fellow members of Congress have generally been respectful but that there have been “a few crazy incidents.”
“Recently, you know, a member said Muslim Americans are not condemning terrorism enough,” Ellison says, referring to a comment made by Rep. Mike Pompeo, R–Kan., that implied that Muslims were being “potentially complicit” in acts of terror if they did not speak out against them.
“And I said, 'well, let me guarantee you, Muslims are condemning terrorism every day all the time ...' and I gave him a whole list, and he said, 'Thanks for telling me, I didn't know, I won't be saying that again,'” Ellison says.http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/power-players-abc-news/muslim-congress-113159405.html?vp=1
Sunday, July 21, 2013
President Barack Obama's call
President Barack Obama's call
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
Sen. John McCain is backing President Barack Obama's call for the so-called "stand your ground" laws in Florida and other states to be reexamined in the wake of the George Zimmerman case.
"The 'stand your ground' law may be something that may needs to be reviewed by the Florida legislature or any other legislature that has passed such legislation," McCain said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, two days after President Obama discussed Zimmerman's acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin.
The Arizona Republican said he thinks the self-defense law should be reviewed in his home state, too. "I'm confident that the members of the Arizona legislature will, because it is very controversial legislation," McCain said. Florida and Arizona are among 30 states with "stand your ground" laws on the books.
On Friday, Obama held a somber press conference at the White House to discuss the case, which is currently under review by the Justice Department for possible civil rights violations.
http://news.yahoo.com/mccain-backs-obama-s-call-for--stand-your-ground--review-153105503.html
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
Sen. John McCain is backing President Barack Obama's call for the so-called "stand your ground" laws in Florida and other states to be reexamined in the wake of the George Zimmerman case.
"The 'stand your ground' law may be something that may needs to be reviewed by the Florida legislature or any other legislature that has passed such legislation," McCain said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, two days after President Obama discussed Zimmerman's acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin.
The Arizona Republican said he thinks the self-defense law should be reviewed in his home state, too. "I'm confident that the members of the Arizona legislature will, because it is very controversial legislation," McCain said. Florida and Arizona are among 30 states with "stand your ground" laws on the books.
On Friday, Obama held a somber press conference at the White House to discuss the case, which is currently under review by the Justice Department for possible civil rights violations.
http://news.yahoo.com/mccain-backs-obama-s-call-for--stand-your-ground--review-153105503.html
Monday, July 15, 2013
Civil rights case vs. Zimmerman won't be simple - Yahoo! News
Civil rights case vs. Zimmerman won't be simple - Yahoo! News
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Calls for the Justice Department to look into the shooting death of Trayvon Martin reverberated as soon as George Zimmerman was acquitted of state charges in a Florida courtroom, but it may be even tougher to mount a federal case against Zimmerman.
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Calls for the Justice Department to look into the shooting death of Trayvon Martin reverberated as soon as George Zimmerman was acquitted of state charges in a Florida courtroom, but it may be even tougher to mount a federal case against Zimmerman.
The department says it's reviewing evidence to determine whether criminal civil rights charges are warranted, but legal experts see major barriers to a federal prosecution — including the burden of proving that Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch leader, was motivated by racial animosity — and say Justice officials would likely be saddled with some of the same challenges that complicated the unsuccessful state case.
"The Justice Department would face significant challenges in bringing a federal civil rights case against Mr. Zimmerman," said Alan Vinegrad, the former U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York. "There are several factual and legal hurdles that federal prosecutors would have to overcome: They'd have to show not only that the attack was unjustified, but that Mr. Zimmerman attacked Mr. Martin because of his race and because he was using a public facility, the street."http://news.yahoo.com/civil-rights-case-vs-zimmerman-wont-simple-072336718.htmlThursday, July 11, 2013
Educating Black Children: Students Need Strong Parent-School Partnerships
Educating Black Children: Students Need Strong Parent-School Partnerships
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
On July 5, Ivory Kaleb Toldson was born. He is my first son and second child. During his birth I relived the joy, wonderment and jitters that I experienced in 2007 when my daughter, Makena, was born.
Like millions of parents, I want the best education for my children. As a black parent, I am cognizant of the persistent racial inequities and biases in the school system. Black children need to be exposed to a curriculum that builds on their strengths, affirms their culture and treats them with dignity and compassion.
Notwithstanding many problems that schools are having educating black children, I am optimistic that black children can succeed in any type of school (public, private or charter) in any environment (urban, suburban or rural). Through my years of research on academic success, I am convinced that the key to educating black children is to have schools build successful partnerships with black parents.
Today the relationship between black parents and schools is precarious, primarily because of antagonists and instigators. Most antagonists speak through a certain movement or organization. Teachers unions, reform movements and public-education advocates can be noble when they focus on children but destructive when they become antagonistic and defensive. For example, when public schools and teachers unions defend themselves against criticism, they often use apathetic black parents and poverty as scapegoats.http://www.theroot.com/views/fixing-miseducation-black-children
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
On July 5, Ivory Kaleb Toldson was born. He is my first son and second child. During his birth I relived the joy, wonderment and jitters that I experienced in 2007 when my daughter, Makena, was born.
Like millions of parents, I want the best education for my children. As a black parent, I am cognizant of the persistent racial inequities and biases in the school system. Black children need to be exposed to a curriculum that builds on their strengths, affirms their culture and treats them with dignity and compassion.
Notwithstanding many problems that schools are having educating black children, I am optimistic that black children can succeed in any type of school (public, private or charter) in any environment (urban, suburban or rural). Through my years of research on academic success, I am convinced that the key to educating black children is to have schools build successful partnerships with black parents.
Today the relationship between black parents and schools is precarious, primarily because of antagonists and instigators. Most antagonists speak through a certain movement or organization. Teachers unions, reform movements and public-education advocates can be noble when they focus on children but destructive when they become antagonistic and defensive. For example, when public schools and teachers unions defend themselves against criticism, they often use apathetic black parents and poverty as scapegoats.http://www.theroot.com/views/fixing-miseducation-black-children
Obama News: A Living Diary of the Obama Presidency - POLITICO44 - POLITICO.com
Obama News: A Living Diary of the Obama Presidency - POLITICO44 - POLITICO.com
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
Two veteran Democratic senators, Dianne Feinstein of California and Dick Durbin of Illinois, are urging President Barack Obama to rein in force feeding of hunger-striking inmates at the U.S. military's Guantanamo Bay prison for terror suspects.
"We write to urge you to use your Presidential authority to end the unnecessary force-feedings of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," the senators wrote Wednesday in a letter to Obama.
As Feinstein did in a letter sent to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last month, the senators stopped short of saying Guantanamo prisoners should never be force fed, but argued the current policy is simply too aggressive.
"We...encourage you to direct the Department of Defense to stop conducting such large-scale force-feedings and, where force-feeding is medically necessary to save a detainee’s life, to observe the protections required at U.S. Bureau of Prisons facilities. It is our understanding that the U.S. federal prison guidelines for force-feedings include several safeguards and oversight mechanisms that are not in place at Guantanamo Bay," Feinstein and Durbin wrote.
The new letter (posted here) also refers to an order a federal judge issued Monday, rejecting a bid to halt the force feedings during Ramadan but urging Obama to "address" the issue.
At last count, the Pentagon said 106 of the 166 prisoners were on hunger strike (as the military defines it) and 45 prisoners were being force fed.
"The growing problem of hunger strikes is due to the fact that many detainees have remained in legal limbo for more than a decade and have given up hope," Feinstein and Durbin wrote. "This should be alarming to all of us, and it is imperative that the Administration outline a formal process to permanently close the Guantanamo facility as soon as possible. We look forward to continue working with you to achieve that end."
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
Two veteran Democratic senators, Dianne Feinstein of California and Dick Durbin of Illinois, are urging President Barack Obama to rein in force feeding of hunger-striking inmates at the U.S. military's Guantanamo Bay prison for terror suspects.
"We write to urge you to use your Presidential authority to end the unnecessary force-feedings of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," the senators wrote Wednesday in a letter to Obama.
As Feinstein did in a letter sent to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last month, the senators stopped short of saying Guantanamo prisoners should never be force fed, but argued the current policy is simply too aggressive.
"We...encourage you to direct the Department of Defense to stop conducting such large-scale force-feedings and, where force-feeding is medically necessary to save a detainee’s life, to observe the protections required at U.S. Bureau of Prisons facilities. It is our understanding that the U.S. federal prison guidelines for force-feedings include several safeguards and oversight mechanisms that are not in place at Guantanamo Bay," Feinstein and Durbin wrote.
The new letter (posted here) also refers to an order a federal judge issued Monday, rejecting a bid to halt the force feedings during Ramadan but urging Obama to "address" the issue.
At last count, the Pentagon said 106 of the 166 prisoners were on hunger strike (as the military defines it) and 45 prisoners were being force fed.
"The growing problem of hunger strikes is due to the fact that many detainees have remained in legal limbo for more than a decade and have given up hope," Feinstein and Durbin wrote. "This should be alarming to all of us, and it is imperative that the Administration outline a formal process to permanently close the Guantanamo facility as soon as possible. We look forward to continue working with you to achieve that end."
Railroad CEO heckled in ravaged Quebec town - CNN.com
Railroad CEO heckled in ravaged Quebec town - CNN.com
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
The head of the railway whose runaway train devastated a small Quebec town cast doubt on his engineer's story Wednesday as he arrived to face insults from survivors and harsh questions from reporters.
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
The head of the railway whose runaway train devastated a small Quebec town cast doubt on his engineer's story Wednesday as he arrived to face insults from survivors and harsh questions from reporters.
Edward Burkhardt said the engineer has been suspended without pay and faces a criminal investigation by Canadian authorities.
He said the engineer reported to railroad managers that he set 11 hand brakes on the train cars before they broke away from their engines, but "I think it's questionable whether he did."
"Our general feeling is now that is not true," said Burkhardt,chairman of the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway. The engineer had worked for the MM&A for "many years" and "had a completely clear safety record up until Saturday," Burkhardt said.http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/10/world/americas/canada-runaway-train/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
The secret weapon that could save the Voting Rights Act — MSNBC
The secret weapon that could save the Voting Rights Act — MSNBC
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
Voting rights advocates are testing whether a little-used provision of the Voting Rights Act could limit the damage of the Supreme Court ruling that struck down a key part of the landmark civil rights law.
Hours after the Supreme Court’s verdict was announced, representatives for the state of Texas celebrated its demise by announcing that they would move ahead with restrictive voting law changes that will disproportionately disenfranchise minorities. Those changes were previously blocked by the Justice Department, through a part of the Voting Rights Act the forces jurisdictions with a history of discrimination in voting to submit their election law changes to Washington in advance, often referred to as “preclearance,” under Section 5. Preclearance prevented discrimination in advance, rather than relying on drawn out litigation that might not be resolved until long after ballots are cast.
Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which the high court struck down as unconstitutional, determined which jurisdictions were covered by that requirement. But Section 3 of the Voting Rights Act allows the federal government to subject jurisdictions with recent records of deliberate discrimination to the preclearance requirement. With Congress polarized and unlikely to come together to fix Section 4′s coverage formula, Section 3 could become the primary tool for the Justice Department and voting rights activists seeking to patch the gaping hole left by the Supreme Court’s verdict. Travis Crum, now a clerk for federal judge David S. Tatel, laid out this approach in an article for the Yale Law Journal in 2010, anticipating that the Supreme Court would someday strike down part of the Voting Rights Act. Crum called Section 3 the Voting Rights’ Act’s “secret weapon.”
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
Voting rights advocates are testing whether a little-used provision of the Voting Rights Act could limit the damage of the Supreme Court ruling that struck down a key part of the landmark civil rights law.
Hours after the Supreme Court’s verdict was announced, representatives for the state of Texas celebrated its demise by announcing that they would move ahead with restrictive voting law changes that will disproportionately disenfranchise minorities. Those changes were previously blocked by the Justice Department, through a part of the Voting Rights Act the forces jurisdictions with a history of discrimination in voting to submit their election law changes to Washington in advance, often referred to as “preclearance,” under Section 5. Preclearance prevented discrimination in advance, rather than relying on drawn out litigation that might not be resolved until long after ballots are cast.
Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which the high court struck down as unconstitutional, determined which jurisdictions were covered by that requirement. But Section 3 of the Voting Rights Act allows the federal government to subject jurisdictions with recent records of deliberate discrimination to the preclearance requirement. With Congress polarized and unlikely to come together to fix Section 4′s coverage formula, Section 3 could become the primary tool for the Justice Department and voting rights activists seeking to patch the gaping hole left by the Supreme Court’s verdict. Travis Crum, now a clerk for federal judge David S. Tatel, laid out this approach in an article for the Yale Law Journal in 2010, anticipating that the Supreme Court would someday strike down part of the Voting Rights Act. Crum called Section 3 the Voting Rights’ Act’s “secret weapon.”
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Thousands In North Carolina Brace For 'Unemployment Cliff' | WUNC
Thousands In North Carolina Brace For 'Unemployment Cliff' | WUNC
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
North Carolina’s “unemployment cliff” is fast approaching. That’s what civil rights, religious and other advocacy groups call June 30, the last day tens of thousands of people across the state are eligible for extended benefits from the federal government. There are last minute efforts underway to try to convince lawmakers to postpone the “cliff” until the end of the year. But, so far, those efforts have been ignored.
The NAACP has organized "Moral Monday" demonstrations at the legislative building in Raleigh for several weeks now. Thousands of people have come out to protest against a slew of policies approved this year by the new Republican-led legislature. This week protestors denounced legislation that slashes unemployment benefits. Wayne Bostick decided to make this his first “Moral Monday.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!" were the shouts from the crowd.
Bostick chanted ‘thank you’ as dozens of people moved the demonstration into the legislative building. Most of them will get arrested.
“It makes me feel great that people will stand up for what’s right and they don’t mind taking a risk," said Bostick.http://wunc.org/post/thousands-north-carolina-brace-unemployment-cliff?nopop=1
John Butts@JBMedia - Reports:
North Carolina’s “unemployment cliff” is fast approaching. That’s what civil rights, religious and other advocacy groups call June 30, the last day tens of thousands of people across the state are eligible for extended benefits from the federal government. There are last minute efforts underway to try to convince lawmakers to postpone the “cliff” until the end of the year. But, so far, those efforts have been ignored.
The NAACP has organized "Moral Monday" demonstrations at the legislative building in Raleigh for several weeks now. Thousands of people have come out to protest against a slew of policies approved this year by the new Republican-led legislature. This week protestors denounced legislation that slashes unemployment benefits. Wayne Bostick decided to make this his first “Moral Monday.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!" were the shouts from the crowd.
Bostick chanted ‘thank you’ as dozens of people moved the demonstration into the legislative building. Most of them will get arrested.
“It makes me feel great that people will stand up for what’s right and they don’t mind taking a risk," said Bostick.http://wunc.org/post/thousands-north-carolina-brace-unemployment-cliff?nopop=1
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