Kelley Williams-Bolar was released from the Summit County Jail Wednesday morning after serving all but one day of a 10-day jail sentence for improperly enrolling her children in Copley-Fairlawn schools.
A jail official confirmed Williams-Bolar was released at about 10 a.m.
Common Pleas Judge Patricia Cosgrove gave Williams-Bolar credit for one day of time served when she was arrested and jailed on multiple felony charges in November 2009, court records show.
On Jan. 18, Williams-Bolar was sentenced to 10 days in jail after a jury convicted her of two felony counts of tampering with records.
The offenses involved several instances of signed or sworn school registration forms, applications for reduced or free school lunches and other official documents authorized by Williams-Bolar when she enrolled her two girls in Copley-Fairlawn schools in August 2006.
In other developments in the case, Akron City Council President Marco Sommerville said he planned to meet with Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh at 2 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the issue of why the case could not have been resolved without the filing of felony charges.
Williams-Bolar, a single mother who was going to college and working as a teaching assistant at Buchtel High School, had no previous record.
Within hours of the sentencing hearing, Cosgrove spoke out after becoming the target of public outcry over the case, which threatens the mother's job and her hopes to become a school teacher.
Cosgrove said the prosecutor's office refused to consider reducing the charges to misdemeanors during numerous closed-door talks to resolve the case outside of court. (source)
Now we need to hear from the over-zealous prosecutors office as to why this matter wasn't dealt with appropriately and at least counted as a misdemeanor and not a felony. Big congrats to all the people who took to the internet by signing the petition at change.org. And a hearty thank you to Judge Patricia Cosgrove for doing what was right and just. See folks, with a little bit of work, we can make things happen. Hopefully she'll be able to fulfill her dream of being a school teacher; she shouldn't have had it come to this.
I'm not gonna say too much on this one. In fact, I'm gonna let you so-called freedom, justice, and equality lovers have at it. Most of you said recently that John Harris White's suspended sentence by outgoing New York governor, David Paterson was justice as was the release of the Scott Sisters by Mississippi governor, Haley Barbour - actually, none of you said anything about that (read it here). But anyway, I'd like to hear if the reduction of the sentence of Esteban Nunuz is indeed just or not. I would reeeeaaally love to hear your thoughts.
On Sunday, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rang in the New Year – and, in essence, closed out his term – by reducing the manslaughter sentence of one Esteban Nuñez, son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez. Schwarzenegger reduced 21-year-old Nuñez’s sentence from 16 to seven years. The decision has some law professors and other political experts (armchair political strategists included) wondering what role Nuñez the Younger’s political ties might have had to do with his commutation. Nuñez’s father now works as a political consultant along with Adam Mendelsohn, the Governor’s Schwarzenegger’s former communications director. Previously, he had worked closely with Governor Schwarzenegger to push legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In October of 2008, 24-year-old Ryan Jett, a friend of Nuñez’s, stabbed 22-year-old Luis Dos Santos to death after the young men became embroiled in an argument near San Diego State University. Nuñez stabbed another young man – a friend of Dos Santos’ – who survived the attack. Nuñez and Jett both pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received sentences of equal length. Schwarzenegger’s commutation, The Sacramento Bee reports, has now deemed Nuñez’s original sentence “excessive.” Wrote the Governor:
I do not discount the gravity of the offense,” the governor’s statement said. “But given Nuñez’s limited role in Santos’ death, and considering that … Nuñez had no criminal record prior to this offense, I believe Nuñez’s sentence is excessive.”
I've been on information overload so I've purposely unplugged from all news sources and media for the holidays. Call it a mini-vacation, but it was much needed; hell, even professional racism chasers get worn down from time to time. So when at 3am this morning I read that Mississippi governor Haley Barbour announced that he was going to free the Scott Sisters, I was excited and overjoyed. No seriously, at 3am, such a feeling is a major occurrence.
But when I read the part in the article that their release was contingent on one of them donating a kidney to the other, I was like, "tha f@#k kinda shit is that?" Yeah, I got just a tad bit pissed off. I mean, spending 16yrs of a life sentence for "allegedly" committing a robbery that net $11 seemed to be injustice enough that warranted their release. But no, not in Mississippi, you gotta give up an organ? That is, unless you're sitting on death row...
An estimated 20 percent of the adult population in the US is functionally illiterate. That figure SKYROCKETS to over 60 percent when you examine the literacy rates of the inmate population in jails and prisons across the country. And even more appalling is the fact that over 85 percent of juvenile offenders have literacy issues.
Considering that illiteracy commonly leads to lengthy and repeated bouts of unemployment (over 75 percent of unemployed adults have some problems with reading and writing) the low rate of literacy among the inmate population is a recipe for explosive recidivism rates. After all, if an ex-prisoner is unable to find or keep a job due to literacy issues, where else can he turn but back to the behaviors that landed him in jail in the first place?
Although a lot of people take the "lock them up and throw away the key" attitude toward prisoners, and would rather REDUCE the services available to prisoners, there is PROOF that literacy programs in prison CAN and DO help reduce the rates of recidivism, and can lead to an overall reduction in incarceration rates.
A comprehensive study by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, the research arm of the Washington Legislature, found that general education programs reduced the recidivism rate by 7 percent and vocational programs by 9 percent, among the best records of in-prison programs.
The academic and vocational programs cost the state about $1,000 a year per inmate but, the study concluded, vocational education produced a net benefit to the state of $13,738 per participant, and the educational programs $10,669 per inmate, in the form of lower crime rates, fewer victims and less criminal justice spending.
The US spends $40 billion annually on incarceration and less than 2 percent of that goes towards educating prisoners. Prisons need to find innovative ways to implement literacy programs using the resources they are given.
Inmates at the New Jersey State Prison took matters into their own hands and created the L.I.F.E. (Learning is For Everyone) program, which was documented in the film "How do you Spell Murder?" In this innovative program, inmates are the managers and are supported by volunteers from the community. Each inmate volunteer is certified by Literacy Volunteers of America and learns the skills necessary to teach adult literacy. They are paired up with a student inmate who is in need of literacy education services.
Many of the students in the L.I.F.E. program share similar stories. Undiagnosed learning disabilities. Frustration and humiliation in public schools. Held back time and time again, or, alternately, promoted without being prepared for the next level. Almost all are high school drop outs. Most were barely able to comprehend the legal documents involved in procedures against them that led to their incarceration. In fact, in one case, the murder conviction of a student was reversed when it was discovered that he had an undiagnosed learning disability and was unable to comprehend the confession he had signed.
So while everyone was focused on the appropriateness of the DOJ seeking an "Ebonics Linguist" in Atlanta yesterday; or the obvious publicity stunt that was Fantasia's VH1 Behind The Music broadcast last night. Totally unnoticed and ignored by the media (and court of public opinion) was a judges ruling in the Troy Davis case to determine his innocence yesterday:
A federal judge on Tuesday emphatically rejected Troy Anthony Davis' claims that he was wrongly convicted of killing a Savannah police officer in 1989.
In a 172-page order, U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. said Davis failed to prove his innocence during an extraordinary hearing in June ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court. Davis, on death row for 19 years, now has one final appeal before his death sentence can be carried out.
"Ultimately, while Mr. Davis' new evidence casts some additional, minimal doubt on his conviction, it is largely smoke and mirrors," Moore wrote. "The vast majority of the evidence at trial remains largely intac t, and the new evidence is largely not credible or [is] lacking in probative value."
Having reviewed the voluminous court record, Moore concluded, "Mr. Davis vastly overstates the value of his evidence of innocence."
Davis, 41, was convicted of killing off-duty police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail 21 years ago as MacPhail ran to the aid of a homeless man being pistol-whipped outside a Burger King. The case has attracted international attention because a number of key prosecution witnesses either recanted or backed off their trial testimony. Other witnesses have come forward and said another man at the scene told them he was the actual killer.
The Supreme Court's order for a hearing on Davis' innocence claims was the first time in 50 years the high court had issued such a directive. In a footnote in his order, Moore suggested Davis should appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
[...] Danielle Garten, one of Davis' lawyers, said she still believes in Davis' innocence. "We're obviously extremely disappointed with the court's ruling and we strongly disagree with its findings and conclusions," she said.
MacPhail, 27 and a father of two, was gunned down before he could draw his weapon. After the killing, Sylvester "Redd" Coles went to the police with his lawyer and told them he and Davis were at the scene. At trial, he testified he was fleeing the scene when shots were fired, leaving Davis as the culprit. Coles denied being the triggerman.
At the June hearing, Davis' lawyers wanted to call witnesses who had given sworn statements that Coles had told them after the trial he was the actual killer. But Moore did not allow these witnesses to testify because Davis' lawyers did not subpoena Coles to testify. If they had, Moore wrote Tuesday, he could have tested the validity of Coles' alleged confessions.
If Coles had in fact confessed to these witnesses, Moore suggested there could be an explanation --"he believed that his reputation as a dangerous individual would be enhanced if he took credit for murdering Officer MacPhail." Davis failed to prove the alleged confessions were truthful, Moore noted.
Moore answered one question posed to him by the U.S. Supreme Court. He found that executing an innocent person would violate the Eighth Amendment's ban against cruel and unusual punishment.
"However, Mr. Davis is not innocent," Moore wrote.
Of the seven witnesses Davis' legal team say recanted their trial testimony, "only one is a meaningful, credible recantation." The value of this recantation -- given by a jailhouse snitch who testified Davis told him he killed MacPhail -- is diminished because it was already clear the witness testified falsely at trial, the judge said. (source)
Though I'm no legal expert, I haven't fully wrapped my head around this one. Hearing the news it was like someone had kicked me in the stomach. But I'm pretty sure whatever the feeling, it must be one hundred times worse for the Davis family, their closest friends and supporters.
Of course there's going to be an appeal of this decision. But one has to wonder, at this point, will his conviction ever be overturned? Does anybody care? How else can he prove his innocence? I gotta admit, the silence from the people enraged by the Oscar Grant verdict sole'is deafening...
Evelyn Rasco has been living a nightmare for more than 15 years.
"It's torture," she sobs over the phone from her Pensacola, Florida home. "It tortures me on a daily basis."
The nightmare began on Christmas Eve in 1993 when Rasco's two daughters, Jamie and Gladys Scott, left a mini-mart near their home in Scott County, Mississippi. Their car broke down, and they hitched a ride from two young men, one of whom they knew. But later that evening, the men were robbed at gunpoint by three teenagers in another car. The robbers got away with an estimated $11 and no one was hurt, but police accused the Scott sisters of setting the victims up.
Although the young women denied having any involvement and had no criminal record, a jury found them guilty of armed robbery. On October 13, 1994, a judge ordered them to each serve double-life sentences in the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, where they remain today.
"It is about race," says Chokwe Lumumba, a political activist and attorney who's now representing the Scotts. "I think it would be unimaginable that two white women would be in this situation."
Lumumba is now in the process of filing a request to Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, asking for clemency for the Scotts, who are not eligible for parole until 2014. He's also working to appeal the conviction, which was first denied in 1996. He says his hope is to find the two co-defendants in the case who initially testified against the Scott sisters under police pressure (and served 10 months through a plea bargain), but later recanted their statements.
"That could give life to another post conviction motion... that would be significant," says Lumumba.
But time is of the essence.
Jamie, 38, suffers from kidney failure, and according to Rasco, will likely die if she doesn't receive a kidney transplant. She says Gladys, 34, even offered to donate her own kidney, but the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) will not allow the procedure. It also denied requests from Rasco and other family members to grant Jamie a medical release, stating an inmate must be classified as terminal or totally disabled.
My heart breaks for these women, their children and their families. Yet, I remain hopeful that we can do something. My only question is WHY haven't we done something yet?
Bloggers were instrumental in creating and pushing the Jena Six (or Jena 6) movement which culminated in some modicum of fairness for the six teens who were going to be royally hosed for some old bullshit.
I know that we can make that kind of change happen, but the response in regards to these two sisters has been "cool." Is it because they are women? I hate to say it, but I think so.
Mind you, I don't want to take on the tone of "Us vs. Them" as it relates to black men and black women, but I am pointing out that once again, black women are shown to be the least protected, least cared about group in this country (and the world in general). Maybe it's age old stereotypes about us that have helped to doom the Scott Sisters, what with people clutching to those as truth and eventually believing this two women were up to no good.
People are asking to "Free Weezy" but there's little fanfare from us as a black community to "Free the Scott Sisters" and that is being watched. We are capable of achieving great things, and achieving fairness. It may take more work, but we're good for it. We can make a difference in 2010 that could end such a great offense to justice. Whoever sentenced these two women launched a personal attack on black women, and fully intended for them to die or waste away in prison; break them in prison.
I wasn't there, and I don't know what happened. However, I am 100% sure that a robbery of $11 by these sisters--this is hypothetically speaking--did not and does NOT warrant this excessive, and obscene sentence, even if they did do it.
Write to your representatives, congressmen, and write everyone you think could be of assistance and bend their ear to look into these sisters. Let's see if we can build up a big enough movement and web presence to let Mississippi know that we are watching and we do care about these women.
This Women's History month, make it a priority to see how you can help the Scott Sisters, especially when a serious health problem like kidney failure is at play.
"People here are afraid of the police. They harass black people, they stop people for no reason and rough them up without charging them with anything." - Terry Willis (Vice President of the Homer NAACP chapter)
You may remember the story surrounding the death of 73yr old Bernard Monroe around this time last year. Out here in the blogosphere there was much chatter about after he was gunned down by a police officer in his front yard in Homer, Louisiana. At the time, there was much outrage within that small community, which heightened racial tensions beyond the norm. If you're not familiar with the story, check out the following clip:
Now this was last year, and as the report above noted, there was an investigation by several agencies at the local, state, and federal level. Well guess what? After all those tax-payer funded man hours dedicated to the investigation, a grand jury decided last Thursday not to indict the police officer of any criminal wrong doing.
NEW ORLEANS – A grand jury on Thursday declined to indict a white police officer who shot an elderly black man in the small Louisiana town of Homer in a case that heightened racial tension and sparked protests.
The panel returned a “no true bill,” meaning the case won’t go to trial, after considering and rejecting a range of charges including murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide against former police officer Tim Cox.
Many in the rural town of 3,800 were outraged by the shooting last February of Bernard Monroe, a 73-year-old left voiceless by cancer. Police said Monroe was armed when he was shot outside his home, but witnesses said he didn’t have a weapon.
The grand jury heard testimony from 20 witnesses over two days, said Kurt Wall, director of the criminal division of the state attorney general’s office. The attorney general handled the case after the local prosecutor recused himself.
“We believe it was a full, complete, accurate and thorough presentation conducted at a neutral site. We respect the grand jury’s decision,” Wall said.
An FBI spokeswoman said the bureau is continuing to investigate the case. (click to read more)
You know it's hard to remain hopeful when you hear the outcome of stories such as this one. For people of color in this country this has become all too common. But yet we're supposed to believe the idea that we now have the glorious distinction of being able to be living in a post-racial society? Why? Because a black man was elected president of these United States? The same black man who coincidentally hasn't uttered a word in the face of tragedies such as this? Man please! White folks saying that we're "post-racial," is like hedge fund managers saying that we're "post-poverty." Try telling that shit to the relatives of Bernard Monroe.
Today, just like last year, there are bloggers all over the world dedicated to posting today to raise awareness to an issue that is overlooked: taser torture. In this virtual medium it's great that we can come together to raise awareness to what I consider to be government sanctioned murder. There are blogs out there who chronicle countless daily news stories which involves a loss of life at the hands of police officers by the use of tasers; a supposed non-lethal weapon employed by police departments here in the United States and abroad.
The one incident I'd like to focus on today to highlight this problem, involves the gentleman pictured at the beginning of this post - Oscar Grant. You do remember him, don't you? Sure, I know not very many people are talking about him these days and he may be a distant memory for some. But just to remind you, he was the young man killed by a police officer at a train station in Oakland California. Yeah, his murder was caught on tape and spread across the internet like wild fire. Remember him now? Uh-huh, it happened last New Year's Eve; yes, it has almost been a year - hard to believe, right?
Well I read recently that the trial of the officer in question, Johannes Mehserle, has been moved to Los Angeles for fear of the threats of violence, and the pre-trial publicity of the case. If you remember, there were riots out in Oakland for a day or so after the incident where Grant was killed by said officer. OK, so I know you're wondering what the hell does this have to do with taser torture, right? I mean surely Oscar Grant didn't die because several thousand volts of electricity was purposely sent through his body by a police officer, no? Well, the accused police officer, in his defense, is alleging that he was reaching for his taser and accidentally drew his gun; a defense that is plausible I might add, although some may not agree.
You see, with taser being considered as a "non-lethal" weapon, it was easy for this officer to consider using this in a manner so as to gain control of a situation. Never mind the fact that there have been at least 50 taser related deaths this year at the hands of police officers here in America alone; 21 of the victims were African American males But, none of this is important, because, well, tasers are non-lethal. And guess what? Oscar Grant isn't even mentioned as one of these victims, but indirectly he is.
Had the police officer actually used his taser on Oscar Grant, there's a chance he may be be alive today as opposed to being shot at point blank range with a service revolver which was mistaken for a taser. Maybe Grant may have been luckier than the 450 people who have died from taser use in North America by police to date. Maybe if tasers were seen as a lethal weapon more caution would be taken in applying them to civilians?
The real question is: how much longer will we allow taser use by the police to continue at the rate that it has, all the while being responsible for the loss of lives before something is done? Do we need more Oscar Grant-like cases before this becomes a serious enough issue? What needs to happen is a Congressional hearing on the subject. If you're interested in making this happen, do yourself and the love of humanity a favor and help by signing the petition below as has been done by 2000 other people.
Nelson Mandela once said “It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” I guess with 1% percent of our population currently incarcerated one could say that all is well in our nation. After all, it’s only 1% - a very small number. Sure, who cares that our jails and prison population just happens to lead that of any country in the free world - uh-huh, that’s right, pun intended.
Yeah I know, you really don’t care because, well, as long as they’re locked away your world seems a bit safer, right? Yep, as long as you or your kids are safe is all that matters, right? Well if I tell you that currently there’s an estimated 2,570 juveniles serving life without parole in America today, how would that make you feel? Would that number also seem small and insignificant so as to not warrant any concern?
OK, screw the numbers, let’s put a face to this:
So how did it get this way? Well, somewhere in the mid 90s when our first Black president Bill Clinton was in office, state and federal legislators created policy irrationally motivated by fear - which in turn was federally signed by Clinton - to address a perceived new wave of crime. Crimes that were committed by what political scientist John DiIulio (a Neo-Conservative Bush-ite) termed “super-predators”. Yep, Clinton had Black people happy alright. Not only did he give them jobs, legislation he signed helped to throw a bunch of them in prison.
The only juveniles we hear about doing crazy sh*t are white kids!
I realize that’s the perception, but just like the obvious reality that is the racial disparities with incarcerations in America. One wouldn’t be off target suggesting that the same is true when it comes to juvenile offenders and life sentences. As a matter of fact, according to a 2005 report from Human Rights Watch, black youth receive life without parole at a rate about 10 times greater than the rate of white youth. Hmm, imagine that; yeah, things don't look too good for those kids in Chicago that killed Derrion Albert. As a matter of fact, the kids involved in the Jonesboro Arkansas school shooting from 1998 are out of prison after serving time as we speak; one of them was just released last month. If only those kids in Chi-town would be so privileged.
The way I see it RiPPa these kids are monsters and should pay!
Yeah, I realize that’s often the attitude when it comes to crime and punishment. Yep, don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time is what they always say, right? Heck, there are people among us who believe in the age old biblical idea of an eye for an eye. That said, why don’t we just go right ahead and kill these little monsters. Surely that would save tax payers a lot of money doing so, right? Uh-huh why waste time with any attempts at rehabilitation; these kids are beyond repair. I mean that was the idea pushed by conservative policy makers back in the 90s, right?
On the day that the president of the United States signed the Mathew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill into law, it’s ironic that I run with this story. Imagine that, a Black man as president signing a federal hate crimes bill. If that doesn’t make our ancestors proud I don’t know what would, but I guess I’m just sentimental like that.
Sadly, the smiling lady in the picture above may not be smiling too brightly these days. No she’s not one of those angry sisters unhappy because some guy took a hike leaving her to raise children all by her lonesome. Instead, she’s a pre-med student with a promising future who stands the chance of being sentenced to 15yrs in prison for cutting in line at a Wal-Mart shopping center in her hometown.
Check it out:
Wait a minute; did somebody say something about the KKK?
Dang, and here I thought the Klan was dead in this here post-racial America...
These fools have business cards? Stepping up in the world aren’t they?
Oh well, as always, there are two sides to every story, and as for the Klan angle:
“It has been a total nightmare,” said her father, Rev. Nate Ellis, a Church of God in Christ pastor. “My daughter has been mistreated. She has been convicted before trial.”
Rev. Ellis said at one point a Kennett police officer brought KKK cards to two people participating in marches on his daughter’s behalf. Ellis said the officer indicated he had collected the cards from along a street and laughed as he delivered them. Ellis and supporters read the move as an attempt at intimidation.
County Prosecutor Sokoloff, reached at his office, said that on the day of the rally for Heather Ellis, “somebody, and it’s unknown who,” had strewn some KKK cards that were not associated with any chapter or locality on one of the streets of the parade rally.
“The police went out, found them and picked them up and took them and showed them to one of the family members organizing the thing and told them, ‘we’ve found these laying on the ground, we picked them up and we thought you might want to know about this.’ They instantly accused the police of actually distributing them.” (Read more here)
Much like the Strange Fruit hanging from southern trees sung by Billie Holiday is Troy Davis. The only difference, is that the rope has been placed around his neck, but he has yet to meet his fate as set by the miscarriage of justice which has held, and still holds his life in the balance. If you haven't heard the Troy Davis story, don't feel bad. I mean it's not like the media has been covering this case anyway. I've written about him before on this blog, and I've decided to join others around the globe to speak out on his behalf again. You see, he sits on death row in a Georgia state prison awaiting execution for the murder of an off duty police officer. Like most convicted criminals, he has sworn his innocence.
Umm, just watch the video:
In the face of all this new evidence, the courts have denied him a retrial. They have however given him a 30 day extension to furnish or pursue another appeal. He has been granted 3 stays of execution all at the 11th hour, but yet and still, no retrial. Yup, the judges are not convinced that the new evidence is not sufficient for a jury to find him not guilty. I mean you have witnesses recanting their testimony, and there is also no murder weapon, but yet and still no justice? This recent loss was as recent as of the month of April and this is what the Judges concluded in a 2 to 1 decision:
Judges Joel Dubina and Stanley Marcus said they agreed with those conclusions. “Davis has not presented us with a showing of innocence so compelling that we would be obligated to act today,” they wrote.
The judges said they view the recantations with skepticism and, after reviewing Davis’ claims, “remain unpersuaded.” - Source
Look, I really don't care whether you are for or against the Death Penalty, what I do care about is this man being put to death when there is sufficient evidence to prove his innocence. As a man, I care about justice, and in my opinion, to deny his appeal for a new trial in this instance is absurd. I don't know about you, but I cannot sit by and allow this to happen. I watched with tears in my eyes the way residents of New Orleans were left to die after Hurricane Katrina. Back then it was all I can do from a distance. I'd be damned if I sit around and say or not do anything in this instance. This is why I urge you to assist me and others in bringing light to this issue. Not only that, I ask that you take the time to click the link below and send a letter via email or Fax to the Georgia Governors office.
Yes, we are all writing the governor and I'd appreciate it if you took just a few minutes of your time to do so as well. Don't worry, it wouldn't take anymore than probably 2 minutes of your time doing so. I'd also like to encourage you to pass this link or information along; Blog about it if you have to. I don't care how you do it, but dammit do something. To do nothing would make you just as guilty as the people who have chosen to deny this man the justice he deserves. Please, don't let the blood of Troy Davis lay on your hands as well as the leaves of the southern trees who have bared enough Strange Fruit.
Ok, so what would happen if a parent were to use a taser to punish their child. I mean seriously, what would happen if Child Protective Services became aware that something like this was done to just one child? Obviously there'd be an investigation, and possible removal of said child, right? Well, why in the world isn't there a Congressional investigation into the number of people who have died at the hands of the police after being tasered?!!
Look, I'm not talking about investigating burn marks from the use of tasers. I'm talking about the investigation of multiple deaths. Tasers are classified as non-lethal, but when they have resulted in the deaths of more than a few people, I'd say this is an obvious red flag, or call for attention moment, right? Well, does a child have to die from being tased by the police for this to be taken seriously? Is that what it's going to take. I mean, in a couple states right now its not against the law for a child to be tasered by the cops. Now, lets go back to the parent tasering scenario again. Do you think you'd be able to get away with that on one of your kids?
Of course not. That said, it's time that people took a stand against this bullshit. Look, if you truly care about this lethal use of force which in my opinion is just as bad as Water boarding, you can join us in the AfroSpear in making a difference. You can click the link bellow and sign the petition asking the Congressional Black Caucus to step up to the plate. Yes, its time that our elected officials at the federal level do something about this, and do it quick before a child has to die. Its bad enough that this year alone so far 16 people have died as a result of being tasered. Yes, 16 people, and it's only the end of the first quarter of the year.
Look, I don't even want to get into this and make it a racial issue when its obvious that Black men are disproportionately accosted by the police. Nope, I don't wanna do that. However, I would say that Oscar Grant may have been alive today had that police officer in Oakland had not been reaching for his taser as he claimed he was. I'll let you think about that one for a while. Sign the petition, copy the link, and pass it on to your friends and family. I don't care, get involved, do something, hell, blog about it if you have to. This brutality has to stop, and somebody has to care even if certain people don't.
“He who warned uh, the British that they weren't gonna be takin' away our arms, uh by ringing those bells, and um, makin' sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed.” -- Sarah Palin on Paul Revere
