“If you’re scared I’ll take ya home.” However, this is what happens when you get a bunch of artists together who aren’t afraid to speak the truth and put it on a track. This is what hip-hop sounds like and this is what democracy looks like…Truth be told, these dudes would do it w/o the beat and the cameras but the cameras is what we need to make a case these days. More rebel rap coming up!

WTF! Another shooting has taken place near Virginia Tech and this time an officer has been shot! These students can’t catch a break. Just this last Wednesday, parents were testifying about the university’s response that resulted in their children losing their lives in the April 16, 2007, shootings, which left 33 dead, including the shooter.

Read Full Story HERE

Mumia Abu Jamal will not be executed. I repeat, Mumia Abu Jamal will not be executed! The former Black Panther turned prisoner whose name has rang bells for 30 years due to the death of a police officer, is being granted LIFE over DEATH. This is extraordinary news for the many that have followed this case and cases alike and since Troy Davis couldn’t be pardoned, the worse was expected.

Read Full Story HERE

Damn, he was a Panther not a monster! But I understand her sentiment.

I almost feel like I am preaching to the choir or I’m in the choir and we’re singing the same ol’ song. It’s no news to us, being the ones that are always sitting on the curbs in these situations with police officers pulling over our vehicles because they think we may fit one of their descriptions. I remember a cop pulling me over in Milwaukee and blatantly saying we’re looking for guns and drugs. He took me out the car, placed me in the back of his squad car and began a search. He found nothing and released me. To some, this may seem like an unfortunate event, however, I’m used to that as much as I am the seasonal snowstorm. The real question is, should I be?

The Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee’s premier news source, has confirmed a recent study that expresses what we’ve known since we were allowed to drive cars: “A black Milwaukee driver is seven times as likely to be stopped by city police as a white resident driver.”

Click HERE to see police chief’s reasoning behind targeting minorities!

According to the Burlington Free Press:

“A man was removed from a green tent where blood was evident. There is no information on whether the person is alive or dead. About a half dozen police cars were at the scene at about 2:20 p.m.

Wednesday night protesters rocked to internationally known gypsy punk musicians from Gogol Bordello. Today protesters are consoling each other.”

We’ll keep you updated as we hear more. No word on who fired the shots or the condition of the victim.

Kristyna Wentz-Graff, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel photographer was wrongfully arrested by MPD while covering a protest last week, even though her badge credentials were clearly visible. However, at the time, the officers were too focused on the job at hand to see her ID, which was their excuse for the erroneous arrest. Hopefully, young people aren’t denied their right to vote even though they have their IDs!!!

I can’t think any other instances where the cops overdid their job like this. Sike! I can’t even count them all on one hand.

I am asking myself why in the world the nation is not pissed about what is taking place on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. I think I might have just discovered the answer.

In the past month, six black men have been shot by police in Columbus, and three of those gunshot wounds proved to be fatal. While this crushing reality is certainly on the minds and on the Facebook statuses of plenty of Columbus residents, it just isn’t getting the national coverage it would seem to merit. Just as I was beginning to think that America has forgotten about us, I realized that it is not the headline of national news because people around the country are too busy ducking fists and bullets from their local law enforcement to be concerned about what is going on in little old Ohio.

A Boston man decided that he had had enough. When he witnessed a Boston police officer subduing a suspect with what he considered excessive force, he began to record the incident only to be arrested on charges of disturbing the peace and aiding in the escape of a prisoner.

Wait, did I miss something?

Somebody remind me the definition of peace. It seems to me that the gentleman was attempting to ensure the peace and the courts had to agree. They upheld that it was well within his constitutional rights to film the arrest and the charges were dropped.

The courts ruled that the officer violated his 1st and 4th Amendment rights by prohibiting him from recording the incident.

“A citizen’s right to film government officials, including law enforcement officers, in the discharge of their duties in a public space is a basic, vital, and well-established liberty safeguarded by the First Amendment,” the decision said.

If you ask me, however, I would say that the very fact that he was even arrested for doing so is a cause for concern and a warning that we need to be more serious about protecting ourselves from our so-called “protectors.”

Witnesses of one of the police shootings in Columbus suggested that the gentleman who was shot by a Columbus officer was shot execution-style. He was reportedly shot in the back while he was running from the officer when the shooting took place.

Although I cannot confirm or deny the truth of these allegations, I find it rather suspicious that the crime scene was taped off for three days. I have never heard of a crime scene being inaccessible to the public for so long.

We can learn a lot from Mr. Glik, the Boston man who was determined to document the way that officers handle arrest situations. He was arrested for coming to the aid of his fellow man. I think that the message that the officer was sending is clear: law enforcement feels above the law and the people are not suppose to interfere with their administration of justice.

It is time for the people to redefine justice, and we need to call it just us, cause that is all we have. If we do not take of each other, we will not be taken care of. I mean, seriously, who else do we expect to do it? The police?

The NYPD is on Facebook and for a very specific reason. So much for mob meetings that stem from Facebook. Oh and no more bragging about the lick you just hit to your friends. They’re prepared to put a stop to that. They’re gonna, most likely, find the hippest young cop on the squad and sit them down at a desk and peak in on your conversations with hopes that they understand the lingo enough. Hopefully, the criminals on Facebook are smart enough to at least use lingo when broadcasting a crime. They ususally aren’t.

See full story on MASHABLE.

Not all cops are bad!

A 2002 mug shot of Allen Iverson.

The past two years have been extremely rocky for former NBA superstar Allen Iverson. After leaving the Memphis Grizzles and rejoining the 76ers A.I.’s personal life has been under the microscope. March 30 just added to the madness.

As rush hour was dying down close to the 6 p.m. hour, Iverson’s gray Lamborghini was pulled over for changing lanes without using turn signals. Iverson was a passenger and the driver Antwuan Clisby was unable to produce any documentation for the Lambo and continued to tell the officer on duty that his passenger (Iverson) needed to leave the scene to eat dinner. Once the officer denied Clisby’s wish, Iverson became “irate.”

The officer was forced to call for backup and once the second unit came, Iverson & Clisby were asked to exit the gray Lambo and A.I. continued to lose his cool and disrespect the on-duty officer.

After police scanned the VIN number of the Lambo, they discovered the tags had expired in 2009 and A.I. was notified that the car would be towed.

Iverson continued to snap on the police officers stating [cursing censored]: “Take the vehicle, I have ten more…Police don’t have anything else to do expect mess with me… Do u know who I am?”

Although this could be case of a celebrity being targeted for whatever reason, Iverson, in my opinion, could have handled this issue differently. I have often being harassed by police officers while driving a car and I understand from firsthand experience just how frustrating it can be, but A.I. was wrong here.

The gray Lamborghini was towed and the driver was cited for expired tags and failure to use signals while switching lanes. Iverson later came back and apologized for his behavior and disrespecting the police. I hope this is a lesson learned for the former NBA MVP.

Remember the movie where four women who appeared to have come across some very trying times attempted to rob banks? The first two were successful but the last attempt got the majority of them killed? Yea, the same movie where Queen Latifah was King! Some movies are based on true stories and some stories are based on true movies…

A guy in Takoma Park, Maryland is no longer with us because of his selfishness. After robbing a Capital One Bank, he takes a female hostage and doesn’t get too far because of the snow that remained on the ground, causing him to slip. The hostage takes off running while the police proceed to bust caps in his ass. It seemed logical but in reality, there are other methods of subduing criminals with firearms. How will we ever find out why this guy went through the trouble of robbing the bank? Do we care?

In the words of our LA homie, Kali Akuno…

In the two years since Oscar Grant was killed, Oakland and Bay Area police have continued their reign of violence against our communities. This People’s Hearing on Racism and Police Violence will finally be a chance for our communities to speak out on these issues.

Share your testimony about racist law enforcement. Demand accountability for the murders of Oscar Grant, Derrick Jones and other civil rights abuses committed by the state. Hear from witnesses and victims, their friends and family members, activists, experts, and others. Space will be available for public testimony.

Facilitated sessions will include the cases of Oscar Grant, Andrew Moppin and Derrick Jones, State Repression and Resistance, Racial Profiling and Criminalization and Forced Displacement of Oppressed Peoples.

February 19th & 20th, 2011 9-5pm
Oakland High School
1023 MacArthur Blvd Oakland 94610
www.peopleshearing.wordpress.com

Co-sponsored by Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, EastSide Arts Alliance, New Year’s Movement, National Lawyers Guild, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, Coalition for Justice for Oscar Grant, Collision Course Video Productions, Hard Knock Radio, Onyx, African People’s Socialist Party, US Human Rights Network, National Alliance for Racial Justice and Human Rights (NARJHR)

–
DROP THE CHARGES ON THE SF 8
Dismiss the case against Cisco Torres!!
Sign the Open Letter at www.freethesf8.org

If you come to Milwaukee and you’re looking for a place to shop, Mayfair Mall is one of the few appealing options. It’s located in Wauwatosa, a suburban city within Milwaukee County. The population is approximately fifty thousand. The racial makeup of the city was 93.97% White, 2.04% African American, according to the 2004 Census Estimate. Well those same people were scared to death this weekend as a gang of majority black, Milwaukee youth filled up the Village of Tosa’s Mall and began to act unruly. “Give us, gangmembers, something to do then”, shouts our youth everytime something like this occurs. I don’t condone mob meet-ups and shooting firearms in any public setting, but I know that it goes on everyday in my hood. Tosa and Milwaukee aren’t that far from each other. Why should they feel more safe over there than where we are?

This is the same mall that stopped playing movies that would be considered of urban interest because of a social riot that took place in the lobby area during the release of ‘Barbershop’ a good few years ago. What do you expect from a large group of teenagers in a mall looking for kicks? We have every right to be there, especially if we’re bringing in a good portion of the revenue. Don’t treat us like aliens, but come up with a solution for the unruly youth and not just the black kids. For the last decade and more, Milwaukee has consistently shown a lack of urgency to meet the needs of our youth. Instead of putting money into the redevelopment of the city with the youth on their minds, they totally forgot about us. In fact, if you want to stop tearing up these malls, then stop blatantly closing down every school that I’ve attended so we can tear up some books. NEW BOOKS, NOT THE OLD ONES MY MAMA USED!!!! Our official mall, The Grand Avenue, is on it’s last leg, so we try to blend in the places that aren’t forgotten about, not because we want to, but have no choice.

The majority of the time, these dudes that are shooting the guns aren’t gang affiliated but are bored youth, who just happened to be armed and dangerous because access to guns is more normal than access to books-Why? -Because we are too busy trying to survive in our hoods but culturally survival is just in the books in local suburbia land (long sentence? I’ve seen my homie get a longer sentence being bored, think about it)

Check Out JsOnline‘s Story of How It All Unfolded

Did you know that the freeway was being held up because of a alleged hostage situation? Of course, you did. It was all over the news and if you were on the Freeway, you were one of the thousands going nowhere, grabbing snickers. TMJ4, Milwaukee’s #1 source for…blah, blah, blah, has the video, here.

First posted on Alternet.org

Neill Franklin is a 33 year veteran and former training commander of the Maryland State Police and Baltimore Police Department who has broken from the pack to educate the public on ways to avoid horrible interactions with the Police. Quoting Franklin:

I believe all citizens should understand how to protect their constitutional rights and make smart decisions when dealing with officers of the law.

Franklin believes passionately in the public’s right to protect itself, which led him to serve as technical consultant on a new film called, simply, 10 Rules for Dealing With Police. Check the whole article @ Alternet but I figured I’d copy the ten rules for a quick read:

1. Always be calm and cool: a bad attitude guarantees a bad outcome.

2. Remain silent: what you don’t say can’t hurt you.

3. You have the right to refuse searches: saying no to searches can’t be held against you.

4. Don’t get tricked: remember, police are allowed to lie to you.

5. Determine if you’re free to go: police need evidence to detain you.

6. Don’t expose yourself: doing dumb stuff in public makes you an easy target.

7. Don’t run: they’ll catch you and make you regret it.

8. Never touch a cop: aggressive actions will only earn you a more aggressive response.

9. Report misconduct: be a good witness.

10. You don’t have to let them in: police need a warrant to enter your home.

Part of me hates the idea of giving this nameless human even 5 more seconds of fame, but maybe, as in the case of the racist Massachusetts resident who got infamous last week, the social pressure that will be brought to bear on him in his hometown justifies the reposting here.

I wish Robocop had seen this $%#%

Today there will be a hearing to decide whether or not Mumia Abu Jamal will be executed or get life in prison without parole.

The former Black panther was arrested December 9, 1981. He was later convicted of the murder of police officer David Faulkner and given the death penalty.

For nearly three decades though, the case has been appealed with the death sentence overturned for lack of evidence. Repeatedly though, prosecutors have had their eye on reinstating the execution.

Before I was born, and before my mother had even graduated from high school, Mumia Abu Jamal was just another Black man. An activist. A Panther.

Today he is a recognized journalist, author, and radio personality who has been the inspiration behind a number of hip hop songs, rallies and causes who’s fate will be decided in a courtroom.

In Philadelphia there will be rallies held on 6th and Market St. before the hearing, which is scheduled to commence at 2PM EST.

For more information visit www.freemumia.com

S/o to Kali Akuno for the assist

(Oakland, CA) – Three groups who have actively been working toward justice for Oscar Grant – ONYX, The New Years Movement and the General Assembly for Justice for Oscar Grant – are denouncing an announcement today by the defense team for former BART officer Johannes Mehserle that they are seeking a retrial in the shooting death of unarmed Oscar Grant, III.

Citing a 2008 case from Kentucky, Michael Raines said that Prosecutor David Stein was inaccurate in saying that “in a million Taser draws”, there had never been a mistake like this one. But Prosecutor David Stein was right on the money.

“The question raised here, is did this officer pull his Taser out two times before accidentally shooting the man in Kentucky?” asked Cephus Johnson A.K.A Uncle Bobby. “In the case of Oscar, Mehserle took out his Taser twice. Oscar took a picture of him holding that Taser, so Mehserle knew exactly where it was and he knew where his gun was too. He chose to pull his gun. There is no comparison here.”

At every junction in this case, there have been attempts by the defense to justify the actions of Mehserle and blame the victim for the crime of the perpetrator. And although Mehserle was convicted of mere involuntary manslaughter, the family of Oscar Grant – and indeed the community at large continues to believe he was murdered.

“He is comparing apples and oranges,” said Lesley Phillips, a member of the New Years Movement. “The man in Kentucky didn’t die, he wasn’t beaten by the police prior to the shooting as Oscar was and we have no way of knowing if that shooting was an accident either.”

America has a long history of looking the other way when innocent civilians are wounded or killed by police – particularly if those innocent civilians are of color. In fact, Johannes Mehserle is one of only two police officers in the history of California to ever be convicted of killing a civilian in the line of duty. A gross imbalance when compared to the hundreds of innocent lives lost at the hands of law enforcement each year across the nation.

“There is no logical reason for a new trial,” said Michael Walker, a member of ONYX and active on the Oscar Grant case. “A new trial will be looked at by the community as another attempt by the defense to manipulate the facts of the case and allow Mehserle to go free for his crime. It will also be viewed as a slap in the face to the remaining survivors of that night – the friends of Oscar Grant who were on the platform to witness the unprovoked and unwarranted execution of their friend.”

“The violence has got to stop” says a woman who appears to be the grandmother of the 5-year-old young man in the video after the jump. The boy recently survived a drive by shooting after being struck 4 times.

I can’t help but think of 5-year-old kids in other neighborhoods that have the same encounters and then others in other communities where that isn’t a thought so much that if it was to happen, it would just be devastating. Obviously, the news didn’t even want to cover it because they switched to Tiger Woods. Fuck Tiger Woods! He’s stealing the air time with his antics. I thought we solved that case…didn’t his girl leave? On to the next one! What about the lil homie Terrance, that could possibly grow up and be Tiger Woods if he could escape random gunfire near his residency? *wishful thinking*

No more Tupacs! No more 50 Cents! Yes, this kid survived and what a blessing it is. It’s important that he take it as such and not grow to make a song about how invincible he is. It isn’t cool to be shot once, let alone 5 times. Our children deserve better. Lets make ‘better‘ an option.

Clark County Metro gang unit is currently investigating a Las Vegas Valley shooting. Tuesday, three teens were gunned down at a Winchester Community and Community Center, injuring two boys and one girl. Clark County Police Department says that the shooting could have been prevented, however, the area had not been patrolled for gang activity since April.

In Las Vegas there are not enough metro officers to police the streets and all the areas where crime occurs. Also, metro police officers respond to their own service calls instead of other areas, therefore, many locations are not patrolled, particularly parks.

Clark County Park Police Association President Tim Polk told ABC Action News that violent incidents have increased in Clark County parks and the association’s 15 employees no longer patrol those areas.

Unfortunately, that means more youth being gunned down and dying in the streets because of lack of enforcement and patrol.

Authorities are currently looking for at least two suspects and say that there is a good chance the shooting was gang related.