Showing posts with label Naacp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Naacp. Show all posts

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Southern maryland; NAACP says police altered killing video


About 20 minutes into an uneventful traffic stop and drug scan, the lights on Cornelius Warren's Tahoe flashes almost without warning. A split second later on a police video of the incident, the SUV kicks up a cloud of dust as it lurches away from police.

But a county activist who viewed the tape before the sheriff's office released it Wednesday said he believes someone altered the video between when he saw it last month and when it was made available to the press.

"What you saw on the video is not what we've seen. It's been tampered with," county NAACP President William Braxton said.

The dashboard camera footage released Wednesday, which captured the last few moments of Warren's life, shows sheriff's officer Stephen Miller swing his body into the sport utility vehicle as it speeds off-screen, another police cruiser following close behind. The video didn't record the ensuing struggle, which happened outside the camera's line of sight. But police say that after the SUV accelerated down a Pisgah driveway, Warren tried to wrestle away Miller's handgun. A pair of sheriff's officers shot at Warren 11 times, hitting him with eight of the bullets, authorities believe.

The footage, which is without sound, charts the Oct. 2 incident, from a traffic stop at a gravel driveway about a mile from Warren's home to the search of his Chevrolet Tahoe and the alleged discovery of crack cocaine and marijuana worth more than $16,000, according to police. It was after the drugs were allegedly discovered that Warren, 44, threw his SUV into gear and drove a short distance around the circular driveway, where sheriff's officers fired the rounds that ended his life.

While Warren's family and the county chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have condemned the shooting, a grand jury last week found that the officers' actions didn't constitute a crime. The Charles County State's Attorney's Office concluded the shooting was "not unreasonable" given the danger Warren posed to the officers when he tried to grab Miller's gun.

"We're going to be second-guessed every time we use deadly force, and that's appropriate," said Maj. Joseph Montminy during a Wednesday press conference.

However, he cautioned against "Monday morning quarterbacking" and said "the deputy was in a life-and-death situation that all unfolded in a matter of seconds."

Braxton alleged that in the version of the tape he saw during a meeting with Sheriff Rex W. Coffey last month, Miller climbed into the SUV and shut the door before the Tahoe started to move.

"We … are going to talk to the sheriff's department to explain what we saw and see if he's going to look us in the eye and tell us the tapes haven't been altered," he said.

Diane Richardson, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said apart from masking the face of Warren's passenger, the sheriff's office hasn't changed the footage since showing it to NAACP members.

The passenger, whose name has not been released, has his face obscured by digital manipulation in the video released Wednesday.

"It is unfortunate Mr. Braxton is questioning our integrity," she said. "The video we released to the media is the same video that was shown to Mr. Braxton immediately following the shooting with the exception that we did protect the passenger's face."

Multimedia:

Watch the video (1 of 3)

Multimedia:

Watch the video (2 of 3)

Multimedia:

Watch the video (3 of 3)

Complete story HERE

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

NAACP raises questions about mayoral succession

Group fears appointment of white or Republican mayor if Dixon is convicted
Can you imagine the outcry if the tables were turned here?
Maybe Obama will have a beer with'em.

Leaders of the Maryland NAACP, worried that a Baltimore mayor's criminal conviction could result in the appointment of a white or Republican leader who may not fully represent the majority black and Democratic city, are asking state lawmakers to strip the governor of authority to permanently fill the office.

The request, made in a resolution adopted at a state meeting of the civil rights group last weekend, marks the first time a mainstream organization has raised questions about succession should Baltimore Mayor Dixon be convicted of any of the nine charges she faces. Dixon has been indicted for theft and perjury and the first of two trials is scheduled for early next month.

"There is that possibility of a conviction, and we want to know those protocols that are in place," said Elbridge James, the political action chairman of the state National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "If it looks like it is going to rain, I am going to buy an umbrella."

Still, it is not clear that the resolution or a law change is warranted. According to Dan Friedman, an assistant attorney general who is counsel to the General Assembly, the governor does not have the authority to make an appointment.

Instead, the state constitution defers to the city's charter, he said, which elevates the city council president to be mayor in case of a vacancy. That's how Dixon became mayor in 2007 after Martin O'Malley, her predecessor, was elected governor.

Marvin L. Cheatham, the president of the Baltimore Chapter of the NAACP, introduced the resolution because he heard an attorney on a radio program discussing a lack of clarity on succession if Dixon were to be convicted and sentenced.

"Our concern is who would the governor appoint?" Cheatham said. "Here you have a predominantly African-American city. What if the governor appointed somebody white? ... Would he appoint someone Irish to be the mayor?"

Cheatham also said he worried that a future Republican governor could appoint someone from his party to lead a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 9 to 1. "Would not the Republican governor have the ability to pick a Republican mayor?" he asked. "We just think there are some unanswered questions about the process," Cheatham said.

The resolution passed "nearly unanimously" with little debate from the 150 or so delegates who attended the meeting, James said. It lays out two options, asking either for the governor to defer to the city's charter and elevate the city council president to mayor; or a revision to state law to prevent an emergency mayoral appointee by the governor to run for the office in the next election.

Rick Abbruzzese, a spokesman for Gov. Martin O'Malley, reiterated that the governor cannot appoint a mayor of Baltimore, and did not answer other questions about the resolution. The adoption of the resolution was first reported by the online news Web site Investigative Voice.

The state constitution is difficult to follow on the topic of succession, Friedman said. One section of the document indicates that the governor has the authority to appoint a new leader should the sitting mayor be convicted and sentenced. However, that section has been superseded by a separate portion which clearly defers matters to the city's charter, Friedman said.

"If the [city charter] provides for an automatic succession, then that is what happens," Friedman said. "Baltimore's charter provides for that." Should Dixon be removed from office, City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake would become mayor. The city's charter then directs the remaining city council members to elect a new city council president.

Cheatham said he wants the attorney general's office to issue a written opinion on the matter.

The mayoral vacancy would occur if Dixon is convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor that relates to her official duties and sentenced. Dixon faces seven theft-related charges for using gift cards that were donated to her office for distribution to needy families. She's also accused of failing to report lavish gifts from her then-boyfriend on her city ethics forms.

The removal provision of the state constitution could also apply to city councilwoman Helen L. Holton, a West Baltimore Democrat. She is charged with two campaign finance violations and set to be tried Dec. 7.

Should Holton be removed from office, the city's charter directs the remaining city council members to elect a new council member to finish out the term. The city's next general election is in November 2011.
VIA

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Black Panther Who Threatened Voters In Philly Is a Credentialed Dem Poll Watcher

Poll watchers...

King Samir Shabazz (L) and Jerry Jackson (R), both of Philadelphia pose for their photo above. Jerry Jackson is a certified democratic poll worker.

One of the Black Panthers who intimidated voters on election day is a certified democratic poll watcher.
No wonder Eric Holder dropped the case.
John Fund reported at The Wall Street Journal:

When none of the defendants filed any response to the complaint or appeared in federal district court in Philadelphia to answer the suit, it appeared almost certain Justice would have prevailed by default. Instead, the department in May suddenly allowed the party and two of the three defendants to walk away. Against the third defendant, Minister King Samir Shabazz, it sought only an injunction barring him from displaying a weapon within 100 feet of a Philadelphia polling place for the next three years—action that's already illegal under existing law.

There was outrage over the decision among Congressional Republicans, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division—especially after it was learned one of the defendants who walked was Jerry Jackson, a member of Philadelphia's 14th Ward Democratic Committee and a credentialed poll watcher for the Democratic Party last Election Day.
In case you forgot...
Here's the certified democratic poll watcher in action:

He's already been reinstated as a poll watcher.
More from DANEgerus:

"Mr. Jackson's MySpace page still lists one of his main 'general interests' as 'Killing Crakkkas.' Four days after the Justice Department dropped the complaint against Mr. Jackson, he again was named an official election poll watcher for the Democratic primary in Philadelphia's municipal election. How convenient."/blockquote>
VIA

Friday, August 21, 2009

Pocomoke City Councilman 'Cane' gets a PBJ

That's right, Pocomoke City Councilman Honiss Cane gets a PBJ for speeding 91 in a 65, He received a $264.50 fine and $25.50 court cost and PBJ.

From the Md case search website below:
DISTRICT COURT OF MARYLAND
Case Information
Go Back
Court System: DISTRICT COURT FOR WICOMICO COUNTY (SALISBURY) - TRAFFIC SYSTEM
Citation Number: 000000FR55506Case Status:PROBATION CASE
Violation Date: 05/06/2009 Violation Time: 05:50 AM
Violation County: WICOMICO COUNTY (SALISBURY)
District Code: 02 Location Code: 03
AgencyName:BARRACK E (SALISBURY)
Officer Name:MYERS,
Officer ID:4923

Defendant Information
Defendant Name:CANE, HONISS WEBSTER
Address:103 4TH ST
City: POCOMOKEState:MDZip Code:21851
Race:BLACK,AFRICAN AMERICAN
Sex:MHeight:505Weight:170
DOB:01/1932
Drivers License: C500313870082Issuing State: MD

Charge Information
Charge: Article:TASec:21Sub-Sec:801.1Para:Code:
Description: DRIVING VEH. ON HWY. AT SPEED EXCEEDING LIMIT
Speed Limit: 65 Recorded Speed: 091
Location Stopped: RT13 BYPASS N/B AT ST LUKES RD
Contributed to Accident?: NO Personal Injury?: NO
Fine: 290
Vehicle Tag: 166M966 State: MD Vehicle Description: 00TOYT

Disposition Information
Plea: GUILTY
Disposition: PROBATION BEFORE JUDGEMENT
Disposition Date: 08/20/2009
Speed Limit: 65 Convicted Speed: 091
Contributed To Accident: NO Personal Injury?: NO
Sentence Date: 08/20/2009
Sentence Time: Yrs:00Mos:00Days:000
Suspended Time: Yrs:00Mos:00Days:000
Costs: Fine: 264.5 CourtCost: 25.5 CICF: 0
Suspended: Fine: 0 CourtCost: 0 CICF Cost: 0

Event History Information
Event Date Comment
PPTR 2009-06-02 080609;0130P;02;052209;E;ADM OFFICE CLOSED COURT ;B
KEYP 2009-08-20 TRIAL KEYPOINT 14:21:04 REEL 999999
SCHG 2009-08-20 D225;A TO T
Way to set an example Honiss, you mean you don't have any power outside of Pocomoke?