U.S. News/Police Violence
Three Black men were lynched. A rural Virginia county has FINALLY cleared their name
Circuit Court Judge Dale B. Durrer on Monday found that the men “were and remain to this day innocent of their charges” because they were denied due process. Durrer did so at the request of prosecutor Russell L. Rabb III.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/12/20/virginia-lynching-judge-culpeper/
Only 35 percent of Americans trust the judicial system
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/21/americans-trust-supreme-court
Florida cop gets 5 years probation for shooting unarmed Black man in back of head
Homeless Woman Was in Labor and Needed Care, But Cops Ticketed Her Instead
https://www.lpm.org/news/2024-12-19/pregnant-kentucky-woman-cited-for-street-camping-while-in-labor
Pregnant woman with a severe dyslexia, wrongfully charged with DUI
After 12 delays, police chief who raped teen is sentenced to prison
The Post investigated cops accused of sexually abusing kids. Here’s what we learned
Americans in Gaza Sue Biden Admin for Leaving Them “Trapped in a War Zone”
https://theintercept.com/2024/12/20/americans-stuck-gaza-lawsuit/
NY governor expands National Guard presence on NY subways
The pic. of National Guard troops with automatic weapons riding an escalator is horrifying
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/18/hochul-national-guard-subways-00195228
Activist who raised the idea of jailing women for abortions gets top policy job in Trump administration
Rand Paul floats Elon Musk for Speaker
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5048431-rand-paul-elon-musk-speaker/
Marjorie Taylor Greene backs bid to make Elon Musk speaker
https://www.rawstory.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-elon-musk-speaker/
Democrats Wonder If Elon Musk Is Trump’s ‘Shadow President’
Trump Transition Fully Operating Over Private Emails and Servers a Recipe for Corruption & National Security Threats
Trump megadonors employ undocumented migrants
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/20/uline-mexican-workers-trump
Billionaire owner of the LA Times bans anti-Trump editorials
https://www.yahoo.com/news/la-times-owner-killed-editorial-063004918.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/12/business/media/la-times-patrick-soon-shiong.html
Trump lawyer who orchestrated fake elector scheme in Wisconsin claims political oppression
Trump Says He’d Consider Pardoning NYC Mayor Eric Adams
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-pardon-eric-adams_n_67606193e4b0d06419ec4654
Trump Mounts a 'Direct Assault on the First Amendment' by Portraying Journalism As Consumer Fraud
How Silicon Valley is disrupting democracy
Lasting Harm from Family Separation at the Border
https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/16/us-lasting-harm-family-separation-border
Border czar Tom Homan predicts ‘collateral arrests’ from Trump mass deportation plan
DHS Says China, Russia, Iran, and Israel Are Spying on People in US with SS7
DHSChat will allegedly "protect civil rights, civil liberties and privacy"
This is utter BS!
https://fedscoop.com/chatgpt-meet-chatdhs-homeland-security-ai-bot/
Homeland Security has a gift shop
DHS Science and Technology Directorate wants to increase border patrol surveillance communications
Audit Flags Transparency Issues, in FBI’s and the DEA's Facial Recognition
https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/25-014.pdf
Little Rock police finally admit to using facial recognition, despite claiming they never used it
22 State AG's balk at unusual Clearview AI privacy settlement
(VT, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, IN, IA, KS, ME, MA, MI, MN, NE, NV, NJ, NY, OR, RI, TN, WA and the District of Colombia.)
Continental Reveals its new Facial Recognition “Intelligent Vehicle Experience Car”
"This means that the car recognizes users even before they get into the vehicle, interpreting facial and movement characteristics and deriving actions from them, such as opening and starting the vehicle or proactively opening the tailgate in the supermarket parking lot, for example. More importantly, it also identifies persons who are not authorized to use the vehicle."
https://www.continental.com/en/press/press-releases/20241213-intelligent-vehicle/
The Car Park to use facial recognition Knightscope robots to ID motorists and passengers at 500 locations
The Car Park license plate readers
https://thecarpark.com/solutions/license-plate-recognition/
Apple is working on a doorbell camera with Face ID
https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/22/24327133/apple-smart-home-doorbell-camera-face-id-unlock
LinkedIn to use CLEAR facial recognition to ID premium users
Photobucket users and subjects sue to stop facial images from being sold as deep fake fodder
TSA allows Puerto Rican residents to use digital IDs
Amazon's Business with CIA, NSA Grows
Privacy Nightmare: Walmart employees are now wearing body cams
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/17/walmart-employees-wearing-body-cameras.html
DOJ Hid from FISA Court that Surveillance Targets Were Members of Congress and Key Oversight Staff
https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/25-010.pdf
Top Senator Warns New Surveillance Powers Will “Inevitably Be Misused” by Trump
https://theintercept.com/2024/12/18/trump-fisa-surveillance-spying/
DISGUSTED- Appeals court gives immunity to Phoenix cop who illegally shot protesters above the waist with rubber projectiles and tear gas canisters without warning
Police Departments Shouldn’t Allow Officers to Use AI to Draft Police Reports
https://www.aclu.org/documents/aclu-on-police-departments-use-of-ai-to-draft-police-reports
The Police State Is America's New Crime Boss
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/the_crime_bill_at_30
Parents of ‘Cop City’ protester sue Georgia police officers for murdering their son
Nevada Highway Patrol using a thermal imaging van to scan trucks at inspection sites
Urbana police chief claims surveillance approval bill cripples the department’s ability to function effectively and efficiently
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/proposed-ordinance-would-require-council-approval-for-tech-such-as-license-plate-readers/article_1d97a4c6-b96c-11ef-ae9f-072e5658e3fe.html
Sweet Springs police purchase 3 license plate readers that are connected to 80,000 CCTV cameras across the state
https://www.kmmo.com/2024/12/12/sweet-springs-board-approves-purchase-of-license-plate-readers/
Nashville Police Department Surveillance Technology Spending
After Fusus loss, Nashville police chief continues push for surveillance tools
Dozens of Cities Are Paying for Gunshot Detection Tech They May Not Need
https://www.thetrace.org/2024/12/shotspotter-cities-gun-shooting-funding/
NYC Comptroller Report’s Misleading Assertions on ShotSpotter
‘Big Brother’ isn’t just watching — It’s changing how our brain works
https://academic.oup.com/nc/article/2024/1/niae039/7920510
Expanding surveillance under the guise of security is a bipartisan issue. Who will defend our rights?
Congress Again Fails to Limit Scope of Spy Powers in New Defense Bill
https://www.wired.com/story/congress-spy-powers-fisa-ndaa-trump-702/
The limits of the police surveillance state
https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2024/12/16/surveillance-state-united-health-care-luigi-mangione
WTF? Ohio lawmakers approve charging up to $750 for police and jail videos
Amusing- ‘Burning through cash,’ Boston Dynamics lays off 45 employees
Activists Target Israeli Drone Manufacturer in Brooklyn
https://truthout.org/articles/anti-genocide-activists-target-israeli-drone-manufacturer-in-brooklyn/
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office to use thermal-imaging drones to spy on public events
https://westernwaynenews.com/sheriff-ok-purchase-2-drones/
Eugene police launch drones as first responder
Redmond police expanded drone program, allows officers to have a virtual set of eyes anywhere in the city
https://komonews.com/news/local/redmond-police-expand-drone-program-improve-response-times-virtual-eyes-initiative-community-safety-assessment-strategic
NYPD releases vague report on drone usage
“NYPD’s increase in drone usage in recent years has raised privacy concerns related to how drones are used to conduct police surveillance and monitoring,” NYC inspector general, Jeanene Barrett said.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/18/new-york-police-drone-capability-report
https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doi/reports/pdf/2024/49PostActRelease.Rpt.12.18.2024.pdf
NYPD Kept Public in Dark About Its Spy Drone Program
https://www.amny.com/new-york/nypd-drone-program-inspector-report-policy/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/18/new-york-police-drone-capability-report
NY state police conduct drone trainings in Guilderland
Oklahoma governor visits Taiwan to create UAV drone partnership
Drones and the Cost of Lost Trust
“17 Military Bases Adjacent To Chinese-Owned Farmland” Have Been Swarmed By Drones
Police Violence
Supreme Court Justice Thomas hit with new allegations of undisclosed jet and yacht trips
https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/71db41a9ee771d6f/db1c566b-full.pdf
WTF? Judge Broke the Rules by Criticizing Supreme Court Justices Lack of Ethics
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/14/opinion/supreme-court-ethics.html
YAWN- The Supreme Court Has the Chance to Take Up a “DEFCON 1 Legal Scandal”
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/12/supreme-court-defcon1-legal-scandal.html
Trump ally pursues misconduct complaint against judge over revoked retirement
TN district attorney accused of shooting home occupied by a family while chasing fugitive
Bureau Of Prisons To Pay Millions To 100 Women Survivors Of Sex Abuse By Staff
Pennsylvania jail confiscated inmates' toilet paper and soap, cut power and heat
Dozens of Prisoners Allege a Culture of Violence by Guards at Virginia Prison
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2024/12/17/virginia-federal-prison-abuse-usp-lee
Virginia Prison Director Tells Self-Immolating Prisoners to ‘Behave’
https://theappeal.org/virginia-prison-response-red-onion-self-immolation/
Deaths at Scandal-Plagued Atlanta-Area Jail Doubled in 2024
https://theappeal.org/clayton-county-jail-atlanta-georgia-deaths-doubled-2024/
Alabama profits off prisoners safe enough to work at McDonald’s, deems them too dangerous for parole
The Eighth Amendment is meant to protect against prisoner abuse. Less than 1% of cases succeed
Jailing for Profit: When Budgets Depend on Locking People Up
"Across the country, more than 1,300 counties have expanded existing jails or built new ones over the last 20 years—increasing the nation’s capacity to lock people up in jails by almost 40 percent. One of the drivers of this growth is the prospective revenue that local jails can receive from neighboring counties, state corrections departments, and federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the United States Marshals Service, which all rent county jail beds. On any given day, more than 1.8 million people are incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails. That includes nearly 660,000 people held in more than 3,000 local jails scattered across the country."
https://www.vera.org/news/jailing-for-profit-when-budgets-depend-on-locking-people-up
Prosecutor Tries to Void 2,600 Convictions in Crack Cocaine Sting (Crack Was Manufactured By The Broward County Sheriff’s Office)
"We find that the law enforcement's conduct here was so outrageous as to violate Florida's due process clause," the state Supreme Court wrote in the decision.
https://www.npr.org/2024/12/10/g-s1-37578/florida-prosecutor-overturn-convictions-cocaine-sting
What Killed Daniel Prude? The Cops And New York AG Said “Excited Delirium”
https://theintercept.com/2024/12/21/new-york-police-daniel-prude-excited-delirium-debunked/
NYPD's Top Cop Resigns After Sex Abuse Allegations
NYPD’s $400K-a-year top earner, Quathisha Epps retires early as astronomical overtime pay is investigated
NYPD in high-level shakeup amid sexual misconduct claims, Adams probe
Chinese spy who ran ‘secret police station’ in NYC for Beijing faces 5 years in prison after guilty plea
Georgia prosecutors seek more charges in appeals court against cops who shot Black man 76 times
Two Black men go free after their convictions were overturned in a case involving a discredited white detective
DISGUSTED- Judge Allows Testing of George Floyd’s Heart Tissue as Derek Chauvin Seeks to Once Again Challenge His Conviction
DOJ opposes court decision allowing Derek Chauvin chance to examine George Floyd's heart
Appeals Court Strips Immunity From VA Cops Who Lied To Convict An Innocent Black Man
"Here, there is a significant power imbalance in Williams’ relationship with the police, as he is a Black man who had recently exposed an officer’s perjury. We must also account for the additional context. The police had previously lied to charge and convict Williams with misdemeanor trespassing, and then at the accident scene, the officers allegedly pointed at him, talked about him, and lied again with the intent of depriving him of his rights, despite his being severely injured and traumatized in the immediate aftermath of a high-speed crash. Finally, we must also consider the nature of the retaliatory acts. The adverse action here is not the mere misrepresentation of facts on an accident report. It is the officers’ intentional misrepresentation––the falsity of the report plus the animus motivating it."
Lawyers argue lawsuit against Philly police over ruling of Ellen Greenberg's death
Philadelphia Medical Examiner Marlon Osbourne initially ruled her death a homicide, noting the large number of stab wounds, including 10 to the back of her neck. After police publicly challenged the findings, Osbourne switched the ruling to suicide without explanation. Over the past several years, Greenberg’s parents – Josh and Sandee Greenberg -- have sought to have the ruling changed back to homicide and filed a lawsuit against Philadelphia. The city has objected, arguing that state law "makes clear that a medical examiner can be wrong as to the manner of death yet cannot be compelled to change it.”
TX court ruled Austin illegally seized a citizen journalist’s cameras and video footage of police activity in and around homeless encampments
Man who Criticized Wayne City Manager, the Manager Got The Police To Charge Him With Stalking
Police Investigate Family Because Their Son Flinched in a Video
https://people.com/17-diapers-mom-hannah-hiatt-under-investigation-son-flinching-video-8758166
Yawn- NYPD says plan to monitor 14th Amendment stop-and-frisk violations is finally 'a priority'
NYPD car chases average more than one crash per day
https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/12/16/nypd-police-car-crashes-chases/
NYPD officer charged with DWI, three placed on desk duty, following crash after precinct holiday party
After Massachusetts police officers were accused of sexual assault, city launches hotline to report cops for misconduct
DISGUSTED- How One of the Nation’s Largest Opioid Makers (Endo Health Solutions) Escaped a $7 Billion Fine
https://www.inquirer.com/business/endo-settlement-opioids-justice-department-20241217.html
In prosecution first, consultants on hook for $650M for role in opioid epidemic
Judge advances LA County opioid crisis lawsuit against prescription drug middlemen