Baltimore: Mistrial, Hung Jury in First Freddie Gray Case Trial

As everyone knows by now, a hung jury led Judge Barry Williams to declare a mistrial in the case of Officer William Porter, the first police officer of six to be tried in the Freddie Gray case.

Despite the slavering of the mainstream media for violence, there wasn't any. Neither was there a hint of it, anywhere in Baltimore, over this development. That didn't stop so-called reporters and news hosts from implying that violence was ready to break out at any minute. There was a small -- very small -- number of protesters downtown. And an overwhelming police presence. (I wasn't there, as I saw no need to protest. A mistrial is a mistrial. It's a fool's errand to try to read too much into it.) 

USA, Land of the Free

USA, Land of the Free. Uh-huh.

Young Black Man Jailed Since April for Alleged $5 Theft Is Found Dead in Cell

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/young_black_man_jailed_since_april_for_alleged_5_theft_20150829

Black ex-cop files suit after he and his son were beaten by other cops

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/09/28/1425598/-Black-ex-cop-files-suit-over-he-and-his-son-being-beaten-by-other-cops?detail=email

Baltimore, Violence, and the Wages of "Revolution"

Front page story in today's Baltimore Sun: 

A mom, a disabled son, and a home that blazed amid Baltimore's riots

It begins:

Black soot covers the two-story house like a dark shadow. The roof has collapsed, and a bright red sign proclaims the home has been condemned.

Until a few weeks ago, when the riots roiled Baltimore, this house at Hilton Street and Piedmont Avenue was home for Laporsha Lawson and her severely disabled son, Khai'Lee Sampson. 

Baltimore: Criminal Charges Filed Against All 6 Officers

State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby is bringing criminal charges against all 6 officers, including one charge of "Depraved Heart Murder" against one officer, Caesar Goodson. The other officers charged with a variety of criminal offenses are: Lt. Brian Rice, Sgt. Alicia White, Ofc. William Porter, Offc. Garrett Miller, Ofc. Edward Nero. Charges include assault, misconduct in office, false imprisonment, and others.

Mosby took a lot of heat when she was elected Baltimore City State's Attorney, because of her youth and relative inexperience. There was a lot of carping in legal circles. Well, she certainly gave a straightforward, no-nonsense, kick-ass press conference. She also emphasized that this is an on-going investigation, and that she expects everyone to cool it (my words, not hers) and not engage in any nonsense, that the procedure requires peace and time and peace. And did I mention peace? No violence.

WBAL-TV reporter Jayne Miller, who has done such a great job (she's a very experienced reporter) during this whole time, stressed "an enormous development in this case," the fact that the arrest of Freddie Gray was illegal from the get-go. There was no probable cause to arrest Freddie Gray. 

Quit Telling Us To Burn Down Baltimore

Large group of volunteers cleaning up burnt CVS in Baltimore, Photo by J Jouvenal, Baltimore Sun (click to enlarge)

I live in Baltimore. I was one block away from Mondawmin Mall at 3:30 yesterday. I live three blocks from the mayhem that ensued on Greenmount Avenue last night. I know what political activism is. I applaud the peaceful, non-violent protesters and demonstrators in this city, who have been extraordinarily disciplined while still being active. They were active Saturday night. They personally stopped attempted destruction Saturday night. 

The rioters yesterday are not "protesters" or "demonstrators." They are opportunistic jerks who are brutalizing the very neighborhoods that are already routinely brutalized by the police. They are burning and looting the very stores where their parents and neighbors work, and on which they depend for everyday needs. They are handing the racist, authoritarian power structure in this country a gift on a silver platter. 

Hello?? There were no riots in Baltimore on Saturday night!

OK, I have to write this, since so many people from elsewhere in the country have gotten in touch with me to ask if I'm all right.

Dear god, yes. Yes!

The media has blown this completely out of proportion. Repeat after me: THERE WERE NO RIOTS IN BALTIMORE ON SATURDAY NIGHT! (Saturday, April 25, 2015)

Ted Rall on Drones and the National Security State

The great Ted Rall strikes again (as always, click to enlarge):

The K Chronicles: Keith Knight on Your Rights

Political cartoonist Keith Knight:

USA

Walking While Black -- As Unsafe As Driving While Black

"I was wrongly arrested, locked up, denied a phone call, denied explanation of charges against me, denied ever being read my rights, denied being able to speak to my lawyer for a lengthy time, and denied being told that my car had been impounded . . .  All because I was mis-indentified as the wrong 'tall, bald head, black male,'" Belk wrote on Facebook. 

USA Today

United State of Authoritarianism

Macho posturing with deadly results in the United States of Authoritarianism:

"Now ask yourself: What sort of person would be attracted to a career in law enforcement based on the images and activities depicted in that video? And is that the sort of person you’d want wearing a badge and carrying a gun in your neighborhood?" Balko asked in the online edition of the Washington Post.“

Cops out of control -- again

It's becoming the norm in the USA -- heavily militarized police, brutalizing and murdering innocent people. Look at this picture. Look at this picture and tell me this is reasonable for a peaceful, non-violent protest, which supposedly we have the right to engage in in this country (as always, click to enlarge):

I mean, Jesus Christ, he looks something out of a sci-fi film. Or Ancient Rome + 21st Century. Unbelievable.

American Police Brutality and Clueless Judge

Behold the words of an American judge, who, upon discovering the type of police brutality that goes on in this country every day, is shocked:

“Defendant’s motion describes facts so extreme and unusual that this can truly be deemed sui generis,” Judge Statsinger wrote.

Sui generis?? Are you kidding me? What rock has he been living under?

Police Brutality Alive and Well in the USA

Police brutality in this country is out of control. We already have daily instances of cops "subduing" people by killing them. Yesterday I wrote about yet another of these murders. Today I see a story of cops killing a 95-year-old man. In a nursing home. Who used a walker. They had riot shields. Riot shields!

Call it what you want. I call it murder.

The police increasingly look on us as foes. They are increasingly militarized, as Radley Balko has been pointing out for years. And we are increasingly in danger. I would think twice before I ever called 911 in this country. I'd be afraid of getting shot.

Man Hit Repeatedly With Stun Gun, For "Fun" - And Boy Murdered By Cops

This kind of behavior doesn't exist in a vacuum. It's within a context. 

We Live in a Police State

We live in a police state. Anybody who doesn't recognize that fact -- or who cries "hyperbole!" "exaggeration!" -- has his head up his ass. There's not only One Kind Of Police State And One Kind Only. And a police state doesn't have to spring fully formed like Athena from the head of Zeus. It can -- and usually does -- develop step by incremental step, as one by one, people's rights start to diminish and finally disappear. 

Welcome to Amerika, Where Even Bob Dylan Isn't Safe

Papieren, bitte!

Papers, please.