The Supreme Court has ruled that it is acceptable for police to use evidence in a criminal case which was obtained from a car that has been pulled over for an unrelated reason. The case behind this ruling was that of Nicholas Heien, a North Carolina Resident. Heien was pulled over because a police officer (mistakenly) thought that it was illegal to drive with only one brake light. When he pulled the car over, the officer observed a bag full of cocaine and seized it and arrested Heien.
Heien attempted to fight the charge in court with an old law which states that only one brake light is needed to drive, however this did not hold up in court as the justices sided with the officer, allowing him that the wording of the law was confusing and it was understandable that he misinterpreted it. Most of the court agreed with the arguments that these small mistakes are acceptable because if they were not permitted, it would make the police officers jobs much harder in situations where they would need to make quick decisions.
Although one justice disagreed with the rest, arguing that even if it is an understandable mistake, police should not be allowed to use evidence obtained from a car when there was no reason to pull over the car in the first place. Her argument did not gain support from the others and they said that it was the courts job to interpret the laws rather than the officers.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Gays Will March on St. Patty's Day
For the first time in history, gays will be permitted to march in the annual Massachusetts St. Patrick's Day parade next year in Boston. The group OutVets, an organization made up of openly gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender people who have served in the armed forces, will walk and carry a banner for the very first time in 2015.
The group is not forced to make the inclusion, either. In 1995, the South Boston War Veterans Council won a United States Supreme Court decision in which it was decided that they were allowed to exclude gays and ban them from the parade. However, disregarding the Supreme Court case from almost twenty years ago, the council voted five to four in favor of allowing the group to walk and be represented in the parade.
When asked why the council switched their ideals and changed their stance on gays, the commander of the veterans council responded by explaining that the parade was made to honor veterans annually and the homosexual men and women who have served the country are counted as veterans and deserve representation.
The group is not forced to make the inclusion, either. In 1995, the South Boston War Veterans Council won a United States Supreme Court decision in which it was decided that they were allowed to exclude gays and ban them from the parade. However, disregarding the Supreme Court case from almost twenty years ago, the council voted five to four in favor of allowing the group to walk and be represented in the parade.
When asked why the council switched their ideals and changed their stance on gays, the commander of the veterans council responded by explaining that the parade was made to honor veterans annually and the homosexual men and women who have served the country are counted as veterans and deserve representation.
Harvard Students Stand for Justice
Harvard students have been joining the rest of the country in taking a stand for the "Black Lives Matter" campaign on campus. With rallies and small marches, reaching up to six hundred student participants, the students are partaking in regular protests to show disapproval for the American Justice System's decision not to prosecute the defendants in either of the cases. The students have even enlisted the help of their dean, asking for an extension on their final exams in order to protest, so that the movement does not die out and die as the Occupy movement did back in 2011.
Their goal is more regulation on police officers. They are in search of body cameras on every officer, and the sharing of the best practices for neighborhood patrols. The number of students involved in the protests is growing rapidly. Professors say that this is the most involved in protests that students on the campus have been since the civil rights era and Vietnam, both very popular times and issues which sparked college protests. This is a direct use of the first amendment and the precedent set by the Tinker case which protects student speech.
This is a link to an article describing the efforts of the protesting Harvard students:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/16/education/students-see-new-hope-in-bias-protests.html?ref=us&_r=0
Their goal is more regulation on police officers. They are in search of body cameras on every officer, and the sharing of the best practices for neighborhood patrols. The number of students involved in the protests is growing rapidly. Professors say that this is the most involved in protests that students on the campus have been since the civil rights era and Vietnam, both very popular times and issues which sparked college protests. This is a direct use of the first amendment and the precedent set by the Tinker case which protects student speech.
This is a link to an article describing the efforts of the protesting Harvard students:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/16/education/students-see-new-hope-in-bias-protests.html?ref=us&_r=0
Judge Declares Obama's Immigrant Policy "Unconstitutional"
As we know, President Obama has supported a move to stall deportation in the United States and allow five million illegal immigrants to stay in the country. However, United States district judge, Arthur Schwab, who was appointed to his position by George W. Bush, ruled that Obamas new rule on immigration is unconstitutional.
The decision came from judge Schwab in a case involving an illegal immigrant who had been deported previously, and now faced charges of illegal re-entry into the country and drunk driving. Many argue that this case is not applicable to the new movement because it was only meant to apply to civl, not criminal, proceedings. But Judge Schwab said that the immigrant could have benefitted from Obama's plan and therefore it was not in line with the Constitution.
The United States Justice Department said that the Pittsburgh judge had no right to make the ruling, and that it will have no impact of the implementation of Obama's movement because the case was a criminal case and the new policy did not apply.
The decision came from judge Schwab in a case involving an illegal immigrant who had been deported previously, and now faced charges of illegal re-entry into the country and drunk driving. Many argue that this case is not applicable to the new movement because it was only meant to apply to civl, not criminal, proceedings. But Judge Schwab said that the immigrant could have benefitted from Obama's plan and therefore it was not in line with the Constitution.
The United States Justice Department said that the Pittsburgh judge had no right to make the ruling, and that it will have no impact of the implementation of Obama's movement because the case was a criminal case and the new policy did not apply.
Witness Perjury in the Ferguson Case
Recently, it has been discovered that several of the many people who were acting as witnesses to the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri had actually perjured their statements in court. When asked if his testimony was completely made up, one witness simply admitted, while another was found guilty of lying when her testimony did not match the other descriptions and the way she said she left the scene was impossible.
Several witnesses admitted to making up their testimonies or relaying what they had heard from others who had actually seen the events transpire. These perjuries beg the question, "Why would the prosecution allow such inconsistent and unreliable witnesses to take the stand, when they would typically streamline the case?" and some believe that it was on purpose in order to avoid indictment in the case".
A Chief police officer in Brooklyn explained that in high profile and controversial cases such as this one, the prosecution often throws excess amounts of information and evidence at the court because they believe that if they omit one piece of evidence, it will reflect badly on them for their career and they will be targeted by the family of the victim. He says this is typical with these cases, and while he is satisfied with the outcome of the case, he is not pleased with the process by which it was reached".
Several witnesses admitted to making up their testimonies or relaying what they had heard from others who had actually seen the events transpire. These perjuries beg the question, "Why would the prosecution allow such inconsistent and unreliable witnesses to take the stand, when they would typically streamline the case?" and some believe that it was on purpose in order to avoid indictment in the case".
A Chief police officer in Brooklyn explained that in high profile and controversial cases such as this one, the prosecution often throws excess amounts of information and evidence at the court because they believe that if they omit one piece of evidence, it will reflect badly on them for their career and they will be targeted by the family of the victim. He says this is typical with these cases, and while he is satisfied with the outcome of the case, he is not pleased with the process by which it was reached".
Living Two Worlds
Lately, it seems all the news outlets and individuals on social media care to talk about these days is the actions of the police forces in black neighborhoods. African American police officer, Anwar Sanders, spoke out on this and how it has affected him as a member of both the black community and the police force.
Sanders took the opportunity to write an open letter about how he feels that, as a black man, he can point out that he thinks that the movement and rallies are too quick to criminalize all officers and assume that they have bad motives. He touched on how he felt uncomfortable even writing the letter because, he can not pick a side between his career which he loves and his community which he thrives in. The two sides are at such extreme odds right now, that he mentions his fear that he may be ousted from one... or both for speaking his opinion.
He even shared some ideas of how to strengthen relations between the black community and the police forces in their areas. Sanders encourages people to get to know their officers and form relationships with them in an attempt to break down invisible barriers.
I think this is a very courageous attempt by Anwar Sanders to unite two very important parts of his life after they've become nearly opposites in recent months. However, I do not think his plan is completely effective, although i do not have the answers, I think that at this point, the conflict is so deep rooted that some individuals attempting to brush shoulders with the police will not be good enough to fix what has happened, but at this point anything is worth a shot.
A link to the story about Anwar Sanders' open letter:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/opinion/sanders-police-officer-ferguson-garner-protests/index.html?hpt=ju_t3
Sanders took the opportunity to write an open letter about how he feels that, as a black man, he can point out that he thinks that the movement and rallies are too quick to criminalize all officers and assume that they have bad motives. He touched on how he felt uncomfortable even writing the letter because, he can not pick a side between his career which he loves and his community which he thrives in. The two sides are at such extreme odds right now, that he mentions his fear that he may be ousted from one... or both for speaking his opinion.
He even shared some ideas of how to strengthen relations between the black community and the police forces in their areas. Sanders encourages people to get to know their officers and form relationships with them in an attempt to break down invisible barriers.
I think this is a very courageous attempt by Anwar Sanders to unite two very important parts of his life after they've become nearly opposites in recent months. However, I do not think his plan is completely effective, although i do not have the answers, I think that at this point, the conflict is so deep rooted that some individuals attempting to brush shoulders with the police will not be good enough to fix what has happened, but at this point anything is worth a shot.
A link to the story about Anwar Sanders' open letter:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/opinion/sanders-police-officer-ferguson-garner-protests/index.html?hpt=ju_t3
Friday, December 5, 2014
When Will It Stop?
Tuesday night in Phoenix, Arizona saw yet another unarmed African American man being shot by a police officer. This seems to be an epidemic over the last few months, and locals are crying out in protest. The victim was was a 34 year old man named Rumain Brisbon. A member of the local police force named Sgt. Trent Crump was brought to the scene of the crime by a call informing him that Brisbon was involved in drug deal in that parking lot.
The police officer involved said that he repeatedly asked Brisbon to show his hands and when he refused, putting them in his pockets instead, the officer grabbed his hands. Mistakenly feeling the handle of a gun in Brisbon's pocket, the officer told him to leave his hands in his pockets. When the victim moved his hands, he was shot twice in the torso. Further investigation has found that Brisbon was completely unarmed (although there was a gun in his SUV along with a jar of marijuana).
Seeing their city reflect the recent events of cities like Ferguson, New York City, and Cleveland has made locals and family members of Brisbon very angry and they are determined to find justice. More than 100 people took part in a march for Rumain Brisbon to the police department to demand the name of the officer involved, and to make an attempt to put an end to the racism police brutality across the country. There is an investigation of the situation happening now to determine whether or not Sgt. Crump was justified in shooting Brisbon.
The police officer involved said that he repeatedly asked Brisbon to show his hands and when he refused, putting them in his pockets instead, the officer grabbed his hands. Mistakenly feeling the handle of a gun in Brisbon's pocket, the officer told him to leave his hands in his pockets. When the victim moved his hands, he was shot twice in the torso. Further investigation has found that Brisbon was completely unarmed (although there was a gun in his SUV along with a jar of marijuana).
Seeing their city reflect the recent events of cities like Ferguson, New York City, and Cleveland has made locals and family members of Brisbon very angry and they are determined to find justice. More than 100 people took part in a march for Rumain Brisbon to the police department to demand the name of the officer involved, and to make an attempt to put an end to the racism police brutality across the country. There is an investigation of the situation happening now to determine whether or not Sgt. Crump was justified in shooting Brisbon.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Who Will Get the U.S.A. Olympic Bid?
It's hard to believe that planning for the 2024 Summer Olympics is already underway but incredibly, that is the case. All cities must have their official bids into the United States Olympic Committee by this coming Monday. The possible hosting U.S. cities Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Boston.
Once submitted to the United States Olympic Committee, one of the four cities will be chosen and submitted to the International Olympic Committee, where it will compete against other cities from across the globe. A United States Olympics in 2024 would be a good thing, in my opinion. The United States has not hosted a Summer Olympic Games since 1996, when the event was held in Atlanta.
The cities in question are being hotly debated, and it is a topic which I have been researching and following closely. Personally, I think that Boston would be the most logical of the cities to host the games, and I am positive that a Boston Games would be well executed.
First, I do not agree with the proposal of Los Angeles at all. Not only has LA hosted the summer games twice already, but the layout of the city is not conducive to this large-scale of an event, in my opinion. Los Angeles is extremely spread out, and not welcoming to walkers, meaning that cars are a necessity. Los Angeles traffic is a nightmare as it is, and hosting the Olympics would be nearly impossible because it would bring exponential amount of more traffic. One good thing about the prospect of hosting in Los Angeles is that the city is a media and press hub, so the Olympics close by would be a great opportunity for the media in the city.
San Francisco is a beautiful city, and a viable choice for an Olympic bid in my eyes, but the one possible problem that may face the city if it were to host the games is its hilly terrain. San Francisco has so many hills that building the arena (which needs to hold 80,000) along with the athletes' village and the other facilities may be difficult.
I would love the idea of the Olympics being held in Washington, D.C.. I think that it would be exciting to showcase the nation's capital to the rest of the world, and show our national pride, but I do not think that it is the best idea for several reasons. The first is the security of the city. Millions of people flock to the Olympics every time it is held, and that sheer magnitude of people would be very difficult to keep under complete control. Inviting millions and millions of international people to the most security loaded city in America could be a huge problem and I feel would cause panic due to the threat of attack, etc because it is hard to know exactly what will happen when there are that many people in the same (very important) area. D.C. is also a very small city. I am not sure that it would be the most ideal place to hold the games due to the size of it and how packed with buildings it already is, I think that it may be challenging to find places to construct the new facilities needed for the games. The last reason I do not think Washington D.C. would be the best spot for the Olympics is the fact that Ronald Reagan Airport is not an international airport. How can a city expect to invite millions from all over the world if the airport that services that city does not accept international flights?
Finally, I think that Boston would be the best place out of the four cities to hold the 2024 Summer Olympic games (and not just because it is my home- city). Boston would be a good hosting city because it can clearly deal very well with and recover from high level security breaches (as demonstrated by the marathon bombings), and the police force has learned from that experience so they will have tactics to ensure it does not happen again. The city has a large international airport within it, and many smaller satellite cities surrounding it in which to build the proper facilities. Boston has many colleges and universities, so some of the events could be held in the school facilities (Harvard has already offered their field), or built and used at the cost of the school, (MIT has proposed building a fencing stadium which could be used during the games, and then used by the fencing team after they are over). Boston is also a good option because the buildings constructed specifically for the Olympics would not go to waste as they did in Sochi. The 80,000 capacity arena could be condensed and then used to house the Revolution, the New England soccer team which does not currently have its own field to play on). Similarly, the athletes' village could house the athletes and then be used as dorms for the University of Massachusetts Boston, which is in the city and is currently a commuter school because they have no dorms for students to live in.
There are many reasons that I believe that Boston would be the best option for the U.S. 2024 Olympic bid, but only time will tell which of the cities gets chosen to represent the country.
Once submitted to the United States Olympic Committee, one of the four cities will be chosen and submitted to the International Olympic Committee, where it will compete against other cities from across the globe. A United States Olympics in 2024 would be a good thing, in my opinion. The United States has not hosted a Summer Olympic Games since 1996, when the event was held in Atlanta.
The cities in question are being hotly debated, and it is a topic which I have been researching and following closely. Personally, I think that Boston would be the most logical of the cities to host the games, and I am positive that a Boston Games would be well executed.
First, I do not agree with the proposal of Los Angeles at all. Not only has LA hosted the summer games twice already, but the layout of the city is not conducive to this large-scale of an event, in my opinion. Los Angeles is extremely spread out, and not welcoming to walkers, meaning that cars are a necessity. Los Angeles traffic is a nightmare as it is, and hosting the Olympics would be nearly impossible because it would bring exponential amount of more traffic. One good thing about the prospect of hosting in Los Angeles is that the city is a media and press hub, so the Olympics close by would be a great opportunity for the media in the city.
San Francisco is a beautiful city, and a viable choice for an Olympic bid in my eyes, but the one possible problem that may face the city if it were to host the games is its hilly terrain. San Francisco has so many hills that building the arena (which needs to hold 80,000) along with the athletes' village and the other facilities may be difficult.
I would love the idea of the Olympics being held in Washington, D.C.. I think that it would be exciting to showcase the nation's capital to the rest of the world, and show our national pride, but I do not think that it is the best idea for several reasons. The first is the security of the city. Millions of people flock to the Olympics every time it is held, and that sheer magnitude of people would be very difficult to keep under complete control. Inviting millions and millions of international people to the most security loaded city in America could be a huge problem and I feel would cause panic due to the threat of attack, etc because it is hard to know exactly what will happen when there are that many people in the same (very important) area. D.C. is also a very small city. I am not sure that it would be the most ideal place to hold the games due to the size of it and how packed with buildings it already is, I think that it may be challenging to find places to construct the new facilities needed for the games. The last reason I do not think Washington D.C. would be the best spot for the Olympics is the fact that Ronald Reagan Airport is not an international airport. How can a city expect to invite millions from all over the world if the airport that services that city does not accept international flights?
Finally, I think that Boston would be the best place out of the four cities to hold the 2024 Summer Olympic games (and not just because it is my home- city). Boston would be a good hosting city because it can clearly deal very well with and recover from high level security breaches (as demonstrated by the marathon bombings), and the police force has learned from that experience so they will have tactics to ensure it does not happen again. The city has a large international airport within it, and many smaller satellite cities surrounding it in which to build the proper facilities. Boston has many colleges and universities, so some of the events could be held in the school facilities (Harvard has already offered their field), or built and used at the cost of the school, (MIT has proposed building a fencing stadium which could be used during the games, and then used by the fencing team after they are over). Boston is also a good option because the buildings constructed specifically for the Olympics would not go to waste as they did in Sochi. The 80,000 capacity arena could be condensed and then used to house the Revolution, the New England soccer team which does not currently have its own field to play on). Similarly, the athletes' village could house the athletes and then be used as dorms for the University of Massachusetts Boston, which is in the city and is currently a commuter school because they have no dorms for students to live in.
There are many reasons that I believe that Boston would be the best option for the U.S. 2024 Olympic bid, but only time will tell which of the cities gets chosen to represent the country.
Another Police Force Scandal
Recently, I posted about a scandal involving racial profiling in Massachusetts police forces, and there is another scandal involving police officers in the northeast, this time, involving social media. New York Police department men and women have taken to Instagram to show off their fit bodies, and the department believes that they have taken it too far.
Policemen and women are capturing photos, or "selfies", of themselves, often scantily clad, in order to show off their bodies, which they keep in shape due to their line of work. The pictures then end up placed next to pictures of the same officer in his or her uniform and posted to the Instagram account dedicated to this. The problem? The New York Police Department has a rule that clearly states that officers are not to post pictures of themselves in uniform online unless the photo was taken at an official ceremony.
Some think that it is acceptable for the officers to post the pictures of themselves because they are simply showing what they would be wearing in normal clothes, while others think that it is completely unacceptable of them to break the explicit rule of the NYPD. My thoughts on the matter fall somewhere in the middle of the two opposing parties. I believe that police officers should be allowed to post pictures of themselves just like any civilian can. However, I think that it is the professionalism of the entire police department that is at stake when individual officers post inappropriate photos of themselves accompanied with their official badges, etc. They should keep in mind that their actions do reflect on all members of the department, even if it was just one person who is partaking in the act.
This is a link to the news clip in which commentators discuss whether or not the officers who posted the "selfies" should be punished with a deduction of vacation time.
http://pix11.com/2014/12/02/some-cops-penalized-for-posting-selfies-while-in-uniform-report/?hpt=us_bn7
Policemen and women are capturing photos, or "selfies", of themselves, often scantily clad, in order to show off their bodies, which they keep in shape due to their line of work. The pictures then end up placed next to pictures of the same officer in his or her uniform and posted to the Instagram account dedicated to this. The problem? The New York Police Department has a rule that clearly states that officers are not to post pictures of themselves in uniform online unless the photo was taken at an official ceremony.
Some think that it is acceptable for the officers to post the pictures of themselves because they are simply showing what they would be wearing in normal clothes, while others think that it is completely unacceptable of them to break the explicit rule of the NYPD. My thoughts on the matter fall somewhere in the middle of the two opposing parties. I believe that police officers should be allowed to post pictures of themselves just like any civilian can. However, I think that it is the professionalism of the entire police department that is at stake when individual officers post inappropriate photos of themselves accompanied with their official badges, etc. They should keep in mind that their actions do reflect on all members of the department, even if it was just one person who is partaking in the act.
This is a link to the news clip in which commentators discuss whether or not the officers who posted the "selfies" should be punished with a deduction of vacation time.
http://pix11.com/2014/12/02/some-cops-penalized-for-posting-selfies-while-in-uniform-report/?hpt=us_bn7
White Like Me
Today in class, we watched a film called, "White Like Me". The film discusses the struggles associated with being black in the United States. The narrator, Tim Wise, maintained that while some believe that racism is a thing of the past (due to recent events such as the election of Barack Obama), it is still alive and is very prominent in every day American life. While I am not naive, and I recognize that racism is, of course, not completely gone, I do think that it is not as prevalent as it once was. In my personal experience, I have found that in communities that I have been a part of welcomed the (very few) blacks that were in my school, classes, etc. Also, I agreed with the majority of the points made in the film, and my beliefs especially align with a section about "reverse discrimination". I think that we attempt to be so accepting and welcoming to the black community that we go out of our way to create opportunities for members of it, and while this is certainly not a bad thing, I think that it sometimes does limit opportunities for equally qualified whites. The film said that this should not be a concern at all because it is a very small percentage of the opportunities that are reserved strictly for blacks. I think that the percentage is a bit more than the documentary implied because it seems to be something that many people have strong feelings about and if it were as small a percent as Tim Wise said, then I do not think so many people would feel so strongly about it.
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