In the first story we have a tiny bit of truth that has emerged from the usual lies regarding the War on Drugs.  What is the purpose of this criminal justice system?  Take a look if you dare:

NYPD Detective Found Guilty Of Planting Evidence

Those Drugs They Came From The Police

Look at what the judge said on the case:

“I thought I was not naïve,” he said.  “But even this court was shocked, not only by the seeming pervasive scope of misconduct but even more distressingly by the seeming casualness by which such conduct is employed.”

You see what he said is real slick right?  ‘I thought I was not naive’!!  Meaning, ‘I already know how NYPD narcotics departments get down, what with the drug planting and screwing lives up shit.’  It don’t even mess with the judge at all that it’s going down like this, he’s just shocked that it’s so ‘pervasive’ and ‘casual,’ I guess if these dudes were a little more uptight when they planted drugs the judge would be a little less shocked.

But damn, it don’t stop there!  Article #2 is about the racial views of “New York’s Finest,” and what happens when some racists get caught out (everybody acts like it’s just a few of them).  This has to do with a racist Facebook group of police officers and their friends hating on the West Indian Day Parade:

NYPD Officers Have Fun With Racist Facebook Group

“I say have the [West Indian Day] parade one more year and when they all gather drop a bomb and wipe them all out,” writes one commenter, Dan Rodney. The New York Times first broke the story and reached out to Rodney, who confirmed that he was a police officer and a user of Facebook but denied that he made that comment.

New York Police Department Investigating Racist Posts

In the postings, people participating in the September parade in Brooklyn were called “animals” and “savages, the New York Times reported.

From ABC:

November 10, 2011 (CHICAGO) (WLS) — A man who says he was tortured by police officers using a stun gun during a traffic stop has filed a federal lawsuit against the officers and the Chicago Police Department.

Josue Tapia was hospitalized for days with injuries he suffered during the incident.

In May of 2010, Tapia was stopped by Chicago police officers for a minor traffic offense at 43rd and Paulina and later released. Minutes later, the police computer showed that a J. Tapia, 12 years older, 30 pounds lighter, 6 inches smaller and living 40 miles away, had an outstanding warrant. Officers stopped Tapia again and, according to official records and hospital photographs and hospital photographs, used a stun gun 11 times to subdue him.

A jury recently found Tapia not guilty of all charges that stemmed from his arrest.

His lawyer said Tapia was electrocuted and treated worse than an animal.

“They completely had him wrong. And our allegations are the officer went up to my client’s car and pulled him out of the car, pushed him up to the side of the car and then threw him to the ground…Our client was actually Tasered 11 times in a row. So when I say 11 times in a row, what I mean is for five to six seconds electricity was passing through his body, as confirmed by the medical evidence, 11 times in a row within four minutes,” said Blake Horowitz, Tapia’s lawyer.

Tapia says the officers’ actions changed his ability to function normally. Tapia’s wife and two nephews were with him at the time of the incident.

“It was just like a lot of pain everywhere, every inch of my body was being brutalized. I didn’t understand why the police officers were treating me that way…I am not able to work, I have complications,” said Tapia.

“I was screaming and crying and I was telling them to please leave him alone, leave him alone. It just felt like a nightmare,” said Marilyn Tapia, wife. “They just kept cursing me out and telling me to go away or they were going to arrest me.”

“It was a case of Tasering him over and over and over and over again in a horrific way. And it literally fried him. It fried his mind,” said Horowitz.

Tapia says he is thankful that he was vindicated and the charges against him were dropped. His lawyers say the officers claimed that Tapia was able to withstand the repeated use of a stun gun because he was under the influence of alcohol or PCP.

“When he went to the emergency room, they ran a complete tox screen on him for all drugs and alcohol and it was completely negative,” said Dennis Giovannini, Tapia’s laywer. “This whole situation was the blatant cover-up that the officers came up with after they realized that they had Tasered and beat up the wrong person.”

“It is just hard for me to trust anybody now,” said Tapia.

Tapia says he is in constant pain and worries about what the future holds for him and his family.

The city law department has not return ABC7’s calls for a comment on the lawsuit.

New Info On Man Shot By Officer: MyFoxPHILLY.com

There is new information about a west Philadelphia homeowner shot by a Philadelphia police officer.

It isn’t the first time this cop fired his weapon

The incident happened Wednesday evening in the 6000 block of Christian Street, near south 60th.

The victim, a father of two girls, is in critical condition, shot by a police officer inside his own home.

Now that police officer is being investigated for the second time this year:

The incident started with two 9-1-1 calls of a burglary in progress, which wasn’t actually a burglary.

The supposed burglar, the homeowner, is involved in a property dispute with his former in-laws.

So chances are that homeowner, Stephen Saddiq Moore, might have been angry when police showed up.

A neighbor told Moore’s lawyer what he heard.

“The police were at his door. He saw them, he came out and he heard him shouting something like “it’s my house,’ ” said Craig sokolow.

Police officer Larry Shields, a 13-year veteran on the force, then confronted Moore inside the home.

Investigators say shields pulled his gun and shot Moore in the arm. The bullet traveled into his chest.

Police say Moore was not armed.

Mark Frost is the lawyer for Josh Taylor, another homeowner shot and nearly killed by the same police officer, Larry Shields, back in April.

“Clearly, if this individual was unarmed, he doesn’t pose a threat to use a weapon,” he says. “it’s actually very disturbing that a police officer who was involved in an incident less than eight months ago involving the shooting of a citizen, is involved in a similar-type incident once again.”

In the April incident, investigators determined the shooting victim, Josh Taylor, did have a loaded weapon, unlike the latest incident.

Taylor was inside his Northeast Philadelphia row home, when officer shields, who was off-duty, ran inside after him

The lawyer in the first officer-involved shooting says the officer didn’t need to put himself in that situation-, and he could have waited outside and called for back-up.

The DA’s office cleared the officer just one month ago, and says it will not be re-opening that investigation, despite this latest incident.

Prison numbers in England and Wales hit fresh record

From the BBC:

The prison population in England and Wales has increased by almost 200 in a week, taking it to a new all-time high of 87,945.

Governors have 1,310 places available across jails to deal with further rises.

The rise in the population has been put down to the numbers being jailed or remanded following England’s riots.

The Ministry of Justice said it had contingency plans in place and capacity would soon increase further.

The Prison Service said that as of Friday the maximum operational capacity was 89,255 – the level judged to be the safest after taking into account the need to segregate some prisoners.

A spokesman said: “We have seen a significant rise in the prison population as a result of the public disorder in August.

“Managing the increase in the population is challenging but we have been continually developing contingencies to manage the additional population.

“We currently have enough prison places for those being remanded and sentenced to custody.”

The spokesman said capacity would rise in 2012 with the opening of two new prisons. HMP Thameside, in South-East London, will hold up to 900 inmates. HMP Featherstone 2, near Wolverhampton, will hold 1,600.

“We will continue to explore contingencies arrangements should further pressure be placed on the prison estate.”

The Ministry of Justice said that no inmates had been placed in police cells under the long-standing Operation Safeguard emergency plans. These plans were last activated in 2007 when spare capacity dropped to around 100 places.

Figures released last month suggested that the riots would contribute to the prison population growing by about 1,000 over the next year.

————

Family of unarmed man shot by Downey police announces federal lawsuit

The family of an unarmed man who was shot and killed last month by Downey Police has announced plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit.

Authorities say police were looking for two ATM machine robbery suspects on October 22nd when they shot and killed 31-year-old Michael Nida. They say cops mistook Nida for one of the perpetrators and he reportedly fled from the officers at least twice.

At a press conference outside Downey police headquarters, the family’s attorney, Brian Claypool, accused police of executing Nida and of racial profiling.

“He looked Hispanic, he had a shaved head and he fit the protocol of a Hispanic young man that usually gets in trouble. And that’s not acceptable,” Claypool said.

Claypool added the family will file a federal civil rights lawsuit against the police department, its chief and the officers involved. They’ll also file a wrongful death lawsuit.

Nida’s mother Jean Thaxton fought back tears as she urged Downey authorities to evaluate how cops use their weapons.

“We have police officers in our family,” said Thaxton. “So we’re not against police officers. We’re against people that have no business having a gun.”

Claypool says the Downey officer involved shot Nida with a MP5 machine gun. The attorney says he’ll seek action from state lawmakers.

“We need a law in place specifically banning machine guns being deployed by police officers not only in California but nationwide.”

Claypool says swat situations are an exception.

Nida’s family said the husband and father of four had jaywalked across a busy street to buy cigarettes near Imperial Highway and Paramount Boulevard at the time of the incident.

[clip]

"I saw him in the park, saw his colors. There was no mean mug or rivalry because we realized that what's happening here is so much bigger then gang rivalry", stated Shabaka.

From AFSC:

Sherrod Britton, 29, was initiated into the Bloods when he was 18 years old. He joined because he felt lost and wanted to be a part of something.

Sherrod was walking down Peachtree Street past Troy Davis three weeks ago and saw all the tents. “I wanted to know what was going on, so I stopped by, I haven’t left since”, said Sherrod.

Sherrod expressed feeling a deep connection to the message and process of Occupy Atlanta.” I stayed for the common cause, speaking for the people. I feel strongly that we have the right to jobs, health care, and affordable higher education.”

Around the same day Sherrod showed up Shabaka Addae Guillory, 20, saw a story on the news about Occupy Atlanta and had to see it for himself. Shabaka stated, “I knew this kind of movement was coming I just didn’t know it would come so soon.”

Shabaka and Sherrod both found a common cause in Occupy Atlanta, but they also share another commonality in their narrative.

Shabaka was recruited into the Crips when he was 14 years old. “My parents were divorced, grandfather passed away, a lot of problems at school, and there was a lot of confusion at the time.”

On Shabaka’s first day at Occupy Atlanta he approached a group of folks doing an impromptu free style session and saw Sherrod. “I saw him in the park, saw his colors. There was no mean mug or rivalry because we realized that what’s happening here is so much bigger then gang rivalry”, stated Shabaka.

Shabaka Added, “Now we’re the best of friends.”

“I let him sleep in my tent because he didn’t have one. We are connected through music, faith, and Occupy Atlanta”, stated Sherrod.

Sherrod and Shabaka are now both very committed full time occupiers. Occupy Atlanta may have started as an act of civil disobedience designed to shine a light on the extreme wealth disparity in our city, country, and around the world. It’s important to acknowledge that one of the beautiful byproducts of this new movement is the transformative experiences that arisen as a result of so many different people from different walks of life occupying a space together for a common cause.

Tim Franzen

Georgia Peace Education Program Director

Family, friends of Twin Rivers shooting suspect seek answers

Evidence suggests that Tyrone Smith was murdered in custody by the police.

From News 10:

SACRAMENTO, CA – Family and friends of a man who died after being taken into police custody in the shooting of a Twin Rivers police officer want answers.

Tyrone Smith, 32, died Saturday night.  He was captured about seven hours after the 25-year-old officer was shot multiple times. About 2:25 that afternoon, the officer had pulled over Smith on a traffic stop near Grant Union High School in Del Paso Heights. Smith is alleged to have fled in his vehicle, initiating a police pursuit and then a foot chase during which police say he fired shots at the officer.

Witnesses say Smith was walking and breathing normally when he went into the patrol car. Police reported Sunday that Smith died about 20 minutes later while still in the police unit.

“What happened?” said Smith’s sister Latara Brown. “We have a right to know. He was a suspect and he deserved a trial.”

A rally was held at Grant Union High School Monday with community members and witnesses wanting an explanation as well. About 150 people marched two blocks from a memorial shrine put up for Smith on a street corner to the front of Grant High School.

” I saw him. He walked and was cooperating with police. I was shocked when I heard he died,” said De Washington, referring to the moments when Smith was taken into custody.

Brown said she does have faith that multiple investigations will learn what happened to her brother.

“I’m glad that everybody came together and we’re gonna get through this and I just want some answers, that’s all,” Brown said.

The family of Smith says they met with police at the Sacramento Urban League on Monday.

The officer shot has been moved from ICU and is recovering. His condition was upgraded from critical to stable condition on Monday and he is reportedly in pain but expected by his surgeon to make a full recovery.

Downey police officers admitted Sunday that they shot and killed an unarmed man in a case of mistaken identity, reports CBS Los Angeles.

The victim, Michael Lee Nida from South Gate, is survived by his wife of fourteen years and their four children. Tuesday would have been his 32nd birthday, according to KTLA.

According to a statement released Sunday by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (they are currently investigating the case), Downey police officers in the area were responding to reports of an armed burglary when they spotted Nida, whom they thought was acting suspiciously.

Officers tried to detain him, but he got away three times. During a short foot pursuit, an officer shot Nida, who later died at a local hospital. The officer who shot him claimed that Nida had turned toward him “in an aggressive manner,” leading police to believe he had a weapon — but none was recovered at the scene.

Nida’s family members told KCAL9 that the victim was at a nearby gas station in the area with his wife when he decided to cross the street and head toward a tobacco shop. It was then that he was spotted by police officers and chased down. Nida’s sister, Terri Teramura, told KCAL9 that Nida had been shot at least five times in the back.

The two suspects originally sought for the armed robbery are still missing, according to NBC Los Angeles.

This is the second time this month that Downey officers have fatally shot someone. A homeless man from Huntington Park was killed after charging at officers with a pocket knife, according to The Downey Patriot.

Those who wish to give to Nida’s memorial fund to help with burial costs can send donations to:
Michael Nida Memorial Fund
P.O. Box 3272
Huntington Beach, CA 92605

#OWS #OccupyWallSt #OccupyOakland

From The Bay Citizen:

Scott Olsen returned unscathed from two tours in Iraq only to be critically wounded during a violent confrontation between police and Occupy Oakland protesters.

A YouTube video shows people carrying Olsen, who is bleeding from the head. The people tell the cameraperson that Olsen was shot. The incident occurred near 14th and Broadway at around 7:30pm last night.

As of noon Wednesday, Olsen, 24, remained in critical condition at Highland Hospital in Oakland.  A handful of friends, many of whom are also veterans of the Iraq war, stood vigil outside the emergency room door.

They said they had been informed by nurses that he was still unconscious. Aaron Hinde, an Iraq war veteran who, like Olsen is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, said Olsen was brought to the hospital by “two good Samaritans” around 8pm Tuesday evening and lost consciousness on the way to the hospital.

“I think its terrible for him to go two tours in Iraq and exercise his rights that he fought so hard to defend and get a serious injury like this,” said his roommate Keith Shannon, who served alongside Olsen in the Marines in Iraq.

An Oakland police officer told The Bay Citizen that the police department is investigating a use of force incident that caused serious injuries, but that it may not be OPD who was responsible. On Tuesday night, Oakland police said officers did not use any rubber bullets or non-lethal munitions to quell the protest.

Siri Margerin, a local peace activist, said two Oakland police detectives in body armor, visited the hospital around midnight and interviewed Olsen’s friends.

Two Alameda County Sheriffs Deputies also interviewed them this morning, she said.

Shannon, who in Iraq alongside Olsen between 2006 and 2007, described his friend as a “quiet kind of person, someone who was always smiling.”

Shannon said Olsen moved out to California after his discharge from the Marine Corps because he wanted to work in the tech industry. Olsen worked at the San Francisco tech firm OPSWAT, Shannon said.

Olsen mother, Sandy Olsen of Onalaska, Wisconsin said her son joined the military out of high school in 2005 because he “wanted to help the people over there,” but soured on the war during his tours of duty.

When he came home, she said, her son joined Iraq Veterans Against the War, a group which has joined many of the Occupy Wall Street protests around the country.

His roommate, Shannon, said Olsen joined the protests “because he thought the banks pretty much run free and unregulated and are never held accountable for their actions.”

“It is about the people taking back the government as well as placing restrictions on the corporations,” he said.

Shannon said Olsen, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Daly City, had taken part in numerous Occupacy Wall Street protets in San Francisco, joined the Occupy movement in Oakland for the first time Tuesday evening.