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© KRQE
The shooting occurred during a year when police tactics came under intense scrutiny around the U.S., fueled by the fatal shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, and the chokehold death of another unarmed man in New York City. Grand juries declined to charge officers in those cases, leading to protests.
Albuquerque police said SWAT team member Dominique Perez and former detective Keith Sandy fatally shot 38-year-old James Boyd after a four-hour standoff in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. Video from an officer's helmet camera showed Boyd, who authorities say was mentally ill, appearing to surrender when officers opened fire.
Accused of illegally camping, Boyd was armed with two small knives, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
"Unlike Ferguson and unlike in New York City, we're going to know. The public is going to have that information," said District Attorney Kari Brandenburg. She said she decided to bring murder charges and avoid a grand jury to heighten transparency.
Comment: We'll see how transparent the proceedings are.
Grand jury proceedings are closed to the public.
The shooting prompted protests critical of the Albuquerque police department, which the federal government found has used excessive force against civilians. The city is now subject to federal monitoring.
© filmingcops.com
Rather than sticking to the traditional form of protest in which signs are held and slogans are chanted, these citizens have taken direct action and offered a grassroots, crowd-funded incentive structure to end police brutality in their community.
They have offered a $2,500 reward to anybody who submits information leading to the arrest or termination of cops who brutalize or kill people.
They were able to let people know about the offer by printing all the details on flyers and spreading them throughout their community.
The flyer specifically names 15 cops as a start, and includes pictures of at least 10 cops who have been involved in either the brutalization or killing of Americans.
The words "Know Your Killer Cops" are printed on the flyers, along with instructions to film any police brutality and a location where the footage can be submitted.
"Stockton police have been getting away with terrorizing our citizens for far too long," the flyer says.
"It is time to take back our streets."
© unknownL'Enfant Plaza Metro
One Virginia-bound Yellow Line train was in the tunnel just south of the station when the smoke was reported about 3:20 p.m., according to Metro.
"There was a woman who was in distress on that train, and I'm sorry to say she's passed away," Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Richard Sarles said.
The Metropolitan Police Department will take the lead in the death investigation, Sarles said.
Local politicians in cities and towns across America have implemented laws that will ban children from sledding.
Town officials in Dubuque, Iowa for example, have banned sledding in 48 of its 50 parks because they fear that children will get hurt and that their parents could sue the city.
"We have all kinds of parks that have hills on them. We can't manage the risk at all of those places," Marie Ware, Dubuque's leisure services manager told reporters.
"Everybody likes sledding, OK? Everyone wants to promote outdoor activities, and we want people to be active. But everyone knows sledding is a risky activity, we want to manage that risk," she added.
Comment: Yeah, more like manage the risk to their pocketbook.
Comment: The PTB and their 'Authoritarian Followers' might as well tell parents to keep their kids at home at all times. While laying around, the kids can have the choice of either watching what's on television OR playing with their new XBOX game. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner must be heavily processed and loaded with gluten and sugar. Let's keep them doped up on programming and obese from foods. Hell, they're easier to control that way, right? We don't want generations of children growing up that can think (or sled) for themselves.
Also covered by SOTT:
- Mom harassed by CPS over seemingly harmless incident
- Ohio father arrested because 8-year-old son explored neighborhood
- Oh, the horror? More like hysteria! 5-year-old slapped with sexual misconduct after dropping pants in playground
Greek farmers have lost $46.7 million in fruit and vegetable exports due to the food ban introduced by Russia in August 2014, a report published by Athens News Agency said.
"We have lost significant volumes of exports to Russia - 34,167 tonnes [37,662 tons] or 39.45 million euro [$46.7 million]," the Incofruit-Hellas association of Greek enterprises exporting fruit, vegetables and juices said in a report published Sunday.
Comment: Greece has been suffering thanks to crippling austerity measures and things are deteriorating to the point that there appears to be a run on Greek banks. Clearly, the West's ill-conceived scheme to sink the Russian economy via sanctions is having deleterious effects on EU nations, however that does not seem to have caused EU rulers to re-think the wisdom of their actions as they seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot at every turn to pacify Washington.
The idea that the United States is going through a "manufacturing renaissance," although optimistically touted in the media and by experts, does not reflect reality, write the authors of a new report from a reputable Washington, D.C. think-tank, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF).
The authors of the report claim that the highly publicized media narrative of a rebirth in America's manufacturing sector is based on misleading interpretations of data that in fact paint a much bleaker picture of a temporary recovery within the context of the economic cycle, rather than structural growth.
Comment: There are countries where governments are working to promote policies that actually strengthen the structural foundations of the country and improve the well-being of its populace. Russia comes to mind, immediately. Unfortunately, the ruling elites in the USA prefer to massage numbers in order to manipulate the masses into believing that things are better than they seem. An elite focused on war and destruction throughout the globe has little concern for the ultimate well-being of its own people, despite the propaganda.
© UnknownWith pens and signs in hand, millions of Parisians stand up for the right to spread lies and hateful cartoons about 1 billion of the planet's people. It has been noted by many around the world of the protesters' striking resemblance to sheep.
I read this on a blog yesterday; it is a version of a claim that has been made over and over again in the last couple of days, lionising Charlie Hebdo: "In its cartoons, Charlie Hebdo did not discriminate. The magazine lampooned all and sundry in its cartoons: racists, bigots, right-wing politicians, the uber-rich, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and more." And what does 'more' include? More to the point: what does it not include? Did they, for example, lampoon journalists who, in the name of freedom of expression, mock Muslims and Jews regardless of the consequences? Did they, in other words, ever satirize themselves? Apparently Charlie Hebdo has announced it will produce a million copies of its next issue. Will this issue ridicule the scenes of mourning and solemn demonstrations on the grand boulevards of Paris, poking fun at people who raised pens skyward and lit candles in the dark? And why not? Nothing is sacred. Wouldn't this be just the kind of outrageous act, defying convention and challenging popular ideas of decency, that puts freedom of expression to the test?
© Youtube
So where are these legendary "good cops"?
Right here, in the video below, it would seem...
We can see from the video that the arresting officer repeatedly tries to pull up the suspect by his restrained arms, contorting and twisting his shoulder joints in a way that was causing him sheer agony.
But another officer comes to the suspect's aid, not once, not twice, but at least three times physically stopping the arresting officer from abusing the suspect.
If you think that all cops SHOULD take a stand like this, then help us SPREAD THE WORD!
© AFP Photo/Pierre DuffourDutch comic book author Bernard Willem Holtrop, aka Willem, signs books in Angouleme, central France, on January 31, 2014
"We have a lot of new friends, like the pope, Queen Elizabeth and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. It really makes me laugh," Bernard Holtrop, whose pen name is Willem, told the Dutch centre-left daily Volkskrant in an interview published Saturday.
Comment: Just to clarify, Putin wasn't 'making friends' with the likes of Charlie Hebdo as many in the West have done. He expressed his condolences to the families and those affected by the attack and stressed that the Kremlin condemns terrorism in all forms.
France's far-right National Front leader "Marine Le Pen is delighted when the Islamists start shooting all over the place," said Willem, 73, a longtime Paris resident who also draws for the French leftist daily Liberation.
He added: "We vomit on all these people who suddenly say they are our friends."
Commenting on the global outpouring of support for the weekly, Willem scoffed: "They've never seen Charlie Hebdo."
"A few years ago, thousands of people took to the streets in Pakistan to demonstrate against Charlie Hebdo. They didn't know what it was. Now it's the opposite, but if people are protesting to defend freedom of speech, naturally that's a good thing."
Comment: It's pretty obvious from the video that James was murdered. Did the DA all of a sudden acquire a conscience? It's interesting that over 9 months later, the DA decides to file charges against these psychopaths. It may be an attempt to release the pressure valve on public anger, and the recent protests that have brought a lot of attention to police brutality and our growing police state.
Listen to a recent SOTT Blog Talk Radio show where the editors discuss the excessive brutality and militarization of the police force.
See also:
Homeless man shot to death by police while "illegally camping" in the foothills of New Mexico