Prosecutors in the Freddie Gray case seeks a gag order

Apparently, prosecutors in the Freddie Gray case are seeking a gag order against defense attorneys for the 6 police officers charged, fearing that they are attempting to taint the jury pool: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/05/19/baltimore-prosecutor-seeks-gag-order-claiming-defense-statements-may-influence/

Police brutality charges rarely lead to convictions

In Baltimore, as in many cities across the US, police brutality accusations rarely lead to charges, and when they do lead to charges, they even more rarely lead to convictions:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-gray-police-rare-charges-20150516-story.html#page=1

Multimedia timeline of the Freddie Gray murder

On May 1, Baltimore Prosecuting Attorney Marilyn Mosby charged six Baltimore police officers with a variety of crimes in connection with the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. Gray's arrest and injuries were sustained  on April 12, 2015; he passed away on April 19.

This link leads to a multimedia timeline of the events that led to the homicide of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. From the time that Freddie Gray made eye contact with 45 minutes

http://data.baltimoresun.com/freddie-gray/

Municipal Courts in St. Louis County

Since the killing of Mike Brown, one of the issues that has garnered attention is the way that many municipal courts work as debtor's prisons that generate vital revenue for tiny cities and police departments throughout the St. Louis region. For instance, witness the use of bail amounts in Velda City: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/velda-city-sued-in-federal-court-over-bail-amounts/article_995390e1-af64-591d-a5f2-6f71234b3996.html

A few days ago, 80 of the 82 municipalities announced that they had agreed to a uniform fine structure. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-county-municipal-courts-agree-to-uniform-fines-court/article_7851b8a5-52d3-59e6-804c-4f2883acbc77.html

This voluntary action comes with the looming possibility that the Missouri legislature may enact further limits upon the allowable uses of revenue from traffic fines and the like, a tightening of the so-called "Mack's Creek" law that was named after a notorious speed trap: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/municipal-court-revenue-limits-debated-in-jefferson-city/article_73a15a44-87f5-57fc-9dc6-7fa7e83238e5.html

What will be the effects? Unsurprisingly, some of these small communities may have to disband, which points to the fact that their police departments have been revenue generators.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/with-court-revenue-facing-limits-budgets-look-tenuous-in-many/article_97ada24f-14b8-5737-b14d-e67da840b15f.html

The killing of Eric Harris

On April 2, a "reserve officer" in the Tulsa Sheriff's Department, who had basically bought his way into the program by donating cars, computers, and weapons, was allowed to participate in a sting operation while armed with a gun and a Taser. Claiming that he meant to use his Taser on a fleeing suspect, he instead shot him with his pistol and killed him.

After nearly two weeks of being defended by his friend, the sheriff, on April 13, he was charged with 2nd degree Manslaughter.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/reserve-deputy-bought-cars-equipment-for-undercover-unit/article_e33ab05d-dcb1-588f-9096-89e051104409.html

The Tulsa World now claims that some of the documentation of Bates' training was falsified. This link will take you to a succession of brief video news reports from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/us/tulsa-shooting-robert-bates-training/index.html

The killing of Walter Scott

On April 4, 2015, North Charleston police officer Michael Schlager pulled over a car for a broken taillight. Within four minutes, the driver was dead, shot in the back 8 times. The officer claimed that the victim had been shot while scuffling over his Taser.

Unknown to the officer, a bystander filmed the last fatal confrontation, which told a different story from the officer's initial report. Once that video became public, the officer was fired and charged with murder. Here is the story from CNN:

Here is a timeline of events, from abcnews: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/key-events-police-shooting-walter-scott-30261852

The Selling of the World: The Trans-Pacific Partnership

If you have never heard of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, you are not alone. It has been negotiated in secret by industry lobbyists who work for multi-national corporations.

What would it do? Robert Reich explains briefly:

Marching in Ferguson, August 14, 2014

On August 14, hundreds of people gathered in Ferguson to peacefully uphold the rights of citizens to protest on the streets of Ferguson after police had unleashed teargas and pointed sniper rifles at those who were engaged in peaceful protest. I was proud to be among these people.

Some of our sisters at the meeting point had brought signs.

Episcopal Bishop Smith marched on the outside as clergy were asked to do in order to support the other protesters.

At the site of the killing of Mike Brown, on Canfield Drive in the Canfield Green Apartments.

A Deaconess Anne House intern at the starting point.

Friends of mine in the crowd.

Deaconess Anne House intern Eric and my friend Emily.

Some of the great people who marched behind me kept up a great variety of chants.

There I am at Canfield Green.

There were some amazing speeches and signs carried to Canfield.

On the way back down West Florissant Road.

St. John's Tower Grove's contingent.

Raise up your children in the way they should go....

Bishop Smith on Canfield Drive.

Indiana passes law legalizing discrimination in the name of "religious liberty"

On Thursday, March 26, 2015, Indiana Governor Mike Pence signs a law sweeping in its protection for discriminatory behavior, particularly against LGBTQ persons:

Here is an analysis from The Atlantic explaining why this law goes further than any of the other so-called "religious liberty" laws on the books:
What Makes Indiana's Religious Liberty Law Different?

Tamir Rice is shot for holding a BB gun

Within two seconds of arrival, 12 year old Tamir Rice is shot and killed for playing with a BB gun in a park in Cleveland on November 23, 2014.

Police later blame the victim for his own death.

The Death Penalty on the Streets

A TedX talk: The Death Penalty on the Streets.

Are we really comfortable allowing police to administer the death penalty without due process, without seeking alternatives, and without examining the quality and the prevalence of interactions between police officers and those they accuse of a crime?

Are we comfortable with the death penalty for resisting arrest?

Are we comfortable with the death penalty for petty theft?

Does this align with the Constitutional rights we are all afforded as citizens?