September 20, 2016


News and Views


NYC BOMBER UPDATES

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ahmad-khan-rahami-chesela-new-york-city-new-jersey-bombings-notes-offer-clues/

Notes left by NYC bombing suspect offer clues
CBS NEWS
September 20, 2016, 7:08 AM

27 PHOTOS -- Explosions rock NYC, N.J.


Authorities are learning new information about the man accused of the bombing spree in New York and New Jersey that injured 29 people over the weekend, from evidence he allegedly left behind and a scrub of his electronic devices.

According to multiple sources, authorities have discovered a handwritten note and a small notebook, which had a bullet hole. The notebook was found on him. Both pieces of evidence contain written rants, suggesting that he was a consumer of multiple radical ideologies by several different terrorist organizations, reports CBS News homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues. According to three U.S. law enforcement officials, Rahami’s writings recovered by law enforcement contain references to Osama Bin Laden and American-born jihadist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

Surveillance video shows Ahmad Rahami dragging a bag moments before Saturday night’s explosion in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. According to law enforcement sources, Rahami’s fingerprint was found on one of the bombs.

A four-hour manhunt ended in Linden, New Jersey Monday morning as police moved in on the 28-year-old. Investigators said Rahami fired shots, injuring two officers. He ended up face down on the pavement and was carted away, with blood visible on his right arm.

“The fact that he survived is excellent, both from an investigative value and from the fact that we didn’t lose a life,” said New York FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney Jr.

Rahami’s motive remains a mystery. Investigators don’t know if he was directed by a terrorist group or inspired by one. CBS News has learned Rahami has traveled to Afghanistan at least three times -- perhaps as recently as 2014 -- and visited Pakistan on at least one of those trips. He was not on any watch or travel restriction lists.

“We have every reason to believe this was an act of terror,” said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Police want to speak with two men who were seen removing the pressure cooker bomb from Rahami’s bag and then placing it on the sidewalk, a couple of blocks from the site of the Chelsea explosion. In doing so, they may have inadvertently disabled it.

“We’re considering them witnesses right now. Once they picked up the bag, they seemed incredulous they had actually picked this up off the street, and they walked off with it,” said Robert Boyce, NYPD chief of detectives.

Investigators said Rahami packed the pressure cooker with BBs, ball bearings, Christmas lights, and an explosive called Tannerite. He used a flip phone as a detonator. The bomb was similar to those used by the Boston Marathon bombers and a device left behind by the San Bernardino shooters, which did not go off.

“The investigation is ongoing, so as we develop more information, we continue to go but I have no indication that there is a cell operating here,” Sweeney Jr. said.

While Rahami lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey, sources said he was married to a woman in Afghanistan. The motive still remains unclear, but multiple sources told CBS News that Rahami does make a reference to Muslims being killed.



http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/20/us/new-york-new-jersey-bomb-questions/index.html?adkey=bn

7 questions we have about bombings in New York and New Jersey
By Susannah Cullinane, Shimon Prokupecz, Emanuella Grinberg and Holly Yan, CNN
Updated 1:01 PM ET, Tue September 20, 2016

21 Photographs


(CNN)[Breaking news update, published at 1:01 p.m. ET]

The FBI interviewed the father of bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami in 2014 after a violent domestic dispute led to a tip to authorities alleging that the father was calling his son a terrorist, two US officials said Tuesday.

There were contradictory accounts of how Rahami came to the attention of law enforcement, with the father telling reporters outside his restaurant Tuesday that he himself contacted the FBI expressing concern after the dispute.

In the interview, the father ended up downplaying the concern, saying it was a misunderstanding. Ultimately, federal investigators believed it was a domestic dispute, several federal officials told CNN. At the time of the FBI interview, Rahami was already in jail following the family dispute, which included him stabbing one of his relatives.

The FBI ran through more checks, but never interviewed Ahmad Rahami, according to officials. At the time, Rahami had just returned from an extended trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan, one of several he'd made to the region.

Rahami was never placed in an FBI database of potential terrorists, officials said.

The capture of bombings suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami alive gives investigators a rare opportunity to try to establish his motivations and affiliations -- if they can get him to talk.

Law enforcement officials launched a manhunt for Rahami after identifying him through a fingerprint, and he was taken into custody Monday after a shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey.

But questions remain about the events leading up to Saturday's bombings in New York and Seaside Park, New Jersey, and the discovery of pipe bombs Sunday night in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Did Rahami act alone?

Authorities believe the "main guy" has been caught, but the investigation continues to determine if Rahami had help.

Though FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said there is "no indication" of an active operating cell in the New York area, evidence suggests Rahami was not acting alone, sources told CNN.

Surveillance video shows a man believed to be Rahami with a duffel bag in the area where an unexploded pressure cooker was found in New York's Chelsea neighborhood.

After he leaves, the video shows two other men removing a white garbage bag believed to contain the pressure cooker from the duffel bag and leaving it on the sidewalk, according to a senior law enforcement official and another source familiar with the video.

Investigators want to talk to the two men but appear to have moved away from the idea that the pair had been involved. New York police Commissioner James O'Neill described the men as "strolling" along the street and seeming "incredulous" when they took the bag.

Lenny DePaul, a US Marshals Service former commander, told CNN that investigators would be asking Rahami whether he had any help.

"The real question is: Is there anyone else out there? Was this him solely on his own? Is this a lone wolf or a known wolf that's slipped through the cracks?"

Investigators will likely look to leverage his personal relationships to get information, DePaul said.

"Is there an ability to say: If you don't work with us, everyone around you who may have been complicit may be hit with a conspiracy charge (that may happen anyway) so there's leverage now that he's here," DePaul said.

If Rahami is not a lone wolf, where's the rest of the pack?

Is Rahami affiliated with a terror group?

A notebook found in Rahami's possession when he was taken into custody contained ramblings, including references to previous terrorists, such as the Boston Marathon bombers, and Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was a spokesman for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula before a CIA drone strike killed him in 2011.

Rahami was born in Afghanistan and traveled home often -- common for immigrant families. He is married to a woman from Pakistan, who was in the United States recently but left just before the bombings.

Investigators will be looking into his travels to both countries -- especially to areas recognized as Taliban and al Qaeda strongholds -- to see if he was radicalized abroad.

ISIS -- which claimed the Minnesota mall stabbings over the weekend -- is less prominent in these countries than terrorist groups such as Pakistan's Tehreek-i Taliban, the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda.

ISIS first appeared in Afghanistan in 2015 -- after Rahami's last visit -- but has been calling for lone wolf attacks in the West.

The Afghan Taliban denies any involvement in the bombings and any ties with Rahami, said the group's spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid.

And the reference in the notebook to Awlaki -- a source of inspiration for several terror attacks -- appears to bolster an emerging view among investigators that this weekend's attacks weren't ISIS-inspired, at least not in whole.

Former New York state homeland security adviser Michael Balboni told CNN it appeared Rahami "didn't have a plan B or a plan C."

"This has the flavor of someone who was self-radicalized and perhaps who was inspired but not instructed," he said.

Evan Perez, CNN's justice correspondent, said authorities would be looking at whom Rahami was meeting and associating with when he was abroad and whether they could have taught him to make a bomb.

Rahami didn't immediately cooperate with police, but investigators expect to try to talk to him again on Tuesday, a law enforcement official said.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/national-security-leaders-call-on-donald-trump-to-disclose-overseas-business-investments/

National security leaders call on Donald Trump to disclose overseas business investments
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS
September 20, 2016, 12:05 PM


More than 50 major national security leaders are calling on Donald Trump to disclose all of his business partners and investments overseas and to divest himself of his overseas business interests if he wins the White House.

“We are calling on Mr. Trump to disclose, in full, the nature of his business relationships overseas -- to include specifically who his business partners are and what and where are his foreign investments,” said the letter, obtained by CBS News.

The New York Times first reported about the letter on Monday.

The letter, which was signed by a number of prominent Republicans like former administration officials for President George W. Bush, comes after Newsweek reported last week that Trump has done business with controversial figures in Russia, India and China.

They argue that his business dealings could easily present conflicts of interest as commander-in-chief.

“It’s not hard to see why these reported relationships would be problematic. They could impact the foreign policy Mr. Trump would pursue as president, and they seem to have already influenced the policy positions he has taken as a candidate,” the letter said.

Former Bush administration officials who signed the letter include former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, former deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and former CIA Acting Director John MacLaughlin. The letter was spearheaded by former acting CIA Director Michael Morell and former under secretary for defense for intelligence, Michael Vickers.

The former officials wrote that if elected, Trump will need to act in the best interest of the U.S.

“Our policies must be motivated exclusively by what is in America’s best interest, not by the financial interests of our president. The onus is on Donald Trump to assure voters that this will be the case by disclosing the nature of his overseas relationships and committing to divest such assets,” they said.

The letter was also signed by Gen. John Allen, former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, Michele Flournoy, former under secretary of defense for policy, and Wendy Sherman, former under secretary of state for political affairs, among many others.

In a statement, Trump’s senior communications adviser Jason Miller said that the letter loses credibility because it’s signed by Sherman, who helped negotiate the nuclear deal with Iran. He didn’t respond to the overall requests.

“If Wendy Sherman is the definition of who is considered a reliable government official, this letter and its signatories lose all credibility,” he said. “Based on her complete failure in representing American foreign policy and deep ties to Secretary Clinton, this letter epitomizes the rigged system in Washington that has continued to fail Americans over and over again.”



https://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/disclosure.php

About the Reporting Requirements

Members of Congress, candidates for federal office, senior congressional staff, nominees for executive branch positions, Cabinet members, the president and vice president and Supreme Court justices are required by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to file annual reports disclosing their personal finances. Compliance and enforcement of this requirement is overseen by the congressional ethics committees, the ethics offices of government agencies and, in the case of executive branch officials, the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.

These forms record earned and unearned income, assets and related transactions, liabilities, contributions made in lieu of honoraria, gifts received, non-governmental positions held, travel that was paid for or for which the filer was reimbursed, and various agreements into which the filer has entered. Information relating to the spouse and dependent children of the filer is also reported in many cases.

The following outlines the major types of information that must be reported on personal financial disclosures:

INCOME
Sources and amounts of outside, earned income exceeding $200 must be reported. The officials' government salaries are not typically reported on their disclosures, but they are public record.



http://www.npr.org/2016/06/09/481351291/if-elected-president-would-trump-put-his-investments-in-a-blind-trust

4 Questions About Donald Trump's Potential Conflicts Of Interest If He's Elected
June 9, 20165:04 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition
PETER OVERBY

Photograph -- The new Trump hotel in Washington, D.C., is being built in the historic Old Post Office Pavilion a few blocks from the White House., Susan Walsh/AP


Presidents and leading presidential candidates often arrange their financial affairs to prevent the appearance of financial conflicts of interest. But there's never been a major party nominee quite like Donald Trump. If he's elected president, he would bring to the White House a unique potential for conflicts of interest. The typical tool in such situations is a blind trust, but given Trump's unique circumstances, a blind trust might not be up to the task of preventing him from profiting from decisions he would make as president.

What sorts of conflicts might Trump have?

On taxes, the self-described multibillionaire is on record pledging tax cuts for the wealthy. He unsuccessfully fought green energy — a wind-turbine farm — offshore from a Trump golf course in Scotland, arguing that it would wreck the view. Trump-branded properties in other countries — including a luxury golfing club in Dubai, with a second one under development, plus hotels and high-rises in Istanbul, Panama City, Seoul, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro and other cities — could be affected by U.S. foreign policy.

Does a president have to sell any assets?

No. Federal law requires presidents to disclose their financial and real estate holdings, but nothing forces a president, vice president, House member or senator to sell off assets upon taking office. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are barred from voting on legislation that directly affects their investments, but the language is narrowly worded.

What is a blind trust?

It's a legal arrangement sometimes used by elected officials to avoid potential conflicts. An independent trustee takes over an official's investment portfolio; the official cannot direct or advise the trustee on investment decisions.

. . . .

What does Trump say?

When Trump was asked about setting up a blind trust earlier this year during a Fox Business debate, Trump was all over the place as to what he would do with his assets:
“"If I become president, I couldn't care less about my company. It's peanuts. I want to use that same — up here, whatever it may be — to make America rich again, and to make America great again. I have Ivanka and Eric and Don sitting there. Run the company, kids. Have a good time. I'm going to do it for America. ... I would put it in a blind trust. Well, I don't know if it's a blind trust if Ivanka, Don and Eric run it. But — is that a blind trust? I don't know. But I would probably have my children run it with my executives. And I wouldn't ever be involved, because I wouldn't care about anything but our country. Anything."

A campaign spokeswoman said this week that nothing has changed since he made that statement. In other words: No blind trust.



http://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/23/donald-trump-foreign-business-deals-national-security-498081.html

HOW THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION'S FOREIGN BUSINESS TIES COULD UPEND U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY
BY KURT EICHENWALD ON 9/14/16 AT 5:30 AM

Photograph -- Trump’s global deals would make it impossible for him to conduct foreign policy in many countries without padding or depleting his wallet., GABE SOUZA/PORTLAND PRESS HERALD/GETTY
Photograph -- Donald Trump waves during a campaign event in Albany, New York, April 11, 2016.
JOHN TAGGART/BLOOMBERG/GETTY


Updated | If Donald Trump is elected president, will he and his family permanently sever all connections to the Trump Organization, a sprawling business empire that has spread a secretive financial web across the world? Or will Trump instead choose to be the most conflicted president in American history, one whose business interests will constantly jeopardize the security of the United States?Throughout this campaign, the Trump Organization, which pumps potentially hundreds of millions of dollars into the Trump family’s bank accounts each year, has been largely ignored. As a private enterprise, its businesses, partners and investors are hidden from public view, even though they are the very people who could be enriched by—or will further enrich—Trump and his family if he wins the presidency.

A close examination by Newsweek of the Trump Organization, including confidential interviews with business executives and some of its international partners, reveals an enterprise with deep ties to global financiers, foreign politicians and even criminals, although there is no evidence the Trump Organization has engaged in any illegal activities. It also reveals a web of contractual entanglements that could not be just canceled. If Trump moves into the White House and his family continues to receive any benefit from the company, during or even after his presidency, almost every foreign policy decision he makes will raise serious conflicts of interest and ethical quagmires.

. . . .

On the other hand, the Trump family rakes in untold millions of dollars from the Trump Organization every year. Much of that comes from deals with international financiers and developers, many of whom have been tied to controversial and even illegal activities. None of Trump’s overseas contractual business relationships examined by Newsweek were revealed in his campaign’s financial filings with the Federal Election Commission, nor was the amount paid to him by his foreign partners. (The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for the names of all foreign entities in partnership or contractually tied to the Trump Organization.)

. . . .

Many foreign governments retain close ties to and even control of companies in their country, including several that already are partnered with the Trump Organization. Any government wanting to seek future influence with President Trump could do so by arranging for a partnership with the Trump Organization, feeding money directly to the family or simply stashing it away inside the company for their use once Trump is out of the White House. This is why, without a permanent departure of the entire Trump family from their company, the prospect of legal bribery by overseas powers seeking to influence American foreign policy, either through existing or future partnerships, will remain a reality throughout a Trump presidency.

. . . .

The problem of overseas conflicts emerges from the nature of Trump’s business in recent years. Much of the public believes Trump is a hugely successful developer, a television personality and a failed casino operator. But his primary business deals for almost a decade have been a quite different endeavor. The GOP nominee is essentially a licensor who leverages his celebrity into streams of cash from partners from all over the world. The business model for Trump’s company started to change around 2007, after he became the star of NBC’s The Apprentice, which boosted his national and international fame. Rather than constructing Trump’s own hotels, office towers and other buildings, much of his business involved striking deals with overseas developers who pay his company for the right to slap his name on their buildings. (The last building constructed by Trump with his name on it is the Trump-SoHo hotel and condominium project, completed in 2007.)

In public statements, Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. have celebrated their company’s international branding business and announced their intentions to expand it. “The opportunities for growth are endless, and I look forward to building upon the tremendous success we have enjoyed,” Donald Trump Jr. said in 2013. Trump Jr. has cited prospects in Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Thailand, Argentina and other countries.

. . . .

This relationship puts Trump’s foreign policies in conflict with his financial interests. Earlier this year, he said South Korea should plan to shoulder its own military defense rather than relying on the United States, including the development of nuclear weapons. (He later denied making that statement, which was video-recorded.) One of the primary South Korean companies involved in nuclear energy, a key component in weapons development, is Trump’s partner—Daewoo Engineering and Construction. It would potentially get an economic windfall if the United States adopted policies advocated by Trump.

. . . .

According to a former Trump official who spoke on condition of anonymity, Donald Trump Jr. flew to India to plead with Prithviraj Chavan, chief minister of Maharashtra, a state in Western India, asking that he remove the hurdles, but the powerful politician refused to make an exception for the Trump Organization. It would be extremely difficult for a foreign politician to make that call if he were speaking to the son of the president of the United States.

. . . .”



A complaint about one signature on the letter signed by 50 leaders gives Trump good reason, apparently, to ignore the letter. It’s clearly merely an excuse, in my view, given his finding himself in a situation in which he was more or less compelled to say something. What law is involved in the matter, and what companies are linked to Trump? See below.

http://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/23/donald-trump-foreign-business-deals-national-security-498081.html is a long and detailed article on some potentially disturbing links.
There is a good deal more specific information than what I included above, on conflict situations in this article, including the recent events in Turkey, our somewhat iffy but very important ally. Trump has strong business involvement in Turkey. The balance in the Middle East, especially, and other parts of the world is already unstable and verging on war. Trump’s business relations could result in changes in international policy that benefit Trump personally, should he prove to be less than totally honest, and not the USA. I wonder what he will do about disclosing his partners abroad and the money that is involved. I can’t see him doing that without a legal battle.

One of the several things about Trump that I fear is his mental lack of concentration. With so many contradictory statements coming from his mouth, a Donald Trump administration would be sheer chaos. This issue is one of those minefields, which can affect the world rather than just the US. A catastrophic war, as portrayed by the Doomsday Clock, has been on the Brink as long as I can remember, but it seems closer now. According to Wikipedia its’ hand are sitting at three minutes to Midnight now.



SHAMING SCHOOL CHILDREN – LIKE THE NYPD’S SHAMING THE HOMELESS

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pennsylvania-school-cafeteria-worker-quits-over-lunch-shaming-policy/

Pa. school cafeteria worker quits over "lunch shaming" policy
CBS NEWS
September 20, 2016, 9:13 AM

Photograph -- Stacy Koltiska CBS PITTSBURGH


PITTSBURGH — A cafeteria employee says she has quit her job over something being called “lunch shaming,” where some students are being denied hot lunches over a new policy.

Stacy Koltiska, a former employee at Canon McMillan School District, told CBS Pittsburgh the school is essentially shaming students in an effort to get parents to pay for overdrawn lunch accounts.

She was so upset by the new policy, she quit just a few weeks into the new school year.

Koltiska spent two years working in the cafeteria at Wylandville Elementary, but last Thursday, she resigned after she had to take away hot meals from two children.

“His eyes welled up with tears. I’ll never forget his name, the look on his face,” she said.

The new policy at Canon McMillan, which was passed over the summer for grades K-6, says the hot meal item will be replaced by a sandwich if $25 or more is owed to the district for lunches.

For older kids, they will receive no lunch if the debt is $25.

Koltiska says it was enforced “the very first week of school on Friday.”

After it happened a second time, she posted her experience on Facebook, which has now been shared over 2,600 times. She says the children are the ones who are humiliated and embarrassed in the process.

“The woman I was working with was trying to get my attention, but I didn’t see ‘cause we’re serving so many kids, to tell me before I gave him the chicken to give him the cheese. But it was too late. He already had his tray,” Koltiska said.

Koltiska says due to other policies, she had to then throw away the hot lunch after taking it away.

The district says parents were notified in an email or by letter in August before the school year.

Superintendent Matthew Daniels says this is about collecting money owed, noting that parents are notified weekly of lunch balances.

He says, “There has never been the intent with the adoption of this policy to shame or embarrass a child.”

Daniels says before the policy, there were more than 300 families in deficit. As of last Friday, that number has gone down to 66. That equates a lot of money recouped by the district.

He says, “They fluctuated between $60,000 to $100,000 owed annually. Now, it’s down to less than $20,000” owed.

“I’m not saying the parents shouldn’t be held accountable, but I think there has to be a better way than involving the children,” Koltiska says.



What has the American Way become? Greed and heartlessness. Lots of “patriotic” conservative Americans were furious at Michelle Obama when she said she could finally say, after Obama’s election, that she was proud of America. I understood her, however, and I have to say it myself at times like this.



Protests and outrage after Tulsa officer shoots unarmed man
VIDEO -- SEPTEMBER 20, 2016, 7:32 AM|

The family of an unarmed black man shot and killed by police in Oklahoma is calling for criminal charges. Tulsa police released footage Monday showing Terence Crutcher's death. The city's police chief called the graphic videos "very disturbing" and "difficult to watch." Manuel Bojorquez reports.



http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/disturbing-helicopter-footage-shows-oklahoma-police-kill-unarmed-man-n650866

Terence Crutcher Shooting: 'Disturbing' Helicopter Footage Shows Tulsa Police Kill Unarmed Man
NEWS SEP 20 2016, 8:25 AM ET
by TIM STELLOH

Play Black Men Dying at the Hands of Police 4:30
Video -- Unarmed Man With Hands Up Fatally Shot by Tulsa Police, Video Shows 1:11
Related: The History of the Police Dashcam
Photograph -- Terence Crutcher Crutcher family
Video -- Helicopter view of the officer involved shooting of Terence Crutcher.
Photograph -- Betty Shelby of the Tulsa Police Department. Tulsa Police Department


Video footage released Monday showed Tulsa police shooting an unarmed man to death on Friday night after he approached his SUV with his arms raised.

In footage filmed from a police helicopter, Terence Crutcher, 40, can be seen slowly walking from the edge of a street north of Tulsa toward his vehicle, which authorities said had been reported abandoned at 7:36 p.m. (8:36 p.m. ET) and left running in the middle of the road.

For several seconds, an officer follows Crutcher from behind with a gun trained on him. Three more officers then converge on the scene as Crutcher lowers his hands and approaches his SUV. While standing beside the driver's side door, he suddenly drops to the street. Moments later, blood can be seen saturating his white t-shirt.

The Tulsa Police Department also released dash-cam video of the incident.

During a news conference Monday, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said that Officer Tyler Turnbough tasered Crutcher, and a second officer, Betty Shelby, fired at him after telling a dispatcher "that she's not having cooperation from" Crutcher.

Citing an ongoing investigating, Jordan declined to provide additional details, though he said that no weapon was found on Crutcher or in his SUV. Jordan, who called the footage "disturbing," said that he asked the Justice Department to review the case.

"I will make this promise to you, we will achieve justice," he said.

Shelby, who was hired in 2011, was placed on routine administrative leave with pay.

During a news conference Monday, a Crutcher family lawyer, Melvin C. Hall, said that Crutcher was only having problems with his SUV before he was shot to death. "They treated him like a criminal," added a second lawyer, Benjamin Crump. "They treated him like a suspect. They did not treat him like somebody in distress who needed help. Instead of giving him a hand, they gave him bullets."

Crutcher's twin sister, Tiffany, described him as a brother and father who was enrolled in Tulsa Community College and loved singing at church.

And she criticized one of the officers in the chopper who can be heard telling a second officer aboard that Crutcher looks like "a big bad dude."

"That big bad dude — his life mattered," she said.

Earlier Monday, a dozen or so protesters gathered outside a Tulsa courthouse with signs that read "Black Lives Matter" and "Am I Next." Crutcher's killing comes amid an ongoing nationwide debate over police use of force, particularly among African-Americans. Crutcher was black, Shelby is white.



EXCERPTS – “During a news conference Monday, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said that Officer Tyler Turnbough tasered Crutcher, and a second officer, Betty Shelby, fired at him after telling a dispatcher "that she's not having cooperation from" Crutcher. Citing an ongoing investigating, Jordan declined to provide additional details, though he said that no weapon was found on Crutcher or in his SUV. Jordan, who called the footage "disturbing," said that he asked the Justice Department to review the case. …. During a news conference Monday, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said that Officer Tyler Turnbough tasered Crutcher, and a second officer, Betty Shelby, fired at him after telling a dispatcher "that she's not having cooperation from" Crutcher. …. "That big bad dude — his life mattered," she said. Earlier Monday, a dozen or so protesters gathered outside a Tulsa courthouse with signs that read "Black Lives Matter" and "Am I Next." Crutcher's killing comes amid an ongoing nationwide debate over police use of force, particularly among African-Americans. Crutcher was black, Shelby is white.


A lack of “cooperation” under any conditions is grounds for a legally sanctioned officer shooting, at least of Black men. Police Chief Jordan called it “disturbing,” and promised justice, but in all these cases justice is coming after the fact. Justice beforehand would bring a fair and open legal system from the Supreme Court all the way down to the streets. I like the new BLM slogan, "Am I Next." It’s time for an all-encompassing federal law that makes the punishment fit the crime, so that officers go to Federal prison for doing this, instead of having a few weeks of “paid administrative leave.” That's not a punishment. That's a vacation!