December 6 and 7, 2017
News and Views
THIS IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF INTIMIDATION, BUT IT HAS THE POTENTIAL DISADVANTAGE OF IDENTIFYING OUR PLANES TO THEM MORE FULLY THAN THEY KNEW BEFORE. I DON’T TAKE IT LIGHTLY, THOUGH. IT ISN’T AN IDLE ACTIVITY. RUSSIA MADE SUCH A DISPLAY ON THE BORDER BETWEEN RUSSIA AND CRIMEA WITHIN DAYS OF MOVING THEIR TROOPS IN AND STARTING TO ATTACK THE UKRAINIAN ARMY. NORTH KOREA’S CLAIM THAT IT IS THE REHEARSAL OF AN INVASION IS NOT TOTALLY RIDICULOUS. I DO HOPE THEY AREN'T CORRECT, THOUGH.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-us-supersonic-bomber-warning-kim-jong-un-missile-launch/
CBS/AP December 6, 2017, 10:41 AM
U.S. demonstrates "ability to punish" North Korea
SEOUL, South Korea -- The United States flew a B-1B supersonic bomber over South Korea on Wednesday as part of a massive combined aerial exercise involving hundreds of warplanes, a clear warning after North Korea last week tested its biggest and most powerful missile yet.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the Guam-based bomber simulated land strikes at a military field near South Korea's eastern coast during a drill with U.S. and South Korean fighter jets.
On board a U.S. fighter jet rehearsing for war with N. Korea
"Through the drill, the South Korean and U.S. air forces displayed the allies' strong intent and ability to punish North Korea when threatened by nuclear weapons and missiles," the military said in a statement.
2017-05-02t020414z-1680923544-rc121cea2500-rtrmadp-3-northkorea-usa-bombers.jpg
U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber (R) is seen in file photo flying over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on September 13, 2016. AP
B-1Bs flyovers have become an increasingly familiar show of force to North Korea, which after three intercontinental ballistic missile tests has clearly moved closer toward building a nuclear arsenal that could viably target the U.S. mainland.
The five-day drills that began Monday involve more than 200 aircraft, including six U.S. F-22 and 18 F-35 stealth fighters.
North Korea hates such displays of American military might at close range and claimed through its state media on Tuesday that the "U.S. imperialist war mongers' extremely reckless war hysteria" has put the region at risk of a nuclear war. The North continued to describe the B-1B a "nuclear strategic bomber" although the plane was switched to conventional weaponry in the mid-1990s.
North Korea typically uses strong language when commenting on U.S.-South Korean war games, which it claims are invasion rehearsals. Still, perennially bad tensions are at a particularly dangerous point with North Korea rapidly advancing its nuclear weapons program.
South Korea's military says the Hwasong-15 the North tested last week has the potential to strike targets as far away as 13,000 kilometers (8,100 miles), which would put Washington within reach. The test flight used an arched trajectory and the missile flew 950 kilometers (600 miles) before splashing down near Japan.
The North also tested a different intercontinental ballistic missile twice in July and conducted its most powerful nuclear test in September which it described as a detonation of a thermonuclear weapon designed for ICBMs.
© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
“.... ROUTINELY INTERFERING WITH DEATH INVESTIGATIONS TO PROTECT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ....” I’VE SUSPECTED FOR A LONG TIME THAT “THE BRASS” IN TOO MANY CASES HAVE NO MORE INTEREST IN ANY FORM OF TRUE JUSTICE THAN DO THE BAD COPS. THIS STORY MAKES ME WONDER HOW MANY “BAD APPLES” THERE ARE ON THE TYPICAL CITY OR COUNTY POLICE FORCE, AND HOW TO INVESTIGATE AND DETECT WHO THEY ARE.
IN THIS CASE THERE WAS AN INTERNAL INFORMER. MAYBE THE FBI LAB WOULD BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY CHANGED INFORMATION SUCH AS THE CAUSES OF DEATH. IN THE OLD DAYS BEFORE ALL RECORD-KEEPING WAS DONE ON A COMPUTER, MSR. POIROT COULD COME IN AND EASILY FIGURE OUT THAT THE INK HAD BEEN ERASED AND WHOSE HANDWRITING MADE THE FINAL CHANGES.
ON SOME COMPUTER SYSTEMS MAYBE THE USER CAN BE IDENTIFIED RATHER THAN ONLY THE MACHINE THAT WAS USED. I HOPE THAT IS THE CASE. I’LL BE INTERESTED TO FIND OUT MORE ON THIS CASE. CUTTING OFF PEOPLE’S HANDS, EVEN IF THEY WERE DEAD ALREADY, IS TOTALLY DISGUSTING. I WONDER IF THIS SHERIFF WAS TRYING TO MAKE IT APPEAR THAT A BRUTAL DRUG PUSHING GANG FROM SOMEWHERE SOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE HAD DONE THE KILLINGS. TEN OR SO YEARS AGO THAT KIND OF THING WAS REPORTED IN THE NEWS, ONLY THEN IT WAS HEADS, PRESUMABLY BOTH TO MAKE THE BODY UNIDENTIFIABLE AND TO INTIMIDATE WOULD BE INFORMERS.
SOME CITY GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE COOPERATED FULLY WITH THE DOJ TO MAKE INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS AND POLICY CHANGES TO PREVENT SUCH POLICE BRUTALITY, BUT OTHERS CLEARLY DON’T WANT TO KNOW. OR PERHAPS, THEY NOT ONLY KNOW ALREADY WHERE THE BODIES ARE BURIED, BUT THEY HAVE HELPED PUT THEM THERE. SHERIFFS WHO DO THIS KIND OF THING SHOULD GO TO PRISON FOR ENOUGH YEARS THAT THEY WILL DO SOME RETHINKING OF THEIR PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE, AND THE COPS SHOULD BE CHARGED WITH NOTHING LESS THAN MURDER OR MANSLAUGHTER.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/concussion-doctor-bennet-omalu-resigns-san-joaquin-sherriff-hands-cut-off-corpses/
CBS/AP December 6, 2017, 11:22 AM
Famous pathologist resigns, says sheriff ordered hands cut off corpses
Photograph -- Sheriff-Coroner Steve Moore CBS SACRAMENTO
Photograph -- omalu.png, Dr. Bennet Omalu CBS SACRAMENTO
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- San Joaquin County's chief medical examiner, known nationally as the doctor depicted in the movie "Concussion" about brain injuries among football players, resigned Tuesday over what he said was interference by the sheriff that has become so invasive that it borders on the unlicensed practice of medicine.
Dr. Bennet Omalu accused Sheriff-Coroner Steve Moore of routinely interfering with death investigations to protect law enforcement officers.
"I had observed long before this that the sheriff was using his political office as the coroner to influence the death investigation of persons who die while in custody or during arrest by the police," Omalu wrote in documents he provided to the Associated Press and other media. He said the interference "has become routine practice" since last year.
Omalu said he will stop conducting autopsies immediately and noted his departure won't take effect for three months under his county contract.
"Dr. Omalu resigned this morning because he was tired of hearing the lies and denial from the sheriff," Patricia Hernandez from Union of American Physicians and Dentist, who represents both doctors, told CBS Sacramento.
The coroner's division referred calls to sheriff's department spokesman Deputy Dave Konecny, who did not return messages seeking comment Tuesday.
Moore told radio station KQED that he doesn't interfere in death investigations, but as the elected coroner he can make the final decision on whether to rule the manner of death an accident, homicide, suicide or the result of natural causes.
In the documents, Omalu and his assistant, Dr. Susan Parson, a forensic pathologist who resigned last week, said the interference at times included ordering that hands be cut off corpses without telling the pathologists.
Moore told the radio station that he would sometimes order the hands removed from corpses that were too decomposed to identify so they could be sent to the California Department of Justice's crime lab for fingerprinting.
Omalu declined to comment beyond what was included in the documents.
Omalu and Parson said they turned over voluminous memos to county supervisors and the district attorney. The district attorney's office said it is gathering information on homicide cases, including deaths involving law enforcement officers.
Last year, Omalu said, he ruled the death of a 26-year-old man a homicide by blunt force trauma after the man fought with police and with other residents.
"The sheriff called me into his office and told me that he wanted to make it an accident since officers were involved," Omalu wrote. "He said that I should amend my report and state that he died from the civilians and not the police officers."
He cited similar cases in 2013 and another in 2016 where he said he later learned the sheriff changed a homicide ruling involving an officer to an accidental death.
He also cited a 2007 case, early in his time in California, when he said a 47-year-old man died while being arrested.
"Information was intentionally withheld from me by the sheriff in order to mislead me from determining the case to be a homicide," Omalu wrote. "The sheriff still went behind my back months later and changed the manner of death to an accident to minimize the seriousness of the case."
The San Joaquin County Medical Society called the allegations "alarming."
"Physician independence is paramount to avoid improper influence on the practice of medicine," said Dr. R. Grant Mellor, president of the San Joaquin County Medical Society. "We urge the proper authorities to conduct a full investigation."
A statement issued by the office of District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar said prosecutors do not rely on coroner's reports when they decide whether to file criminal charges. The office does its own independent review of the pathology reports as well as reports from other law enforcement agencies.
Earlier in his career, Omalu discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a former NFL football player.
His findings ultimately led the league to adopt new safety rules designed to prevent concussions.
NFL players with CTE
NFL players with CTE
© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WARNING. I HAVE INDULGED IN SOME CONSCIOUS HYPERBOLE AND RANK SPECULATION IN THIS BLOG. I’LL GIVE TRUMP’S EXCUSE. I’M JOKING -- BEYOND A CERTAIN POINT, AT ANY RATE. BUT THIS GROUP HAS TAKEN OVER MY FAVORITE PROGRESSIVE BLOG AND THEY’RE RIGHTWINGERS, SO THEY DESERVE WHAT THEY GET. TOO BAD.
THIS LAWEEKLY WEBSITE SAYS “BOYCOTT LA WEEKLY” AND IS ILLUSTRATED BY THE MAILED FIST OF CHALLENGE. THE SMALL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER HAS BEEN TAKEN OVER BY NEW RIGHT-WING OWNERS, AND MOST OF THE STAFF HAVE BEEN FIRED. THEY ARE, UNDERSTANDABLY, REALLY P.O.’D.
THIS SUDDEN, UNANNOUNCED TAKEOVER OF THE INFORMATION SOURCES ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS AS DANGEROUS AS IT IS UNACCEPTABLE -- IT IS FOLLOWING A DISTURBING TREND. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT TRUMP HAS DONE IS TO SET UP HIS OWN PRIVATE “NEWS” SOURCE ON A SEPARATE WEBSITE OF HIS OWN. I’M SURE IT’S PURE JUNK, BUT IT’S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS, AND HIS THOUGHT IS TO CHANGE OUR COUNTRY FROM MY TYPE OF DEMOCRACY TO HIS TYPE OF OLIGARCHY.
LA TIMES HAD BEEN ASKING FOR DONATIONS RECENTLY, WHICH SHOWS THAT THEY WERE HAVING SOME PROBLEM WITH FINANCES, SO I GUESS THIS IS THE RESULT. THE TRUMP NEWS OUTLET – ONLINE ONLY – WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY BE “REAL” NEWS, I.E., NOT MAINSTREAM AND NOT FACTUAL. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT DICTATORS DO IS TO SILENCE OR COOPT THE LOCAL NEWS SOURCES TO MAKE ROOM FOR PROPAGANDA. THAT’S BECAUSE INFORMATION IS ONE OF THE MOST USEFUL THINGS TO PUT INTO OPERATION AGAINST SUCH GROUPS. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.
NOT SURPRISINGLY THIS NEW “SEMANAL MEDIA”, A NEWLY FORMED SHELL COMPANY, COINCIDES WITH THE TRUMP WIN IN 2016. THAT DOESN’T NECESSARILY INDICATE CLEAR CAUSATION, BUT IT IS SUGGESTIVE. IT ALSO DOESN’T SURPRISE ME THAT YET ANOTHER RATHER STRANGE “MISSPELLING” OCCURS IN THE TITLE OF THE COMPANY; BUT NO. “SEMANAL” IS NOT AN ENGLISH WORD, BUT SPANISH, AND IT MEANS “WEEKLY.” AS USUAL, I LOOKED IT UP ON GOOGLE. ANOTHER FOREIGN-BACKED INTRUSION ON AMERICAN SOCIETY, PERHAPS? SEEMS THAT WAY TO ME. AT LEAST IT ISN’T RUSSIAN; BUT THE TRUMP FAMILY MAY STILL BE INVOLVED IN THE TAKEOVER AND REPLACEMENT BY A RIGHTWING GROUP. THEY MAY LIKE LATIN AMERICAN DICTATORS, AS WELL AS RUSSIAN, A NEW LEAGUE OF NATIONS OF TRUMP’S VERY OWN, PERHAPS.
I’M 100% BEHIND THESE DISPLACED WRITERS AND WORKERS. BEING PASSIVE OR TIMID NEVER GOT ANYBODY ANYWHERE. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT SEMANAL’S REAL PURPOSE IS A TAKEOVER FROM THE INSIDE OF MORE THAN ONE WEEKLY.
SEMANALMEDIA IS DESCRIBED ON GOOGLE AS “A SHELL COMPANY.” AS TRUMP HAS STARTED OUT DOING, THEIR GOAL TO CREATE A NETWORK OF RIGHTIST WEBSITES AND PAPERS TO COMBAT THE GOOD, RELIABLE MAINSTREAM PRESS SEEMS TO BE PRETTY OBVIOUS. IT IS YET ANOTHER PLATFORM TO SPREAD THE FASCIST-LEANING VIEWS OF THE NEW RIGHT.
“I THINK THEIR INSIPID STATEMENTS ABOUT TURNING THE WEEKLY INTO A CULTURAL HUB ARE JUST A FRONT FOR WHATEVER THEIR TRUE MOTIVES ARE — WHETHER THAT’S JUST RUNNING IT INTO THE GROUND OR USING IT AS A MICROPHONE TO PROMOTE THEIR OWN RIGHT-WING POLITICAL VIEWPOINTS,” SHE SAID.”
I, PERSONALLY, THINK THAT THEIR GOAL IS TO PERVERT THE MINDS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEIR POLITICAL CLIQUE CAN BECOME THE ONLY LEGAL VIEW TO HOLD, AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL BE SPLIT IN THEIR POWER STRUCTURE. IT’S TIME FOR BERNIE SANDERS TO RUN FOR PREZ – PERHAPS IN A SPECIAL ELECTION BECAUSE TRUMP MAY BE SUDDENLY OUT OF A JOB LIKE THESE NEWS WRITERS ARE NOW.
THIS SITUATION WILL BE FUN TO WATCH. IT WILL INCLUDE A FULL-BLOWN PROTEST WITH A MOCK FUNERAL, AND EFFORTS TO CAUSE ALL OF THE INCOME FOR THE SITE TO DRY UP.
https://mic.com/articles/186616/we-want-our-paper-back-ex-la-weekly-writers-plot-against-papers-new-owners#.qMW0TzqNj
“We want our paper back”: Ex-‘LA Weekly’ writers plot against paper’s new owners
The former employees of LA Weekly want revenge.
On Nov. 29, the then-unknown new owners of the Los Angeles free weekly alternative newspaper abruptly gutted the staff, laying off all but four of the 13-person team without bothering to meet with them about the decision.
Those behind Semanal Media, a newly formed shell company that purchased LA Weekly from Voice Media Group for an undisclosed price in October, had remained intentionally anonymous throughout the sale and up until this week.
Already wounded by the layoffs, now ex-staffers and contributors were further incensed Monday when the people behind Semanal revealed themselves to be a cohort of conservative and libertarian businessmen — and that they plan to rely on unpaid contributors to cover a city that few of them, it appeared, live in or know well.
The secretive sale, identities of the new owners and new plan for LA Weekly has so incensed former staffers and contributors that some of them are organizing to see the paper go down in flames under the new owners.
Ex-staffers and contributors have engaged in an all-out revolt, contacting LA Weekly’s advertisers to tell them to cut ties, discouraging freelancers from working with the title, and instructing readers not to pick up the paper from newsstands, visit its website or follow the paper on social media pages.
“If you’ve ever read or cared about LA Weekly, please do me one favor: unfollow them on social media right now,” April Wolfe, the former lead film critic for LA Weekly, tweeted Monday. “They essentially bought the paper for its millions of followers who loved journalism. It would be your greatest gift to me to unfollow them. They don’t deserve you.”
More than 15 people, most of whom are former freelancers for the alt-weekly, are involved in organizing the multi-pronged boycott effort, according to Katie Bain, who wrote about music for LA Weekly and is involved. The effort, which has been spearheaded by Wolfe and by Jeff Weiss, a longtime music and culture freelance writer for LA Weekly, has targeted LA Weekly’s advertisers and sponsors, but it will also include a protest and mock funeral – complete with a coffin — outside of LA Weekly offices this Friday. The hope is that the financial and public pressure will ultimately scare Semanal away from LA Weekly entirely.
“We want to raise visibility about the situation, have advertisers pull out of the publication and ultimately have the Semanal bros sell it back,” “Bain said.
Photograph -- A promotional poster for a Friday afternoon protest outside of the ‘LA Weekly’ offices. Former ‘LA Weekly’ staffers and freelancers are raising money to rent a coffin for the protest.
A promotional poster for a Friday afternoon protest outside of the ‘LA Weekly’ offices. Former ‘LA Weekly’ staffers and freelancers are raising money to rent a coffin for the protest. Ivan Rott
Any attempt to buy back LA Weekly might be a long shot. But, Weiss said in an interview Monday, he feels it’s the least he can do for the city and for the publication that means so much to him.
Weiss said he fears Semanal’s investors might use the paper’s pages to amplify their political views, which seem largely at odds with the left-leaning LA Weekly.
Some of the seven publicly identified new owners include Brian Calle, the former opinion editor of the Southern California News Group, WebShark360 CEO Steve Mehr, real estate mogul Mike Mugel and hotel developer Paul Makarechian. Calle, who will manage the paper’s operations, was formerly the vice president of the right-wing think tank Claremont Institute*, and has in interviews described himself as a “free market enthusiast.” He and four other investors have donated to Republican political candidates in the past, with Mugel and Makarechian in particular being major donors.
“It’s pretty difficult to think that a guy whose previous job has been formulating conservative opinions for one of the biggest newspaper chains in the country at this point would just want to purchase a historically left publication and not change the editorial bent of it,” Weiss said.
Calle and Mehr have repeatedly denied that the paper was bought for any political purpose. In a post introducing the investors behind Semanal, Calle said that the group “is a patchwork of people who care about Los Angeles, care about the community and want to once again see an incredibly relevant, thriving LA Weekly with edge and grit that becomes the cultural center of the city.”
Mehr said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that he wanted Los Angeles to “rise to the level” of New York or San Francisco’s cultural scene, and said that LA Weekly had been under-serving the city.
“There’s no agenda other than making an immense effort to allow [LA Weekly] to be the voice of LA again,” Mehr told the Times.
Former staffers aren’t at all convinced.
“The nerve,” Weiss said of Calle and Mehr’s remarks. “The absolute, unmitigated gall. … LA is a million different things, a million different ideas. If you say that, you obviously don’t know LA”
“And the way they diminished the work of everyone?” Weiss added. “How condescending and glib and inane.”
“Bain concurred. ‘I think their insipid statements about turning the Weekly into a cultural hub are just a front for whatever their true motives are — whether that’s just running it into the ground or using it as a microphone to promote their own right-wing political viewpoints,’ she said.”
The opposition to the new owners isn’t just about politics. Over the weekend, new management put out a now-deleted call for submissions from “passionate Angelinos” — a misspelling of Angelenos, the term for a Los Angeles resident.
The spelling mistake further amplified ex-staffers’ beliefs that the new owners are unsuited to cover Los Angeles — “If you can’t spell Angelenos, how can you represent Angelenos?” Weiss said. But the move also indicated that the new owners plan to rely on unpaid contributors, a strategy that Calle confirmed in his Times interview.
“It looks like they’re trying to move back to this model where people don’t get paid, which just doesn’t work anymore,” LA Weekly’s former food editor Katherine Spiers said. Spiers characterized the use of unpaid submissions and contributions “wrong” and “unethical.”
Former staffers also expressed skepticism about LA Weekly’s operations in the week since the layoffs. With a decimated staff, LA Weekly’s homepage remained nearly unchanged over the past several days. Many of the articles promoted at the top of the website are from November; others published this week were authored by staffers who have since been laid off. LA Weekly’s remaining staff writer, Hillel Aron, published a new article on Tuesday.
Frustration with the new management’s handling of the publication, even within the remaining LA Weekly staff, seemed evident in a curt memo from sales manager Chris Hubbert to Calle and two others on Monday, in which Hubbert requested that new management discuss plans to maintain LA Weekly’s social media presence, especially “who’s [posting] and why, because this weekend was horrible and amateur.” In the memo, which was obtained by Mic, Hubbert also requested that there be discussions about “content, content, content,” “employment offers” and the paper’s “immediate future.”
Hubbert also indicated to the three a need to discuss “advertisers pulling” and “why everyone saw this coming except you.” Calle told the Times that the email, which was sent erroneously to former staffers and was quickly posted on Twitter, was intended as “kind of a joke.”
Outside of the company, the stumbles have further encouraged the boycott.
“Given that Brian Calle and crew have no transition team, and that the only new stories they’ve published were ones already prepared by the editorial staff before they got laid off, it’s clear that he and the new owners don’t give a shit about the Weekly, or just have no idea how to run a print publication and website,” Bain said.
Spiers, who is not personally involved in coordinating the boycott but is an enthusiastic supporter, expressed skepticism that the new owners would be able to run the paper well.
“They just seem so out of their league,” Spiers said. “If LA Weekly is going to exist, it has to be run by people who know what they’re doing. Or at least by people who know that they don’t know what they’re doing, and hire people who do.”
The biggest order of business in the crusade against the new owners is to topple an upcoming LA Weekly holiday event called Sips and Sweets, an annual event that is being held this year at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile neighborhood. Weiss and other ex-writers have begun contacting the restaurants and companies participating in the event, which is scheduled for Dec. 14, to pressure them to back out. If enough sponsors drop the event, the organizers have theorized, LA Weekly will have no choice but to cancel and refund tickets.
5 Dec
Otto Von Biz Markie
@Passionweiss
It's Tuesday. All I want to do is return to normal life but we can't stop now. Too much is at stake in this #BoycottLAWeekly campaign. Today needs to be the day where we go super hard to target sponsors. Salute me or mute me. Let's go. pic.twitter.com/U3ZSnD5Q4H
Otto Von Biz Markie
@Passionweiss
One of @LAWeekly's biggest money-makers is their food events. If you've been following & wondering how you can help #BoycottLAWeekly, this is the perfect opportunity. Next Thursday is their Sip N' Sweets Event. Tons of local food & drink vendors donate lots of free product. pic.twitter.com/tzWO0ipXv4
2:24 PM - Dec 5, 2017
Otto Von Biz Markie
@Passionweiss
Replying to @Passionweiss
If we get these restaurants, chefs & bars to drop out of the event, LA Weekly will be forced to refund $$. They'll be financially devastated. Mind you, these guys are all giving free product off the strength of 40 yrs of LA Weekly goodwill. If they know what's up, they'll bail.
Otto Von Biz Markie
@Passionweiss
Here's a list of the restaurants, bars & chefs that we need to call and & email today. Here's a loose script to follow. I urge you to be polite. These restaurants & sponsors are blameless. They don't know yet that LA Weekly has been hijacked by crooks & liars. pic.twitter.com/S5hqSAr56U
2:31 PM - Dec 5, 2017
So far, at least a dozen sponsors have pulled out of Sips and Sweets, including Amoeba Music, Ococoa Chocolates, and Angel City Brewery. Some of those sponsors, including Amoeba Music, have said that they will re-evaluate their advertising arrangements with LA Weekly considering the new management. (Mic has contacted the other sponsors of Sips and Sweets who have not yet pulled out of the event and will update this story if those sponsors confirm their participation.)
Calle did not respond to an emailed request for comment about the boycott, or about how many advertisers and sponsors had changed arrangements with LA Weekly.
The commitment of the ex-staffers and contributors involved has attracted national attention, and has invigorated former staffers and contributors. But the end goal is somewhat unclear. The advertiser boycott and the new owners would certainly be a financial hit to the business, but there’s no reason that they, as Weiss has suggested, would agree to sell LA Weekly back to another group. Presumably, they could even shut the whole operation down if they chose to.
Calle, in an interview with the Los Angeles radio show KCRW Press Play, said the investors were not concerned about making money, which Wolfe said on Twitter was “worrying.”
“I don’t even know what is going to happen,” Spiers said about the future of the paper. “All [the new owners have] done, as far as I can tell, is piss people off.”
Weiss suggested wryly that if the investors “are the free-market enthusiasts they say they are,” they should be more than happy to sell it if the operation takes a financial hit. Then, he and the other organizers would turn the publication into a non-profit, and would reinstate the staff, he proposed.
“I’m not looking for war,” Weiss said. “Just give it back … We want our paper back.”
By
Kelsey Sutton
Kelsey Sutton is a reporter at Mic covering politics and the media. She was previously a media reporter at POLITICO.
HERE IS AN INSIDE STORY ON LA WEEKLY. THESE INVADERS OF THE LAND THE LA TIMES ARE SCARY TO ME -- SO MUCH COVERT BEHAVIOR. BETWEEN MY LOYALTY TO THE SITE AND MY DISLOYALTY TO RIGHT WING THINK TANKS, I AM HOPING ACTIVELY THAT THE BARBARIANS WILL BE OUSTED, AS THEY OUSTED OUR NICE LITTLE LIBERAL SITE. READ THE CLAREMONT SITE'S STATEMENT ON THEIR PRINCIPLES. THAT'LL MAKE THEIR INTENTIONS ALL TOO PLAIN. IT IS A MISTAKE TO ALWAYS "BELIEVE THE BEST OF PEOPLE." I'M WILLING TO HOPE FOR THE BEST, AND WORK FOR BETTER RELATIONS.
I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW THIS TAKEOVER HAPPENED. WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD THAT TRUMP HIMSELF HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS. THE CLAREMONT BOOK REVIEW “PUBLISHED ESSAYS LAST YEAR BY CURRENT TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL MICHAEL ANTON.”
“EARLY IN HIS CAREER, CALLE ALSO SERVED AS VICE PRESIDENT OF THE CLAREMONT INSTITUTE, A THINK TANK THAT DESCRIBES ITS MISSION AS TEACHING "THE PRINCIPLES THAT WILL BE NECESSARY TO DEFEAT PROGRESSIVISM, . . . . "
HTTPS://PSMAG.COM/
PACIFIC STANDARD
HOW THE NEW OWNERSHIP AT 'LA WEEKLY' PLAYED ITSELF
JACK DENTON DEC 6, 2017
Photograph -- (Photo: Thomas Hawk/Flickr)
April Wolfe was distressed as she crawled her way across town in Los Angeles' notorious morning rush-hour traffic to arrive at the paper's Culver City headquarters last Wednesday. Wolfe, the now-former LA Weekly film critic, had received an email instructing her to arrive at the office at 10 a.m. The reason for the arrival time was unstated; the rest of the paper's staff had received the same instructions.
Upon her arrival, Wolfe was asked to sit in the office until mid-afternoon as paperwork was finalized and the staff was called in one by one to learn their fates. "Five hours of time waiting to see if you have a job is game show style," Wolfe tells me. "It was just malicious, I would compare it to the worst episode of The Apprentice that you've ever seen."
By that time, Semanal Media, the mysterious new owner of LA Weekly, had taken the reins of the paper from Voice Media Group. In the span of a few hours, Semanal fired 75 percent of its full-time editorial staff, including all five editors, the publisher, two staff news writers, the film critic, and the head of sales. Only one staff writer, an art director, and a copy chief remain. Former editor-in-chief Mara Shalhoup compared the cuts to the Red Wedding, the particularly brutal slaughter scene in Game of Thrones. Only a shell was left of the newspaper staff that had existed the day prior.
The scorched Earth firings baffled the former staff, in part because, according to Voice Media Group, LA Weekly—one of the most widely read alt-weeklies in the country—had been profitable when it went up for sale in January. Shalhoup says that, despite budget cuts, Web traffic and overall audience had continued to grow throughout her nearly three years running the paper. "Our social reach was huge," she tells Pacific Standard. "How do you start from scratch?"
Both the new and former owners had kept the LA Weekly staff in the dark about almost all decisions since mid-October, when the sale of the paper to Semanal was finalized. They learned of the sale through a note from their union, the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, which informed them that the sale had gone through, and as of November 1st all "employment with the company [Voice Media group] will terminate." The situation remained murky, but the staff kept working, operating under the hopeful assumption that all or most of the staff would be "rehired" by Semanal.
The new company had been created expressly for the sale, and although the Los Angeles Times and others reported at the time on the sale, little information emerged about the furtive Semanal (which means "weekly" in Spanish). The staffers, too, heard nothing from the paper's new owners.
On November 9th, the L.A. Times reported that Brian Calle had been named the new head of the paper. In the interview, Calle said mostly positive things about LA Weekly, but did hint at coming layoffs. "He was singing the Weekly's praises to some extent, but also, of the editorial staff, he said that he intended to keep some employees," Shalhoup says. "That's when we were like, 'Some is not even most, and that is very worrisome.'"
Shortly after Calle's association with Semanal became public, Hillel Aron (now the sole remaining staff writer) reached out to him, hoping to learn more about his editorial vision and plans for the staff. According to Wolfe, "Brian said very glowing things," to Aron, "and he gave us many compliments. So while we were suspicious, we did not expect this. We were blindsided by all of it."
Calle's libertarian political leanings were already widely known in Southern California. Prior to coming to LA Weekly, Calle was head of the editorial page for the staunchly conservative Orange County Register and the 10 other daily papers owned by Southern California News Group.
Early in his career, Calle also served as vice president of the Claremont Institute, a think tank that describes its mission as teaching "the principles that will be necessary to defeat progressivism," so acolytes will "go on to positions of power and influence, to government, the courts, academia, and the media." (The Institute's Claremont Review of Books* published essays last year by current Trump administration official Michael Anton.)
A few days after the initial sale in October, OC Weekly reported that Semanal had been added to the California Secretary of State Business Database, which showed that attorney David Welch had filed the paperwork of incorporation as the registered agent. Welch is a marijuana industry lawyer who'd been in the news earlier in the year for filing a lawsuit against 14 unlicensed dispensaries in Orange County on behalf of a Cannabis Association—so speculation began that LA Weekly had been purchased by Big Pot bigwigs.
law_logomaster06
(Photo: LA Weekly)
The unveiling of Semanal's other investors this past week revealed that the other owners lack obvious marijuana ties, although Brian Calle did little to put such speculation to rest while speaking to KCRW's Madeleine Brand on her talk radio show Press Play on Monday. While Calle denied that the paper would become "a marijuana rag," he then expressed a desire to create "at least double the content that we're doing on cannabis now." (Calle did not respond to Pacific Standard's repeated interview requests.)
The unmasking of Calle and his co-investors raised other questions. Last Friday, the new regime of the LA Weekly revealed the identities of its new investors in a post titled "And the New Owners Are...." In addition to Calle and Welch, the investors include Orange County real estate developers Paul Makarechian and Michael Mugel; Andy Bequer, an investor with half a dozen companies registered in Orange County towns; Kevin Xu, who is associated with the biotech firm Mebo International; and Steve Mehr, who runs a marketing and advertising agency for law firms in Orange County.
Jeff Weiss, a freelance music and culture journalist who on Wednesday resigned from his "Bizarre Ride" column at LA Weekly after learning about the staff cuts, expressed disbelief that a group of out-of-towners could fire the existing staff and still run a paper for the people of L.A. "I don't know how anyone who's not from L.A. would know how to handle L.A. To me, that's the ultimate act of disrespect to the city," Weiss says, paraphrasing Compton rapper YG: "You wasn't bangin' out of town and now you tryna come around. It's not white privilege, but it's a form of privilege. And it's disrespectful to all of the community."
Like Calle, many of the Semanal investors have conservative ties. OC Weekly reported that five of the Semanal Media's seven investors have donated thousands of dollars to Republican Party candidates and PACs. Calle wrote in his introductory post that LA Weekly had not been bought by "some Trumpista," but OC Weekly reported that Mugel, the real estate developer who invested in LA Weekly, donated $25,000 last year to the Trump Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee from 2016 for Trump and other Republican candidates. Additionally, as the writer Spike Friedman pointed out on Twitter, Bequer is a member of the Facebook group Cubans for Donald Trump.
The new knowledge of the owners' political ties led to speculation, on social media and among former staffers, about whether Semanal's purchase was politically motivated. "It's unsettling," says former culture editor Gwynedd Stuart. "As far as their political leanings go, I think this is part of something big, and dark, and dangerous." Calle has stated that he doesn't wish to change the paper's "editorial bent."
Wolfe pointed to Calle's editorial writings as sparking her concern. At the Register, Calle described himself as a "free-market enthusiast," and offered gratis political strategy for the California GOP. His editorial board writings also took an anti-labor bent, repeatedly condemning unions, and arguing that NFL cheerleaders should not be classified as full-time employees because they get "fringe benefits ... such as working closely with" wealthy, famous NFL players.
"I always say that you have to take people by their word. If someone says they believe something, then that's what they believe," Wolfe says. She points to an editorial Calle wrote praising the Lincoln Club of Orange County. "If you read the entire thing, it's not an op-ed, it's him laying out exactly how the Republican Party can pave the way for California to turn the state red—by taking a few people and putting them influential places. And I cannot think of a more influential place than LA Weekly. We have built up millions of followers for this newspaper. It has a huge mouthpiece for the city."
The paper first garnered a progressive reputation from its muckraking on air pollution in the 1970s. It's a reputation that continues to this day: Over the past few years the paper has earned praise for its reporting on misogyny in the music industry and the sexual harassment allegations against Heathcliff Berru, among other stories.
More recently, the paper has been focused on telling the stories of L.A.'s marginalized communities. "I came in with the express intent of raising the profile of women and people of color in our film section, and we did that," Wolfe says.
"We were reporting on Boyle Heights, communities south of the 10, in the San Fernando Valley, Creative communities that are mostly people of color," says former managing editor Drew Tewksbury (who on Sunday won a Los Angeles Press Club award for a piece on a queer performance artist of Mexican descent). "I'm bummed I lost my job, I loved it, but I'm more bummed for the communities."
Both Tewksbury, the former managing editor, and Shalhoup, the former editor-in-chief, say that, under their purview, LA Weekly was publishing 12 to 15 stories a day (plus slideshows and videos). To the best of the former staff's knowledge, no real transition team is in place, and the current office is mostly empty. "Wouldn't you bring someone like me in to ask, 'What do I need to know about music in LA?" Weiss asks. "And after that you let me go!"
Instead, in the week since the staff was laid off, only a handful of articles were published, the majority of which the former editors told me had been pre-scheduled. One post, published by contributing writer Keith Plocek on Wednesday evening following the firings, is still active on the site. Keith writes: "The new owners of L.A. Weekly [sic] don't want you to know who they are. They are hiding from you. They've got big black bags with question marks covering their big bald heads."
The new owners' backgrounds notwithstanding, there has been little evidence of a political shift at LA Weekly during the first week under Calle and co. Instead, the shift has, at least initially, been one toward incompetence and ignorance.
Speaking to the L.A. Times on Friday, Steve Mehr, one of the investors, appeared to denigrate Los Angeles' cultural offerings, saying, "We don't have a cultural scene on par with New York and San Francisco." In the same story, Calle said he would rely, in part, on "unpaid contributors who are passionate about their communities." After a call for prospective contributors went out on social media Saturday morning, with "Angeleno" (a person from L.A.) misspelled, the LA Weekly account was barraged with disapproving tweets, even after the misspelled post was deleted.
People wait in line outside the Amoeba record store in Los Angeles, California.
People wait in line outside the Amoeba record store in Los Angeles, California.
(Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)
After Weiss and Wolfe began a campaign on Sunday for advertisers to pull out of LA Weekly and its upcoming "Sips and Sweets" event, an internal email leaked from a source to Pacific Standard showed a Monday meeting plan discussing "advertisers pulling out."
On Tuesday, Amoeba records released a statement that had pulled a planned advertisement and revoked its sponsorship of an upcoming LA Weekly event. According to Weiss and the "Boycott LA Weekly" Google doc, four other sponsors of the paper's upcoming event had pulled out as of Tuesday evening, eight ads had been pulled from the paper.
In Amoeba's statement, the retailer wrote: "We will evaluate our ongoing relationship with the LA Weekly in the New Year, after determining whether or not LA Weekly is able to re-establish itself as credible, empathetic and supportive of the community it serves."
As the record store goes, so goes the city.
SOME SUCCESS IS OCCURRING IN ORGANIZING THE BOYCOTT.
http://www.ocweekly.com/news/uc-berkeley-law-school-dean-erwin-chemerinsky-no-longer-investing-in-semanal-llc-la-weeklys-new-owners-8619787
Erwin Chemerinsky Is No Longer Investing In Semanal Media Group, LA Weekly's New Owner
FRANK JOHN TRISTAN | DECEMBER 5, 2017 | 5:24PM
Photograph -- Erwin Chemerinsky pictured above
UC Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky emailed the Weekly today at 4:54 pm saying he will no longer be investing in Semanal Media Group, the company which now owns LA Weekly.
After we unveiled the fact LA Weekly is now owned by mostly Republican donors, many people online were questioning why the hell Chemerinsky would be willing to invest. He initially told the LA Times on November 30 that he planned on investing because he has "enormous admiration and respect" for Calle and he didn't know who the current investors were. On Dec. 5, Chemerinsky spoke with the Weekly and once again said he knows Calle because the latter edited his column in the OC Register. "I came to admire Brian and consider him a friend," he said at 11:41a.m.
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"[Calle] asked me to invest and I explained to him that I don't have much to invest," Chemerinsky added. "But I would make a small investment for him as a friend. When I did so, I knew nothing about any of the controversies that have developed. I have not yet contributed or signed anything."
With the firing (effectively busting the union representing LA Weekly's staff) and the conservative faces behind Semanal now in the spotlight, Chemerinsky's possible investment is being criticized for being at odds with his longtime left-wing views. When we sent him our "Most of the LA Weekly's New Owners Are Republican Donors" article as well as informed him of criticisms, he told the Weekly at 3:09 p.m. "I knew nothing about that when I spoke to Brian when I said I would invest a small amount of money...I will take this seriously into account before investing."
Then, at 4:54 pm Chemerinsky emailed us again, indicating he'd changed his mind. "I am not going to be investing," he said.
Stay tuned at OC Weekly for more on this developing story.
THIS STORY IS ONE OF A DOZEN OR SO THAT I HAVE READ OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS SINCE I BEGAN THE BLOG, ALL OF WHICH ARE ABOUT POLICE OFFICERS SHOOTING RATHER THAN INVESTIGATING IN CASES INVOLVING THE MENTALLY ILL – OR ANYBODY ELSE. LET’S FACE IT. THE “LARGE BLACK MAN” THAT AN OFFICER FINDS OUTSIDE WALKING AFTER MIDNIGHT ON A DARK STREET IS NOT NECESSARILY GUILTY OF ANYTHING. HE’S PROBABLY WALKING HOME FROM WORK.
WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO WALK DOWN ANY STREET ANY TIME, SO FAR, IN THIS COUNTRY. THE WORST ABUSE CASE THAT I REMEMBER INVOLVED A LARGE, TOTALLY DEAF BLACK MAN WHO “FAILED TO FOLLOW THE OFFICER’S COMMANDS.” SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE. WHAT REALLY ANGERS ME IS THE FACT THAT WITH VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS, THE OFFICER WHEN HE GETS TO COURT WILL TESTIFY: “I FEARED FOR MY LIFE.” THAT’S BILGEWATER. RIDICULOUS, TOO, BECAUSE NOBODY IN A REAL SITUATION WILL USE SUCH COY PHRASEOLOGY.
THE ARTICLE BELOW MENTIONS THE INITIATION OF A SPECIAL TASK FORCE FOR DEALING WITH THE MENTALLY ILL IN FORT WORTH TEXAS. THIS IS WHAT WE NEED DESPERATELY ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND I’VE SEE AT LEAST ONE OTHER ARTICLE ON A CITY DOING THIS. I SALUTE THEM. THE BLOWBACK FROM POLICE UNIONS CAN BE THREATENING TO THE ADMINISTRATION, OF COURSE. STRONG FEDERAL LAWS THAT SUPERSEDE THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES’ DECISIONS SHOULD BE ENACTED AND ENFORCED. ONE OF THE REASONS THAT BAD DUDES HATE ERIC HOLDER, US ATTORNEY GENERAL FROM 2009 to 2015, IS BECAUSE HE USED THE LAW TO ENFORCE JUSTICE. BAD GUYS DON’T LIKE ENFORCEMENT. THE OTHER REASON, OF COURSE, IS BECAUSE HE IS ANOTHER BLACK MAN WHO MADE IT TO THE TOP. IT’S NOT THAT I WANT “THE GOVERNMENT” TO EXERCISE TOO MUCH AUTHORITY. IT’S JUST THAT WITHOUT A STRONG HAND, THE LOCAL GROUPS OFTEN FOLLOW NO LAW AT ALL.
THE PRESIDENT CAN COMMIT WHAT IN OTHERS WOULD BE A CRIME, AND NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE, OR AS NIXON SAID “IT’S NOT A CRIME IF THE PRESIDENT DOES IT.” THAT IS LARGELY JUST HIS OVERALL ATTITUDE. YOU WILL LIKELY REMEMBER LAST YEAR WHEN TRUMP SAID THAT HE COULD STAND IN THE STREET AND SHOOT SOMEONE AND THE PUBLIC WOULD STILL VOTE FOR HIM. WELL, THE WIND IS CHANGING. HE MAY POSSIBLY NOT FIND THAT TO BE TRUE IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.
THERE IS ALSO THE USE NOW OF BODY CAMS AND CAR DASH CAMS THAT TURN ON AUTOMATICALLY IMMEDIATELY WHEN A GUN IS UNHOLSTERED, AND THE OFFICER CAN’T TURN THEM OFF. THAT’S LIKE THE ALARM WHICH GOES ON AUTOMATICALLY IF A PARENT LEAVES THE CHILD ALONE IN THE CAR. I HATE TO SAY THAT TOO MANY OFFICERS JUST CAN’T BE TRUSTED, BUT IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE THAT IS THE CASE. SOME CAN, OF COURSE, AND HOPEFULLY MOST CAN, BUT A LARGE MINORITY CAN’T. MANY OF THAT SAME MINORITY ENJOY KILLING, JUST LIKE ANY SERIAL KILLER. IT’S LIKE CERTAIN PROFESSIONS IN WHICH PEDOPHILES APPLY FOR A JOB, SUCH AS SCHOOLS. THE POLICE FORCE OFFERS REASONABLY PLEASANT-SEEMING KILLERS A SETTING IN WHICH THEY CAN INDULGE THEIR PLEASURE WITHOUT BEING CHARGED AND CONVICTED. BUT BEWARE: THE TIMES THEY IS A CHANGIN’!
I’M SO GLAD TO SEE POLICE DEPARTMENTS TAKING PROACTIVE MEASURES TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION BY WORKING FROM THE BEGINNING OF AN ENCOUNTER TO DE-ESCALATE AND DEFUSE. THIS HELPS SOLVE THE TOTAL LACK OF SUPERVISION AND HUMANE BEHAVIOR THAT HAS ALWAYS EXISTED IN THE PAST. LAW AND ORDER USED TO MEAN THAT MARSHALL DILLON WOULD APPEAR ON THE SCENE AND PERSONALLY EXECUTE THE BAD, ROWDY COWBOYS WHO WERE TERRORIZING THE TOWN. OF COURSE, MARSHALL DILLON WAS ALWAYS HONEST, PROTECTED THE SUSPECT WHEN HE COULD, AND KILLED ONLY BECAUSE HE HAD TO. HE WOULD “DUKE IT OUT” WITH HIS FISTS FIRST.
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article185740128.html
FORT WORTH
New bodycams, dashcams will keep rolling, once activated, Fort Worth chief says
BY MITCH MITCHELL
mitchmitchell@star-telegram.com
NOVEMBER 20, 2017 10:54 PM
UPDATED NOVEMBER 21, 2017 05:25 PM
FORT WORTH
All Fort Worth police will soon have automatically activated bodycams and dashcams that can't be turned off by officers at a crime scene, Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald told members of the city's Race and Culture Task Force on Monday.
About 400 officers already are using the new body camera and 100 vehicles are outfitted with the new dash camera systems, but eventually all officers will be using the new systems, according to police. The department's older cameras could be deactivated by officers if they wished.
The department also plans to test a new firearms sensor system that will tell dispatch personnel and turn on the officer's body camera when his or her weapon has been unholstered. Also, new batteries are being purchased for Tasers that will activate body cameras and in-car video cameras the Taser is deployed, Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald also told the task force about department-wide "de-escalation" training designed to address safe but effective use of force. Instructors from the the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) have been conducting the training for more than 1,600 sworn staff, which is mandatory for academy cadets training to be officers.
New mental health team
The training is taking place in tandem with deployment of a newly trained mental health team.
The new unit will consist of a sergeant, two detectives and six specially trained officers who can be called out anytime day or night, said Sgt. Marc Povero, team leader, in an interview. The unit includes two law enforcement trained professionals from MHMR Tarrant (formerly Tarrant County Mental Health Mental Retardation Services) who will accompany police during follow-up visits to mental illness sufferers, Povero said.
“We want to provide better service to mental health consumers by following up with them after they have an initial police interaction,” Povero said. “Also, we want to reduce the amount of calls that patrol has to answer dealing with mental health consumers. We want to divert them from law enforcement to healthcare and mental health providers.”
Mental health units have been successful in Bedford and Hurst police departments.
A PERF report* released in March last year indicates that police are ready to reassess their approach to use-of-force situation. Controversial cases nationwide, many of them captured on video, since the summer of 2014 have sparked protests and soul-searching among police executives, while also threatening community-police relationships and eroding trust, the report said.
Each training program is designed to resolve situations peacefully when weapons are not involved.
>Relationships with minority communities
Fitzgerald also told the task force that the Police Department is making progress working through issues with minority officers and the city's minority communities.
Relationships with the Hispanic and black police officer associations have improved, he said, but Fitzgerald acknowledged that there are units in the department, such as homicide and SWAT, with no black officers.
He also admitted that his relationship with the Fort Worth Police Officers' Association, the city's largest, "has been rocky." But, he added, "I will press forward with the help of the association or not."
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Mineral Wells girl who died in Fort Worth crash is mourned
Mineral Wells girl who died in Fort Worth crash is mourned
Bob Ray Sanders, chairman of the Race and Culture Task Force, said the topics addressed Monday go to the heart of why the task force was formed.
Some in attendance said they would wait to see how the advances touted by Fitzgerald actually performed on the street.
Rev. Kyev Tatum, a Tarrant County community activist, said the community has not seen any progress because nothing has been put in place.
"In my neck of the woods this task force is considered to be a joke," said Michael Bell*, pastor of Greater St. Stephen First Church. "No one believes that anything meaningful will come from this."
Assistant City Manager Valerie Washington disputed that, saying some changes in Police Department policy have not been communicated well.
"I do think there is still more room to go," she said during the meeting. "If we're honest and we are willing to work through the past conflicts, we can all move forward. I hope we are all at a place where we are willing to move forward."
Mitch Mitchell, 817-390-7752, @mitchmitchel3
Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald
A PERF REPORT*
http://www.policeforum.org/
POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM
THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING SITE, AND ENCOURAGING.
MICHAEL BELL* -- http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article164306122.html
BELL IS A BAPTIST PREACHER WHO SEEMS PRETTY HOSTILE TO WHITES. TAKE A LOOK AT HIS VIDEO. I WOULD SAY TO HIM, HOWEVER, THAT IF PEOPLE OF ALL SORTS REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT POSITIVE CHANGE CAN OCCUR, IT SURELY WON’T.
PROGRESS ON POLICE REACTIONS WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER SOMEONE WHOM THEY THINK IS EITHER “HIGH ON SOMETHING,” OR MENTALLY DERANGED IS LONG OVERDUE. I WOULD LIKE FOR OFFICERS WHO DON’T HAPPEN TO BE ON THE SPECIAL TASK FORCE TO TAKE THE SPECIAL TRAINING, TOO. I’VE HAD THE FEELING QUITE A FEW TIMES THAT POLICE TRAINING IS SIMPLY INSUFFICIENT.
MANY OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO DO BECOME VIOLENT WILL BE DOING SO SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE THEY ARE MENTALLY ILL. I WONDER IF TRANQUILIZER DARTS HAVE BEEN TRIED ON HUMANS. THEY DO WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. WITHIN 5 TO 10 MINUTES THE ANIMAL BEGINS TO STAGGER AND THEN DROPS. THEN YOU JUST HANDCUFF HIM, TAKE HIS ID AND INSURANCE CARD IF HE HAS ONE, PICK HIM UP AND PUT HIM IN THE POLICE VEHICLE AND TAKE HIM DIRECTLY TO A HOSPITAL FOR THE MENTALLY ILL. OFFICERS NEED TO ASK THEMSELVES WHY A MAN IS WALKING DOWN THE STREET WITH A BUTCHER KNIFE, AND TO CALL FOR BACKUP WHEN SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE OCCURS. DOING THINGS LIKE THAT ARE NOT “NORMAL,” SO IF WE SEE IT, WE MIGHT CONSIDER SIMPLE SELF-PROTECTION, WHILE TRYING TO CAPTURE THE MAN BEFORE HE CUTS ANYONE. THEN, TAKE HIM TO A MENTAL HOSPITAL WITH A LOCKED WARD.
MANY OFFICER SHOOTINGS COULD PERHAPS BE PREVENTED BY ALL OFFICERS BEING SENT OUT IN PAIRS WITH A MEMBER OF THE SPECIAL MENTAL HEALTH TASK FORCE WHICH IS FORMED FOR SUCH CASES. WELL TRAINED SPECIALISTS CAN CERTAIN DO BETTER WITH SUCH EVENTS THAN THE AVERAGE POLICE WHO IS FOCUSED ON THE AVERAGE SITUATION. FOR YEARS THERE HAVE BEEN SOME OFFICERS WHO ARE ADEPT AT “TALKING THE SUSPECT DOWN.” IF THEY CAN BE TRAINED TO DO THAT, IT WOULD CREATE MIRACLES.
http://www.wpxi.com/news/national-news/ap-top-news/oklahoma-city-officer-charged-in-fatal-shooting-of-man/658944425
Oklahoma officer charged in fatal shooting of suicidal man
By: KEN MILLER and JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS, Associated Press
Updated: Dec 5, 2017 - 5:02 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An Oklahoma City police officer was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a suicidal man who had doused himself in lighter fluid and was trying to set himself on fire.
District Attorney David Prater filed the charge against Sgt. Keith Sweeney and listed an alternative charge of first-degree manslaughter in the Nov. 15 killing of 29-year-old Dustin Pigeon. An affidavit by a police investigator concluded that Pigeon was unarmed and didn't pose a threat to responding officers when Sweeney shot him.
Court documents didn't list an attorney for Sweeney, who was taken into custody late Tuesday morning.
The investigation into the shooting was conducted the same way as any other investigation, said police Capt. Bo Mathews.
"We made sure we talked to all witnesses, to the officer and got his statement," Mathews said. "It's no different from any other crime we work ... this just happened to involve a police officer."
Police said Sweeney and another officer responded to a call about a suicidal person and found Pigeon trying to ignite himself with lighter fluid and a lighter in a courtyard surrounded by homes. Police said the other officer shot Pigeon with a bean bag, to no effect, before Sweeney fatally shot him.
Pigeon's parents didn't immediately reply to calls and emails seeking comment. Pidgeon's mother, Aronda Pigeon, told The Oklahoman that she was "shocked" when she found out the officer would be charged with second-degree murder.
"The officer is guilty and I want justice for my son," she told the newspaper.
Pigeon's shooting was among several Oklahoma cases this year where law officers confronted mentally distressed or suicidal subjects that resulted in fatal outcomes.
Earlier in November near Lindsay, about 45 miles south of Oklahoma City, a man was burned beyond recognition when he re-entered a gasoline soaked van after being shot by police with a stun gun. Police said Dana Dean Carrothers, 52, had been reported missing and was suicidal.
In June, three Tulsa law enforcement officers fatally shot a 29-year-old knife-wielding man, Joshua Barre, while trying to pick him up for a mental health issue.
Handling encounters between officers and the mentally distressed has quickly become a top priority among many law enforcement agencies because of the reality that "people who are mentally ill get killed by officers and officers get killed by the mentally ill," said Johnny Nhan, associate professor of criminal justice at Texas Christian University.
Nhan said some agencies, like the Fort Worth police department, are creating special task forces of specially trained officers, detectives and other professionals, such as counselors, who are embedded in those teams.
"It shows you the level of concern (departments have)," he said.
This story has been corrected to show the shooting took place Nov. 15, not Nov. 17.
Juozapavicius reported from Tulsa.
ARYAN CIRCLE INDICTED ON DRUG CHARGES. APPARENTLY THEY LIKE ALL KINDS OF CRIME, NOT JUST RACIAL ABUSE OF OTHERS.
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article185618088.html
FORT WORTH
Aryan Circle members, associates in North Texas indicted on federal drug offenses
BY DOMINGO RAMIREZ JR.
ramirez@star-telegram.com
NOVEMBER 20, 2017 12:40 PM
DALLAS –
Fifteen members and associates of the white supremacist organization Aryan Circle have been indicted on federal charges of distributing methamphetamine in North Texas.
The just-unsealed federal indictments accuse the defendants of one count each of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Eleven defendants were in federal custody and four others were in state custody. The eleven have made initial federal court appearances and they remained in federal custody Monday.
The indictment accuses the members and associates of distributing the drug from January until this month.
The defendants resided in an area near Lake Tawakoni, about 50 miles east of Dallas.
Authorities identified several of the defendants as members of the Aryan Circle, a white supremacist gang based primarily in Texas.
The indictment noted that the Aryan Circle is a prison gang formed when some Aryan Brotherhood of Texas members split off to form what they believed was a pure group.
The Aryan Circle's white supremacy ideology, federal agents said, often took a backseat to criminal ventures such as drug dealing. Female members of the Aryan Circle were often referred to as "Featherwoods."*
Federal authorities also pointed out that despite their differences, the Aryan Circle often collaborates with Mexican gangs and cartels for drug distribution.
The indictment identified the suspects as Crystal Leann Starkey, 36; Michael Paul Watts, 28; Jason Wayne McClure, 43; Kellie Lea Locke, 37; Michael Brandon Powell, 43; Jody Heather Bausch, aka Jody Land, 41; Scott Ralph Land, 47; Jeremiah "Wicked" McGregor, 40; James "Bo" Goodin, 35; Nicole Culpepper, 27; Kyle Ketchum, 30; Ember Berg, 33; Shannon Morgan, 42; Aaron Marrs, 39; and Leslie Cates, 34.
If the defendants are convicted, federal prosecutors are seeking property including a 12-gauge shotgun, a 20-gauge shotgun, a .22-caliber pistol, a 40-caliber pistol and a .38-caliber revolver.
Agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety led the investigation. Those agencies also have been assisted by Quinlan police, the Henderson County Sheriff's Office, Hunt County Sheriff's Office, Rockwall County Sheriff's Office and the Van Zandt Sheriff's Office.
Domingo Ramirez Jr., 817-390-7763,@mingoramirezjr
“FEATHERWOODS”*
https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/featherwood
Featherwood
Photograph -- Racist Prison Gang Symbols
<i>ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE
Who We Are
We protect the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all.
We are activists, educators and experts. We fight anti-Semitism and all forms of hate. We advocate for a safe and secure democratic Jewish State of Israel and combat efforts to delegitimize it. We help shape laws locally and nationally, and develop groundbreaking model legislation. We work with students to respect inclusion and to challenge bias and bullying. We train law enforcement officers about extremism, terrorism and hate crimes.
We never give up trying to build a better world inspired by our democratic sense of unity: There is no them – only us.
THIS ARTICLE IS FULL OF BITS OF INFORMATION, AND IT’S TOO LONG FOR ME. HOWEVER, IT IS CERTAINLY A GOOD ONE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO FOLLOW EVERY BIT OF THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION. PERSONALLY, I’M GOING TO MOVE NOW TO THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW SO SHE CAN PICK IT APART AND COMMENT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EVERYTHING. MY SISTER RECENTLY SAID THAT SHE DOESN’T LIKE MADDOW BECAUSE SHE’S “ABRASIVE.” I THINK SHE’S CUTE IN HER “ABRASIVENESS.” I DO LIKE SPICY PEOPLE. AND BESIDES, SHE KEEPS UP WITH EVERYTHING AND KNOWS A GREAT DEAL OF NEWS RELATED THINGS.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-flynn-russia-sanctions-nuclear-reactor-whistleblower/
CBS/AP December 6, 2017, 4:48 PM
Whistleblower claims Flynn texted about nuclear plan at inauguration
Last Updated Dec 6, 2017 4:48 PM EST
The top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is calling on the committee to look into a whistleblower's claims that during President Trump's inauguration speech, then-national security adviser Michael Flynn texted a former business associate to say a private nuclear reactor plan involving Russia and Saudi Arabia that Flynn had lobbied for would have his support in the White House.
Ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, wrote to chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, Wednesday, pointing out Gowdy previously "refused" to press the White House on bipartisan document requests and "disregarded" evidence about Flynn's efforts to work with Russia on a plan to build nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia, urging him now to request subpoenas related to the emails and texts concerning Flynn's suspected activities.
Read: Cummings letter to Gowdy
Read: Cummings timeline of Flynn texts
As the whistleblower chatted with Flynn's associate at an Inauguration Day celebration on Jan. 20, Flynn reportedly sent text messages saying the associate's nuclear proposal was "good to go," the whistleblower said, according to Cummings. According to the whistleblower, Flynn also informed the associate that his business partners would be able to move forward with their project, which aimed to construct a network of nuclear reactors across the Mideast with support from Russian and other international interests.
While Flynn's agreement last week to plead guilty and cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation largely insulates the retired lieutenant general from further legal jeopardy, the whistleblower's allegations raise new concerns about the extent to which Flynn may have blurred his private and public interests during his brief stint inside the White House. Mr. Trump fired Flynn in February, saying he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S.
"I have spoken with this whistleblower, and I find this person to be authentic, credible, and reliable," Cummings wrote to Gowdy. "Although this individual was extremely hesitant to come forward — and still fears retaliation — the whistleblower has decided to do so now because this individual feels duty bound as a citizen to make this disclosure. If you agree to protect the individual's identity, this whistleblower will speak with you directly so you can verify the information in this letter."
Cummings said Wednesday that the whistleblower's allegations raise concerns that Flynn improperly aided the nuclear project after joining the White House as one of Trump's top national security officials. The project has yet to get off the ground.
Cummings detailed the whistleblower's allegations in his letter to Gowdy, and urged Gowdy to authorize subpoenas to Flynn and his business associates to learn more about his efforts to aid the proposal. Gowdy did not immediately respond to Associated Press requests for comment but previously has referred letters from House Democrats about Flynn to Mueller's inquiry.
Flynn had been a paid consultant for the venture before he joined the Trump campaign last year. The plan, backed by a group of investors, nuclear power adherents and former U.S. military officers, was to construct dozens of nuclear reactors across the Mideast working with Russian and other international private interests.
House Democrats noted that a federal ethics law requires White House officials to refrain for a year from dealing with any outside interests they had previously worked with on private business matters.
"Our committee has credible allegations that President Trump's national security adviser sought to manipulate the course of international nuclear policy for the financial gain of his former business partners," Cummings said.
The whistleblower told House Democrats that while Mr. Trump spoke in January, Flynn texted from his seat on the Capitol steps to Alex Copson, the managing director of ACU Strategic Partners* and the nuclear project's main promoter. The whistleblower, whose identity was not revealed in Cummings' letter, said during a conversation, Copson described his messages with Flynn and briefly flashed one of the texts, which appeared to have been sent 10 minutes after Mr. Trump began speaking.
"Mike has been putting everything in place for us," Copson said, according to the whistleblower. Copson added that "this is going to make a lot of very wealthy people." The whistleblower also said that Copson intimated that U.S. financial sanctions hobbling the nuclear project were going to be "ripped up."
ACU Counsel David Gross issued this response on behalf of ACU*:
"For the record, no member of ACU received any communication in any form from General Flynn during the presidential campaign, the presidential transition, the Inauguration, the period following the Inauguration when General Flynn served as national security adviser or subsequent to General Flynn's resignation."
In Flynn's agreement last week to plead guilty to one count of making false statements, prosecutors said that Flynn lied to FBI agents about his discussions on sanctions against Russia with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the presidential transition.
Copson had promoted a succession of nuclear projects designed to include Russian participation dating back to the 1990s. In an earlier note to the committee, Copson said his firm had provided Flynn with a $25,000 check — left un-cashed — and paid for Flynn's June 2015 trip to the Mideast as a security consultant for the project.
Flynn's financial disclosure did not cite those payments, but he did report that until December 2016, he worked as an adviser to two other companies that partnered with Copson's firm. That consortium, X-Co Dynamics Inc. and Iron Bridge Group, initially worked with ACU but later pushed a separate nuclear proposal for the Mideast.
CBS News' Julianna Goldman contributed to this report.
© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WHAT IS ACU?
https://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/companies/1253784D:US-acu-strategy-partners-llc
ACU Strategy Partners LLC
Private Company
Company Profile
Sector: Financials
Industry: Asset Management
Sub-Industry: Investment Companies
ACU Strategy Partners LLC operates as a holding company for development of nuclear energy.
IS THIS THE SAME ACU, OR JUST ANOTHER OF THE HUNDRED OR SO THAT I FOUND REFERENCES TO? THIS ONE SEEMS TO MAKE SOME SENSE, BUT NOT QUITE ENOUGH. I’M GIVING UP ON THIS, THOUGH. I JUST DON’T CARE ENOUGH TO CONTINUE.
American Conservative Union
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Conservative_Union
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