San Francisco supervisor Dean Preston is knowingly allowing a major fencing ring to operate less than two blocks from a police station. Since this is being deliberately self inflicted by the voters, and I don’t live there, I think it’s hilarious.
By Daniel Alman (aka Dan from Squirrel Hill)
September 30, 2023
Dean Preston is a self described socialist who was elected as a San Francisco Supervisor by the voters of the city’s Tenderloin district.
Many of the thieves who break into cars are are selling the stolen goods at a fencing operation which is located less than two blocks from a police station in the Tenderloin district.
Preston knows all about it.
But he refuses to have it shut down.
Tenderloin voters are getting exactly as many car break-ins as they are willing to tolerate.
Since this is being deliberately self inflicted by the voters, and I don’t live there, I think it’s hilarious.
Here’s a video and news article about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrOnAEw0pa4
California man tracked $24,000 in stolen camera gear to known hotspot. Police still haven’t shuttered it
San Francisco police knew about this stolen goods hotspot before one man lost thousands in camera gear
By Jon Michael
September 29, 2023
San Francisco police didn’t raid or shutter a known hotspot where people sell stolen goods, located just blocks away from a local precinct, even after a film student tracked his $24,000 worth of stolen camera gear there.
“San Francisco is a five-alarm fire when it comes to property crimes like organized retail theft, auto burglary and car thefts,” Schuck told Fox News in an email. “The organized criminal enterprises operate freely.”
The film student was eating lunch in Oakland, California, when his cameras, lenses and drone were stolen from his rental car. Using Apple AirTags he’d put in the camera cases, Schuck traced the stolen goods to neighboring San Francisco before he called the police.
“Oh yeah, that’s a known major fencing operation,” the SFPD officer told Schuck. “Everyone in the Bay Area knows they can come and offload their stolen goods there.”
“I don’t blame the individual police officers,” the film student told Fox News. “If the police were actually supported—as in properly backed up by the Mayor, the District Attorney, and the Board of Supervisors—the SFPD and other law enforcement agencies would have the freedom to investigate and prosecute criminals.”
Schuck has not recovered any of his stolen gear, he added.
There have been over 14,000 thefts from vehicles in San Francisco this year, according to the latest police data. The city has the highest car break-in rate per capita in the country, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, and police only solve 1-in-100 car break-ins. Further, auto thefts are up 12% year-over-year.
The stolen goods resale hotspot is in the heart of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, which has become infamous for open-air drug market and crime.
“And it’s a block and a half, not even a block and a half from the Tenderloin Police Station,” Schuck told KGO-TV. “How were you not raiding that place on a daily basis?”
Dean Preston, the San Francisco supervisor in charge of the Tenderloin neighborhood, held a hearing on car break-ins last week where he said “the city has made no noticeable progress.” Still, Elon Musk called Preston — a democratic socialist — “the person most responsible for the destruction of San Francisco” and posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he “needs to be fired.”
Schuck also wants new city leaders.
“If the police know, and the Mayor knows, and the Supervisors know, and still this is allowed to operate.. This doesn’t pass the smell test,” he told Fox News in his email. “If everyone in political leadership, including Dean Preston, the Board Supervisor who represents the Tenderloin, were serious about solving the crime problem, they would have done it by now.”
“God, I just wish we had elected leaders in San Francisco who actually, I don’t know, had some original ideas, and some backbone, and cleaned this place up,” he wrote. “It’s never been like this.”
Preston, the San Francisco mayor and the San Francisco Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.
I support locking up Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) with all of the January 6 prisoners, because I support equal treatment under the law
By Daniel Alman (aka Dan from Squirrel Hill)
September 30, 2023
Politico has just reported the following:
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2023/09/30/congress/bowman-didnt-start-the-fire-00119278
Rep. Bowman pulled House fire alarm amid vote chaos
September 30, 2023
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) pulled the fire alarm in a House office building as his party tried to delay a vote on a hurried House GOP stopgap spending bill, according to the Republican-controlled Administration Committee.
Bowman “pulled a fire alarm in Cannon this morning,” a spokesperson for the panel said. “An investigation into why it was pulled is underway.”
Multiple people familiar with the situation said was caught on camera as the House descended into fresh chaos on Saturday.
I support locking up Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) with all of the January 6 prisoners, because I support equal treatment under the law.
A Tiny Number of Shoplifters Commit Thousands of New York City Thefts
A Tiny Number of Shoplifters Commit Thousands of New York City Thefts
Nearly a third of all shoplifting arrests in the city last year involved just 327 people, the police said. Businesses say they have little defense.
By Hurubie Meko
April 15, 2023
New York City’s storefront businesses, already weathering inflation and an uneven recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, are also contending with what the police say is a dramatic increase in shoplifting. But statistics also reveal a startling reality: A relative handful of shoplifters are responsible for an outsize percentage of retail crime.
Nearly a third of all shoplifting arrests in New York City last year involved just 327 people, the police said. Collectively, they were arrested and rearrested more than 6,000 times, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. Some engage in shoplifting as a trade, while others are driven by addiction or mental illness; the police did not identify the 327 people in the analysis.
The victims are also concentrated: 18 department stores and seven chain pharmacy locations accounted for 20 percent of all complaints, the police said.
Petty thefts are one of the main drivers of the city’s overall crime rate, even as murders, shootings and other violent crimes have continued to drop. At a recent news conference, Commissioner Sewell said the situation demanded a “perpetual carousel of police resources.”
Criminal justice reform advocates have said that petty thefts are a crime of necessity, and that many down-on-their-luck New Yorkers are stealing what they need to survive in one of the world’s most expensive cities. But law enforcement and trade groups have blamed a proliferation of organized shoplifting crews, repeat offenders and the new state bail law that they argue has enabled such offenders to avoid jail time.
Last year, 41 people were indicted in New York City in connection with a theft ring that state prosecutors said shoplifted millions of dollars worth of beauty products and luxury goods that were sold online.
By the end of 2022, the theft of items valued at less than $1,000 had increased 53 percent since 2019 at major commercial locations, according to a new analysis of police data by researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Over the past five years, shoplifting complaints nearly doubled, peaking at nearly 64,000 last year, police data shows. Only about 34 percent resulted in arrests last year, compared with 60 percent in 2017.
Businesses large and small are grappling with “smash and grab” thefts, said David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations at the National Retail Federation.
“It’s the loss coupled with the violence and the concern of safety,” he said.
Representatives for major retailers in the city, including CVS, Macy’s and Target, did not respond to requests for comment on shoplifting in New York. A spokeswoman for Walgreens, Kris Lathan, said the company had created a “major crimes unit” to assist authorities with investigations.
An estimate from a coalition of independent supermarkets, bodegas and grocers in the city, Collective Action to Protect Our Stores, put the total revenue lost to retail theft at about $300 million.
Small proprietors are scared, said Youssef Mubarez, whose family has owned a deli in Times Square for decades and who is also the director of public relations with the Yemeni American Merchants Association. The group has roughly 3,000 members who own delis and bodegas.
Since the pandemic, Mr. Mubarez’s cousin, who works at the family’s bodega, has encountered routine fights, Mr. Mubarez said, and some have involved knives. While opinions on what is behind the surge in shoplifting varies even among members, they all agree it’s more prevalent, he said.
“Every day, they’re going into work as they usually do and they’re not sure if the person walking in is there to rob them, going to steal from their store or start an issue where it just escalates to a point where they can’t control it,” he said.
Accosting a shoplifter is a risk each time, said Tchalare Idrissou, a clerk at the 99 Cent Zone store in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx. Recently, clerks at the store confronted and threw out a man they had seen shoplifting twice before on security camera footage.
“When you’re trying to stop them from stealing, they engage and try to fight,” Mr. Idrissou said, adding: “Sometimes we let them go with the stuff, because sometimes some of them have the weapons. Sometimes knives.”
Clerks described catching people walking out with items stuffed into their coats, sweaters, or down their pants. They kick them out of the store, they said, only to see some of them return. In other instances, they wouldn’t know how the shoplifter got away until they watched surveillance video.
A national survey of 63 retailers by the National Retail Federation found that they attributed about 37 percent — the largest portion — of so-called inventory shrinkage in 2021 to thefts by people who did not work at their stores.
Retailers have pointed to shoplifting as a drag on profits for decades. Walgreens said organized shoplifting was the reason it closed five stores in San Francisco in 2021. This year, however, a Walgreens executive said that the company might have overstated the effect, telling investors during an earnings call that “maybe we cried too much last year.”
But businesses have nonetheless turned to locking up merchandise behind glass, frustrating shoppers, and installing security guards at doors. For small stores, the costs of heightening security are often unaffordable, and merely reporting a small theft can be cumbersome. Those businesses are often left to stop thefts on their own.
In the Bronx, the Fordham Road Business Improvement District, which encompasses more than 300 businesses, launched a pilot program in January in which security guards patrol during peak shopping hours.
Two blocks from Mr. Idrissou in Mott Haven, Jose Filpo, who works at a deli and grocery owned by his uncle, said that he had started putting baby formula, which is priced at $22 and is a coveted item that has been subject to nationwide shortages in recent years, behind the register.
Mr. Filpo said he had become accustomed to escorting people out of the deli who are shoplifting, many of them homeless. Cleaning items like laundry detergent, priced from about $8 to $11, are the items that are stolen most often, he said.
Shoplifting is a crime of poverty, said Arielle Reid, supervising attorney of the Decarceration Project at the Legal Aid Society, New York’s largest provider of criminal and civil services for indigent clients. It can’t be solved by a continued reliance on “the heavy hand of law enforcement,” she said.
“Our clients and our communities are better served by investments in resources to break these endless cycles of incarceration,” Ms. Reid said.
The authorities take a harder line.
“Shoplifting, retail theft and commercial burglaries have escalated dramatically in recent years, and as a consequence, the consumer experience has suffered,” said Michael E. McMahon, the Staten Island district attorney. He blamed “reckless policies” for making businesses “less safe and under constant attack from rampant recidivism.”
Collective Action to Protect Our Stores, made up of 5,000 businesses in New York State, called on lawmakers to create units in the Police Department and prosecutors’ offices dedicated to retail theft and to offer more protections to retail employees who are attacked.
A bill introduced in Albany this year by Assemblyman Manny De Los Santos would elevate assault of a retail worker to a felony, in line with the penalty for attacks against police officers, transportation employees and nurses.
“In New York, when it comes to retail workers, we are coming up short,” the lawmaker from Upper Manhattan said in a statement.
After a 67-year-old deli employee was killed in Manhattan in March, Mayor Eric Adams suggested that shopkeepers bar customers who refuse to pull down their masks when they enter a store.
In December, Mr. Adams hosted a summit at Gracie Mansion to create a citywide plan to combat retail theft. Joined by law enforcement agencies and trade leaders, he said businesses were “the lifeblood of our economic recovery,” adding “we are not going to stand by and let criminals undermine our economy and the livelihood of New Yorkers.”
Mr. Adams has lobbied to toughen the state’s bail law, and the measure has once again turned into a divisive point in Albany’s budget negotiations.
After Republicans used the law and concerns over crime to capture key seats in last year’s midterm elections, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, proposed modifications to the law that could keep more people in jail. But her fellow Democrats, who control the State Legislature, have firmly pushed back.
As politicians debate, businesses and residents are acting on their own.
In Harlem, a coalition of proprietors and officials from law enforcement and city agencies started meeting a year ago to address problems in the neighborhood’s 125th Street Business Improvement District.
Thanks to the group, the local police precinct was able to identify 18 people who had been seen shoplifting repeatedly, said Barbara Askins, the president and chief executive of the business district and a member of the Manhattan district attorney’s Manhattan Small Business Alliance, which was created to reduce shoplifting and robberies throughout the borough.
Those 18 names were sent to prosecutors, Ms. Askins said. And with a $20,000 grant from the district attorney’s office, the business improvement district plans to hire two part-time employees to engage with businesses and the community.
“We try to seek solutions, try to come up with creative solutions around existing laws to try to find a way to try to address this problem,” Ms. Askins said.
Residents alarmed as shoplifting incidents trigger store departures: ‘As a community we can’t allow this to continue’
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/30/business/target-store-closing-domino-effect-community/index.html
Residents alarmed as shoplifting incidents trigger store departures: ‘As a community we can’t allow this to continue’
By Parija Kavilanz
September 30, 2023
New York CNN — Lou Martins is angry, frustrated, and disappointed but not surprised that the first Target store to open in Manhattan — in his New York City neighborhood — is closing in October.
Target this week cited large-scale theft and safety concerns for employees and customers for its decision to close nine stores in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Portand.
“I’ve seen shoplifting happening in that mall, in Target. I’ve seen cops chasing people carrying bags of products out of the mall,” said Martins, who lives and works a block-and-a-half away from the the East River Plaza shopping center in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood. That’s the area where the 174,000 square-foot big box Target has anchored the mall since it opened in 2010. The facility also has a Costco, Aldi and Burlington stores.
Martins and his wife Maria Gonzalez Arrieta own and manage Bistro Casa Azul, a restaurant on Pleasant Avenue and East 118th Street, a stone’s throw from the entrance of the mall. There’s no doubt that losing Target will be a blow to the community, he said.
“Having Target here helped revitalize East Harlem with hundreds of new jobs, customers and more services to our area. Now we’re going to have an empty box here,” he said. “Older residents depended on the Target for their essentials. They’re going to have to go further away to shop. It’s not easy for them.”
A domino effect?
He’s especially concerned that Target’s departure will create a troubling domino effect. “We’ve had drugstores closing here, too, because of shoplifting. What if other stores leave? I can feel it. People here are worried about crime getting worse, from shoplifting to more violent crime. As a community, we cannot allow this to continue.”
The retail industry said it is grappling with a particular type of store theft that is more dangerous than petty shoplifting, called “organized retail crime” or ORC. This isn’t a crime of need where an individual grabs an item or two, such as baby formula or food. It’s more insidious, and costly, according to companies and law enforcement.
ORC theft involves groups of people repeatedly targeting stores that carry higher-value merchandise like electronics, sporting goods, cosmetics, clothing, handbags and shoes. They steal large quantities of products and then resell them in secondary marketplaces, such as eBay, OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace or even back into the legitimate supply chain, according to law enforcement.
Target blamed ORC for the nine store closures, saying “we cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance.”
Leaving a gap
Alex Abreu shares Martins concerns.
Like Martins, Abreu is intimately familiar with East Harlem. “I know how this neighborhood was before Target came and how it changed after,” he said, noting he lived in the area from 2011 to 2017 and is currently a property manager for several residential and commercial buildings in the area.
“This was a very quiet neighborhood, nothing really to attract people to come here,” he said
It also lacked essential community lifelines, such as large and affordable supermarkets and small businesses.
Target came along with the East River Plaza mall, which previously was a dormant factory, according to The New York Times. Its arrival immediately boosted the neighborhood in several ways, Abreu said.
“We used Target in our marketing when apartments were being sold. One of the biggest attractions was that there’s a Target here,” he said. “Co-ops would list Target specifically to boost appeal. It brought up the value of whatever was being sold.”
“It was the most convenient thing in the world for the residents to have this big Target. There was nothing like it in the whole area,” Abreu said.
Crime is a problem
But crime, and what he’s observed of it, has gone up, he said. According to the most recent crime statistics from the New York Police Department’s 25th precinct, which covers the East Harlem area where the mall is located, shoplifting (classified as petit larceny, or theft of property valued at $1,000 or less) has jumped 47% over the past two years.
“You kind of turn a blind eye to it because it’s become commonplace,” he said. “We’re losing pharmacies in East Harlem because of shoplifting. We’ve lost a [Rite Aide], a Walgreens. The community is so angry.”
Business leaders, too, are expressing alarm after Target became the latest retailer to blame crime for pulling the plug on stores.
“The US Chamber is deeply concerned with increasing reports of stores closing in communities across the country due to large-scale theft and looting,” said Tom Wickman, senior vice president of state and local policy at the US Chamber of Commerce. “No store should have to close because of theft.”
The Chamber of Commerce said it is pushing for new legislation to close loopholes that let people sell stolen products and it is “calling on prosecutors to do their jobs and hold criminals accountable.”
“We call on policymakers to tackle this problem head-on before it gets further out of control,” Wickman said.
“Abuelitas were crying”
Xavier Santiago, board chair of Community Board 11, a neighborhood organization with volunteer members serving East Harlem, is absorbing the community’s anxiety about Target leaving.
“I personally saw people sobbing when they got the news. Abuelitas [grannies] who have been shopping at the Target since the day it opened in 2010 were crying,” he said. “If you don’t have the need for multiple paper towels or large containers of produce, Target fills that need to provide affordable and reliable groceries. It breaks my heart.”
Other than the residents, local businesses also rely on the foot traffic that Target generates, he said.
Santiago said he and other board members have witnessed organized retail crime occur, “where I’ve seen people run out and later in the day seeing [the] same goods with the Target tags attached selling on 116th street.”
“After speaking with the 25th precinct, if the police are able to apprehend them, they will be out within the hour or the next day,” he said. “We need laws to change to address these crimes.”
Communities consider next steps
Mark Cohen, director of retail studies and an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s business school, said communities will be on edge now, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Other stores in the mall could look to renegotiate their lease terms citing diminished foot traffic,” he said. While Target cited crime as the predominant reason to close the store, it’s not clear whether the stores were already under-performing or reaching their revenue goals. Target did not comment on this or provide data on theft at the stores.
Target previously said it was expecting to lose $500 million this year due to rising theft.
“The East Harlem store could have been doing very high volume in sales but still losing money because of theft,” Cohen said.
And finding a replacement tenant may not be easy, or quick, said Venkatesh Shankar, professor of marketing and ecommerce at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School.
“These types of vacant commercial spaces are allocated for a specific purpose. It’s not easy to repurpose them for something else,” Shankar said.
Blumenfeld Development Group, the developer of East River Plaza, in a statement to CNN, pushed back aggressively against Target’s explanation for why it was pulling out of the East Harlem location.
The company said while organized retail crime “needs to be addressed as it harms the fabric of every retail center (corridor) in the city, it should not be used as an excuse by Target to mask business decisions designed to shift to a smaller store format or justify losses.”
Across the country, the mayor of Portland expressed his disappointment about the three Target stores closing, which the retailer also blamed on organized retail crime.
“It is disheartening to learn that Target has made the decision to close stores here in Portland and in other major cities nationwide,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a statement to CNN.
But shoplifting has jumped significantly in the city. Shoplifting offenses in Portland have spiked 53.9% from January to August this year compared to the same period a year ago, according to the latest data sent to CNN by the Portland Police Bureau.
“Every day, I hear directly from Portlanders who are concerned about workplace safety – perspectives that I take very seriously,” he said. “As we continue making strides to re-staff the Portland Police Bureau and partner on targeted retail theft missions, we are also implementing increased safety measures like enhanced lighting and foot patrols to create safer public spaces for everyone.”
The German government has threatened to arrest anyone who shares this video. Therefore, it is my obligation to post the video right here.
By Daniel Alman (aka Dan from Squirrel Hill)
September 28, 2023
The German government has threatened to arrest anyone who shares this video.
Therefore, it is my obligation to post the video right here:
https://twitter.com/RadioGenoa/status/1703294436875120650
https://twitter.com/RadioGenoa/status/1703294436875120650
And I’d like to remind everyone what Wikipedia has to say about the Streisand effect:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
Streisand effect
The Streisand effect is an unintended consequence of attempts to hide, remove, or censor information, where the effort instead backfires by increasing awareness of that information. It is named after American singer and actress Barbra Streisand, whose attempt to suppress the California Coastal Records Project’s photograph of her cliff-top residence in Malibu, California, taken to document California coastal erosion, inadvertently drew greater attention to the photograph in 2003.
“Image 3850” had been downloaded only six times prior to Streisand’s lawsuit, two of those being by Streisand’s attorneys. Public awareness of the case led to more than 420,000 people visiting the site over the following month.
Baltimore CEO was killed by repeat offender who should have never been on the street, officials allege
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pava-lapere-ecomap-founder-dead-baltimore-rcna117457
Baltimore CEO was killed by repeat offender who should have never been on the street, officials allege
Pava LaPere, the founder of EcoMap Technologies, was found dead in an apartment Monday. Police say they are looking for a suspect considered armed and dangerous.
By Antonio Planas and Tim Stelloh
September 26, 2023
Police in Baltimore say they are searching for a repeat violent offender who should not have been free after a 26-year-old tech CEO was found dead at an apartment Monday.
Pava LaPere, the CEO and founder of EcoMap Technologies, whose accomplishments earned her a spot on the Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list, was found dead about 11:30 a.m. Monday at an apartment with apparent signs of “blunt-force trauma,” police said.
Police said Tuesday they had issued an arrest warrant for Jason Billingsley on first-degree murder and additional charges.
Officials said Billingsley, 32, of Baltimore, should be considered armed and dangerous.
“This individual will kill, and he will rape,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley warned Tuesday afternoon at a news conference. “He will do anything he can to cause harm.”
In 2015, Billingsley was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 16 years suspended, after he pleaded guilty to a first-degree sex offense, court records show.
The Maryland sex offender registry shows he was released from prison in October. The registry classified him in “tier 3,” which includes the most serious charges and requires offenders to register for life.
The prosecutor in the 2015 case did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Billingsley’s public defender could not immediately be reached.
Relatives identified in public records as Billingsley’s mother and sister did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Court records show Billingsley also pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in 2009 and second-degree assault in 2011.
The police Special Investigations Section is working to determine whether Billingsley is linked to any other cases, police said.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said Billingsley should not have been free.
“There is no way in hell that he should have been out on the street,” Scott said. “When the police go out and do their job, as they did in this case … and the state’s attorney goes out and does their work, gets the conviction, the conviction should be the conviction.
“We are tired of talking about the same people committing the same kind of crimes over and over again.”
Officials did not provide details about a possible motive in LaPere’s death or any possible relationship between her and Billingsley.
Scott, who said he had gotten to know LaPere in recent years, called her “young, talented” who was “devoted” to the city.
A missing person report had been filed not long before LaPere was discovered dead late Monday morning, police said.
In a written statement Tuesday night, LaPere’s family said she was an inspiration to many.
“She was driven, creative, hard working and relentless in her efforts, with her wonderful team at EcoMap Technologies,” her family said. “Pava made an impact in every endeavor she undertook and on every life she touched. She will be forever missed as a daughter, sister, grand-daughter, niece, cousin and loyal friend.”
LaPere’s firm, EcoMap Technologies, positions itself as a company that uses technology to “digitize ecosystems, ensuring anyone can easily access the information they need, so ecosystems can be as equitable, efficient, & effective as possible.”
In a statement, EcoMap Technologies said the circumstances surrounding LaPere’s death were “deeply distressing” and that she “was not only the visionary force behind EcoMap but was also a deeply compassionate and dedicated leader.”
In its “30 Under 30” feature for 2023, Forbes said that LaPere, a Johns Hopkins graduate, had a team of 30 and that her clients included the Aspen Institute, Meta, the WXR Fund and the T. Rowe Price Foundation.
Worley, the police commissioner, pleaded with Billingsley to stop running and turn himself in.
“If you’re out there watching … every single police officer in Baltimore city, in the state of Maryland, as well as U.S. marshals, are looking for you,” Worley said. “We will find you … and then we will turn it over to the state’s attorney to prosecute you to the fullest. So please turn yourself in.”
If this guy is convicted in a court of law for this murder, then, in my opinion, former Maryland State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby should be charged as an accessory to this murder
https://www.foxnews.com/us/jason-billingsley-accused-killing-baltimore-tech-ceo-pava-marie-lapere
Who is Jason Billingsley, accused of killing Baltimore tech CEO Pava Marie LaPere?
Jason Dean Billingsley only served nine years of a 30 year prison sentence
By Adam Sabes
September 26, 2023
Baltimore police allege that 32-year-old Jason Dean Billingsley killed Pava Marie LaPere, who was the CEO of a technology company.
Officials said LaPere, 26, was found dead Monday at 11:34 a.m. at an apartment complex on the 300 block of West Franklin Street in Baltimore, Maryland. LaPere had signs of blunt-force trauma.
Shortly before officers arrived at the apartment, a missing person’s call was made, an investigation revealed. Homicide detectives are investigating her death.
LaPere was the CEO of EcoMap Technologies, which is based in Baltimore. She received a Forbes 30 Under 30 award in 2023 in the social impact category.
Billingsley has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 2009, according to court records. He’s still on the loose as police continue a massive manhunt.
He was sentenced to 30 years in prison on February 4, 2015, after being convicted of a 1st-degree forcible sex offense, but was in custody beginning on July 11, 2013, on that charge. He received 16 years of suspended time and five years of parole but was released from prison in October 2022 under the previous administration of State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
Officials on Tuesday didn’t elaborate on why Billingsley was released, Mayor Brandon Scott said, “There’s no way in hell he should have been out on the street.”
Billingsley was also convicted of first-degree assault and violation of probation in 2009, which both carried a sentence of five and three years respectively.
During Tuesday’s press conference, Baltimore Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley said of Billingsley, “This individual will kill and he will rape.”
“He will do anything he can to cause harm. So please be aware of your surroundings,” Worley said.
Scott said he’s “extremely frustrated” that Billingsley was freed on parole.
“This is why you consistently hear from us, those who are on the front lines of this work, those who have to talk with those grieving families to get other parts of the system to understand the human side of it, that these cases impact people’s lives for the eternity,” Scott said.
“The conviction should be the conviction. And we have to make sure that folks are held accountable in every single way because we are tired of talking about the same people commit the same kind of crimes over and over again,” he added.
“We have to stand up here and talk about someone’s life cut down short by someone who should still be in prison.
Police don’t believe he had any relationship with LaPere.
Former Washington, D.C., Homicide Detective Ted Williams told Fox News Digital he would have never given a recommendation for Billingsley to be paroled, and is puzzled why he was released.
“My recommendation would have been absolutely under no circumstances, looking [sic] and given the record of this individual, that this individual should have been back on the streets of Baltimore,” he said.
Williams said there needs to be an “extensive investigation” into how Billingsley was released from prison on parole.
“And it is without a doubt that somebody or bodies in Baltimore have what I defined as blood on their hands by permitting this violent criminal to be released and back on the streets of Baltimore,” Williams said.
EcoMap Technologies issued a statement on LaPere’s death on Facebook that said “the news has shaken us all deeply.”
“The circumstances surrounding Pava’s death are deeply distressing, and our deepest condolences are with her family, friends and loved ones during this incredibly devastating time. Pava was not only the visionary force behind EcoMap but was also a deeply compassionate and dedicated leader,” the company wrote. “Her untiring commitment to our company, to Baltimore, to amplifying the critical work of ecosystems across the country, and to building a deeply inclusive culture as a leader, friend and partner set a standard for leadership. And her legacy will live on through the work we continue to do.”
“As a team, and on behalf of our customers and the EcoMap community, we are devastated by this loss, and we pledge our unwavering support to the LaPere family as they navigate this heartbreaking period. We would also like to express our gratitude to the authorities and emergency services for their efforts and professionalism,” it added.
95-year-old veteran kicked out of nursing home to make way for migrant housing, lawmakers say
https://www.yahoo.com/news/95-old-veteran-kicked-nursing-205910143.html
95-year-old veteran kicked out of nursing home to make way for migrant housing, lawmakers say
By Elizabeth Elkind
September 26, 2023
A 95-year-old Korean War veteran said he was given less than two months’ notice to figure out where he was going to live after the nursing home he resided in was sold to become a facility for undocumented migrants.
Veteran Frank Tammaro joined Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., a vocal critic of New York City’s handling of the migrant crisis, at a press conference on Monday to discuss the reported deal.
“The thing I’m annoyed about is how they did it, it was very disgraceful what they did to the people in Island Shores,” Tammaro said, referencing the assisted living facility he was in.
He said that Island Shores “gave us time to get out,” but not enough time to protest the decision to boot residents – which Tammaro said he tried to do.
“Then one day there was a notice on the board. I think that gave us a month and a half to find out where we were going to go,” he said. “I thought my suitcases were going to be on the curb because I’m not that fast.”
“If it wasn’t for my daughter, they would’ve been on the curb. That was it. I said, ‘No, no, no, no, you’re not moving me,’ and they said, ‘Yes, yes, yes we are.’ Everything was done behind closed doors – we didn’t have a chance to actually make any attempt to stop them because there wasn’t enough time.”
New York City Councilman David Carr confirmed to local outlet SI Live that he was informed by the city’s Department of Social Services that the migrant facility would open there this week. Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Social Services for confirmation but did not immediately hear back on Tuesday.
Fox News Digital’s attempt to contact a number associated with Island Shores Senior Residence could not be completed. The facility is listed as “permanently closed” online.
Malliotakis said the reported deal was “showing our country and our city’s priorities are backwards.”
“My blood pressure went through the roof when I found out Homes for the Homeless cut a deal with the City of New York to turn Island Shores into a migrant shelter,” the GOP lawmaker said.
“Our tax dollars as citizens of New York should not be utilized to house citizens of other countries, especially at the expense of our senior citizens and veterans who put their lives on the line, paid taxes their whole lives and built our communities.”
Tens of thousands of migrants have come to New York City over the last year, buckling the city’s infrastructure and overwhelming housing officials.
A judge sided with Staten Island lawmakers on Tuesday in ruling that a migrant facility in the borough, converted from a former Catholic school, should close.
I’m surprised that Minneapolis didn’t make the list
Target closes 9 stores in response to retail theft
By Brooke DiPalma
September 26, 2023
Target is taking action in response to retail theft.
On Tuesday the big box retailer announced plans to close nine stores, effective Oct. 21.
“We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance,” the company said in a statement.
The stores set to close include one in Harlem, N.Y; two in Seattle, Wash.; three near San Francisco and Oakland, Calif.; and three in Portland, Ore. All “eligible” employees will be offered the opportunity to transfer to other Target locations, the company said.
Target added it “invested heavily in strategies to prevent and stop theft and organized retail crime in our stores” prior to closing stores, including by adding more security to stores, using third-party security guard services, and implementing “theft-deterrent” tools across the business.
Ultimately though, the only decision left was to close certain stores.
“Despite our efforts, unfortunately, we continue to face fundamental challenges to operating these stores safely and successfully,” the statement said.
These bank robbers are wearing female clothing. Their faces are covered. So why is the news media referring to them as “men”?
This news article is called, “Philadelphia police searching for 2 men who robbed nail salons dressed in women’s Muslim garb.”
These bank robbers are wearing female clothing.
Their faces are covered.
So why is the news referring to them as “men”?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/philadelphia-police-searching-2-men-150225120.html
Philadelphia police searching for 2 men who robbed nail salons dressed in women’s Muslim garb
By Stephen Sorace
September 26, 2023
Two male armed robbers are wanted in Philadelphia after authorities say they dressed in women’s Muslim garb and robbed two Asian-owned nail salons on Saturday.
Philadelphia police on Monday released surveillance footage from inside each of the nail salons and said two masked Black male suspects held all the employees at gunpoint.
The first robbery occurred around 4:30 p.m. at the Happy Family Nail Salon and Spa located at 1100 W. Girard Ave., police said. The second robbery unfolded three hours later at the Nails In The City at 2401 Aramingo Ave.
In each of the robberies, the two suspects wore what police described as “women’s Muslim garb with masks.” All employees had their wallets and IDs stolen. The suspects also stole cash from the registers.
One employee at the second nail salon was shot in the leg while chasing after the suspects, police said. She was treated at a hospital and listed in stable condition.
Salon workers spoke to FOX29 Philadelphia, pleading for the robbers to stop targeting their businesses.
“Please, stop it. We work hard to get money,” said one worker, who wished to remain anonymous.
Police described one suspect as a Black male, standing 6 feet tall with a stocky build, and wearing a black and white print Muslim garb, orange face mask, gray gloves, black pants, black and white Nike sneakers, and gray and white mechanic-style gloves.
The second suspect was described as a Black male, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build, and wearing cheetah or leopard print Muslim garb, blue or purple face mask, black pants, white sneakers, and gray and white mechanic-style gloves.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told reporters during a Monday press conference that both nail salon robberies are under active investigation.
No arrests have been made as of Tuesday morning.
Standing ovation for a Ukrainian who fought with the Nazis sparks anger and an apology in Canada
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/canada-speaker-apologizes-ukraine-nazi-veteran-honored-rcna117125
Standing ovation for a Ukrainian who fought with the Nazis sparks anger and an apology in Canada
Lawmakers recognized Yaroslav Hunka, 98, shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Canadian Parliament.
By Alexander Smith
September 25, 2023
Lawmakers recognized Yaroslav Hunka, 98, shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Canadian Parliament.
It seemed like a touching and timely tribute by Canadian lawmakers to a 98-year-old war “hero” who fought for Ukraine’s independence during World War II. But it soon emerged that the man was in fact part of a notorious Nazi unit, leading to fury at the standing ovation he was given in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Yaroslav Hunka wiped away tears on receiving the rousing recognition from the Canadian House of Commons on Friday. He was singled out by Speaker Anthony Rota, who called him a “hero” following a speech by the visiting Ukrainian leader, who in turn raised a fist during the applause.
But Rota apologized Sunday after he said he “subsequently became aware of more information” about Hunka’s past.
The Ukrainian nonagenarian did fight the Soviet Union, but as part of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, “a Nazi military unit whose crimes against humanity during the Holocaust are well-documented,” according to the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Canadian human rights group promoting awareness about the Holocaust and fighting antisemitism.
The center said in a statement Sunday it was “deeply disturbed” by Hunka’s recognition in Parliament and “further outraged” that he received a standing ovation.
“The fact that a veteran who served in a Nazi military unit was invited to and given a standing ovation in Parliament is shocking,” it said. Hunka’s unit, also known as the First Ukrainian Division, was “responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians with a level of brutality and malice that is unimaginable.”
Another Canada-based advocacy group, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said it was “deeply troubled & disturbed.” Michael Mostyn, CEO of Jewish human rights organization B’nai Brith Canada, called the invitation and ovation “beyond outrageous.”
Rota, the Commons speaker, said that he alone was responsible for inviting Hunka, who lives in the area he represents, implying that neither Zelenskyy nor Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knew about it.
“I particularly want to extend my apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world,” the speaker said in a statement. “I accept full responsibility for my actions.”
Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, has said members of his family were killed during the Holocaust. NBC News has contacted his office for comment.
Trudeau’s office said in a statement that Rota had apologized and accepted full responsibility.
“This was the right thing to do,” the statement said. “No advance notice was provided to the Prime Minister’s Office, nor the Ukrainian delegation, about the invitation or the recognition.”
Members of Parliament from all parties, not just Trudeau’s Liberal Party, rose to applaud Hunka. A spokesperson for the Conservative party said the party was not aware of his history at the time, The Associated Press reported.
Hunka could not be immediately reached for comment, the AP said.
In 1985, the Canadian government launched an inquiry into the number of former soldiers who had fought under the Nazis during World War II and then taken up residence in Canada.
The Deschênes Commission, as it was known, found two years later that claims of war crimes against the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division, also known as the 1st Galician, “have never been substantiated” — a contention that scholars have contested.
Russia seizes on ‘revolting’ recognition
The issue of Nazis and far-right ideology is an especially touchy one for Ukraine.
One of the nebulous justifications given by Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading his former Soviet neighbor is that he wants to “denazify” Ukraine, which he says is being run by neo-Nazis enabled by the West.
There is little evidence for this claim. But Russian officials were quick to seize on Hunka’s ovation as proof of the far-right leanings of Ukraine and its backers.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, called the spectacle “revolting” and accused the Canadians of having “such an uncareful attitude to memory,” during his daily briefing to journalists Monday.
“A whole new generation has grown up in Canada unaware of fascism and Nazi crimes,” he said, “and we can see Nazism resurrect here and there, like for example in Ukraine.”
Russia’s ambassador to Canada, Oleg Stepanov, said that inviting the former Nazi into Parliament was no accident, calling the Canadian government “essentially the personification of neoliberal fascism,” according to Russian news agency RIA.
And Russia’s permanent representative in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, called it a “shameful day for Canada,” the news agency reported.
Like in many other countries, including Russia, Ukraine does have some far-right elements. Notably the Azov Battalion, which has been incorporated into the Ukraine National Guard, has a history of far-right and white supremacist insignia and beliefs.
Support for prominent World War II-era nationalist figures like Stepan Bandera also persists, with many revering him as a freedom fighter against the Soviets despite the fact he was also a Nazi collaborator.
Just before World War II, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, and millions of Ukrainians fought for the Red Army against Nazi Germany. At this time, the country also had one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe — a population long subject to persecution and pogroms.
When the country was invaded by German forces in 1941, many Ukrainian nationalists welcomed them as liberators from the Soviet yoke, according to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. “Many Ukrainians and some of the prisoners of war willingly joined German auxiliary units,” it said.
This collaboration also extended to the “Holocaust of bullets”: the killing of an estimated 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews who were shot to death near their homes — rather than deported to camps — by Germans alongside willing Ukrainians and Russians, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
“Philadelphia cheesesteak shop hires armed agents to protect customers outside… Customers are thrilled… and they formed a line around the building.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRL32CEyMH8
https://6abc.com/jims-west-steaks-armed-agents-cheesesteak-shop-philadelphia/13788360/
Philadelphia cheesesteak shop hires armed agents to protect customers outside
The armed agents will be there during business hours Thursday through Sunday.
By Briana Smith
September 15, 2023
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Customers are thrilled the original Jim’s West Steaks & Hoagies in West Philadelphia is back in business, and they formed a line around the building.
“I’m so excited,” said Nitah Dunham from West Philadelphia. “The food has always been good.”
“In my opinion, it’s the best cheesesteak in town,” said William King from West Philadelphia.
But now, customers can expect to see armed agents out front.
“The violence has spiked,” said Co-owner Cortez Johnson. “It goes up and down. You want people to feel safe and be safe. So when they come out and eat, they don’t have to worry about no type of harm.”
“Our lines are down the block, so while you’re standing here in line, connecting with other people you may not know, we have security right here just to keep you guys safe,” said Saul Landers, the CFO of Jim’s West.
The owners hope the presence of armed agents prevents crimes.
“It’s not just myself,” said Kevon Darden, who owns Presidential Protection Services. “It’s usually other agents who are sworn and certified by the state of Pennsylvania to do security work when they’re off duty. All of us are former military, police, and law enforcement background.”
The armed agents will be there during business hours Thursday through Sunday.
Other business owners hired armed guards too, including the Karco Gas Station in North Philadelphia.
“If you want to secure your business and you want to make sure everyone is safe, you have to spend that extra money,” said Landers.
Some customers say they support the enhanced security.
“Safety and good food is always a plus,” said Dunham.
“If it deters it (crime), I can’t complain,” said Mario Maiale from West Philadelphia. “I’m not a big fan of guns, but I get it.”
Others think it’s not necessary outside of Jim’s West and say it’s an alarming sight.
“Now North Philly, where that gas station is, where the guy is out there with a machine gun, I can understand that,” said King. “Here, it’s a little overkill. Even if you have an armed guard, okay. But, walking around with a machine gun, it’s not family-friendly.”
“I’m here to protect you,” said Darden. “I’m not here to cause any trouble or be that guy with a rifle.”
The San Francisco government is knowingly and deliberately allowing a major fencing operation to buy and sell stolen goods just one-and-a-half blocks from a police station
According to this news video from ABC7 News Bay Area, the San Francisco government is knowingly and deliberately allowing a major fencing operation to buy and sell stolen goods just one-and-a-half blocks from a police station.
The TV station interviewed a victim of a car break-in. He had put GPS trackers in his items that had been stolen. He used them to track his stolen items. When he told a police officer, the police officer said they already knew about the fencing operation, but didn’t do anything to help the guy get his possessions back.
The police don’t care. The government doesn’t care. The mayor doesn’t care. The district attorney doesn’t care.
According to this recent news article from SFGATE, the city of San Francisco has a serial car burglar named Quoc Le, who has been repeatedly arrested and released. He was released after they found him with 130 boxes of stolen electronics.
Every city has exactly as much crime as the voters are willing to tolerate. The people of San Francisco have chosen to elect district attorneys, mayors, and judges who are on the side of the criminals. The voters of San Francisco are getting exactly what they voted for.
San Francisco has repeatedly arrested and released this serial car burglar. The voters are getting exactly what they voted for.
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/quoc-le-electronics-burglary-suspect-arrest-18119717.php
Suspect in SF Quickly Boba Tea burglary ring arrested while out on bail
By Nico Madrigal-Yankowski
May 25, 2023
For the third time in four years, a man associated with a San Francisco Quickly Boba Tea shop has been arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen goods. This time, he is being held without bail.
Quoc Le, 42, is accused of being a “fence” — someone who resells stolen goods on the worldwide black market. In 2022, he was arrested at the Tenderloin Quickly shop, which was owned by his wife, during a sting operation spearheaded by former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. The 2022 arrest found Le in possession of 130 boxes of electronics at the Quickly location, the DA’s office said. Many of the electronics, which were embedded with tracking devices as part of the sting operation, showed prosecutors just how far-reaching the trade of stolen electronics really was, as many were traced to Europe and Asia.
On May 18, San Francisco police arrested Le at his home on Alemany Boulevard, and he once again faces charges of possession of stolen goods. SFPD conducted a search warrant the same day, and officers found a bevy of smartphones, tablets and laptops, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said in a statement Wednesday. Le was out on bail from his 2022 arrest.
A judge granted a motion that Le be held without bail because he is “alleged to have continued his criminal activities while released in two other pending criminal cases,” the statement said.
Following his arraignment Tuesday, Le is scheduled to appear in court May 31, when a preliminary hearing date will be set. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Anyone with information on Le is encouraged to call the San Francisco Police Department tip line at 415-575-4444.
In Mississauga, Ontario, a public high school library removed every book that had been published in 2008 or earlier, under the justification of “inclusivity,” “anti-racism,” “equity” and “diversity”
By Daniel Alman (aka Dan from Squirrel Hill)
September 15, 2023
In Mississauga, Ontario, a public high school library removed every book that had been published in 2008 or earlier, under the justification of “inclusivity,” “anti-racism,” “equity” and “diversity.”
Gee, I always thought that the word “inclusivity” was about including things, not excluding things.
And I always thought the word “diversity” meant there should be more choices, not fewer.
And I’m not sure how getting rid of The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank contributes to the fight against racism.
You can read about it in this article:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/peel-school-board-library-book-weeding-1.6964332
‘Empty shelves with absolutely no books’: Students, parents question school board’s library weeding process
Books published in 2008 or earlier removed from school library amid confusion around new equity-based process
September 13, 2023
Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
Those are all examples of books Reina Takata says she can no longer find in her public high school library in Mississauga, Ont., which she visits on her lunch hour most days.
In May, Takata says the shelves at Erindale Secondary School were full of books, but she noticed that they had gradually started to disappear. When she returned to school this fall, things were more stark.
“This year, I came into my school library and there are rows and rows of empty shelves with absolutely no books,” said Takata, who started Grade 10 last week.
She estimates more than 50 per cent of her school’s library books are gone.
Renowned criminology professor who ‘proved’ systemic racism fired for faking data, studies retracted
Renowned criminology professor who ‘proved’ systemic racism fired for faking data, studies retracted
“The damage to the standing of the University and, in particular, the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice and its faculty approaches the catastrophic and may be unalterable.”
September 11, 2023
A renowned criminology professor who “proved” that racism is systemic in America’s law enforcement and American society has been fired for faking data and his studies have now been retracted.
Eric Stewart, 51, a now former criminology professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee, is now out of work due to “extreme negligence” in his research. According to Google Scholar, Stewart and his work were cited over 8,500 times by other researchers.
Now, the WEB DuBois fellow at the National Institute of Justice is out of a job on account of “extreme negligence and incompetence.”
Retraction Watch obtained the termination letter from the university, which said that due to Stewart’s conduct “decades of research” previously thought “to be at the forefront” of the field of criminology has “been shown to contain numerous erroneous and false narratives.”
In the July 13 letter that informed Stewart of his termination, FSU Provost James J. Clark wrote, “The details of problematic data management, false results, and the numerous publication retractions have negatively affected the discipline on a national level.”
Clark noted that Stewart’s actions had also impacted the recruitment of students and faculty and that now the university’s researchers are concerned that their papers will not be published in major journals writing in the termination latter, “The damage to the standing of the University and, in particular, the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice and its faculty approaches the catastrophic and may be unalterable.” Clark added, “I do not see how you can teach our students to be ethical researchers or how the results of future research projects conducted by you could be deemed as trustworthy adding that six of the studies had been retracted while his other work was “in doubt.”
Stewart, who was a vice president and fellow at the American Society of Criminology, which honored him as one of four highly distinguished criminologists in 2017, was fired after nearly 2 decades of his data was found to have “false results,” which included information used in his study in which he claimed that the history of lynchings made whites perceive blacks are criminals and that the issue was more prevalent among those who are politically conservative.
Stewart’s studies in which he claimed that whites wanted longer sentences for Latinos and blacks had to be retracted. Stewart stated in the work “…that this effect will be greater among whites… where socioeconomic disadvantage and political conservatism are greater.”
A 2018 study which has now also been retracted suggested that because white Americans perceive Latinos and blacks as “criminal threats,” that perception could lead to “state-sponsored social control.”
Stewart claimed in a 2015 study which has now been retracted that Americans desired harsher sentences for Latinos because their numbers were increasing and they were becoming more successful economically. Stewart concluded that “Latino population growth and perceived Latino criminal and economic threat significantly predict punitive Latino sentiment.”
Stewart’s research also delved into the relationship between incarceration and divorce, street violence, the impact of tough neighborhoods on adolescents, whether street gardens reduce crime, and how race impacts student discipline in schools.
According to The New York Post, six of Stewart’s articles that had been published in top academic journals such as Criminology and Law and Society Review between 2003 and 2019 have now been fully retracted due to flawed data.
Stewart, who earned his PhD from Iowa State University in 2000, was exposed four years ago when his former graduate student Justin Pickett accused the former professor of meddling with sample sizes of research to prove his conclusions.
In 2011, the pair worked together in researching if the American public was demanding longer sentences for Hispanic and black criminals as their populations increased in the country, and though the paper reached that conclusion, Pickett stated the research proved otherwise and blew the whistle. An investigation began into Stewart in 2020 during which the former professor claimed he was the victim and that Pickett “…lynched me and my academic character.” Stewart has not been at his post since March, according to The Post.
According to Stewart’s resume, he has been granted over $3.5 million from organizations including taxpayer-funded entities such as the National Science Foundation which is part of the federal government, and the National Institute of Justice, which is operated by the Justice Department and Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice.
An arm of the National Institute of Health, The National Institute of Mental Health, funneled $3.2 million into research on how African Americans transition into adulthood, the research which Stewart supervised from 2007-2012 as co-principal investigator.
Stewart reported annual salary from FSU, a public university was $190,000, he served on the school’s diversity, promotion, and tenure committees and even as a member of FSU’s Academic Honor Policy Hearing Committee where he presided over decisions regarding students accused of academic dishonesty and cheating.
Surveillance video shows Ta’Kiya Young putting liquor bottles in her bag inside Ohio Kroger store
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wmxdOK7qSk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VesUUuaZnw
https://www.yahoo.com/news/additional-bodycam-footage-released-death-201919325.html
Additional bodycam footage is released in the death of pregnant Black mother Ta’Kiya Young
By Samantha Hendrickson
Associated Press
September 8, 2023
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio authorities on Friday released additional bodycam and surveillance footage of the events leading up to the death of Ta’Kiya Young, a 21-year-old pregnant Black mother fatally shot by police in a grocery store parking lot late last month.
Young, who was suspected of shoplifting, was killed by a Blendon Township police officer who fired a single bullet into her windshield after she refused to leave her car and it started rolling toward him. Her unborn daughter did not survive.
Young’s family members held a funeral for her on Thursday. They have called for the officer, whose name has not been released, to be fired and charged in her death. Earlier this week, police released bodycam footage showing the officer firing the gun. After viewing the footage, the family released a statement calling the officer’s actions a “gross misuse of power and authority,” especially given that Young had been accused of a relatively minor crime.
The additional security footage made public on Friday shows Young and two other women walking around the liquor department of the Columbus-area store. Young can be seen putting multiple bottles of alcohol into her purse and a tote bag while out of sight of the cash register. She and the two other women then leave without paying.
Sean Walton, the Young family’s attorney, said earlier this week that his law firm had found a witness who stated that Young had put down the bottles before leaving the store, and therefore had committed no crime. Walton said Friday that he would comment on the new footage after fully reviewing it.
The additional bodycam footage also shows police officers quickly rendering medical aid to Young after she is shot. They break the window of her car, which had rolled into the brick wall of the supermarket, and pull her from the vehicle. The tote bag full of liquor is visible as they drag her from the car.
The two officers then handcuff her as they try to stanch her gunshot wound, following police procedure. Young can be heard moaning as she slips from consciousness. The officers, with the help of an emergency room doctor who happened to be in the parking lot, continue medical aid until paramedics arrive. Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford has said that Ohio law prohibits the release of the officers’ identities because they are being treated as assault victims. One of the officers’ arms was still in the door of Young’s car when it started moving and the other one was still standing in front of it, he said. ___
Samantha Hendrickson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Vice chair of Minnesota Democrat Party who advocated for dismantling police gets violently beaten and carjacked
Vice chair of Minnesota Democrat Party who advocated for dismantling police gets violently beaten and carjacked
She now calls for law and order and wants to take her city back.
By Katie Daviscourt
September 7, 2023
She now calls for law and order and wants to take her city back.
A far-left Minneapolis activist was the victim of a brutal armed car-jacking that occurred in the driveway of her home on Tuesday evening.
Shivanthi Sathanandan, a radical leftist and second vice chairwoman of the Democratic Farmer Labor party in Minneapolis, who was left bruised and bloodied during the incident, is calling for “accountability” despite her past history of being a notable “defund the police” agitator.
Sathanandan said in a Facebook post that she suffered a broken leg, deep lacerations to her head, and cuts and bruises all over her body when four armed juveniles allegedly beat her to the ground in front of her children and then stole her vehicle in broad daylight, according to KSTP.
“Look at my face. REMEMBER ME when you are thinking about supporting letting juveniles and young people out of custody to roam our streets instead of HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS. You could have been reading the obituary for me and my children today,” Sathanandan wrote.
“But instead I’m here. To write this,” she continued. “Look at my face. These criminals will not win. We need to take back our city. And this will not be the last you hear from me about this. Thank you to the incredible Minneapolis 4th Precinct Officers, Mayor Frey, Chief O’Hara, Paramedics, neighbors, friends and DFL family, who all came to our aide during this terrifying experience. I’m so grateful for this community that wraps us in love.”
Sathanandan’s comments on her alleged brutal attack imply that she may have reversed course surrounding her previous advocacy to “dismantle” the Minneapolis Police Department. In June of 2020, Sathanandan wrote in a post on Facebook: “We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. Say it with me. DISMANTLE The Minneapolis Police Department.”
“As allies, what can we do right now? LISTEN and LEARN from our Black siblings. And then AMPLIFY this message right now, in this moment. MPD has systematically failed the Black Community, they have failed ALL OF US. It’s time to build a new infrastructure that works for ALL communities. If you are still disagreeing with that BASIC FACT, I’m not sure what to say to you. I’m proud of the radical leadership and organizing of Jeremiah Bey Ellison and Phillipe Cunningham….If you live in Minneapolis, call and email your City Council Member to voice your support. If you don’t live in Minneapolis, be LOUD. Spread this message. Show your support. NOW is the moment for change,” she wrote.
After Sathanandan shared the incident on her Facebook account, individuals flocked to the comments to ask if she “regrets” being at the forefront of dismantling the police department, which has left Minneapolis residents in increased danger.
“No one should have this happen to them, children present or otherwise. Not ever. Nevertheless, HOW COULD Ms. Sathanandan NOT SEE THIS COMING, considering the efforts of her party? If you fight for a lawless state, lawlessness happens in broad daylight,” one individual wrote.
“Sometimes you have to lay in the bed you made,” said another to the vice chairwoman.
“You literally did everything in your power to dismantle the police,” another added. “Now you’re reaping what you sowed.”
“She is directly responsible for this. She should resign in disgrace,” an individual commented.
According to the Minneapolis Police Department, Sathanandan’s vehicle was recovered after being found abandoned. No suspects involved in the attack have been identified or taken into custody.
A George Floyd protestor, who was filmed setting a building on fire, which caused the death of an innocent person, has been sentenced to only 10 years in prison
Rochester man gets decade in federal prison for arson during George Floyd riots
By Mike Bunge
January 14, 2022
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A Rochester man who burned down a Minneapolis pawn shop during the George Floyd riots is going to federal prison.
Montez Terrial Lee Jr., 26, pleaded guilty to one count of arson and was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court to 10 years behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the State of Minnesota says Lee, along with others, broke into the Max It Pawn Shop on East Lake Street in Minneapolis on May 28, 2020. Surveillance video showed Lee pouring a fire accelerant around the pawn shop and lighting the accelerant on fire. The fire destroyed the building. Investigators found a second video which showed Lee standing in front of the burning pawn shop and Lee could be heard saying, “[expletive] this place. We’re gonna burn this [expletive] down.”
The body of a 30-year-old man was found in the ruble of the Max It Pawn building on July 20, 2020. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office attributed the man’s death to “probable inhalation of products of combustion and thermal injury (building fire).”
This case was investigated jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Rochester Police Department, and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division.
Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog 