7 Year Old Gang Raped After Being Sold by Sister

And where were the parents? Or should I even bother asking?

This Just Broke My Heart

Javon R. Jackson, 23, was shot and killed,
less than a day after graduating from the University at Buffalo



I try and make sense of things. Some things, though, just make me so angry. I'm tired as hell of Black folks who are trying to make something positive happen in the world being snuffed out by the criminal element that would be better 6 feet under. The wrong folks are winding up at the cemetary. There's a Black talk show host that calls these folks 'Urban Terrorists'. I believe I see his point.

Hat tip: Bossip

From the NYDailyNews:

For Bronx mom of Buffalo graduate, son's death turns joy to horror
BY Stephanie Gaskell
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, May 11th 2009, 4:00 AM
A day after proudly watching her son graduate from the University of Buffalo, a Bronx mom is now making plans to bury the brainy future engineer.

Javon Jackson, 23, was shot and killed just after 3 a.m. Sunday outside a bar in Buffalo as he celebrated his graduation.

Cops believe the gunman and three other men walked up behind Jackson and fired at least twice at the newly minted grad.

"This was supposed to be my Mother's Day gift," grieving mom Theresa Williams, told reporters in Buffalo. "I was so proud of him."

Williams and Jackson's father, who flew in from Chicago, both attended their son's graduation and were still upstate when they learned of the terrible news.

Even hardboiled cops were jarred by the parents' tragedy.

"His father and mother were so proud to have their son graduate from college," Chief of Detectives Dennis Richards said. "Now, they are distraught beyond words."

Jackson grew up in the Pelham Parkway Houses and graduated from Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics. Friends flooded an online memorial site with stories about his quick wit and big smile.

Childhood friend Alexis Dorsett said Jackson was always more interested in his studies than fighting.

"He's a good kid. Humorous, focused on school," Dorsett said. "He's a great kid. It's hard."

Williams said she last saw her son alive when he went out to see some friends.

"I never thought it would be the last time," she said, fighting back tears.

Jackson was crossing Main St., a stretch of road lined with bars full of students celebrating graduation, when he was gunned down.

Police believe they may have caught the shooting on a surveillance camera.

Tasers: Not As Simple As Black & White

I'm a little torn on the issue of taser use. I have a clear understanding of use-of-force issues from my experience in the God forsaken private security industry and from my college studies. The Taser was adopted as an alternative to pepper spray and the asp, or as sort of a middle ground between the two, designed to be a more effective means of controlling suspects. On one hand, the taser can be an effective law enforcement tool and has been shown to be safe in some studies. On the other hand, high profile deaths, and misuse by police officers have raised too many questions in the last few years.

Black bloggers have started a campaign of sorts against the use of tasers. They are looking at this problem through the narrow prism of race, as a Black/White issue. I take more of a middle ground. I have been in situations where I have had to fight & wrestle with suspects and I wished I had a taser. My life and well-being aren't worth putting at risk for the job.

I am glad they are raising this issue, although I may not agree with all of their conclusions. I know the problem of Taser abuse and misuse can't be completely separated from the wider problem of police misconduct and Race, but there have been plenty of people from all stripes who have been victims of taser misuse. Recently they have framed several deaths after police/taser encounters as racially motivated incidents where victims were "tasered to death". While I understand their frustration, these depictions may not be accurate. Framing this problem as a race issue doesn't move the discussion forward. Race will always dominate the discussion while issues of public policy, improving procedures, and finding solutions will be overshadowed.

There are three fundamental problems with how the issue of tasering is being viewed by some bloggers, Black bloggers in particular.

1. These cases are clumsily lumped together. But each tasering incident is different....they come with different facts and circumstances and should be looked at individually, free from bias and prejudgment.

2. In most cases, suspects do not die from the actual tasering, but they die from some other circumstance, such as known or unknown medical conditions, drugs, a form of trauma, or from a complication of the taser that is not yet well understood (I will come back to that later). But to say in blanket fashion that people are being "tasered to death" is probably inaccurate. In years past, there have actually been more injuries from asps and batons. In fact, a Canadian study found just that- more injuries from batons than from Tasers. This is a fact that is often missed in the discussion.... many of those who are looking at this issue and who are critical about tasers don't have this important point of reference and therefore many of the discussions lack the proper perspective.

3. Many don't consider the acts of the suspects. What events led to the tasering? In most cases, critics are reading newspaper articles or they are getting information from one side. Video may not be available in all cases. Bloggers may be too quick to take the side of the suspect. Critics are not at every scene where a taser is employed, and video is not always sufficient. They are not at these events, yet they make blanket statements as if they were eye witnesses. And they also bring their bias to each event.... (and I point back to item #1... look at the merits of each individual case.).

Woman tasered multiple times



Austin Officer Thomas O'Connor's Misuse of Taser



With all that being said, I believe that there is a serious problem with tasers. A few years ago, I thought that tasers were a great tool that would end confrontations quickly and more safely. However, it is pretty clear that taser misuse is a growing problem (seems to be growing as more police departments are getting these devices). One of the biggest problems that I see is the problem of stupid police officers. How do you fix that? That seems to be a problem that is systemic and institutional. Add to that a lack of training, and lack of national guidelines on taser use, and you have the mess that we are seeing now. The taser is simply a toy to the police officer who always wanted to shoot his gun on duty, but could not. With a taser, he/she is, in a way, given a green light to play Cowboys and Indians on the job. The lack of common sense seems to be widespread. Now I understand that there are some cases where officers may not know (and cannot possibly know) the complete medical history of a suspect...or know if every female suspect is pregnant, particularly in the first few months of pregnancy. They don't have time to do a pregnancy test when they are attempting to arrest an unruly suspect. Whenever you read the newspaper reports, the headlines usually read, "police taser pregnant woman". All of the other facts surrounding the incident that may provide perspective always seem to be missing. And responsibility never rests with a pregnant suspect who should not be involved in activity that may put herself at risk. I have seen plenty of pregnant women who commit crimes, shopliftings, assaults, and will fight when approached by police or security. Who's fault is that?

But there are other cases where Police have clearly acted in an irrational, unprofessional manner, often violating their own policy on taser use. One case that is a perfect example of improper taser use, is the case of Phillip McDuffy, who was tased on an overpass in Columbia Missouri, while clearly at risk of falling. The McDuffy case showed a complete lack of common sense on the part of police. The second shot from the taser (as well as McDuffy walking out onto the edge of the overpass) led him to fall more than 15 feet, causing serious injury. Or the case like the one above where the male officer tases a female suspect repeatedly, despite the fact that she is putting up minimal resistance, and he probably outweighs her by close to 200 pounds. One other thing I noticed from that particular video is they way that he is telling her to put her hands behind her back...as she is being electrocuted. Barney clearly did not understand that she did not have control over her motor skills at that point and could not possibly comply. It was his job to place her in handcuffs after the first or second shot from the taser. Then there is Eugene Snelling and his encounter with Austin Police Officer Thomas O'Conner on Thanksgiving Day 2006. Even O'Conner's fellow police officers agreed that the use of the taser was inappropriate. O'Conner received a suspension and reprimand for the incident.

Possible Solutions

1. There is a need for more robust and more frequent medical studies on the consequences of taser use on the body. How does it affect the heart, the Central Nervous System, breathing, etc.... Can it knock the heart out of rhythm?

2. There needs to be clear national guidelines on taser use. Currently, there are different policies from State to State, County to County, and from police department to police department. One blogger, The Villager, was nice enough to post the Use-o-Force Continuum...a Universal guide for Use of Force in the United States. But even this seems inadequate. There have been too many cases where the Use of Force standards have been ignored. The problem seems to run deeper than Use of Force guidelines and the lack of adherence to them. There must be specific rules and laws for the use of tasers. The Use-of-Force Continuum is simply a framework for how officers can control a situation. Officers are given a long leash regarding how they want to use that framework. That's why most departments who use the taser had to create additional policies, specifically for taser use.

But there needs to be a national standard. Once a clear national standard is in place, it will be easier for victims of taser misuse to hold officers and departments legally liable. This alone will have a certain deterrent effect against officers who may want to misuse the taser.

3. Limit the number of police officers who can carry a taser. Only senior officers and Supervisors who have the proper training & good judgment should carry these devices.

4. Increase police officer training. It is clear that officers know how to use this device, but many don't seem to understand when & under what circumstances they should use it.

5. Only Police Departments that have reached a certain standard (as a department) should be allowed to have tasers. Why? If you allow any Mayberry Police Department to have tasers and they don't have adequate hiring standards and training standards... they should be nowhere near a taser. Even if they can train their officers on how to use it, the hiring standards may be so bad that the weapon will be placed in the hands of someone who does not have the proper judgment to have possession of it in the first place.

6. Taser use by police should be given nearly the same oversight as gun use. The use of the Taser should be subject to some of the same review procedures as a police shooting, and conversely, the administrative (and sometimes legal) penalties for improper use should be just as serious. The officer should not be in an environment where he/she is second guessed every minute, but they must be able to justify the use of this device, each and every time.

7. A ban on the use of these devices on women should be considered. Officers often have no way of knowing whether a female suspect is pregnant or not, especially if she is in the first trimester. More medical studies are needed regarding the impact of tasers on pregnant women.

The issue of taser use is not as simple as Black & White, both in terms of its complexity as an issue, and in terms of the racial perspective. Each case has to be looked at individually, and the proper perspective must be given. I can recall all of the problems surrounding the use of Pepper Spray. People died from that too...or they died as an indirect result of being sprayed, especially suspects who had heart conditions, Asthma or other respiratory problems. And the asp and nightstick sometimes left broken bones.

I believe the taser issue has become a particularly big issue because of the "I-Report", "Caught on Camera" culture that we live in today. There are cameras everywhere... they have pretty much become standard on cellphones now. This was not the case 20, 15 or even 10 years ago. The same goes with the cameras in police vehicles. We are in a Big Brother culture now. But it also may be creating a situation of distorted perspectives. Cameras have highlighted the few bad cases of taser use, the few that are shaping public opinion, while the majority of cases, which have been safe and justified are ignored.

On the other hand, there are clearly problems with the way these devices are used. And these problems go beyond just tasers.... they have to do with hiring standards, training, legal and administrative oversight, common sense, and judgment, as well as a lack of a national standard for taser use.

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Problems with Wake Forest Study?
(which is why more research is needed)

Another Post on Tasering, including several incidents of misuse

From Purple Zoe

Is Great Britains Gun Ban Making Country Safer?

Not necessarily, according to recent reports showing that violent crime is still a big problem in the UK. Criminals are simply finding other ways to create bloodshed and terrorize the citizenry- knives. This is a perfect example of why gun bans don't work.

The UK is often used by the anti-gun crowd as an example of a modern, peaceful, safe utopia because of its very strict gun laws. The British Bobbies (police) aren't even allowed to carry firearms, although some special units are allowed to have them, and they are carried in some of the police vehicles, accessible only in emergencies and with a supervisors permission (as if that's going to help an unarmed officer who is about to be shot by a suspect- "excuse me Mr. Gunmen, could you please hold that position while I check with my Supervisor to get permission to obtain a gun, so that I can kill you"?). But the revelation about knife attacks shows that the UK is nowhere near the utopia that the anti-gun folks would have you believe.

What the reports show is that the gun laws in the UK have only created a nation full of sitting ducks, vulnerable to violent thugs (the same environment that thug sympathizers and anti-gun advocates want to create here in the U.S.). The laws have done little to prevent violent crime. People can't even feel safe in their own homes.

95% of Black men are "semi-criminal or criminal" - Ron Paul

I haven’t paid a lot of attention to Ron Paul. There are many reasons for this. 1) There are only 24 hours in a day. 2) Although he sounds great on Iraq nothing else that I have heard makes any sense. Eliminate Income Tax. What? Replace it with what? Nothing. Nothing? That’s what Ron Paul has said. Eliminate Income Tax. So, I haven’t really sought out many of his opinions on other matters. Once I get to unrealistic, I move on.

I was struck by a post on Think Progress. He was waxing poetically in his political newsletter in 1992 (back in the stone ages). Where he mentions -

Indeed, it is shocking to consider the uniformity of opinion among blacks in this country. Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5% of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty, and the end of welfare and affirmative action…. Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the “criminal justice system,” I think we can safely assume that 95% of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal.

If similar in-depth studies were conducted in other major cities, who doubts that similar results would be produced? We are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, but it is hardly irrational. Black men commit murders, rapes, robberies, muggings, and burglaries all out of proportion to their numbers.

I know this is kind of weird but as a Black Man, I must say that, I haven’t murdered anyone. I haven’t raped or robbed anyone. I did try to get my roommate in college to pay more than his share of the phone bill once but I don’t think that counts as a mugging or a burglary. I think to paraphrase Ron Paul, that I can safely assume that Mr. Paul is full of cow patties.

Man Shoots Pregnant Girlfriend In Stomach With Sawed Off Shotgun

Unspeakable Brutality Unleashed Against Pregnant St. Louis Woman

Yep.... another gruesome story from the jungle-- the St. Louis metro. Hear the audio blurb from KMOX Radio.

Boyfriend puts a sawed off shotgun to his girlfriends stomach and pulls the trigger... killing the baby and leaving the young lady in critical condition. What's even worse is that it appears that he may have planned this out over a significant period of time... This madness was reportedly brought on as a result of an argument over who was the father of the baby.

The victim was 6 months pregnant. She is currently fighting for her life at a local hospital.

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I seem to hear a report like this about once per week....either nationally or locally. And I always ask myself... why won't these women leave these thugs alone? It drives me crazy! After learning about this case, I was reminded about a case in the St. Louis area that occurred about 2-3 years back... A young womans live-in thug boyfriend killed her and her three small children. (picture above) [2] He shot them all execution style. And for what? I don't think the investigators ever found anything close to a logical motive. And on top of all of that... the young woman was working her butt off everyday and taking care of her kids... AND supporting her thug boyfriend. It turns out....that this man was a convicted felon from California. She had recently just met the man and started a live-in relationship with him.

I will be doing a post soon on why some (so many) women are attracted to the "bad boy", the "thug" types, the criminals, etc. Not blaming the women who become victims of these men...but I have to raise the question... why is the meathead...the thug, etc so popular? We even see it reinforced in the popular Black culture.... One female celebrity after another...(R&B singers & actresses in particular) either is dating or has dated a rapper/bad boy, at some point during their fame. In the process they have created a minefield for the young women across the nation who emulate them. Between J. Lo and that despicable Beyonce... I don't know which one has been worse in terms of popularizing this negative male image.... telling women that this is the kind of man that they should want... because it's the "in" thing.

Is this still the "in" thing? Or is the pendulum starting to swing the other way?

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Report below from the St. Louis Post Dispatch


Pregnant woman shot; man charged
By Patrick M. O'Connell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/27/2007

ST. LOUIS COUNTY — A man accused of putting a sawed-off shotgun against his pregnant girlfriend's abdomen and pulling the trigger was charged Wednesday with murder and assault.

The fetus died and the mother was severely wounded, St. Louis County police said.

Andre Stewart, 32, became upset during a fight Tuesday night about the paternity of the unborn child, police said.

Vernell Macon, 21, who had been six months pregnant, was in critical condition at an area hospital, police spokeswoman Tracy Panus said.

The specifics of the argument were unclear, but a man who knew the couple said Wednesday that Stewart had claimed he was the father.

It happened about 10:30 p.m. at an apartment in the 2600 block of Eltarose Drive, in a complex east of Lucas and Hunt Road near the Jennings city limit.

Stewart was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action. He was being held in lieu of $1 million cash-only bond.

Stewart hid the sawed-off shotgun under a couch last week and pulled it out during the argument, according to court documents. Stewart told Macon to be quiet, then put the barrel of the gun against the woman's abdomen and fired, police said.

Stewart and Macon lived together at the apartment. A woman who lives across the hall said she heard the radio turned up loudly Tuesday night but was not aware anything was wrong until a swarm of police cars and an ambulance arrived.

"They were real sweet people," said the woman, who declined to give her name. "I don't know what happened last night."

Tory DuPree, who described himself as an acquaintance, said Stewart called himself the unborn child's father. DuPree described the victim as "a pretty nice girl; she was quiet."

"He and the victim, I never really saw them fighting or anything like that," DuPree said. "I was surprised."

Students Shot Execution Style in Newark - Community Outraged

Victims Were Lined Up & Forced to Kneel Down Before Being Shot

One of the 4 victims managed to survive.

Some in the Community are now calling for the resignation of young Mayor Cory Booker. I guess they expected Booker to perform a miracle in a year (overnight in relative terms), in a community that was literally allowed to rot over a period of decades. He can't perform miracles.

Even the father of one of the victims stated that "it's not about the Mayor, it's about the Parents... not raising their kids right". A courageous statement from a grieving father. Bill Cosby was right on time.... We just don't have enough Cosby's and enough fathers, like the one mentioned above. But I believe that this street culture that is promoted and glorified, is also playing a role.

I suppose the Thug Culture apologists would say that the suspects are just poor victims in this case.... The thugs and the culture are not to blame.

When will this urban genocide end? When parents start parenting like they are supposed to... and when the underlying culture of violence and degenerate values is finally rejected.

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USAToday

Newark-- The murder of three college students left residents of Newark shaken and angry Monday, prompting a march on City Hall and providing a major challenge for the city's new reform-minded mayor.

Mayor Cory Booker, 38, a Rhodes scholar and Yale-educated lawyer, was elected last year and promised to make public safety his top priority.

Crime has fallen during the last year, including a slight drop in the number of murders. But five killings over the weekend — including the execution-style slaying of the college students — jarred the mayor and the city. "This breaks the heart of our city," Booker said.

The murders took place around midnight Saturday behind Mount Vernon Elementary School in a middle-class neighborhood. The victims had no record of being in trouble and were seen as success stories for the city's school district.

The four students, ages 18 to 20, were listening to music in a well-lit playground behind the school shortly before midnight, Newark police said.

Three of the friends were lined up against a school wall and killed by gunshots to the head. The murder victims were Terrance Aeriel, 18, Iofemi Hightower, 20, and Dashon Harvey, 20. Natasha Aeriel, 19, Terrance's sister, was shot in the head but survived and was in fair condition Monday at a local hospital. Police were looking for about five men allegedly involved in the killings.

Two of the students were juniors at Delaware State University. Two others planned to attend the school this fall.

"They were great kids," said William Freeman, security chief at Newark public schools. "We're all grieving. We're a struggling district, but we have success stories, and it's so painful to have it end this way."

He said police suspect robbery was the motive. No arrests have been made. Newark has had 60 murders so far this year, down from 63 a year earlier. But the bloody weekend threatens to damage the city's effort to rejuvenate itself.

Newark has a new performing arts center, and an 18,000-seat sports arena is under construction for the New Jersey Devils pro hockey team.

"This is certainly a hard blow because the city has a new reform mayor who's trying to create a vibrant 24-hour downtown," says James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

The arts center, arena and other attractions depend heavily on suburban residents feeling the city is safe, he says. "People not having fear is crucial, but it's not something you can turn around overnight," he says.

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Additional Report From The Houston Chronicle

Report From the New York Times

Philly Mayor Had To Have His I-Phone

200 murders? A crisis in the streets? Nevermind all that... I need that I-Phone!!!

Mayor John Street Camps Out for 15 Hours, Waiting for IPhone Sale

Killadelphia's Mayor John Street had to have his I-Phone, despite more pressing issues in a city that has already seen 200 murders this year. He waited in line for 15 hours (on the taxpayers dime), arriving at around 3:30am.

Should he have spent his whole day in line or could he have made better use of his time by planning to deal with more pressing concerns for his city?

I personally would have paid a friend or relative to take care of something like this for me if I were a mayor of a major city.... or I would have simply pulled the strings necessary to have the store hold one for me...or have a salesperson deliver it later. How hard would that have been? I would have avoided this and had someone else do it just for the sake of not presenting the wrong image, especially considering the situation in that city at the moment regarding the rampant violence.



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