Ala. governor rejects inmate’s clemency request: plea included letter from judge who sentenced man to death

COLONEL SIXX: THE MAN WAS MURDERED ON 22 September 2011, 24 HOURS AFTER TROY DAVIS WAS MURDERED IN GEORGIA.  THE JUDGE THAT SENTENCED THE MAN TO DEATH EVEN ASKED THE GOVERNOR TO STOP THE EXECUTION.

23 September 2011

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s governor has turned down a last-minute request for clemency from an Alabama death row inmate scheduled to be executed by lethal injection Thursday evening at Holman Prison in Atmore.

Bentley said in a brief statement Wednesday that he saw no reason to overturn the decision of the jury that found Derrick Mason guilty and recommended that he be executed. Mason is scheduled to die at 6 p.m. Thursday for the March 24, 1994 shooting death of Huntsville convenience store clerk Angela Cagle.

The Mason, now 37, is accused of shooting 25-year-old Cagle twice in the face during an early morning robbery.

Mason is waiting to hear from a last-minute appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court challenging the competency of his counsel during the sentencing phase of his trial.

Mason’s plea to Bentley included a letter from retired Madison County Circuit Court Judge Loyd Little, who sentenced Mason to death. He said he now realizes the death sentence was not appropriate when compared to other cases.

Mason’s attorney, Brian Esser said Little’s change of heart concerning the death sentence is reason to stop the execution.

“Critics have said that Judge Little is anti-death penalty. It is not that he is anti-death penalty. He is anti-death penalty in this case where death is not warranted,” Esser said in a statement released by his New York office.

Esser said Mason has personally written to ‘Bentley and told the governor he has changed his life. Mason was 19 at the time Cagle was killed.

Court records show that Cagle was working as a clerk in a Majik Mart convenience store at about 3 a.m. when she was shot to death during a robbery. Her body was found lying across a desk in the convenience store’s storeroom.

Mason was accused of shooting Cagle at close range after ordering her to take her clothes off.

Mason would be the fifth person executed in Alabama this year and the third to die in the state’s death chamber since the state changed the first drug used in its execution cocktail from sodium thiopental to pentobarbital.

The change was made because of a nationwide shortage of sodium thiopental.

Black Hockey Player has bannana thrown at him in obvious racist act

COLONEL SIXX:  THE MURDER OF TROY DAVIS HAS GIVEN RACIST A COMFORT ZONE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE I.C.U. AND MORGUE ARE COMFORT ZONES AS WELL.  ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS,  YOU BETTER PRAY THAT SOMEONE LIKE ME, OR WORSE ME, DOES NOT CATCH YOU.  I AM NOT GOING TO LIVE IN JIM CROW TIMES WHEN THEY WERE OVER WHEN I WAS A CHILD.

MR. ROWAN IS SPEAKING ABOUT HIS BOOK, THAT HE WROTE, NOT ME.  HOWEVER, EVERYTHING HE SAYS IS COMING TRUE.  PEOPLE SPEND TOO MUCH TIME LOOKING AT THE MESSENGER THAT THEY MISS THE MESSAGE. THE FOREST FOR THE TREES.  THERE IS NO LIE TOLD IN THE FOLLOWING QUOTE:

There really can be no peace without justice. There can be no justice without truth. And there can be no truth, unless someone rises up to tell you the truth.
Louis Farrakhan

http://colonel6.com/2011/04/04/the-coming-race-war-in-america-a-wake-up-call/

http://colonel6.com/2011/09/21/white-supremacist-executed-for-texas-dragging-death-of-black-man/

23 September 2011

A spectator threw a banana at Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds during an overtime shootout attempt in Philadelphia’s preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings in Ontario.

After the game, Simmonds confirmed it was a banana thrown at him and said of the incident, “I’ve never had a banana thrown at me before. That’s a first for me. I guess it’s something I obviously have to deal with—being a black player playing in a predominantly white sport. I’ve grown a lot playing in this league and throughout my whole life. I’m not going to dwell on that. It’s over with now.”

Simmonds said he hoped the gesture was not directed toward him for being black.

“Because if it was, that’s just somebody being ignorant,” Simmonds said. “When you’re black, you kind of expect (racist) things. You learn to deal with it.”

The fan who threw the banana was not caught, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

One of the few black players in the National Hockey League, Simmonds had scored a goal earlier in the contest. There were also unconfirmed reports of a banana being tossed at Simmonds when he scored in regulation to tie the preseason game.

Of the shootout goal, Simmonds said, “At first, I thought I better get another shot if I miss. But I did score, so that was good.”

A teammate who wished to remain anonymous told the Daily News of the incident, “I would have went and kicked that fan’s (butt) myself. That’s just not right.”

Earlier this week in an interview with CSNPhilly.com, Simmonds said race-based negativity in hockey “really doesn’t happen in Canada. That’s pretty much the way it is.”

After the game, Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the Flyers and manages the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario, where the game was played, released a statement about the incident.

Comcast-Spectacor president and COO Peter Luukko in a statement said, “It appeared as though a fan threw an object onto the ice during the shootout. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to identify the individual. We certainly don’t condone such a foolish act (like this) as a player could potentially be seriously injured. This is the ninth time we have played here in London and the fans have always been wonderful to us. The Flyers consider this our ‘home away from home’ and that’s because this city, the fans and this spectacular arena have been so supportive of the Philadelphia Flyers.”

This is not the first time a banana has been thrown at a black hockey player. Former Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Kevin Weekes had a banana thrown at him during a 2002 playoff series with the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal.

Weekes, who is now a hockey analyst for NHL Network, Versus and MSG Network as well as the co-host for CBC Hockey Night in Canada, took to his Twitter account to express his disappointment and disgust about the incident.

“I’m extremely disappointed with what happened to Wayne Simmonds tonight in London Ont. We’ve taken HUGE steps to grow the game of hockey, as I speak Willie O’Ree and I are in D.C. attending the Black Congressional Caucus on behalf of the NHL & ironically this takes place 😦 There’s NO place for this in sports since sport connects us not divides us.”

O’Ree was the first black player in league history, making his debut with the Boston Bruins in 1958.

Sharks forward Logan Couture also took to Twitter to support Simmonds, writing: “Wayne Simmonds is a good friend of mine. To hear what happened tonight to him in my hometown us awful. No need for this in sports, or life.”

Blues forward Chris Stewart also commented on Twitter, calling the incident disgusting. “The incident that happened in London involving my best friend wayne simmonds was simply disgusting, its 2011 ppl need to grow up.

Simmonds, along with Brayden Schenn, was acquired by the Flyers in a June trade that sent former captain Mike Richards to the Los Angeles Kings. The 23-year-old from Scarborough, Ontario, is entering his fourth NHL season.

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2011-09-22/flyers-wayne-simmonds-has-banana-thrown-at-him-during-shootout?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl4%7Csec1_lnk2%7C98220#ixzz1YmEPfGSx

@ColonelSixx

Every normal man must be tempted,at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. Mencken

Troy Davis: The Price of “Justice” Was Too High

Supporters of Troy Davis react to news of his execution across the road from the prison where the execution took place in Jackson, Georgia, September 21, 2011. Davis was executed at 11:08 PM., after the US Supreme Court declined to grant a stay after four hours of deliberation. (Photo: Grant Blankenship / The New York Times)

Thursday 22 September 2011

by: Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III, Truthout | Op-Ed

When protecting the systems in a society becomes more important than the people the systems are designed to protect, that society is in great peril.

Troy Davis languished on Georgia’s Death Row for four additional hours until the stay of execution he hoped and prayed for was denied by the US Supreme Court. At 11:08 PM (EST) Davis was executed for the murder of Officer Mark MacPhail, even though recent evidence indicated that he might not have committed the murder. Members of the Georgia Supreme Court, a Butts County Superior Court judge, the Georgia Pardons Board, prosecutors, and others were more concerned with conviction rates and reputations than justice. They wanted “justice” at any cost, but many in this country and around the world demonstrated because the price that was paid was too high.

The execution of Davis when so much exculpatory evidence has come to light will only provide a short period of satisfaction for the justice seekers. At some point in time, the reality that another innocent life has been taken (the first being Officer MacPhail) coupled with the reality that the actual murderer is alive, well and walking the streets of Butts County, Georgia, will begin to weigh heavy on all of their hearts.

The question is very simple: once a person has been convicted and sentenced to death, if evidence is presented that destroys the prosecution’s case, should that individual be executed? No! Look at it this way, since seven of the nine prosecutions witnesses have recanted their eyewitness testimony, the prosecution would not be able to get the conviction if the case were retried today. If the prosecution could not win this case today; why did Davis lose his life?

This calls into question the validity of “eye-witness” testimony, police investigatory practices, and many of the assumptions that Americans have used to base their faith in the judicial process. The ugly reality that this case forces many Americans to grapple with is, if the Davis case has fallen apart, how many other cases are called into question and how many innocent people have been executed?

This should be a clarion call to all those citizens of conscience in Georgia. All of those elected officials who touched this case and elected to weigh in on the wrong side of history should be defeated in their next elections. Nationally, this should beg the questions, what type of nation are we? For what do we really stand? Do we execute human beings just because we can, even when more than reasonable doubt has now been presented? Carrying out a questionable and tainted death sentence actually damages the “system” that these officials claim to hold so near and dear.

In the last Republican presidential debate, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas said he sleeps well every night even though he has signed the death warrants of 234 death row inmates. He stated, “I’ve never struggled with that at all … The state of Texas has a very thoughtful, a very clear process in place of which – when someone commits the most heinous of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing, they go through an appellate process, they go up to the Supreme Court of the United States, if that’s required.” The problem with Perry’s sense of security is that, since 1994, 44 innocent people have been exonerated and released from Texas prisons based upon DNA evidence that was not available or admitted at trial. Those who have been executed don’t get a retrial, do over or exoneration.

This is class warfare. In America, the poor and the ignorant go to jail, while as the late Gil Scott-Heron said, “the rich go to San Clemente.”

@ColonelSixx

Every normal man must be tempted,at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. Mencken
 

 

“I’D DO IT AGAIN” RACIST EXECUTED FOR DRAGGING DEATH OF JAMES BYRD

 

COLONEL SIXX:  DON’T ASK ME WHY I QUOTE  SOMEONE.  DON’T TRY TO TELL ME ABOUT HOW YOUR BEST FRIEND IS  THIS OR THAT. DO NOT WASTE MY TIME.  AMERIKKKA IS A RACIST BASTION AND IT ALWAYS WILL BE.  IF YOU THINK THAT IS NOT TRUE, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.

 

It has been 13 years since the nation learned of the brutal dragging death of James Byrd Jr., a black man chained to the back of a pickup truck and dragged to his death in Jasper.

Lawrence Russell Brewer (seen above), a purported white supremacist is set to be executed on Wednesday for the 1998 murder.

He says “I’d do it again.” He was condemned for fastening 49-year-old James Byrd Jr. to the truck. Byrd was killed on June 7, 1998 on a rural road. His decapitated body was found the next day. Prior to Byrd’s murder, Brewer had served a prison sentence for drug possession and burglary.

Brewer will be the first of two men on death row for Byrd’s death to be executed. His scheduled lethal injection, puts Jasper back in the national spotlight.

The horrific murder of Byrd set into motion a call for special hate crime laws in Texas. It later led to the Federal October 22, 2009 Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, commonly known as the Matthew Shepard Act. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on October 28, 2009.

The racism stigma lingers in the small town, some say, pointing to a recent attempt to oust three black city council members who helped confirm a black man as police chief. Many others say the label is unfair.

There were two others convicted in Byrd’s murder. John King is serving a death row sentence in Polk County. His case is still under appeal and no execution date has been set. Sean Berry is serving a life sentence in Brazoria County.

Two of Byrd’s sisters say they will attend Wednesday’s execution. Byrd’s mother, Stella, died last year.

Appeals to the courts for the 44-year-old Lawrence Russell Brewer were exhausted and no last-day attempts have been filed to keep him from execution in Huntsville.

@ColonelSixx

Every normal man must be tempted,at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. Mencken

Supreme Court Halts Controversial Execution of Duane Buck

COLONEL SIXX: IF YOU LOOK AT THE COMMENTS MADE ON THE POST LINKED BELOW, YOU WILL SEE THAT I SAID THIS EXECUTION WOULD NOT TAKE PLACE.  THE U.S. SUPREME COURT STOPPED IT. THAT SPARED RICK PERRY FROM HAVING TO HALT IT HIMSELF.

I REMIND YOU THAT I AM FROM THE SOUTH. I KNOW SOUTHERN POLITICS.  THERE WAS NO WAY IN HELL THAT RICK PERRY WAS GOING TO LET A MAN GO TO HIS DEATH WHEN QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY HE WAS SENTENCED TO DEATH.  THE JURY FOUND THAT SINCE HE WAS BLACK,  HE PRESENTED A FUTURE DANGER.  TO ALL BUT THE MOST RACIST OF YOU, THAT IS JUST PLAIN CRAZY.

http://colonel6.com/2011/09/14/rick-perrys-next-controversial-execution-comes-thursday/

September 16, 2011

The U.S. Supreme Court stayed the execution of Duane Buck, a black man convicted of double murder in Texas 16 years ago, after his lawyers argued that racial considerations factored in the sentencing phase of his trial.

Although the Supreme Court did not specify the span of the stay, Buck’s attorney Kate Black asked Gov. Rick Perry for 30 days.

Buck, 48, was spared from lethal injection on Thursday hours before he was scheduled to be put to death after the nation’s highest court said it would review an appeal in his case.

Buck’s execution had been scheduled to take place on Thursday after 6 p.m. CDT (2300 GMT) at the prison in Huntsville, Texas.

“The application for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice Scalia and by him referred to the Court is granted pending the disposition of the petition for a writ of certiorari. Should the petition for a writ of certiorari be denied, this stay shall terminate automatically. In the event the petition for a writ of certiorari is granted, the stay shall terminate upon the sending down of the judgment of this Court,” the Court document said.

Buck was convicted of shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend, Debra Gardner, and her companion Kenneth Butler outside Houston in 1995. At the time of sentencing, a psychologist who was called to testify said that blacks were more likely to be repeat offenders.

An early-morning quarrel between Buck and Gardner led to Buck returning to Gardner’s home several hours later with two rifles. He forced his way into the home at 7327 Peurta Vallarta and began shooting indiscriminately, according to records at Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice.

The documents added that the first person Buck saw inside the home was his own sister, whom he shot in the chest. He then shot and killed Butler and chased Gardner out the back door and into the middle of the street as her young daughter begged not to shoot her mother. Buck shot Gardner and left her bleeding in the street. Buck was taken into custody at the scene, while his sister survived her wound.

Although Buck’s guilt has not been questioned, his lawyers argue the jury was unfairly influenced by the psychologist’s racially based testimony, causing them to recommend a sentence of capital punishment instead of life in prison.

The state of Texas has executed 235 inmates since Perry, a Republican presidential candidate and staunch supporter of death penalty, became governor in 2000. On Tuesday, Steven Woods was put to death for his supposed involvement in the slayings of two people in Texas in 2002. Two more Texas prisoners are scheduled to die next week.

@ColonelSixx

If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would promise them missionaries for dinner.
H. L. Mencken

Alleged White Supremacists Beat Black Man, But DA Doesn’t File Hate Crime Charge

Charles Cannon won’t face hate-crime charges.

 

In a crime that hearkened back to the skinhead days of the early ’90s, or modern-day Dallas, four white men remain behind bars today charged with assaulting a black man at a downtown bus stop early Sunday morning.

Police want the incident classed as a hate crime, but the Harris County District Attorney’s office has been reluctant to designate it as such.

The DA’s office has issued a statement on the matter, which we have after the jump…

Arrested were 40-year-old Michael Joe McLaughlin and 32-year-old Brian Kerstetter, both of Cypress; 48-year-old homeless man Joseph Staggs; and 25-year-old Charles Allen Cannon of the Cloverleaf neighborhood, the closest thing modern-day Houston proper has to a white ghetto.

Police told Channel 26’s Isiah Carey that the men claimed to be white supremacists, and police have said that they are members of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang. Carey reported that they attacked the man because he was black. The victim was hospitalized after the attack.

Kerstetter and Cannon publicly claim to be “Peckerwoods” on Facebook, where they are friends. In prison slang, a Peckerwood is someone at least loosely affiliated with a white prison gang.

Kerstetter and McLaughlin have had ample opportunity to make such connections. Kerstetter’s criminal history dates back to a 1997 felony burglary conviction.

Since then, he’s been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence twice and also three more felonies, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and, just last year, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

McLaughlin’s rap sheet dates back to a DWI he got at the age of 19 in 1989. Since then he’s been convicted of auto theft, felony burglary of a vehicle, and robbery-bodily injury, for which he was sentenced to 13 years in TDC.

At the time of the incident, Cannon was freshly released from a 30-day stay in Harris County Jail after being convicted of assault after a nasty incident this March. According to a police report, Cannon and his wife Maria Guadalupe Cannon and two friends randomly assaulted a couple who were enjoying a sunny afternoon on the banks of the San Jacinto River. For kicking a man who was wrestling a friend of his after that friend had picked a fight, Cannon was sentenced to a month in jail. Maria Cannon, all 4′9” and 90 pounds of her, is alleged to have taken a cellphone from a woman at gunpoint in the same incident and remains behind bars awaiting her day in court.

Perhaps the fact that Maria Cannon is Hispanic is one of the complicating factors in this case. Neither Kerstetter — who also once lived with a Hispanic woman (whom he is alleged to have beaten) — nor Cannon seem to have any qualms about crossing the brown-white divide. Both also have numerous Hispanic friends, and when Cannon assaulted the couple on the San Jacinto River, two of his accomplices were Latinos.

On the other hand, neither Kerstetter nor Cannon nor anyone else in their circle of friends seem to be friendly with any black people.

Or perhaps it’s a case of once-bitten twice shy for the DA’s office. In September 2009, in their first attempt at one of these cases, a grand jury declined the DA’s request to stack a hate crime enhancement on three white men accused of attacking a black ice cream vendor in northwest Harris County while calling him a “nigger.”

In the end, one of those men walked free of any charges, a second was convicted of criminal mischief and received probation, and a third was sentenced to a year in Harris County Jail for simple assault.

UPDATE August 18: The DA’s office has released this statement in regards to this case:

UPDATE: “Hate crime” enhancement decisions are made after a criminal charge is filed. After a careful assessment of the facts and the evidence, the trial prosecutor determines if bias or prejudice can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. If so, the defense is notified and the judge or jury decides whether or not the motive is proven.

The law specifies which offenses can be enhanced with hate crime allegations. First degree felonies cannot be so enhanced. For class A misdemeanors, the maximum punishment does not change with this finding, but the minimum jail time can be increased to 180 days if the jury makes a finding of bias or prejudice.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office takes all crimes of this nature seriously, and they are carefully scrutinized to determine if the offense is one where an affirmative finding of this nature should be sought.

Since these guys are all facing class A misdemeanor assault charges, the most they can receive on conviction is a year in the county jail. Should a jury conclude the crime was hate-based, the minimum punishment would be six months.

@ColonelSixx

Every normal man must be tempted,at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. Mencken

Family Of James Anderson, Killed By Gang Of White Teenagers, Files Lawsuit

 

http://colonel6.com/2011/08/20/hate-crime-white-teens-drive-over-and-kill-black-man-in-jackson-mississippi/

he family of James C. Anderson, a black man allegedly beaten by a gang of seven white teenagers who then mowed him down with a pickup truck in Jackson, Mississippi, filed a wrongful death lawsuit today.

The suit filed by the family’s attorney, Winston J. Thompson III, with cooperation from the Southern Poverty Law Center claims that after a night of drinking, the teenagers set out to “go f*ck with some niggers.” After finding Anderson, 49, in a motel parking lot early in the morning of June 26, the group set upon him, taking turns beating him as they yelled “White Power!”, according to the lawsuit filed in Hinds County Circuit Court. Then, the suit continues, some of the crew ran him over with a Ford F-250.

Anderson’s killing sparked a national outcry, and video of the beating captured by a nearby security camera was broadcast on CNN. The family is now seeking punitive damages.

“Anyone who knew James could see that he was a caring man with a beautiful smile,” said Barbara Anderson Young, Anderson’s eldest sister, in a statement released today. “He was such a compassionate person. We must take an honest look at the racial climate that motivated some young people to hurt such a wonderful person.”

Of the seven teens that the lawsuit alleges were involved in Anderson’s killing –- Deryl Dedmon Jr., John Aaron Rice, William Kirk Montgomery, Sarah Graves, Shelbie Richards, John Blaylock and Dylan Butler — only Dedmon, 19, and Rice, 18, have been charged by authorities.

Dedmon has been charged with capital murder and robbery. Rice has been charged with simple assault.

“The whole world saw the brutal attack that James Anderson suffered at the hands of people who simply wanted to hurt someone of a different race,” said Thompson. “We cannot ignore such cold-hearted cruelty.”

The lawsuit details a liquor-fueled gathering of teens: “During one of the gatherings, Defendants joined together to, in Dedmon’s words, go fuck with some niggers.”

They then piled into two vehicles, a green Ford F-250 driven by Dedmon and a white Jeep Cherokee driven by Montgomery, and headed for Jackson, according to the lawsuit.

The group in the Jeep noticed a black man, who turned out to be Anderson, in the parking lot of the Metro Inn and called Dedmon to the scene. Some of the teens stayed in the vehicles as lookouts, while Dedmon, Rice, Butler and Blaylock got out and approached Anderson, the lawsuit claims. Soon after, the attack was on.

“At one point, a Defendant yelled White Power!” according to the suit.

After the beating, the group in the Jeep drove off, it continues. But Dedmon and others in the Ford headed out of the parking lot and drove head-on into Anderson, who was stumbling through a grassy area near the motel’s entrance.

According to the lawsuit: “After hitting Anderson, Dedmon immediately informed the other Defendants that he had ran that nigger over.”

“James Anderson lost his life for no other reason than the color of his skin,” said Morris Dees, chief trial counsel for the SPLC in a statement. “Those responsible must be held accountable for their callous and deadly actions. We are filing this lawsuit today to ensure his family gets a measure of justice.”

The suit includes claims of battery, negligence and wrongful death.

According to reports, Dedmon’s attorney, Lee Agnew, said during a court hearing in July that he has seen nothing to back up any “racial allegations.

@ColonelSixx

Every normal man must be tempted,at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. Mencken

Charges Dropped Against Mom Accused of Shooting at Police for Taking her Daughter

 

COLONEL SIXX: THE ORDER WAS INVALID. THE COPS TRIED TO KIDNAP HER CHILD. SHE HAD THE RIGHT TO KILL THEM.  NEXT TIME THE COPS DO THIS NOW, THEY WILL DIE. THIS WHITE MAN IS TRYING TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH. I SUGGEST YOU LISTEN!

August 30, 2011

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

Charges were dropped against Maryanne Godboldo, a 57-year old Detroit woman who was charged with shooting at police when they came to take her daughter away.  The police were there to assist Child Protective Services in their decision to take Ms. Godboldo’s 13-year old daughter out of the home.

Charges were dismissed against Godboldo by Judge Ronald Giles.  Giles agreed with Godboldo’s attorneys, who argued that the court order to remove her daughter from the home was not valid.  The judge also found that there was no evidence to support the assertion that Godboldo had fired at police.

“I am very, very happy and blessed that Judge Giles did the right thing,” Godboldo said.  Maria Miller of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said that the office plans to appeal the dismissed charges.

The case of Maryanne Godboldo reminds me of my own mother, who fought with the teachers who tried to put me in special education when I was in elementary school.  I can assume that the fact that I am a college professor today means that the so-called “experts” were incorrect in their assertion of my academic potential.  Had it not been for my mother being willing to break the rules to protect her child, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

The misdiagnosis of African American children is a persistent problem throughout the United States.  Thousands of little black boys and girls have their futures stripped away and replaced with a life of medicated mediocrity.  Our mothers are our first teachers, and in many cases, they are our first protectors from the misguided efforts of the state.

At the same time, I cannot speak for the child of Ms. Godboldo.  I don’t know if the representatives had just cause for taking her child out of the home or if there were legitimate concerns about her care.  We know that while there are many cases in which the state has abused its authority, there are quite a few others situations in which the state is exposed to serious liability for not intervening when a child needs to be protected.  Most of us have read about several cases in which a child was killed or irreparably harmed by a parent right under the noses of Child Protective Services.

The issue here is that we cannot presume that those who came for Ms. Godboldo’s daughter were trying to do harm to her child.  Instead, it might make more sense to simply assume that they disagreed about what was best for her daughter.  I find myself in admiration of Godboldo taking a stand against the power of the state.  I only hope and pray that she is making the best decision for her daughter.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black world Coalition.

 

 

College Student Beaten by Police After Wind Knocks a Plant off Her Window

COLONEL SIXX:  I AM GETTING TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT THIS POLICE BULLSHIT. REAL TIRED.

A DOZEN POLICE OFFICERS STOP ONE PARTIALLY BLIND  MAN?  SINCE THE  STORY SAYS THAT A BLACK COP SAID ” SHE’S A GIRL”.  ANOTHER COP SAYS “I DON’T CARE. I AM GOING TO BEAT HER LIKE  SHE’S A DUDE”.  I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT OFFICER WAS SOMETHING OTHER THAN BLACK SINCE HE WAS NOT IDENTIFIED AS BLACK.

THESE COWARDLY SON OF BITCHES NEED TO BE HANDLED WITH “EXTREME PREDJUDICE”.  WHO IS INVESTIGATING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT? DO NOT USE F.B.I. AND INVESTIGATION IN THE SAME SENTENCE.

I HAVE KNOWN SINCE I WAS A SMALL BOY THAT I WOULD NOT DIE IN A CAR WRECK,  A WAR, DROWN, OR FALLING OFF A CLIFF.  EVER SINCE DARRELL CAIN KILLED SANTOS RODRIGUEZ IN DALLAS, TEXAS, I HAVE KNOWN I WILL DIE IN A SHOOT OUT WITH A ROACH BITCH ASS COP. 

IF I HAD BEEN TWELVE YEARS OLD WHEN THE COPS WERE PUTTING GERMAN SHEPARD DOGS ON BLACK WOMEN AND CHILDREN MARCHING TO VOTE AND THEY HIT MY MOTHER, SISTER, DAD, NEPHEW, WHATEVER WITH  WATER FROM A  FIRE HOSE, I WOULD HAVE KILLED A COP OR FIREMAN.  THERE MAY WOULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE PLAQUE IN MY HOMETOWN.

THE POLICE BEATING A BLACK WOMAN IS WAY OVER THE LINE.  IF THIS HAD BEEN MY DAUGHTER,  I WOULD HAVE SHOT AND KILLED A COP.  MAYBE NOT ONE OF THE COPS THAT BEAT HER, BUT A COP.  THE “TWENTY FOUR HOUR RULE” NEEDS TO BE USED NOW.   A COP BEATS, SHOOTS, OR KILLS SOMEONE FOR NO REASON, A COP HAS THE SAME THING DONE TO THEM WITHIN TWENTY FOUR HOURS.

YOU BEAT MY KID, I SHOOT YOUR FACE OFF! SAVE A CITIZEN-KILL A COP.  AND DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME COMMENTING ABOUT THIS TO ME. I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK AND YOU NEED TO DEAL WITH THE MESSAGE, NOT THE MESSENGER!

SEE MY “DISCUSSION WITH “TEXAS CATTLMAN” ON THIS SITE BELOW.

NO, RODNEY KING, WE CAN’T JUST ALL “GET ALONG”.

http://colonel6.com/2011/08/20/hate-crime-white-teens-drive-over-and-kill-black-man-in-jackson-mississippi/

THERE IS A VIDEO HERE:

http://boycewatkins.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/girl-gets-beaten-by-police-for-accidentally-knocking-a-potted-plant-off-her-windowsill/

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World

August 26, 2011

Philadelphia police are being investigated after a 20-year old college student was beaten when a potted plant fell off of her windowsill during a police interrogation. 

Nicole Boyd, who’d won a full scholarship to play basketball for The University of Maine, won’t be playing again for a while, after officers used her own lamp to beat her.

A dozen Philadelphia police officers had stopped a partially-blind man on Boyd’s block, which led to an altercation.  Boyd, who was in her apartment above, says that strong winds blew a plastic flower pot off the balcony.  That’s when she got the attention of police officers below.

The officers then came to Boyd’s apartment with their guns drawn.  Boyd claims that when she saw the guns, she put her hands in the air and wasn’t resisting arrest.  That’s when she says that a black police officer noted that, “She’s a girl.”

Another officer responded by allegedly saying, “I don’t care.  I’m gonna beat her like she’s a dude.”   That’s when police used Boyd’s lamp to beat her, putting a lump on her head and hurting her ankle.  They also threw her down a flight of steps, and then charged her and her grandmother with Aggravated Assault.

The city of Philadelphia is gaining national attention for conducting itself as a notorious police state, where any person who is young and/or black is considered a threat to society.

While there are only modest efforts to provide these young people with education and opportunity, authorities appear readily willing to invest exorbitant amounts of money policing them, beating them and protecting the rich from the poor.

The recent curfew imposed by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter is a powerful case-in-point.  There are also numerous other incidents in which the Philadelphia Police Department has been implicated in senseless beatings.  The city of Philadelphia appears to be a lot of things, but it certainly is not a city of Brotherly Love.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition.  To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

@ColonelSixx

Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. Mencken

Death Penalty Possible In Alleged Miss. Hate Killing

http://colonel6.com/2011/08/20/hate-crime-white-teens-drive-over-and-kill-black-man-in-jackson-mississippi/

 

Jackson, Mississippi (CNN) — The prosecutor investigating the hit-and-run killing of a black man in Jackson, Miss., announced he has upgraded the charge against suspect Deryl Dedmon from murder to capital murder. This makes the white 19-year-old suspect eligible for a possible death sentence if convicted. Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith released a statement that said the upgrade to capital murder was made after new evidence was discovered that supported the allegation that Dedmon committed the crime of robbery during the commission of the killing of James Craig Anderson. “It does not change the theory of the case,” Shuler Smith told CNN. “It is still a hate crime.” The killing — which sparked national attention after CNN obtained and aired exclusive surveillance video that shows the attack as it took place — is also being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department, federal and Mississippi officials tell CNN. Anderson, 49, was first beaten by the group of teens as he stood in a hotel parking lot early on the morning of June 26, according to some of the teens who were interviewed by police. After the beating, a group of the teens drove a large Ford pickup truck over Anderson, according to witnesses and officials. Anderson died from his injuries later the same day. Federal investigators are in Jackson at the request of Smith, who says he will be seeking indictments against some or all of the white teens in coming weeks. “This was a racially motivated murder, committed because the victim was black. We want to prosecute and bring justice in this case to the fullest extent of the law,” said Smith, explaining that he called Justice Department officials and asked for more investigators to come to Mississippi to help interview witnesses and pursue leads in the crime. Under federal law, authorities can pursue further charges and punishment if it is determined that a crime was racially motivated. Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed to CNN that “the department has an ongoing investigation.” The group of teens that night was led by Dedmon of Brandon, Mississippi, according to police and officials in the DA’s office. Dedmon is being held in Jackson. Another teen, John Aaron Rice, was also charged with murder at first, until a judge reduced his charges because Rice was not believed to be driving the vehicle used to kill Anderson. Smith and officials in the Hinds County District Attorney’s office say they plan to indict both Dedmon and Rice for murder and a hate crime. Attorneys for Dedmon and Rice did not return CNN’s calls. During a bond hearing, Dedmon’s attorney told the court he saw nothing to back up the “racial allegations.” Neither teen has pleaded yet, and none of the other teens has been charged. But Hinds and officials from the DA’s office say they hope to bring indictments against not only Dedmon and Rice, but also other teens who were in their cars and part of the attack that early morning. Dedmon led and instigated the attack, according to officials; he took part in and led the beating of Anderson, and Dedmon was also the driver of the Ford 250 truck that served as the murder weapon, according to officials. Before the murder, as the teens were partying and drinking miles away from Jackson that night, in largely white Rankin County, Dedmon told friends they should leave, saying, “Let’s go f**** with some n*****s,” according to law enforcement officials. Then the gang of teens climbed into Dedmon’s green truck and a white SUV Cherokee and drove 16 miles down Interstate 20 to the western edge of Jackson, a predominantly black area. The teens would have seen Anderson immediately as they exited the highway, because the parking lot where he was standing is just beside the exit ramp. “This is the first business that you get to coming off the highway and so that was the first person that was out here and vulnerable,” said Smith. On the videotape, obtained and reviewed by CNN, a truck is seen pulling into the parking lot and stopping where Anderson is standing, though he is just off camera and not visible. Teens can then be seen going back and forth between their cars and Anderson. Witnesses told law enforcement officials this is when the repeated beatings of Anderson took place. Dedmon pummeled Anderson repeatedly as he crumpled to the street, according to officials, though this is not visible in the videotape. After the beating, some of the teens left and some got into the truck. At this moment on the video, Anderson becomes visible, as he staggers into view and walks toward the headlights of the truck. The truck suddenly surges ahead, running over Anderson, then continues at high speed away from the scene. Shortly after he allegedly drove the truck over Anderson, Dedmon allegedly boasted and laughed about the killing, according to the testimony of police detectives who interviewed the teens. “I ran that n***** over,” Dedmon allegedly said in a phone conversation to the teens in the other car. He repeated the racial language in subsequent conversations, according to the law enforcement officials. “He was not remorseful. He was laughing, laughing about the killing,” said district attorney Smith.