March 2016 News Items

Below are news items from March 2016. For more current and breaking news items, see the main news page.

3-31-2016: Judge gives teen 6 months for contempt, orders cellphone destroyed due to courthouse photos

Editorial note: There is no legitimate reason to never allow cameras in courtrooms. The legal profession most likely doesn't want the public to see and learn about court procedure and tactics used by attorneys.

3-31-2016: Where's the Presidential Debate on GM's Crony Capitalism?

Editorial note: General Motors made a net income of $9.7 billion off revenues of $152.4 billion, but is only paying $5 million in federal taxes.  However, GM paid China more than $908 million in taxes. I bet China is happy the U.S. bailed out GM.

3-31-2016: Man fatally shot by Ariz. police officer begged for life

Editorial note: An unarmed Texas man was heard crying and saying “Please don’t shoot me” and “Please don’t shoot,” just before an officer later identified as Philip "Mitch" Brailsford fired his service weapon.Brailsford has been charged with second-degree murder and was terminated from the police department. Police officers seem to be arrested and charged much quicker when victims are white.

3-31-2016: TV station fires anchor Wendy Bell over ‘young black men’ Facebook post

3-31-2016: FCC seeks to end broadband providers’ collecting consumer data without consent

3-31-2016: Why is St. Louis losing so many babies?

3-31-2016: Autism rate has not increased in two years

Editorial note: See Autism information on our education oppression page.

3-31-2016: Miami officer picked to be Ferguson police chief

3-31-2016: St. Louis, St. Louis County voters can't use touch-screen machines at Tuesday's election

Editorial note: I'm not very familiar with the law concerning election machines, but during the primary election, since there was only one issue on the ballot, the party presidential candidate,  paper ballots should have been used exclusively then. I wasn't even offered a machine during the primary, I was simply handed a paper ballot. Speaking of ballots, listen to the still timely Malcolm X speech, "The Ballot or the Bullet".

3-31-2016: Supreme Court must consolidate county muni courts

3-31-2016: Messenger: Seeing the municipal court forest through the bureaucratic trees

3-31-2016: NGA plans to stay in St. Louis

Editorial note: I was pleasantly surprised to hear the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency choose North St. Louis. The City of St. Louis now needs to treat those that will be displaced from their homes fairly and pay them enough to secure new suitable housing. Those homeowners who will be impacted by eminent domain should familarize themselves with the law and seek advice, especially concerning highest and best use.

3-31-2016: Officer Connor Schilling, involved in Darrius Stewart shooting, retiring from MPD

Editorial note:  A white police officer that killed a 19 year old black teen at a black church was supposed to have a hearing to determine if he had broken rules. The hearing was postponed by doctor appointments and he is now being allowed to retire because of a post traumatic sydrome disability caused by his killing of the black teen. His retirement automatically cancels the hearings.

3-31-2016: Chicago Police Officer Charged With Murder of Teen Laquan McDonald Hired by Police Union

Editorial note: The police union has lost all credibility  about trying to reach out to the black community!

3-31-2016: Johnson & Johnson Has a Baby Powder Problem: More than 1,000 women are suing the company for covering up a cancer risk

3-30-2016: How Prison Phone Calls Became A Tax On The Poor

3-30-2016: In Landmark Ruling, Court Condemns Use Of Stingray Devices

Editorial note: StingRays are cellular phone surveillance devices, initially developed for the military and intelligence communities, and are in widespread use by local and state law enforcement agencies.

3-30-2016: Plan to hike gas tax by 5.9 cents emerges in Missouri Senate

3-30-2016: Keeping food bank shelves stocked when food stamp bill takes effect

Editorial note: 30,000 people in Missouri will lose their food stamps, on April 1, 2016. What do you think people will do when they are hungry and can't find work? St. Louis is already considered  the most dangerous city, but be prepared for increased crime. Social programs prevent crime and cost much less than the alternative, broken car windows, property damage and physical violence.

3-30-2016: Florissant police arrest man at town hall meeting; participants complain about closed discussion

3-30-2016: Smartphone handgun causes alarm among law enforcement

Editorial note: This gun should be outlawed! When Bath salts and malt liquor, which was previously targeted to black folks, began negatively affecting white kids, they were quickly outlawed or pulled from shelves. Why is this device being allowed to come to market? The result of this gun will be open season on any black person holding a cell phone. Cops will claim they feared for their lives. Officers will say they thought the phone was a gun because the victim was holding it a certain way. This device will be used to justify a countless number of police shootings of unarmed people.

3-30-2016: Battle shaping up between St. Louis County police department and police board

3-30-2016: Teens armed with AK-47s storm into West County apartment to rob victims

Editorial note: In an October post, we mentioned how crime will continue to rise and spill over into communities that had previously been considered immune or safe. Expect the usual St. Louis area outcome by race and class. The four West County teens will get the lightest sentences. The three black teens will be treated harsher. The two St. Louis City teens will receive the worst outcome.

3-30-2016: Eddie Johnson: Chicago new police chief to face 84% murder rate increase

Editorial note: Local police have mentioned a Ferguson effect, but maybe the way police interact with the community and treat people creates an 'effect'. If St. Louis is any indication, a black police chief in Chicago may help decrease the murder rate. The number of murders went down every time St. Louis had a black police chief; maybe because of greater community sensitivity.

  • Clarence Harmon, 1st black police chief, 1991 (260 murders) thru 1995 (204 murders),
  • Ron Henderson, 2nd black police chief 1995 (204 murders) thru 2001 (148 murders),
  • Joe Mokwa, 2001 (148 murders) thru 2008 (167 murders)
  • Dan Isom, 3rd black police chief, 2008 (167 murders) thru 2013 (120 murders).
  • Under the current police chief, Sam Dotson murders have increased from 120 in 2013, to 159 in 2014, and 188 in 2015. As of March 29, 2016, there have been 32 murders.

3-30-2016: No charges for Minneapolis officers in fatal shooting of Jamar Clark

Editorial note: See our November post, "Long History of Police Brutality" to see related early news footage.

3-30-2016: No charges for Minnesota officers in police-involved deaths since 2000

Editiorial note: Since 2000, at least 143 people in Minnesota have died after being shot, Tased or restrained by a police officer. To date, not a single officer has been charged in any of those deaths

3-30-2016: Man fatally shot by Ariz. police officer begged for life

3-30-2016: Obama shortens prison sentences for 61 drug offenders

Editorial note: See related broken pardon promise post.

3-30-2016: Proposals to increase access to free lawyers in civil cases

3-30-2016: Union workers rally in Jefferson City against 'paycheck protection' veto override

3-30-2016: Editorial: St. Louis public schools must test water for lead

3-30-2016: Ruling on municipal court reform law puts focus on 'special laws'

3-29-2016: Drug Offender Exonerated Seven Years After Lab Test Proved His Innocence

3-29-2016: The War on Drugs: not just effectively racist but deliberately so

3-29-2016: Harvard economist: All net U.S. job growth since 2005 has been in contracting gigs

Editorial note: Traditional jobs (standard employment arrangements) actually slightly declined and net employment growth (for main jobs) has occurred in nonstandard “alternative” jobs (any type of temporary, gig, or contract work, including Uber drivers) over the last decade. “As of late 2015, we had not yet quite fully recovered from the huge loss of traditional jobs from the Great Recession.” However, many people already figured this out for themselves.

3-29-2016: Attorney: Deputies offered witnesses cash after beating man

3-29-2016: Barack Obama: 'drug addiction is a health problem, not a criminal problem'

3-29-2016: Up to half of people killed by US police are disabled

3-29-2016: Attorney general says he will appeal ruling that guts St. Louis County municipal court reform

Editorial note: Allowing every other municipality in the state to keep 20% of traffic fines while restricting St. Louis County Municipalies to 12.5% is unfair. All Missouri municipalities should be subject to either the 20% or 12.5% limit equally.

3-29-2016:MSD ratepayers to decide $900 million bond issue, stormwater tax

Editorial note: MSD is bound by the Hancock Amendment and the Missouri Supreme Court has already ruled (Zweig v. MSD) that MSD cannot raise rates without voter approval, so I do not understand why MSD says, "if voters turn down the bonds, MSD will raise rates to cover the cost upfront". MSD offers a 50 percent rate reduction to qualified low-income, elderly, and disabled customers. A customer's total annual income for the previous year must be less than 200% of the most recent Health & Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines, based on the size of household. A family of four, for example, must earn less than $48,600 to qualify. Disabled citizens and seniors must earn less than 250% HHS poverty guidelines. For example, a single senior must earn less than $29,700 to qualify.

3-29-2016: California raises minimum wage to $15 an hour

3-29-2016: Supreme Court deadlocks over public employee union case; Calif. teachers must pay dues

3-29-2016: Missouri treasurer warns of unclaimed-property scam

3-29-2016: Feds charge 12 Detroit principals in $1M kickback scheme

Editorial note: Federal government is launching an investigation targeting 12 current and former Detroit Public School principals, one administrator and a vendor — all of them charged with running a nearly $1 million bribery and kickback scheme involving school supplies that were rarely ever delivered.

3-29-2016: Frisco hospice owner urged nurses to overdose patients so they would die quicker, FBI says

Editorial note: See our "Medical Oppression" page.

3-28-2016: How One Reporter Got the Police Shooting Video Everyone Wanted

3-28-2016: Postal worker speaks out on controversial NYPD arrest caught on video

Editorial note: The postal employee whose wife is a police office made a profound statement that equally applies to all black men, "I thought that when I put on that uniform I would be treated a little differently, it's no difference, I'm just another brother in a uniform".

3-28-2016: Suit: Denver Police Seized Phone As Woman Recorded Arrests

3-28-2016: Judge guts municipal court reform law

Editorial note: People who do not learn more about our legal system are doomed to become victims of it. Law controls everything. Everyone needs to have some knowledge about the law.

3-28-2016: Judge's Ruling on Law School Grad's Debt Could Signal 'Seismic' Shift in Loan Practices

Editorial note: A judge's recent ruling that part of a law school graduate's loans can be canceled breaks new ground for other students who owe a mountain of debt.

3-28-2016: Officer Shortage Hits St. Louis City,
County Police

Editorial note: Maybe some bad officers decided to quit before their actions landed them in jail since there is now greater scrutiny especially concerning shootings of unarmed people.

3-28-2016: Lemay woman gets 5 years for killing aunt with high-powered rifle

Editorial note: How is it possible for a white person to get only 5 years for killing? Black people get more time for drug and gun possession? Scroll down to February 29th to see news article about a man that received 60 years for gun possession.

3-28-2016: Brandon Claxton, Teen Paralyzed by Police Shooting, Sues St. Louis, Police

3-28-2016: FACT CHECK: Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder calling St. Louis 'most dangerous city' misses larger context

Editorial note: Kinder is using flawed logic. We are a highly mobile society. Shotings and murder results in retaliation and that retaliation can occur anywhere; on highways, malls, downtown, public transit or public events. Just because more murders happen in a particular neighborhood doesn't mean there's no danger in other areas. When violence increases anywhere in St. Louis, the whole are is at risk.

3-28-2016: Texas woman arrested after responding to police Facebook post about meth tainted with Ebola

3-28-2016: St. Charles County police system can track wanderers with autism or Alzheimer's

3-28-2016: Federal spending in Missouri equivalent of more than a fifth of economy

3-28-2016: Missouri Takes Steps to Address the "Graying" of Prison Population

3-27-2016: FBI employee charged with
pointing a gun at woman’s head inside a restaurant

3-26-2016: Former Gasconade County deputy accused of sex crimes found dead in jail

3-26-2016: Portland Offering Homeless People a One-Way Bus Ticket Out of Town

3-25-2016: Former assistant police chief sentenced for misconduct

Editorial note: Federal prosecutors say a former assistant police chief has been sentenced for beating a man during an interrogation, making false statements and selling drugs.

3-25-2016: Jury awards $360,000 in damages in Rockford police shooting

Editorial note: Jury awards $30,000 in damages each to 10 children who witnessed police officers shoot and kill an unarmed black man at a day care

3-25-2016: Note to Supreme Court — there is a name behind every ticket

3-25-2016: St. Louis circuit attorney must disclose when pre-trial redactions are made from police reports, judge rules

3-25-2016: Student’s artwork showing police wearing KKK hood sparks debate

3-25-2016: Court refuses appeal of man serving life for stealing tool

3-25-2016: Shower to the People truck to provide hope, cleanliness for homeless

Editorial note: This is the type of service the City of St. Louis should be funding rather than spending millions on a failed attempt to keep a sports franchise.

3-25-2016: St. Louis might be stuck giving the Rams a $19M piece of land for $1

3-25-2016: How The Washington Post counted the dead, one police shooting at a time

Editorial note: Black men are seven times as likely as Whites to die by police gunfire. The article raises a very good question. Why did it take the media so long to realize the extent of the killings? See Why White Cops Kill Black Men.

3-25-2016: Civil rights groups decry police chief's warning as Jamar Clark decision looms

3-25-2016: E-mails show feds knew of Flint rashes in mid-2014

3-25-2016: Tenn. agencies accused of pocketing money intended for hungry kids

Editorial note: These poverty pimps weren't satisifed with the standard compensation.

3-25-2016: Gun used to shoot 3 Chicago cops traced to sheriff's deputy

3-25-2016: Removal of Confederate symbols turns nasty in New Orleans

3-25-2016: Are terror attacks in non-white regions ignored?

3-25-2016: Is It Legal for Stores to Have a Credit Card Minimum?

3-25-2016: Anger management class teaches ex-offenders to find a safe place

3-25-2016: Chicago area sees greatest population loss of any major U.S. city, region in 2015

3-24-2016: A retired lawyer opens first US slavery museum with $8.6 million of his money

3-24-2016: Heroin overdoses will now be considered homicides, coroner says

3-24-2016: Ole Miss: Man admits putting noose over statue of university's first black student

3-24-2016: Appeals court rules alcoholism an illness, not a moral defect

3-24-2016: New program in federal court here helps defendants avoid prison

Editorial note: White Americans are more likely than Black Americans to have used most kinds of illegal drugs, including cocaine, marijuana and LSD. Nearly 20 percent of whites have used cocaine, compared with just 10 percent of blacks. White folks are 45 percent more likely than black folks to sell drugs.  However, black folks are disproportionately convicted of drug crimes. I wonder if black folks will disproportionately be excluded from this new program?

3-24-2016: Former St. Charles County officer pleads guilty of stealing items from car

3-24-2016: It's slow growing for St. Louis as region slips down list of big metro areas

3-24-2016: Time for the Missouri Supreme Court to step up

3-24-2016: Illinois Supreme Court strikes down Chicago pensions plan

Editorial note: Pension plans and Social Security share some elements of Ponzi and Pyramid schemes and are not sustainable as they are currently structured much longer. In 1945, there were 41.9 workers supporting each social security retiree; by 2010 there were just 2.9 workers per retiree and as baby boomers continue to age, the numbers will only get worse. The private pension system is not much better off. Most high paying manufacturing jobs have been lost due to foreign competition or plants being located in other countries. Retiree pensions are being funded by workers making a fraction of the wages paid to current retired workers. The 65 and older age group is the fastest growing, which partially explains why some union retirees will see their pensions reduced, some more than half starting in July 2016. Tax increases are required to keep public pensions viable. Luckily, Missouri has the Hancock Amendment to protect us from excessive taxation.

3-24-2016: Arkansas ex-judge gets 10 years in prison in bribery case

Editorial note: How to report misconduct of Missouri judges.

3-23-2016: Paul McKee announces a new development for NorthSide

Editorial note: First, a state law is passed that benefits only his company that provides up to $95 million in incentives and tax credits. Then the City of St. Louis sells property at bargain basement prices to McKee based on promises of development that never takes place. McKee loses some properties to foreclosure, then the City of St. Louis proposed to mortage city owned buildings to buy back land from McKee at inflated prices. All for another development that may never happen. I guess this is why we should all vote yes on the earnings tax.

3-23-2016: Man admits conspiring with former Gasconade County cop accused of sex crimes

3-23-2016: Texas woman furious after home mistakenly demolished

3-23-2016: 5 Differences I've Noticed Between How NYC & Missouri Respond To Terrorist Attacks

3-22-2016: Mayor announces college tuition program for Detroit high school graduates

3-22-2016: U.S. Supreme Court's tie vote upholds loan bias ruling in Missouri case

3-22-2016: Alabama governor under fire for giving massive pay rises amid financial crisis

3-22-2016: New Film Shows Real-Time, Inside Account of the University of Missouri Student Protests

3-22-2016: Judge rules Missouri must name source of execution drug

3-22-2016: Police board reinstates St. Louis County lieutenant fired over alleged racial profiling

3-22-2016: NYPD Blames Man Reportedly Run Over by Cop on Cellphone for Own Death

Editorial note: The police van stopped at an intersection starts making a left turn at the 1:00 mark and then hits the teacher crossing the street.

3-21-2016: Alderman, residents, officers' group voice support for suspended police captain

Editorial note: There does seem to be a double standard here. St. Louis police officers have killed unarmed men and received full pay while their actions where being investigated. This officer's actions are still under investigation and he should be given the same consideration given to white officers.

3-21-2016: Austin Police to Fire Officer Who Fatally Shot Nude Teen

Editorial note: Yet another example why white cops kill black men out of unreasonable fear.

3-21-2016: How Chicago racked up a $662 million police misconduct bill

3-21-2016: Dramatic arrest video sparks concern over use of force

3-21-2016: How Missouri police deliver on-scene interoperable communications

3-21-2016: University of Missouri Struggles to Retain Black Faculty

3-21-2016: Missouri lawmakers worry police technology invades privacy

3-21-2016: Missouri soldier’s conviction for Obama comments is upheld

3-21-2016: Police Commander Accused of Racism Wants Job Back

3-21-2016: After Funeral and Cremation, a Shock: The Woman in the Coffin Wasn’t Mom

Editorial note: The power of suggestion is powerful; what we expect influences our behavior. All eight children convinced themselves that it was their mother in that coffin. People form opinions of themselves and whole groups based on what they expect from media images, history, and stereotypes.  Slogans such as "you can beat city hall" and "he who represents himself has a fool for a client", create expectations that prevent people from even trying. Don't let the power of suggestion prevent you from seeing the obvious.

3-20-2016: Drop in St. Louis County population throws wrench at water company

3-20-2016: Can a St. Louis housing complex help solve a shortage of trained child-care workers?

Editorial note: I have mixed feelings about these types of programs. While it's great job training is being provided, it seems like the poor are steered into training for fields that are dead end and low paying. Some of these people could just as easily be trained in computer coding, nursing, truck driving and other areas where shortages exist but provide better pay.

3-19-2016: Video on how to make meth from Missouri Highway Patrol leaked to the public

3-19-2016: For black Cubans, Obama visit a source of pride, inspiration

3-19-2016: Behind the about-face in Ferguson

3-19-2016: North St. Louis residents rally to end violence

3-19-2016: New Bill Would Allow Annual Utility Bill Increase

Editorial note: Scroll down to March 8th Ameren headline and editorial notes concerning rate increases.

3-19-2016: Flint burglary where water files stored 'an inside job,' police chief says

3-19-2016: Giving up its U.S. citizenship could save Pfizer $35 billion in taxes

3-19-2016: Young single people bear the brunt of Generation Y's economic woes

Editorial note: This group has more debt than previous generatons. Less money will most likely trigger increased legal actions in the future. If you're young, start learning as much as you can about the law.

3-19-2016: Tragedy of Darryl Hunt: how exonerated man came to take his own life

Editorial note: 4.1 percent of defendants who are sentenced to death in the United States are later shown to be innocent: 1 in 25. See: The staggering number of wrongful convictions in America

3-18-2016: Donald Trump’s White Lives Matter Movement

3-18-2016: Black blues musician explores racism by befriending the KKK

3-18-2016: Does the First Amendment Protect People Who Film the Police?

3-18-2016: Chicago Woman, 82, Hospitalized After She Says Police Raided Wrong Home

3-18-2016: County Police officers revive motorist in suspected overdose case

3-18-2016: Cops: Pasco deputy put liquid soap in mouth of girl, 7, choked and hit her

3-17-2016: Stepson of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce arrested for heroin possession

Editorial note: As the Post Dispatch points out, "The arrest of the city's top law enforcement official's stepson demonstrates how far the heroin epidemic reaches". A popular St. Louis singing group, ProjecX, recently released a new anti-drug video.

3-17-2016: Voter turnout soared in St. Louis region, matching national trend

Editorial note: If you're eligible to vote, register. If you're registered to vote, vote! If you don't vote, don't complain about the outcome or consequences you took no action to prevent.

3-17-2016: Lawmaker: Michigan governor responsible for Flint crisis

This page provides links to news items you may have missed and serves as a reminder about the various municipal issues that affect us. When this site was created in October of 2014 we highlighted a two year pattern of corruption within St. Louis city. Sometimes you can't spot a problem or see a pattern until things are exposed all together in one place. Some news items may also provide valuable information you can use to assist with your legal issue.

3-17-2016: Beyond Flint: Excessive lead levels found in almost 2,000 water systems across all 50 states

3-17-2016: Sony buys out Michael Jackson’s publishing stake in deal worth $750M

Editorial note: It has been alleged that Jackson was discredited with molestation charges and then murdered because of his ownership in the Sony Music catalog. A music executive, John McClain, administers Michael Jackson's estate and receives a percentage of the estate's earnings. Michael Jackson's parents and other family members unsuccessfully fought to control and administer Michael Jackson's estate. Below are a few videos related to the subject.

Michael Jackson begins talking about Sony at 2:26 in the video above.

Dick Gregory explains that Michael Jackson stated, "They're trying to kill me!"

Today inteview of Tommy Mottola, who Jackson called a devil.

Dick Gregory pointing out the vastness of the music catalog.

3-17-2016: Obama letter among first direct mail to Cuba in more than 50 years

3-16-2016: Chicago prosecutor loses her fight with Black Lives Matter

Editorial note: Young black voters exercised their collective political muscle and both the prosecutors in the Tamir Rice and Laquan McDonald cases lost their primary races. It’s rare for incumbent prosecutors to be voted out of office. According to one study, they win re-election 95 percent of the time, and typically they run unopposed. This is in part because most voters just don’t pay attention to prosecutor races.  Hopefully, young black St. Louis voters will take note. Public officials work for you. When officials don't act in your best interest get rid of them!

3-16-2016: Chief: Shot that killed detective 'deliberately aimed' by another officer

3-16-2016: St. Louis County police board to weigh fate of lieutenant accused of racial profiling

3-16-2016: St. Louis County police to begin adding officers to MetroLink this week

3-16-2016: Missouri House passes limits on student reporter censorship

3-16-2016: Suspected killer calls 911, asks why police are taking so long

3-15-2016: Ferguson City Council accepts Justice Department plan

3-14-2016: Eric Thomas’ speech to St. Louis students takes an intense and unexpected turn

Editorial noteDr. Eric D. Thomas is an American motivational speaker, author and minister. Lebron James has credited Thomas as part his inspiration for winning the 2012 NBA Championship

3-14-2016: St. Louis police seek public input on body cameras

3-14-2016: $6 Million Settlement Over Police Shooting of Danroy Henry

3-14-2016: Video showing officer allegedly spraying bikers

3-14-2016: Politics got city liquor commissioner fired, suit says

3-14-2016: Half of People Killed by Police Suffer From Mental Disability: Report

3-14-2016: South Carolina trooper pleads guilty in shooting of unarmed man

Editorial note: Below is news footage showing the video. This is an example of how vulnerable black folks are when encountering law enforcement. This is a perfect example why white cops kill black men out of unreasonable fear.

3-14-2016: Justice Department: States Should Not Jail Poor People Over Fine Nonpayment

Editorial note: I recently ran into someone I met years ago through a mutual contact. The last time I saw this person was in court, he was also fighting housing violation accusations. He owns several properties in the City of St. Louis. He asked about the outcome of my case and I explained I was awaiting a Missouri Court of Appeals decision. He had hired a lawyer, but felt his attorney had sold him out.  He discovered the judge and attorney had attended law school and knew each other. He told me he spent 10 days in jail because of unpaid fines.

3-14-2016: Coroner quits as 180 bodies pile up in morgue

3-14-2016: Father of slain Chicago 9-year-old boy charged in shooting 3

Editorial note: In November we wrote, Black Gang Members, Honorary KKK?, in response to Tyshawn Lee's murder.

3-14-2016: Wrongful convictions cost California taxpayers $282 million over 24 years, study finds

3-14-2016: New law will cut off unemployment pay for GI Bill users

3-14-2016: AT&T defeats class action in unlimited data throttling case

3-13-2016: N.J. Cop Admits To Killing Wife With Daughter In His Vehicle

3-13-2016: Texas festival apologizes after Muslim Olympian told to remove hijab

Editorial note: See hijab related post about Dr. Larycia Hawkins, a Christian, spoke out for Muslims.

3-13-2016: U.S. police escape federal charges in 96 percent of rights cases: newspaper

3-13-2016: Judge Rules In Favor of Man Who Shot Down Drone for Hovering in Backyard

3-13-2016: Kansas City police use pepper spray, arrest 4 at Trump rally

3-12-2016: Why the Trump Rally in St. Louis Was So Different

3-12-2013: Inside the Nightmarish Hellscape That Was Donald Trump's St. Louis Rally

3-12-2016: Trump calls off Chicago rally after protesters pack campus arena

3-11-2016: The Senate Just Passed a Bipartisan Drug Bill—One That’s Not Meant to Put People in Prison

3-11-2016: ‘F*ck you, you whore!’: Watch angry white people go berserk outside Trump rally in St. Louis

Editorial note: St. Louis is increasingly looking like the old South of the 1950's and 1960's civil rights era. As I watched some of these videos, they were reminiscent of Little Rock and other iconic racist scenes. You probably won't see these images broadcast on major media, because of racial bias in mass media. However, you will see black people shown in a negative light.

3-11-2016: ‘Post-Racial’ Racism, Explained

3-11-2016: Pine Lawn votes to dissolve police department

3-11-2016: Oops, police release Missouri murder suspect by accident

3-10-2016: No, protesters who point out campus racism aren’t silencing anyone

3-10-2016: Clerk in St. Louis assessor's office charged with embezzling thousands

3-9-2016: Mississippi House passes bill requiring teachers to grade parents

3-9-2016: Baltimore schools officer charged after video shows him kicking, slapping teen

Editorial note: There  was  no excuse for this  officer's behavior! He should have been fired immediately. Maybe incidents such as this is one reason why schools don't want students bringing cell phones.

3-9-2016: Stenger seeks to double St. Louis County police presence on MetroLink lines

3-9-2016: Pentagon admits it has deployed military spy drones over the U.S.

3-9-2016: Snowden: FBI's claim it can't unlock the San Bernardino iPhone is 'bullshit'

3-8-2016: FBI quietly changes its privacy rules for accessing NSA data on Americans

3-8-2016: $1.2 million for Gov. Rick Snyder's attorneys a 'kick in the teeth to taxpayers'

3-8-2016: Not just for hitmen: Gun industry wants looser rules on silencers

Editorial note: How can anyone think this is a good idea? More legal guns=more stolen guns=more crime. The sound of gun shots warn people of danger and prompts many calls to police. Silencers will result in a huge increase in gun deaths. Imagine how much more successful mass shooters will become if silencers become readily available.

3-8-2016: Researcher: St. Louis segregation is a legacy of deliberate federal policy

Related: See US  Government Discrimination

3-8-2016: Ameren-Missouri Defends Plan to Hike Rates

Editorial note: Your Ameren-Missouri home electric bill could go up 35 percent over the next ten years, under a bill before the Missouri Senate.  Scroll down to 2-26 and 2-4 to read editorial notes concerning Ameren. The Federal Government was cleared to sue Ameren for clean air violations on March 3, 2016. This increase may be in anticipation of fines.

3-8-2016: Billionaire Activist Gives $1 Million to End St. Louis’ Earnings Tax

3-8-2016: St. Louis excise commissioner says he was fired for 'purely political reasons'

3-7-2016: St. Louis ranks #1 for tax identity theft

3-7-2016: How a Disputed Traffic Stop Pitted Protesters Against St. Louis' Police Chief

Editorial note: We discussed how video could clear officers during a post about a police shooting and body cameras. The police department quickly released this video which supported their officer, let's hope videos are also released as fast when the video does not corroborate the officer's version of the story.

3-6-2016: Deputy shoots dog after man loses everything in trailer fire

3-6-2016: Teach for America aims to buck educational trend in St. Louis city

3-6-2016: Longtime St. Louis excise commissioner fired

3-5-2015: Drinking coffee while black: Ohio cop stops black man strolling down the street –then slams him into wall

3-5-2016: Arizona police officer who shot unarmed man charged with murder

3-5-2016: Flint family uses 151 bottles of water per day

3-5-2016: Utah Senator says Flint doesn't need aid, blocks lead bill

3-5-2016: Alabama lawmaker introduces sex offender castration bill

3-4-2016: The Latest Example of Why Black Lawyers Matter

3-4-2016: State Trooper Gets Just 6 Months For Raping Car Accident Victim

3-4-2016: Ferguson announces final four candidates for police chief

3-4-2016: Missouri Blacks Are Murdered at Nearly Twice the National Average

See related post about St. Louis' first murder victim of 2016.

3-4-2016: Indictment: Ex-Missouri Deputy Sexually Abused Women

3-4-2016: Missouri bill would limit lawmakers-turned-lobbyists’ funds

3-4-2016: Missouri City Stops Some Offender Arrests Because Jail Full

3-4-2016: Man freed from prison wins $2.5 million verdict on claim that St. Louis police officers lied about drugs

3-4-2016: Local Cops: Trump Camp Told Us To Kick Black Students Out Of Rally

3-4-2016: Blocked sewer main discharging into River des Peres south of I-55 and Germania

3-4-2016: St. Louis aldermen reject bill to allow goats and more chickens within city limits

3-4-2016: Labor Force Participation Improves; 93,688,000 Americans Not in Labor Force

3-4-2016: Cleveland seeks 2,000 riot-control suits for GOP convention

3-4-2016: Retired Illinois trooper turned landlord convicted of killing tenant

Editorial note: Was this guy so accustomed to law enforcement officers not being held accountable for shooting deaths that he just decide to kill? Had attention not been so focused on police killings of unarmed people, he might very well have gotten away with murder!

3-4-2016: The U.S. just sent a carrier strike group to confront China

3-4-2016: North Korea: Nukes need to be ready for use

Editorial note: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country's "nuclear warheads need to be ready for use at any time," the North Korean state news agency KCNA reported Friday.

3-4-2016: Defense budget for NGA matches land near Scott Air Base

3-4-2016: Judge clears way for trial in federal government's lawsuit against Ameren

3-3-2016: NAACP calls for DOJ investigation, suggests profiling behind racial skew of NOLA juvenile arrests

Editorial note: 96 percent of all juvenile arrest over a three year period were black.

3-3-2016: Legal marijuana is finally doing what the drug war couldn’t

3-3-2016: Hawaii Considers A 'Mobile Court' To Help Homeless Defendants

3-3-2016: Union of White Students Forms at Cornell, Aims to “Advance Their Race”

3-3-2016: Child porn earned him 50 years in jail, but he just got his conviction overturned

3-3-2016: Flint Is in the News, but Lead Poisoning Is Even Worse in Cleveland

3-3-2016: Lawmakers seek to change school-funding formula

3-3-2016: Missouri House Passes Prescription Monitoring Program

3-3-2016: Missouri drug dealers could face taxes under Senate bill

3-3-2016: Missouri House votes to open adoptee birth certificates

3-3-2016: Lack of online database for teacher discipline in Missouri makes finding answers difficult

3-3-2016: Missouri legislature passes limits on paycheck union fees

3-3-2016: Editorial: Missouri Supreme Court must reject half-way reforms of municipal courts.

3-3-2016: Court should heed Norwood’s dissenting opinion

3-3-2016: Trades offer NGA West minority inclusion goals that double federal standards

Editorial note: We need greater precision with language. The project could meet those standards without a single black person or company involved. White women benefit the most from affirmative action. I suspect white women will be the largest NGA 'minority' inclusion group. We need specific "black" inclusion. Black folks should stop endorsing generic 'minority' inclusion that doesn't specify black goals.

3-3-2016: City earnings tax debate gets heated in House committee

3-3-2016: Missouri House committee approves bill to restrict police records

3-3-2016: Ferguson expected to reconsider agreement with Justice Department

3-3-2016: Cop who arrested man for being drunk is charged with perjury

3-3-2016: New state bill would let cops shoot down drones

Editorial note: Utah bill would could also establish the legal concept of aerial trespass, voyeurism

3-2-2016: African-American couple upset over words written on IHOP receipt

3-2-2016: Jury rejects claim that Ferguson police wrongly beat suspect

3-2-2016: Cops Woke Up Naked Woman, Ordered Her to Show Them a Gun, Then Killed Her

3-2-2016: Court: Lansing officer has immunity in teen's fatal shooting

Editorial note: A Michigan police officer can't be held liable for fatally shooting a black, kneeling, teenage girl in the stomach and  head, even though she wasn't resisting arrest.

3-2-2016: Lab tech allegedly faked result in drug case; 7,827 criminal cases now in question

3-2-2016: Missouri's "Prior and Persistent" Drug Offenders Are Still Stuck Without a Chance of Parole 

3-2-2016: Cape Girardeau Must Stop Arresting People for Swearing At Cops, Judge Says

3-2-2016: Student loan debt rises in St. Louis — and more of it is past due

3-2-2016: Nestlé admits slave labour risk on Brazil coffee plantations

3-2-2016: Protesters renew call for closure of St. Louis workhouse

3-2-2016: Feds to investigate race harassment at nation's oldest school

3-2-2016: Texas Trooper Who Arrested Sandra Bland Is Officially Fired

Editorial note: Trooper Brian Encinia has been indicted on charges of lying about his arrest of Bland, later found hanged in a jail cell.

3-2-2016: Alabama police officer charged with murder in fatal shooting of Greg Gunn

3-2-2016: Stenger Signs Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Into Law

3-2-2016: Body found inside car of missing St. Charles man

3-2-2016: Video refutes claims that St. Louis police held children at gunpoint

3-2-2016: Impeachment process starts in Jennings

3-1-2016: Black cop group endorses Hamacher for circuit attorney over two black candidates

Editorial note: Even though St. Louis is a majority black city, we have never had an elected black prosecutor. There is only only one black elected prosecutor in the State of Missouri. One of the two candidates is Steve Harmon, a former police officer and the son of former St. Louis Mayor and Police Chief Clarence Harmon.

3-1-2016: Stenger fires black official, prompting criticism

Also seeHead of St. Louis County community outreach program fired over personal work on county time

3-1-2016: Missouri lawmakers consider police bias, body camera bills

3-1-2016: Missouri considers easing concealed gun requirements

3-1-2016: University of Missouri gets tough with protesters: ‘The time for demands has passed’

3-1-2016: Committee: It's not Supreme Court's job to consolidate muni courts

3-1-2016: St. Louis among 3 cities added to anti-violence program

3-1-2016: More than a third of people shot by L.A. police last year were mentally ill, LAPD report finds

3-1-2016: NYPD allegedly violated civil rights in wrongful home searches

3-1-2016: Alarm over lead found in drinking water at US schools

3-1-2016: NC sheriff’s detective arrested on drug charges

3-1-2016: More than 40 murders, 160 shootings in Chicago in February, CPD says

3-1-2016: What car buying is doing to debt in St. Louis

3-1-2016: Congress tells FBI that forcing Apple to unlock iPhones is 'a fool's errand'

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