Check out (“Spirit of the Law”) Nancy K. Bohl (Penrod’s wife) for yourself, and see where your tax money is going

California Peer Support Association 2009 Annual Conference and Training Conference Schedule WEDNESDAY, September 16, 2009 See also: Hoops pays back the Good Ol’ Boys Raymond S. G. Pryke v. Gary Penrod, County of San Bernardino, B. Chambers, Dino Defazio and Does, filed June 23, 2009 Raymond Pryke ordered to pay sanctions, costs in libel lawsuit by Penrod’s wife

Suppressed report raises questions about drug policy

In 1991, an editorial in the British Journal of Addiction condemned the inordinate amount of resources devoted to drug law enforcement, and compared the war on drugs to the witch hunts of the past. It’s an apt comparison, since drug warriors around the world are influenced more by myths, stereotypes and propaganda than by solid [...]

Cynthia McKinney Demands Immediate Release After Her Gaza-Bound Boat is Seized by Israeli Navy

Former U.S. lawmaker and Green Party leader Cynthia McKinney, a longtime activist for the Palestinians, says her boat, the Spirit of Humanity, was carrying medical supplies, cement, olive trees and children’s toys to Gaza when it was seized by an Israeli navy ship. Former U.S. lawmaker and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney, whose relief [...]

Candidate to confront deputies over raid

ENCINITAS — Francine Busby says she will demand an explanation from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department about deputies breaking up a fundraising party held for her in Cardiff and arresting the host. The party was Friday night in the 1300 block of Rubenstein Avenue, the home of Shari Barman, a Busby supporter. It ended [...]

The Chicago Model of Militarizing Schools

For the past four years, I have observed the military occupation of the high school where I teach science. Currently, Chicago’s Nicholas Senn High School houses Rickover Naval Academy (RNA). I use the term “occupation” because part of our building was taken away despite student, parent, teacher and community opposition to RNA’s opening. Senn students [...]

Baltimore transit officer charged with rape

BALTIMORE — A Maryland Transit Administration police officer has been charged with raping a 15-year-old Elkridge girl who asked him for help finding her way home on the light rail, according to charging documents. Officer Donald Brown was taken into custody June 24 after the Howard County Police Department was contacted by a case worker [...]

U.N.: Tasers Are A Form Of Torture

(CBS/AP) A United Nations committee said Friday that use of Taser weapons can be a form of torture, in violation of the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Use of the electronic stun devices by police has been marked with a sudden rise in deaths – including four men in the United States and two in [...]

San Antonio police ordered not to Taser drug users

Citing research that links Tasers to the deaths of drug users, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus announced a new policy banning the use of the weapons on anyone known to be under the influence. The policy also calls for more training and prohibits more than one officer from using a Taser on one person. [...]

Deputy pleads not guilty in Vicodin sting

A San Bernardino County sheriff‘s deputy has been charged with drug possession after a hidden camera showed him pocketing 71 Vicodin pills during a hotel-room sting in Redlands.Jeffery Karp, 36, who has worked for the Sheriff’s Department since July 1999, pleaded not guilty Thursday in San Bernardino Superior Court to one count of possessing a [...]

Suspect dies after being “tased and restrained” by Fontana Police

FONTANA – A suspected methamphetamine addict died Monday morning after being Tased and restrained by Fontana police who had responded to his home at the request of the man’s family.Shawn Darrell Iinuma’s family called 9-1-1 dispatchers about 1:15 a.m. to report that he had been using meth for several days straight and was acting strangely. [...]

Sheriff’s deputy responds to suicide call by killing victim

A suicidal man armed with a knife was shot and killed late Sunday in Victorville during a brawl with a sheriff’s deputy. The unidentified man died at the scene in the 14700 block of Cheyenne Place, San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials said. Deputies came to the home at 10:40 p.m. to check on a man [...]

Board of Ed Restricts Military Recruiters’ Access to Students

NEW YORK, NY June 24, 2009 —Military recruiters won’t be given as much free reign to high school students, under new regulations issued by the City’s Department of Education. REPORTER: The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires school districts to provide the names and contact information of 11th and 12th grade students to recruiters [...]

Ohio sergeant’s daughter not arrested in fatal crash

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus police are investigating why the daughter of a veteran officer wasn’t arrested at the scene of a fatal crash she was involved in — even though she had a suspended driver’s license and two outstanding warrants. Internal-affairs investigators want to determine whether the officers who went to the scene of the [...]

From recruiting to rape

Anti-war advocates aren’t surprised by shocking abuse charges LOS ANGELES (FinalCall.com) - Prosecutors have set a $1 million bail for a U.S. Marine charged with pimping, kidnapping, and intending to rape a 14-year-old girl. Reports indicate that Staff Sgt. Bryan Damone Cunningham, of San Pedro, California was previously honored three times for good conduct. Military watch groups [...]

Unarmed, Innocent Man Shot, Killed by Miami Beach Police

Wrongful-death claim filed in mistaken shooting of Rubidoux man

Attorneys representing the live-in girlfriend, children and parents of a Rubidoux man mistakenly killed in a shootout between Chino police officers and robbery suspects have filed wrongful death claims against the city of Chino. Daniel Balandran, 23, was shot on Feb. 1 when an officer mistook him for one of the robbers of a Papa [...]

Hoops pays back the Good Ol’ Boys

REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA AND RECORD OF ACTION County of San Bernardino F A S STANDARD CONTRACT See also: Raymond S. G. Pryke v. Gary Penrod, County of San Bernardino, B. Chambers, Dino Defazio and Does, filed June 23, 2009 Raymond Pryke ordered to pay sanctions, costs in libel [...]

Are Mind-Enhancing Drugs a Dangerous Fad or a Great Way to Get Ahead?

In the middle of the exam season, the offer of a drug that could improve results might excite students but would be likely to terrify their parents. Now, a distinguished professor of bioethics says it is time to embrace the possibilities of “brain boosters” — chemical cognitive enhancement. The provocative suggestion comes from John Harris, [...]

US says Afghan poppy eradication ‘failure’

The United States admits that its efforts in eradicating opium poppy production in Afghanistan have proven to be of no avail. Washington’s special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke said on Sunday that the current measures taken against poppy growers had been “a failure”. “The Western policies against the opium crop, the poppy crop, [...]

Drug War founder, Richard Nixon, also believed abortion was “necessary” in mixed race pregnancies

Tape recordings of former US President Richard Nixon have revealed that he believed abortion was “necessary” in mixed race pregnancies. The Richard Nixon Presidential Library has released tapes of White House classified audio recordings revealing racist face of the US’s 37th president. In February 1971, President Nixon began secretly taping conversations and telephone calls in [...]

Denver cops hold up McDonald’s at gunpoint

A Denver police officer has been suspended after allegedly brandishing his gun at a McDonald’s restaurant in Aurora after his order took too long to fill. Aurora police confirmed the CBS4 investigation saying the incident occurred May 21 at the McDonald’s at 18181 East Hampden Avenue. A spokesperson for the Aurora Police Department said they [...]

A Call for “A Conversation About the War on Drugs” From Solano County

Solano County Supervisor Barbara Kondylis is quoted today as follows in an article about Solano County’s plans to begin issuing medical marijuana ID cards: “This is too long in coming. (Marijuana) does nothing compared to the harm alcohol causes. It’s time in this country we start having a conversation about the war on drugs.“

Cop Who Brutally Beat Female Bartender Receives Probation

Editor’s note: The judge in the case gave the lame excuse that sentencing the sadistic cop, Anthony Abbate, wouldn’t prevent him from getting drunk and hitting people in the future. Abbate remains on the police force in Chicago, demonstrating that crime does indeed pay. (WGN-AM)- A Chicago police officer was sentenced to two years probation [...]

Santa Clara deputy in fatal crash sentenced

SAN JOSE — A former Santa Clara County deputy sheriff has been sentenced to spend four months in house detention or a work furlough program for hitting and killing two cyclists. A judge sentenced 28-year-old James Council Thursday for the March 2008 crash in Cupertino that killed 29-year-old Matt Peterson of San Francisco and 30-year-old [...]

1 in 8 combat troops needs alcohol counseling

One in eight troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan from 2006 to 2008 were referred for counseling for alcohol problems after their post-deployment health assessments, according to data from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center. Service members complete their initial health assessments within 30 days of returning home. The authors of the study, published in [...]

Trial date set for former B-52 pilot accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in the shower with a stun gun and a collapsible baton

After four years in a Florida jail on burglary and battery charges, a trial date has been set for a former Barksdale B-52 pilot accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in the shower with a stun gun and a collapsible baton. Capt. John C. Perrys, 33, will face trial Aug. 3 in Panama City, Fla., 38 [...]

Comics artist Mark Sable detained for “Unthinkable” acts

Boom! Studios sends word that comics writer Mark Sable was detained by Transportation Security Administration security guards at Los Angeles International Airport this past weekend because he was carrying a script for a new issue of his comic miniseries Unthinkable. Sable was detained while traveling to New York for a debut party at Jim Hanley’s [...]

Woman Alleges Rape at Georgia Police Station

A woman is suing the city of Woodstock and a narcotics officer she said raped her at a police station. She said the incident happened after she agreed to work as a confidential informant after a drug arrest. The allegations were laid out in a federal lawsuit that Channel 2 Action News reporter Tom Regan [...]

Ex-Sheriff Sentenced To Federal Prison

DUBLIN, Ga. — Former Telfair County Sheriff Jim Williamson has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison. The 49-year-old Williamson pleaded guilty to a charge of honest services fraud in January, a week after his second term as sheriff ended. Prosecutors said Williamson embezzled fine money, accepted a bribe and purchased personal items with [...]

The Atlantic Interviews Radley Balko

Radley Balko is a senior editor at Reason Magazine whose award-winning investigative work focuses on criminal justice and civil liberties. His blog, The Agitator, is one of the most carefully curated resources for stories on the same subject. Q. In your work, you’ve frequently reported on police abuses and the appropriate role of law enforcement [...]

Justices Rule Lab Analysts Must Testify on Results

WASHINGTON — Crime laboratory reports may not be used against criminal defendants at trial unless the analysts responsible for creating them give testimony and subject themselves to cross-examination, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a 5-to-4 decision. The ruling was an extension of a 2004 decision that breathed new life into the Sixth Amendment’s confrontation [...]

Bill Maher Drug Monologue

Ex-border agent who shot smuggler to ride in Temecula parade

A former U.S. Border Patrol agent whose sentence for shooting a suspected smuggler was later commuted by President George W. Bush is scheduled to take part in Temecula’s Fourth of July parade as the guest of a conservative group. Jose Compean will address the Murrieta Temecula Republican Assembly‘s dinner meeting on July 3. The assembly [...]

Drugs ‘deck of cards’ mocks inhaling politicians

Take a deep breath, guys … ‘playing cards’ from the new Nice People Take Drugs website. Photograph: Release From former presidents to serving ministers, politicians around the world have today found themselves the butt of a web campaign skewering them as hypocrites for advocating a zero tolerance approach to drugs despite having used drugs in [...]

Marijuana Mamas!

Gina Kaysen Fernandes: A new wave of reefer madness is sweeping suburbia — but it’s not just teenagers who are lighting up. Middle-aged, middle-class soccer moms are smoking pot … a lot. These women aren’t stoners: they’re teachers, lawyers, and, perhaps, even your neighbor who prefers puffing a joint to sipping chardonnay. “Marijuana is the [...]

Raymond S. G. Pryke v. Gary Penrod, County of San Bernardino, B. Chambers, Dino Defazio and Does, filed June 23, 2009

Case Number:  2:2009cv04502 Court:  California Central District Court Presiding Judge:  Klausner Referring Judge:  Zarefsky Nature of Suit:  Civil Rights – Other Civil Rights Cause:  42:1983 Civil Rights Act Jurisdiction:  Federal Question Jury Demanded By:  Plaintiff Amount Demanded:  $9,999,000.00 See also: Good ol’ Boys Raymond Pryke ordered to pay sanctions, costs in libel lawsuit by Penrod’s wife

United Nations Backs Drug Decriminalization In World Drug Report

In an about face, the United Nations on Wednesday lavishly praised drug decriminalization in its annual report on the state of global drug policy. In previous years, the UN drug czar had expressed skepticism about Portugal’s decriminalization, which removed criminal penalties in 2001 for personal drug possession and emphasized treatment over incarceration. The UN had [...]

BUSTED: The Citizen’s Guide to Surviving Police Encounters

US to drop satellite spying on Americans

The Obama Administration intends to put an end to a Bush-era program that authorizes the use of US spy satellites for domestic security purposes. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano plans to abandon the controversial project, which was developed when the former President George Bush was in office to give law enforcement an extra tool to [...]

New NGO Report on Central American Gangs

Gangs of Central America: Causes, Costs, and Interventions Small Arms Survey has just published this report on Central American gangs in an effort to respond to recent U.S. military and government reports and statements which have emphasized the national security threats that these gangs pose. “Although gangs have long been a feature of Central American [...]

2008 DHS Stats on Refugees and Asylees Available

Refugees and Asylees: 2008 “The United States provides refuge to persons who have been persecuted or have a well-founded fear of persecution through two programs: one for refugees (persons outside the U.S.) and one for asylees (persons in the U.S.). This Office of Immigration Statistics Annual Flow Report provides information on the number of persons [...]

Supreme Court Rejects DNA Access to Prove Innocence

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court rejected the constitutional right of a convicted individual to access his DNA to prove innocence. Chief Justice John G. Roberts held that the task of harnessing “DNA’s power to prove innocence without unnecessarily overthrowing the established system of criminal justice…belongs primarily to the legislature.” Justice John Paul Stevens, [...]

Congressional Action on Secrecy

The Senate on June 17 passed a bill sponsored by Senators Joseph Lieberman and Lindsey Graham that would exempt from the Freedom of Information Act certain photographs documenting the abuse of detainees held in U.S. custody.  Senator Graham said that if the bill was not enacted into law, the Obama Administration had assured him it [...]

Independent Report Criticizes ICE Workplace Raids

Raids on Workers: Destroying Our Rights: A Comprehensive Analysis and Investigation of ICE Raids and Their Ramifications This report from the National Commission on ICE Misconduct and Violations of 4th Amendment Rights investigates recent ICE workplace raids in the United States. “On December 12, 2006, the Bush administration conducted massive worksite raids at six Swift [...]

Political Violence Against Americans 2008 Report

Political Violence Against Americans 2008 The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security has issued the 2008 edition of its annual report on political violence against Americans abroad. “Political Violence Against Americans is a report to the American people that focuses on major incidents of anti-U.S. violence and terrorism, with apparent political motivations, that occurred [...]

Drugs Won the War

This year marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s start of the war on drugs, and it now appears that drugs have won. “We’ve spent a trillion dollars prosecuting the war on drugs,” Norm Stamper, a former police chief of Seattle, told me. “What do we have to show for it? Drugs are more [...]

Police Terrorize Mobile Home Park in Pomona: Community Demands Justice

POMONA, June 17, 2009 – Residents of the Woodlawn Mobile Home Park in Pomona are demanding an explanation for the harassment of their community following a series of raids on the park. A June 11 police raid on the community was apparently done in preparation for a June 12 sheriff’s raid to serve a warrant, [...]

Second-ranking state prison administrator arrested

Scott Kernan, the second-ranking administrator of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, has been arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol in his state car, triggering a disciplinary review and postponement of a June 24 state Senate confirmation hearing, a spokesman said Wednesday. Kernan, 47, was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger [...]

1968 Chicago riot cops set to ‘celebrate’ mass beatings

Members of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) who participated in what an official report later described as a “police riot” during the 1968 Democratic National Convention are planning to get together next week to reminisce about the good times and set the record straight on “what really happened.” FOP president Mark Donahue insists, [...]

2 Marines indicted in Army nurse death in NC

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Two Camp Lejeune Marines have been indicted in the killing of an Army nurse whose burned and dismembered remains were found in a shallow North Carolina grave last summer. The Cumberland County deputy clerk’s office said Friday a grand jury indicted Cpl. John Wimunc and Cpl. Kyle Alden earlier this week in [...]