Tag: police state

Back To School? “No Thanks” Say Millions Of Newly Homeschooling Parents

Next month marks the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year in several US states, and pressure is mounting to reopen schools even as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. Florida, for example, is now considered the nation’s No. 1 hot spot for the virus; yet on Monday, the state’s education commissioner issued an executive order mandating that all Florida schools open in August with in-person learning and their full suite of student services.

Many parents are balking at back-to-school, choosing instead to homeschool their children this fall.

Gratefully, this virus seems to be sparing most children, and prominent medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have urged schools to reopen this fall with in-person learning. For some parents, fear of the virus itself is a primary consideration in delaying a child’s return to school, especially if the child has direct contact with individuals who are most vulnerable to COVID-19’s worst effects.

But for many parents, it’s not the virus they are avoiding by keeping their children home—it’s the response to the virus.

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Lawsuits Against NYPD Cost Taxpayers $230 Million Last Year

New York City taxpayers are stuck with a $230 million bill for the thousands of lawsuits against the NYPD that the city settled in the last fiscal year, according to a report released this week by Comptroller Scott Stringer.

The annual claims report found that the majority of suits against the department were related to improper police conduct, including excessive force and false arrests. While the number of claims against the NYPD has remained stable—there were 6,472 actions last year, compared to 6,546 in 2017—total payouts have decreased significantly from last year’s high of $335.5 million.

The Comptroller’s report noted that five wrongful conviction suits accounted for $33 million of this past year’s payouts. Four out of five of those claims involved people who spent decades in prison before their sentences were vacated by the late Brooklyn D.A. Ken Thompson’s Conviction Integrity Unit. Their settlements ranged from $1.5 million for Paul Gatling, who was exonerated at the age of 81, to $12.3 million for Andre Hatchett, who spent 25 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

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“Watch the Show Folks”: Cop Poses on Livestream as He Savagely Beats Man Over Traffic Stop

As the video shows, Thompson is not resisting in anyway, has both of his hands up, and is simply not willing to get out of the vehicle over an allegation that a cop smelled a plant.

“Sir, my hands are up, and we are on camera,” Thompson says as the Trooper becomes more enraged.

Hewitt then responds by telling Thompson that “you are gonna get your ass whooped in front of f*cking lord and all creation.”

Thompson says again and again that his hands are up and he’s not resisting. However, the enraged Hewitt doesn’t seem to care. He looks to the camera, poses with his soon-to-be victim and says “Watch the show folks” as he attacks Thompson.

Though the camera goes blank, you can still hear Thompson pleading with his attackers to “please get off my neck” as Hewitt continues to beat him.

Instead of listening and getting off of his neck, Hewitt starts shouting, “how do you like that motherf**ker?” as he continues his attack on Thompson.

Thankfully, Derrick survived. Other people have not been so lucky.

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Cop Arrested After Manhunt Launched for an Attack He Faked On Himself

Over the weekend, citizens of Virginia and the rest of the country were shocked as headlines across the internet reported that a Fauquier County Sheriff’s Deputy was found unconscious on the roadside after being attacked by people driving a black SUV. The blue line supporters came out in full force driving home the narrative that there is a war on cops. However, after police began investigating the incident, they quickly found out that no attack ever happened.

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Customs to Expand License Plate Reading Program Nationwide

The Customs and Border Protection agency has been collecting vehicle information at the border using license plate readers for years. Now, the agency will begin incorporating third-party license plate reader data collected from local governments, law enforcement and the private sector and maintained by a commercial vendor.

A privacy impact assessment published July 7 outlines the agency’s plan to incorporate datasets maintained by third-party vendors as part of its investigations. The latest update is the first since December 2017, when CBP authorized the use of license plate readers for data collection.

“To meet its vast mission requirements, CBP relies on a variety of law enforcement tools and techniques for law enforcement and border security,” the PIA states. “One such tool is license plate reader (LPR) technology, which consists of high-speed cameras and related equipment mounted on vehicles or in fixed locations that automatically and without direct human control locate, focus on, and photograph license plates and vehicles that come into range of the device.”

Each data collection—or “read”—gathers the vehicle’s license plate number; an image of the vehicle, including make and model; where it is registered; the location and owner of the camera; and any associated location information, including GPS coordinates. “LPR technology may also capture—within the image—the environment surrounding a vehicle, which may include drivers and passengers,” the impact assessment notes.

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