Victims

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Must See Tweets 1.11 #Selma #TamirRice #BlackLivesMatter

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Horrific hate crime that prompted SPLC lawsuit in Mississippi concludes with final guilty pleas | Southern Poverty Law Center

It was a vicious hate crime that shocked the country – a black man in Jackson, Mississippi, attacked by a group of white teens and killed when he was deliberately run down by a pickup truck.

Captured by a motel security camera and broadcast on CNN, the murder of 47-year-old James C. Anderson in June 2011 prompted an SPLC lawsuit against the seven teens involved. That case ended with a confidential settlement.

This week, the criminal case came to an end when two men – John L. Blalack, 20, and Robert H. Rice, 24 – became the last of 10 defendants to plead guilty in connection with Anderson’s murder and other, earlier hate crimes against African Americans in Jackson. Convicted under the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, they each face up to 10 years in prison.

“This case was a sickening reminder of the consequences of racism and hate,” said SPLC Founder Morris Dees. “James Anderson was brutally murdered for no other reason than the color of his skin. And the lives of these young people have been ruined. As a nation, we must work even harder to confront the legacy of white supremacism that continues to haunt us.”

In 2012, Deryl Paul Dedmon, 22, the driver of the truck that ran over Anderson and the alleged ringleader of the group, pleaded guilty to murder and hate crime charges. He was sentenced to life in prison after Anderson’s family urged the prosecutor to not seek the death penalty.

In court yesterday, according to The Clarion-Ledger, Blalack admitted that he and the others had cruised the streets of Jackson, which they called “Jafrica,” on at least 10 occasions to harass and attack African Americans. On one trip, they beat a man near a golf course until he begged for his life.                                                               

On the night of June 25, 2011, seven of them left a party in nearby Puckett, armed with beer bottles to throw. Sometime after midnight, they found Anderson, an autoworker and the lead tenor in his church choir, in a motel parking lot. One of the teens knocked him to the ground as the assault began. One reportedly shouted “white power” during the attack.

Blalack recounted how he left the scene with three others and later received a phone call from Dedmon saying, “I just runned that n—-r over.” He said he returned to see people huddled around Anderson’s body.

Anderson, who worked at a nearby Nissan plant, was described by U.S. Attorney Gregory Davis as a “wonderful human being” and loving family man – “a father, a son who called his mother every morning, a brother and a partner.”

Others who pleaded guilty earlier were John Aaron Rice, 21; Dylan Wade Butler, 23; Jonathan Kyle Gaskamp, 22; and Joseph Paul Dominick, 23, all from Brandon; William Kirk Montgomery, 25, from Puckett; Shelbie Brooke Richards, 21, from Pearl; and Sarah Adelia Graves, 21, from Crystal Springs.

This case will be featured on “Hate in America,” a documentary premiering at 8 PM (Eastern), February 23, on Discovery ID. The SPLC worked closely with the producers to examine the violence inspired by hate, fear, and intolerance. SPLC Founder Morris Dees will be appearing in the piece, as will several other SPLC experts.

Source: www.splcenter.org

 

#BlackLivesMatter

 

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12-22-2014 Car full of teens shot up. One girl dead, three injured.

“This is a human issue,” Shabazz said. “It’s not a Detroit issue. It’s not a Grosse Pointe issue. It’s not a black or white issue. It’s a human being issue. We cannot allow anyone to walk up to a car full of young people and indiscriminately start firing.

Source: www.detroitnews.com

 

Also see:

Paige Stalker’s mom visits slaying site, pleads for clues

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Tanisha Anderson was restrained in prone position; death ruled homicide

Tanisha Anderson, 37, died suddenly after she was restrained in a prone position in a confrontation with Cleveland police Nov. 13. Her death was ruled a homicide.

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Her family called police twice on Nov. 13 to report the 37-year-old woman was disturbing the peace, police said. They eventually agreed to let police take her to St. Vincent Charity Medical Center for a mental health evaluation.

Police said Anderson began to kick at the officers as they escorted her to a police car, and went limp during the struggle. But Anderson’s brother, Joell Anderson, told Northeast Ohio Media Group that Anderson got nervous after voluntarily getting into the back of the police car.

She left the cruiser, and a police officer performed a take-down move, placed his knee on Anderson’s back as she lay face-down on the pavement and handcuffed her before she stopped moving, according to Anderson’s family.

The department’s Use of Deadly Force Investigation Team continues to probe the incident. Investigators have not yet determined if the officer’s use of force was justified, but Anderson has become one of the faces of a 58-page Justice Department reportthat found, among other things, many Cleveland police officers are not properly trained to handle encounters with residents with mental illnesses.

Specifically, the report found, officers often do not practice proper deescalation techniques to keep a situation from getting out of control and wind up using cruel and excessive force against the mentally and medically ill.

It’s unclear if the officers involved in Anderson’s arrest were among the department’s 400 certified crisis intervention officers. The family has publicly called for the department to require every Cleveland police officer to receive 40 hours of special training given by the Cuyahoga County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services.

The officers are on restricted duty, police spokeswoman detective Jennifer Ciaccia said Friday.

Mauvion Green, Anderson’s 16-year-old daughter, said she hopes her mother’s death will be a catalyst for change.

“I am hoping for a change in the police system,” Green said. “If they have a job to protect people, that’s what they should be doing.”

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Source: www.cleveland.com

Again. Still no lapel video or dash cam video. 

#BlackLivesMatter 

#NotOneMore 

#ShutItDown 

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Anderson Cooper’s Interview With Four Mothers Of Unarmed Black Men Slain By Police Spotlights Racial Injustice

 

On Friday evening, four mothers came forward to tell the story of how they buried their children, a story that no parent should have to tell. Speaking with Anderson Cooper, the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice came together to discuss the horrific reality of police brutality in America, and its disproportionate effects on black bodies. The interview marked the first time that all four women came together on national television, highlighting the growing national discomfort with an insidious trend of violence towards black, brown and minority men and women at the hands of law enforcement officials, and the insufficiency of a legal system that seems unconcerned with their existence.

 

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Source: www.bustle.com

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The American Holocaust

 

A premeditated mass murder of civilians is happening in America. Its victims include the mentally ill, the disabled, the homeless,  infants, children, and minorities. The majority of its victims are Black males.

While some victims of the American Holocaust are killed by civilians claiming self-defense, the majority are killed by deputized law enforcement. There are some prejudiced citizens who conclude that certain people are up to no good. They call the police who shoot to kill first before asking questions. Using color and claim of official right, there are no consequences for their actions.

 

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Source: blackbutterfly7.wordpress.com