Leid Stories – 04.29.15

Making Their Bones in Baltimore –

The crisis in Baltimore has become a backdrop for media hounds, political pundits, talking heads and just about every variety of sound-byte opportunist. Yet the systemic problems that are the Gordian knot around the embattled city are again being given short shrift.
Even the “liberal” media are fully engaged in providing “coverage” that has more to do with sensationalism, stereotype and self-promotion than getting at the root of systemic problems that belie claims of social, political, economic and racial progress in America.
Leid Stories tackles the issue head on.

The police can’t police themselves. And now the public is too scared to cooperate with them.

When Feidin Santana recorded Walter Scott’s murder, his first thought was fear of reprisal from police. In an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Santana said he was tempted to delete the video and move for his own safety. Though he ultimately gave the video to Scott’s family, who then turned it over to the press, he still fears reprisals. Like Scott’s family, Santana …

Leid Stories – 04.07.15

Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari: Really A ‘Fresh Start? Badges, Bullets & Bodies: Police Killings at All-Time High Former military strongman Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president-elect, rode the crest of popular support for his campaign promise to rout both Boko Haram terrorists and rampant government corruption from the continent’s most populous nation. But as he forms his transition team and selects key members …

Obama Chooses Six Cities to Test Federal Police Scheme

Under the guise of “restoring trust” between communities and police departments that have been militarized by the federal government, the Obama administration’s Justice Department announced this month that it had selected six U.S. cities to serve as pilot sites, to develop and deploy federal guidance for local police to create better procedures, reduce racial bias, and regain citizens’ trust. The plan, which is …

Guilty of Being Poor

Here’s something you might not know about Ferguson, Missouri: In this city of 21,000 people, 16,000 have outstanding arrest warrants. In fact, in 2013 alone, authorities issued 9,000 warrants for over 32,000 offenses. That’s one-and-a-half offenses for every resident of Ferguson in just one year. Most of the warrants are for minor offenses such as traffic or parking violations. And they’re …

New Bill Would Have Teachers Diagnose Psychological Issues in Children and Report them to Police

Texas State Representative Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) is once again in the spotlight after submitting yet another Orwellian proposal, H.B. 985. Villalba first raised the ire of civil libertarians by proposing a bill, H.B. 2006, which would have eliminated the religious exemption for vaccination, essentially creating a forced government vaccination program without exception. More recently, Villalba was thrust into the national …