Tag Archives: mayor

Featured, US

St. Louis Police Headquarters Stormed by Protestors

27 Comments

What began as a peaceful march in the city of St. Louis has turned into an occupation of a local police headquarterst by protesters and other demonstrators.

The “March to the Arch” began around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning with about 75 participants. The march ended at the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department headquarters, where according to FOX News St. Louis, 15 protesters entered the lobby of the police headquarters and read a list of demands.

Some of the demands listed were a meeting with Police Chief Sam Dotson as well as a meeting with the St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay or the Board of Aldermen President, Lewis Reed. Apart from these meetings, the protesters also demanded the termination of a few police officers who they believe to have been involved in the use of police brutality.

The protesters also posted an eviction notice to the doors of the police headquarters which reads, according to the Free Thought Project, “We are informing you that the police department is scheduled to be reclaimed by its citizens today, December 31, 2014.” A list of reasons is then given for the eviction notice, including, “Perpetrating police brutality on our citizenry,” as well as, “Transforming the police into a militarized occupying force.”

The notice was then signed at the bottom with “We the People.”

While the 15 protesters entered the building, around 100 other protesters stayed outside. It was shortly after the demands were read inside the building that, according to RT, the officers began to issue arrests and pepper-spraying protesters.

Five people were arrested during the demonstration and are being charged with Trespassing as well as Peace Disturbance. One of those arrested is being charged with Third Degree Assault for the assault of a City Marshall inside the police headquarters.

The St. Louis Dispatch also report, “When more protesters tried to rush into the front doors, officers linked arms and grabbed some by the shoulders and pushed them to the ground.”

Featured, US

The NYPD has effectively stopped working

48 Comments

A few days after the funeral for NYPD officer Rafael Ramos, one of two slain police officers whose deaths have sparked a rift between the police and the mayor in the city, reports are claiming the NYPD have virtually stopped working.

According to the New York Post, traffic tickets and minor offense summonses have dropped in the city by about 94 percent since the funeral. Some officers are saying they feel betrayed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and fear for their safety while on the job.

The overall arrest rate has dropped by about 66 percent throughout the city, and officers are only making arrests “when they have to.”

One source told the New York Magazine, “This is not a slowdown for slowdown’s sake. Cops are concerned, after the reaction from City Hall on the Garner case, about de Blasio not backing them.”

As of right now, according to CBS New York, the slowdown of work is not an intentional or coordinated plan. Rather the drop in arrests is being attributed to the number of officers who are still grieving after the lose of both Officer Ramos and Liu, as well as officers being on edge after their shooting deaths.

The stoppage comes as de Blasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton are scheduled to hold an “emergency summit” with the leaders of five different police unions in the area.

One tweet from the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association read, before it was deleted, the mayor needs to “humble himself” as well as “change his philosophical views on policing,” in order to deal with the new protests and manner in which they are handled by the police in the city.

Police Accountability, US

Officers turning their backs on mayor called inappropriate by police commissioner

6 Comments

When Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, spoke at the funeral of fallen NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos, many other NYPD officers in the crowd turned their backs towards the mayor in open protest. Now, New York Police Commisioner William Bratton is calling this act inappropriate at the funeral for the fallen officer.

“I certainly don’t support that action,” said Bratton according to the AP. “That funeral was held to honour Officer Ramos. And to bring politics, to bring issues into that event, I think, was very inappropriate.”

The mayor has been criticized recently for his remarks concerning the relationship between officers, specifically those working with the NYPD, and members in the African American community.

Various leaders of police unions in New York City were responsible for some of the negative remarks towards the mayor. The symbolic gesture of the officers turning their backs on the mayor at the funeral of Officer Ramos though, has not been claimed by any police union members. Patrick Lynch, the head of one union, dodged reporter’s questions about the action after the funeral.

“The issues go far beyond race relations in this city,” Bratton said to Chuck Todd on ‘Meet the Press.’  Bratton continued by saying, “I think it’s probably a rift that is going to go on for a while longer… However, we will be making efforts to sit down and talk with the union leaders in particular to deal with their issues.”

Bratton also said de Blasio has been “totally supportive” of the NYPD by contributing many millions of dollars to the department’s budget for officer safety enhancements.

US

Chicago City Council approves minimum wage hike

49 Comments

An ordinance brought before the Chicago City Council to raise the minimum wage to $13 an hour was overwhelmingly approved Tuesday by a vote of 44-5.

Currently, the minimum wage in Chicago is $8.25, and under the new ordinance this will rise to $10 an hour by next July and continue to rise by fifty cents every year until 2019.

The ordinance cites the rising levels of inflation for the need to raise the minimum wage.  Specifically, the ordinance says, “rising inflation has outpaced the growth in the minimum wage, leaving the true value of lllinois’ current minimum wage of $8.25 per hour 32 percent below the 1968 level of $10.71 per hour (in 2013 dollars).”

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, according to the Chicago Tribune, the minimum wage increase is “part of an economic strategy to make sure that work pays … and not only that work pays — simple — but no parent that works should raise a child in poverty.”

While some groups such as the Raise Chicago Coalition applauded the raising of the wage, others said the approval of the ordinance is a mistake.

Tom Tunney, a restaurant owner in Chicago, said, according to the Huffington Post, “How do you go from $8.25 [an hour] to $13 overnight?  You know what you do? You raise the prices and you’ve also got to find ways to do it with less help. That’s what’s going to happen.”

Alderman Bob Fioretti, however, said the ordinance does not go far enough and the minimum wage could be raised to $15 an hour.  “While I’m proud to support today’s increase in the minimum wage, we can’t stop fighting now,” said Fioretti.  “The chant in the streets here and nationwide has been ‘show me $15,’ not ‘show me $13 by 2019.'”

Politics, US

Former Virginia political candidate indicted on murder charges

Leave a comment

Charles Severance, a resident of Alexandria, Virginia who had ran for political office in Virginia in the 1990’s and 2000’s, has been indicted on ten charges, including murder and weapons related charges.

The killings in question date back to 2003 when real estate agent Nancy Dunning was found murdered in the Alexandria area.  There were other murders in the surrounding neighborhoods in the following years, one as recent as February.  These killings have sparked fears of a possible serial killer in Alexandria and the encompassing areas.

Ballistics experts had found similarities between the weapons used in all three murders, according to ABC News.

Severance, 53, was identified by a caregiver, who had survived the February slaying, with the help of forensic sketch artists.  When police contacted Severance in March, he left the state but was later arrested in a Wheeling, W. Va. library, according to the Washington Post.

Severance was initially arrested on a weapons related charge since he is a felon and therefore not allowed to carry a firearm.  He had previously pleaded guilty to a 2005 felony gun possession charge.

In 1996 and 2000, Severance made a run for mayor of Alexandria, but his odd and erratic behavior caused officials to take notice.  Police at the time conducted a routine investigation after tips were passed off to them pointing to Severance in connection with the 2003 homicide, according to the Washington Times.  After the investigation, police concluded Severance was not a suspect at the time.

Prosecutors for the case say they are not planning to pursue the death penalty.  The maximum sentence Severance could therefore face is life in prison if he is convicted of the murder charges.

“This has been a complex and time-consuming investigation that has spanned almost 11 years,” said the Alexandria police in a statement.

Politics, US

Mayor Steals $60k In Christmas Toy Money Intended For Children

15 Comments

TFT

Yesterday, Billy E. Wilson, the mayor of Greenbrier, TN, was arrested after an extensive investigation, which proved he had been stealing money from the local “Toys For Tots” charity. Every year individuals flood the streets and grocery stores in the small Tennessee town asking for donations, which are supposed to be used to purchase Christmas toys for young children who cannot afford them.

Greenbrier residents say they have been suspecting Mayor Wilson of misconduct for years. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), Mayor Wilson has been placing the donated money in to his personal account since 2005.

Mayor Wilson has been booked into the local county jail on $5k bond with one count of official misconduct and one count of theft over $60k.

Tennessee was recently ranked as the “most corrupt” state in the country. A title, which Mayor Wilson, has helped to secure. The TBI is currently continuing their investigation.

Follow Michael Lotfi on Twitter: @MichaelLotfi