Month: September 2020

U.S. President Donald Trump is traveling Tuesday to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where protests turned violent last week after a white police officer shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, seven times in the back as officers tried to arrest him. Trump told reporters Monday he is not planning to meet with Blake’s family because they wanted a lawyer to participate. The president also declined to criticize the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, a white teenage vigilante who is accused of fatally shooting two people and wounding a third during a street demonstration in Kenosha two nights after Blake’s shooting.  Rittenhouse, who claimed his goal was to protect businesses, faces five felony charges, including first degree intentional homicide.“They very violently attacked him,” Trump told reporters about Rittenhouse. “He probably would’ve been killed” had he not opened fire on the demonstrators.   The governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, urged the president to skip Tuesday’s visit to Kenosha, saying Trump’s presence “will only hinder our healing. I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.”   Evers has ordered National Guard troops into Kenosha and accepted additional federal law enforcement assistance to quell the street violence since Blake was shot and left partially paralyzed.  Trump’s trip to Wisconsin comes as he and former Vice President Joe Biden, his opponent in the November presidential election, trade accusations about security and portray life in America under the other candidate as unsafe.Members of the Wisconsin National Guard stand outside Kenosha County Public Safety Building, over a week since Black man Jacob Blake was shot by police and a day before a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Aug. 31, 2020.Homeland security investigation
Trump announced Monday that the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice are launching an investigation into “left-wing civil unrest” in “Democrat-run cities,” adding that federal operations cracking down on urban violence have resulted in the arrests of 200 people, including 100 in Portland, Oregon.   “In America, we will never surrender to mob rule, because if the mob rules, democracy is indeed dead,” the president told reporters in the White House briefing room.  Trump, emphasizing that “we need order,” spoke just hours after Biden said the president “can’t stop the violence, because for years, he has fomented it.”   Earlier in the day, Biden speaking in Pittsburgh, looked into the cameras during his remarks, which were carried live on the three main U.S. cable news networks, and said: “Ask yourself, do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?” Biden called for rioters and looters to be prosecuted and accused Trump of “rooting for chaos and violence” during the election season because he sees it as “a political lifeline.”   A Biden statement late Monday faulted Trump for not repudiating Rittenhouse and urged the president to join Biden “in saying that while peaceful protest is a right – a necessity – violence is wrong, period.”Portland police make arrests on the scene of the nightly protests at a Portland police precinct on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020 in Portland, Ore. Oregon State Police will return to Portland to help local authorities after the fatal shooting of a man…Portland protests
Asked by a CNN reporter during Monday’s White House briefing about his supporters firing pepper spray and paintballs at protesters in Portland Saturday night, Trump responded that “paint is not bullets,” adding “your supporters … shot a young gentleman and killed him, not with paint but with a bullet and I think it’s disgraceful.”   The president was referring to Aaron “Jay” Danielson, a member of a far-right group, who was shot in the chest after a convoy of hundreds of Trump supporters drove through an anti-racism protest.    Violence has fluctuated in downtown Portland since the May 25 death of a Black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.With the election nine weeks away, Biden leads Trump in national polling, although the contest is tight in some key swing states.
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Sheriffs from two counties in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, on Monday emphatically rejected a plan by the state’s governor for their deputies to help patrol the city following last weekend’s deadly shooting of a right-wing supporter of President Donald Trump. Their decision threw into doubt a plan announced a day earlier by Gov. Kate Brown to keep the peace in Portland by adding nearby sheriff’s deputies and Oregon State Police troopers as the city struggles to regain its footing in the glare of the national spotlight. Brown, a Democrat, announced the security plan for Portland after the fatal shooting of Aaron Danielson, 39, on Saturday as Black Lives Matter protesters clashed with Trump supporters who drove in a caravan through the city. No one has been arrested in the case.  The rejection by the two sheriffs, elected as nonpartisans, increases uncertainty about Portland’s future just as Trump focuses on the chaos in Portland as part of his law and order re-election campaign theme. Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said inundating the city with more law enforcement would not work because Portland’s newly elected district attorney has dismissed charges against hundreds of protesters arrested for nonviolent, low-level crimes.  Roberts and Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett also said the liability for their deputies would be too great amid worries deputies could be sued for actions they take outside their home jurisdictions.FILE PHOTO: A man dressed in an American flag joins protesters in Portland, Oregon, Aug. 31, 2020.”The same offenders are arrested night after night, only to be released by the court and not charged with a crime by the DA’s Office,” Roberts said. “The next night they are back at it, endangering the lives of law enforcement and the community all over again.” Brown’s chief-of-staff, Charles Boyle, said Roberts did agree that deputies from Clackamas County could help by handling some calls normally taken by state police while its troopers are dispatched to Portland. Brown has so far declined to send the National Guard to Portland but instead announced the planned coalition of law enforcement agencies late Sunday. In a statement, she said right-wing groups like Patriot Prayer had come to Portland “looking for a fight” and vowed to stop more bloodshed. “We all must come together — elected officials, community leaders, all of us — to stop the cycle of violence,” she said. Some Black community leaders were also upset with the proposal to put more officers on the streets. Portland police have been criticized for using tear gas and for being overly aggressive. “If you’re just there, the odds of getting arrested at this point are almost so high as to the point of being guaranteed,” said Shanice Clarke, one of the founders of the Black Millennial Movement and a frequent protester.  The Portland police also drew criticism Monday for not doing more to keep the dueling groups apart and for letting the situation get out of control.  Police Chief Chuck Lovell defended his officers, saying the clashes between protesters and Trump supporters were spread out over many city blocks and that the shooting took just seconds.  “While it’s easy to cast blame on paramilitary and alt-right groups on the one side, or anti-fascist and Black Lives Matter groups on the other, the responsibility to safeguard communities rests with government,” said Eric Ward, executive director of the nonprofit Western States Center, which helps marginalized communities organize social justice campaigns around the West. “In Portland, law enforcement has regularly failed to keep our city’s streets safe.” Oregon State Police troopers supported Portland police at protests Sunday night. Authorities arrested 29 people. 
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A court filing disclosed Monday shows Big Ten Conference presidents voted 11-3 to postpone the football season, bringing some clarity to a key question raised in a lawsuit brought by a group of Nebraska football players. The vote breakdown was revealed in the Big Ten’s response to the lawsuit.  The court documents did not identify how each school voted, but a person familiar with the outcome told The Associated Press that Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio State voted against postponing the fall football season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Big Ten was not planning on making the specifics of its vote public. The Big Ten announced Aug. 11 it would move its football season from fall to spring semester because of health risks associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The Pac-12 followed suit, joining the Mid-American Conference and the Mountain West.The eight football players are seeking the reinstatement of a fall season.  FILE – Ohio State wide receiver K.J. Hill (14) holds the trophy following the team’s 34-21 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game, Dec. 8, 2019, in Indianapolis.”The Big Ten Conference continues to share the disappointment that student-athletes and families are feeling,” the conference said in a statement. “The Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force will continue to be transparent as it actively considers options to get back to competition when it is safe to play.” The lawsuit in Lancaster County District Court contends, among other things, that the players are losing a chance for development, exposure for a possible pro career and won’t be able to market themselves to eventually capitalize on name, image and likeness revenue opportunities. The Big Ten filing was a response in opposition to the players’ motion for expedited discovery. The filing said the 11-3 vote “far exceeded” the 60% threshold the Big Ten requires. The filing also said the Big Ten based its decision on multiple factors, including the medical advice and counsel of the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee. Listed as plaintiffs are Brant and Brig Banks, Alante Brown, Noa Pola-Gates, Jackson Hannah, Garrett Nelson, Ethan Piper and Garrett Snodgrass. The players’ attorney, Mike Flood, declined immediate comment, saying he needed to read the filing. FILE – Nebraska Speaker of the Legislature Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk follows debate in the legislature, April 18, 2012.Flood, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, owns five radio stations that broadcast Cornhuskers football games as part of the Husker Sports Network. The lawsuit says the Big Ten’s decision-making process was “flawed and ambiguous” and called into question whether the league’s Council of Presidents and Chancellors formally voted on the decision. The medical studies used to make the decision, the lawsuit says, were not relevant to the circumstances of college-age athletes and did not take into account school safety measures. “This decision did not occur in a vacuum,” the conference said in its filing. The decision not to play fall football has created a firestorm in Big Ten country, fanned by the fact the ACC, Big 12 and SEC are pushing ahead with plans to start their seasons in September. Commissioner Kevin Warren has faced sharp criticism for not clearly laying out how the decision was reached. He has sidestepped questions about the vote breakdown, and his explanations of the medical reasons were panned for not being detailed enough. A group of Nebraska player parents have been most vocal in demanding answers from the commissioner, and parents from other Big Ten schools joined them. The Big Ten said last week the lawsuit “has no merit and we will defend the decision to protect all student-athletes as we navigate through this global pandemic. We are actively considering options to get back to competition and look forward to doing so when it is safe to play.” Flood, in his role representing the Nebraska player parents, previously sent a letter to Warren asking for documents relating to any votes taken, how each school voted, meeting minutes and all audio and video recordings and transcripts of meetings where votes were cast. He also wanted copies of studies, scientific data and medical information or advice considered by the presidents. Flood had threatened a federal lawsuit if the materials weren’t delivered to him. The Big Ten did not respond to the letter.  
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The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice are launching an investigation into “left-wing civil unrest” in “Democrat-run cities,” U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday, adding that federal operations cracking down on urban violence have resulted in the arrests of 200 people, including 100 in Portland, Oregon.“In America, we will never surrender to mob rule, because if the mob rules, democracy is indeed dead,” the president told reporters in the White House briefing room.President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Aug. 31, 2020, in Washington.Trump, emphasizing that “we need order,” spoke just hours after Joe Biden, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, said the president “can’t stop the violence, because for years, he has fomented it.” Trump countered that Biden’s strategy “is to surrender to the left-wing mob.”Earlier in the day, Biden, a former vice president, speaking in Pittsburgh, looked into the cameras during his remarks, which were carried live on the three main U.S. cable news networks, and said: “Ask yourself, do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?”Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event at Mill 19 in Pittsburgh, Pa., Aug. 31, 2020.Biden called for rioters and looters to be prosecuted and accused Trump of “rooting for chaos and violence” during the election season because he sees it as “a political lifeline.”The trading of accusations comes nine weeks before the presidential election with Biden leading Trump in national polling, although the contest is tight in some key swing states.On Tuesday, Trump is to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, where protests turned violent last week after a white police officer shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, seven times in the back as officers tried to arrest him. And a white teenage vigilante claiming to protect businesses in Kenosha is accused of  fatally shooting two people and wounding a third during a street demonstration. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
FILE – In this Dec. 19, 2019, file photo, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers sits for an interview with The Associated Press at his office in Madison, Wisc.The governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, urged the president to skip Tuesday’s visit to Kenosha, saying Trump’s presence “will only hinder our healing. I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.”   Evers has ordered National Guard troops into Kenosha and accepted additional federal law enforcement assistance to quell the street violence since Blake was shot and left partially paralyzed.Asked by a CNN reporter during Monday’s White House briefing about his supporters firing pepper spray and paintballs at protesters in Portland Saturday night, Trump responded that “paint is not bullets,” adding “your supporters … shot a young gentleman and killed him, not with paint but with a bullet and I think it’s disgraceful.”The president was referring to Aaron “Jay” Danielson, a member of a far-right group, who was shot in the chest after a convoy of hundreds of Trump supporters drove through an anti-racism protest.Violence has fluctuated in downtown Portland since the May 25 death of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis when a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.Ken Bredemeier   contributed to this report.
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When the New York Police Department fired an officer last year for putting Eric Garner in a deadly chokehold, the officer’s union argued that there was little, if any, precedent within the department’s internal disciplinary system for such a penalty. Now, the nation’s largest police department is spelling out potential ramifications for officer misconduct, unveiling on Monday a draft of a discipline matrix that will guide punishment decisions similarly to how sentencing guidelines are used in criminal cases. It will be adopted after a 30-day public comment period. “We wanted to make it very, very clear that if you do certain things there are certain consequences,” said Assistant Chief Matthew Pontillo, who helped develop the disciplinary policies with the help from department officials and outside agencies. Mayor Bill de Blasio called it a “big step forward for transparency and accountability.” Fred Davie, chair of the city’s police watchdog agency, said he was “encouraged by some of the clear standards laid out in this new set of rules.” Police reform advocates weren’t as enthused, arguing the NYPD still has too much power policing its own and that it rarely enforces top penalties, with just 12 officers fired for misconduct since the mid-1980s. Union disagrees with proposalThe head of the city’s largest police union blasted the guidelines for different reasons, painting them as a way for elected officials “to manipulate NYPD discipline to further their radical political goals.” “Apparently mandatory minimums and sentencing guidelines are unfair to criminals but perfectly fine for cops,” said Pat Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association, suggesting the guidelines would be subject to change “based on headlines and poll numbers, rather than any objective sense of justice or fairness.” The NYPD is shifting to formal disciplinary guidelines at a time when law enforcement agencies around the world are being pressed to be more transparent about discipline in the wake of protests over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in May. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, who will still have the final say on discipline, said it was important to have a “road map” so the public and officers know what to expect. Development of the matrix was well under way when city council passed a law in June mandating its use. The law also requires that the public be informed how often Shea deviates from it. Around the same time, state lawmakers sought to shed more light by repealing a decades-old law that had kept police disciplinary files secret. Police unions suing to block their release  are appealing after a judge ruled last week that they should be made public. A 48-page draft report lists presumptive penalties for dozens of forms of misconduct, including termination for using deadly physical force without justification, engaging in hate speech and making a false statement. Among the other items covered in the matrix: If an officer forgets to turn on his or her body camera while responding to an incident, he or she can be suspended or docked three days, but if it’s done intentionally, it’s a 20-day punishment. Accessing confidential information can be punished with a 10-day suspension or loss of vacation days, while leaking confidential information to the news media can be punished with a 20-day suspension or loss of vacation days. Chokeholds resulting in death and the intentional use of a chokehold are also grounds for firing. The NYPD has long banned chokeholds, and lawmakers recently passed laws explicitly outlawing the tactic. One was named for Garner, who died in 2014 after then-Officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in a chokehold. Plan two years in the makingIn developing a discipline matrix, the NYPD is fulfilling one of the last remaining recommendations from a panel of criminal justice experts that examined the disciplinary process on its behalf two years ago. While the experts found that the disciplinary process generally worked well, they said a set of guidelines would help eliminate perceptions of favoritism or bias in officer punishment. They also called for stiffer penalties for officers making false statements and committing domestic violence. The department revised its domestic violence punishment guidelines last year, Pontillo said. An officer can be fired for an incident that results in serious physical injuries, violates a restraining order or is part of a pattern of abuse. Pontillo’s group spend more than a year shaping the new guidelines. They looked at five years of case outcomes to get a sense of penalties that had been applied and studied how other police departments — including Los Angeles, Denver and New Orleans — built their guidelines. Misconduct complaints are investigated by the watchdog Civilian Complaint Review Board and the NYPD’s internal affairs bureau. If departmental charges are filed, an officer can either agree to a penalty or take the case to trial before an administrative judge. The judge sends any punishment recommendations to First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Tucker, who passes his recommendation to Shea. 
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