Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby gave a blistering speech Wednesday which explains why it is near impossible to convict police officers in this country.
In her speech, Mosby said she took an oath to “never cower” from cases where she believes she has probable cause. The case of Freddie Gray, whose spine was somehow severed in a police van, leading to his death, was one such cas
Mosby’s prosecution of the police officers involved in Gray’s death, however, saw no convictions. During Mosby’s twelve minute press conference, she lays out a stunning indictment against Baltimore police in explaining why the prosecutions imploded.
“There was a reluctance and obvious bias that was consistently exemplified, not by the entire Baltimore Police Department, but by individuals within the Baltimore Police Department at every stage of the investigation, which became blatantly apparent in the subsequent trial,” said Mosby.
“There were individual police officers who were witnesses to the case, yet were part of the investigative team,” said Mosby in a bombshell revelation. “Interrogations that were conducted without asking the most poignant questions, lead investigators that were totally uncooperative and started a counter-investigation to disprove the state’s case by not executing search warrants pertaining to text messages among the police officers involved in the case.”
Mosby also accused police investigators of “creating videos to disprove the state’s case, creating notes that were drafted after the case was launched to contradict the medial examiner’s conclusion.” She then accused the investigating officers of turning over these notes to the defense “months prior” to turning them over to the prosecution.
“We’ve all bore witness to an inherent bias that is the direct result of when police police themselves,” Mosby concluded.
Mosby revealed that she’d previously not been allowed to speak on the case due to a gag order.
Comments: Now that we know this information what’s next, as an African American woman did her desire to maintain her job preclude her from exorcising ANY moral and/or integrity as a Black Woman in this day and time to providing disclosure before the verdict was submitted?
DALLAS (AP) — A police officer in the small Texas town where Sandra Bland was pulled over and jailed says the county’s top prosecutors threatened to end his career if he came forward with what he says is evidence of wrongdoing, an accusation the prosecutors deny. Among the things Prairie View officer Michael Kelley said…
Since the #RodneyKing beating, the violence and anger toward each other has progressively risen from beating Black men in the street by Police Officers to shooting an unarmed man who was laying on the ground with his arms clearly in the air. Young Black men have been shot in the head, the back and legs. Young Black women have mysteriously been killed while in #lockup!
My father used to say to me, “Wendy, you know people will not continue to go hungry or starve, they will find a way to eat.” I suspect if he were alive he would say, “Wendy, you know people will not continue to watch their loved ones get shot in the head, leg or their backs because the police “thought” they had a weapon and then have the murder justified after they run the deceased’s name through the database and find out they HAD prior legal issues.” I’m sure he would follow up with posing the the question, “What would I do if my daughter were caught in the line of fire?” Conversely, as a mother, I might want instant retaliation, but as an African American woman I neither want to go to jail or live with the memory of the senseless killing of my daughter. I can say senseless at this moment for 2 reasons, my daughter has never been arrested nor will she be as long as she follows the guidelines I prepared for her. Although you know, a thought comes to mind, how many other children were fed the “right and wrong” speech and are no longer with us?
For this scenario I must defer to what I have learned from my relationship with the Lord. He loves me, my daughter and my family and friends. Accordingly, I trust Him, to wake me in the morning, to watch over my family during the day and evening. Should a member of my family find themselves in line of fire, surely at first I would question, why Lord! Moreover, I have come to understand that there is a presence among us that has a role to fulfill and that he must petition the Lord before he can act. You know some folk don’t know that, don’t understand it and as a result refuse to believe that all things work together for the good. In my final analysis, if my daughter we to find herself in the line of fire, I must and will trust that the Lord will reveal to me, as soon as I’m ready to not only hear it but accept it, why He as allowed such a tragedy occur in my life and hers.
Please watch the clip and answer the question posed by the little boy, if you can’t then you may understand why #BlackLivesMatter.
Chicago Mass Choir – I Pray We’ll All Be Ready for His Return
This old world has changed by leaps in bounds. Where we once slaves we are now free…or are we? Here in the US we are free to have as many children as we desire – in some areas there is a limitation on the number of female children a family can conceive. In other lands females are stripped of certain pleasurable organs to prevent premarital sex. We have moved towards a world where anyone one in love can marry, both heterosexual and LBGT, yet we dispute which gender can use the lavatories. The influx of police killings in the last few years has risen at an enormous rate; as a result, citizens have taken to killing the police and sending threats to Police Commissioner’s homes and families. We have formed protest and marches and an organization #Blacklivesmatter a grass roots organization working for the validity of Black life. They are working to (re)build the Black liberation movement to end the violence against Black folk. I still struggle to find meaning to the protest which are only a formal declaration of objection, if that be true then what possible change can it bring about?
We have formed strong opinions of who the Messiah is – Jesus or Alah and others, we ridicule individuals who post the “white” portrait of Jesus and double dare folks to post the Black image of Jesus – that of itself is un-Christian like in this writer’s opinion. We badger folks daily over which version of the Bible is the “real” Word of God; yet we believe without question that there are several kinds of mints, i.e. spearmint, double-mint, peppermint and cool mint.
We find ourselves in a place in time where those who are deemed to protect and serve have lost their way, we have tolerated the outbursts and racial slurs of the Republican Nominee – Donald Trump, we still promote Thanksgiving as a perpetual moment in time when life was great between the Native Americans and strangers – yet millions of children and adults do not understand what the verse, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” I have watched thousands of students recite this pledge before class yet prayer is unwelcome…
There will come a time when we must decide…
Joshua 24:15 (NKJV) And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…
The song pleads for the readiness of those who have not chosen, by providing examples of what the rapture will look like in a few scenarios. For example, she talks about two men walking one has a heart pure as gold but when the sky splits the one who waited to “get right” oh how he cried to Lord but it was too late. Hey guys have you had a talk with your friend lately to encourage him to give his life?
Then there’s the married couple, how many of us had a husband or wife who just would not surrender to the call of the Lord and chose to run the streets endlessly – image you wake up and find your spouse gone – Ohhh, what a way to lose the one you love!
The family in mall – we have or know of that “momma” who is walking with the Lord – imagine you see her hear Him call and in the twinkling of an eye she’s gone, the singer begs you to learn how to pray for yourself… you know that line momma would always say, “You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.” We must chose this day whom we will serve, don’t wait for a change to come, don’t think your pastor can save you, don’t think you have one more day to get it right.
Timothy said, “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
I pray that we’ll all, be ready
I pray that we’ll all be
For his return
I pray that we’ll give our hearts a search
So that we won’t be playing church
I pray we’ll all be ready for His return
No man knows the day, nor the hour
You must be, you gotta be
You gotta be ready, you gotta be ready
The controversial photo of the 16 Black Female West Point Cadets. What is the controversy – did they break any DOD regulations; where they too Black for West Point; are they supporters of #BlackLivesMatter; is West Point supporting #BlackLivesMatter?
For those of you who do not know – BlackLivesMatter (BLM) is an activist movement, that campaigns against violence toward black people. BLM regularly organizes protests around the deaths of black people in killings by law enforcement officers, and broader issues of racial profiling, police brutality, and racial inequality in the United States criminal justice system.
Why does this matter you ask? For a variety of reasons:
The number of peopled killed by police reportedly was 1,145 of that number 4% were white or Asian;
The disproportion number of black men serving time for crimes also committed by other races;
The many disparities across forums such as health care, child care, education from Pre-K to High School;
What is the purpose of the Military – To defend our country from potential threats, hurt, harm or danger.
What is taught at West Point – “The United States Military Academy’s mission is to educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the United States Army.
The Academy provides a superb four-year education, which focuses on the leader development of cadets in the academic, military, and physical domains, all underwritten by adherence to a code of honor.”
West Point’s Comparative Politics Program (excerpt) – The West Point Comparative Politics Program provides cadets with the intellectual tools and knowledge of core theories and concepts to better understand why some states fail and others remain stable. Cadets have the opportunity to view critical comparative politics issues in a multi-perspective manner by taking related courses both in and out of the department. After mastering the core concepts, cadets can tailor their program towards a regional (e.g., Africa, Middle East, etc.) or functional (e.g., negotiation, democratization, post-conflict stabilization, etc.) focus. The comparative politics courses and related electives provide cadets with the knowledge and framework to apply the core concepts and theories to relevant case studies and issues.
On the American side of Social Science –Students also consider processes such as political leadership, voting and group behavior. Strong emphasis is placed on the unique, and what some might consider exceptional ‘soldier-state’ civil-military relationship in the American experience.
The West Point American Politics program provides students with a solid understanding of the fundamentals of political science theory and practice in the context of American Governance.
In this writer’s opinion the aforementioned students were provided an outstanding education (not to mention the prerequisites for entry) which has prepared them to understand the political arena and socioeconomic development or lack of as a Cadet, as a Woman, Black Woman and now as a member of an organization designed to create and foster character.
Surely if they exhibited any other traits and/or behaviors that did not align with the mission, vision and values of West Point they would not have achieved the title of “Cadet”.
The West Point Mission
“To educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.”
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