Redeye's outLaw and disOrderly Edition

Remember my post Welcome to my world~A very personal diary about racial profiling?

I had to calm down and do a lot of praying before writing this diary. Yesterday I received the kind of news every black mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother, god mother, cousin dreads. Someone I love was racially profiled by the people who are paid to protect and serve us. Contrary to popular opinion, largely due to media driven stereotypes, all young black men are not thugs, pimps and criminals, nor do they all look alike.

I followed with this update where the victim told his side of the story. Well, there is more disclosed at a community meeting following the incident;

According to Walker, the undercover officers approached him aggressively and told him to get on the ground.
Walker claims the men failed to identify themselves as policemen, and then shoved him into icy snow, causing bruises to his face. The officers let Walker go after they determined he was not the person they were seeking.
However, the incident left Walker — who says he's never been in trouble before with the law — very upset, and he has filed a complaint against the city.
Several residents at the meeting, including Murphy, stood up and expressed concern about "the treatment of our young black men by the police," insisting that too often, they are criminal targets and without real probable cause.
79th Precinct Executive Officer Captain Clint McPhearson said the precinct is looking into the charges. He said, they would like to get to the bottom of it, because it is not a behavior they condone.
Also, he pointed out that Mr. Walker said the incident occurred at around 7:00 pm. However, all four of the plain clothes officers at 79 were still at the precinct until 7:30 pm. So, he said, there's a chance that the incident took place with an outside police unit, such as a detective, narcotics or gang squad.

Now ain't that a dip? We don't know if they were police officers or not. Only in America...

I thought republicans believed in the rule of law? Or maybe they just believe in the rule of law for democrats. Let's see how they get out of this one.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne charged state Senate Republicans Wednesday with open meetings law violations in connection with a controversial move they made to pass legislation to curtail public sector union bargaining rights.
"Our investigation has found merit in the verified complaints, which allows us to commence this litigation," says Ozanne in a statement. "This litigation does not address the merits or the wisdom of the legislation."

Senate Republicans had been stymied by 14 Democrats who fled the state last month to deprive the GOP-controlled Senate of the 20-member quorum needed to pass Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill, which included a measure to effectively end collective bargaining for public employees. A week ago, Republicans hastily called a joint conference committee, including members of both legislative houses, to consider a bill that was stripped of fiscal elements, allowing the legislation to be passed by a simple majority.

State law requires 24 hours notice for such meetings unless "good cause" exists. The Republicans' notice was short of two hours.

The U.S.Constitution doesn't apply to republicans.

Last week, the Michigan legislature passed a “financial martial law” bill that allows Snyder to appoint “emergency financial managers” with the power to terminate collective bargaining agreements. The bill would authorize the emergency manager to reject, modify, or terminate one or more terms and conditions of an existing contract.

Republicans want to criminalize them their illegals...unless they are cutting your lawn.

The [Texas House] bill would make hiring an "unauthorized alien" a crime punishable by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine, unless that is, they are hired to do household chores.
Yes, under the House Bill 2012 introduced by a tea party favorite state Rep. Debbie Riddle -- who's been saying for some time that she'd like to see Texas institute an Arizona-style immigration law -- hiring an undocumented maid, caretaker, lawn worker or any type of house worker would be allowed. Why? As Texas state Rep. Aaron Pena, also a Republican, told CNN, without the exemption, "a large segment of the Texas population" would wind up in prison if the bill became law.

In Sweet Home Alabama legal news the Legal Fallout begins in the wake of the Amy Bishop shootings at UAH

UAH was the site of fatal shootings in February 2010, and no one who has followed the aftermath of that tragic day should be surprised at President David Williams' exit. In fact, we suspect other administrators will follow Williams out the door.

Amy Bishop, a former assistant professor of biology, faces criminal charges in the shootings, which killed three of her colleagues (injuring three others) and reportedly were sparked when UAH denied Bishop tenure. As we reported last month, at least five lawsuits have been filed in connection to the UAH shootings, and we suspect Williams' exit is a sign that the legal process is grinding forward.

We suspect it also is a sign that the University of Alabama administration will be held legally accountable--and that, in our view, is the way it should be.

The wheels of justice turn ever so slowly in Sweet Home Alabama.

MONTGOMERY, Alabama (AP) -- The FBI's Cold Case Initiative is investigating the 46-year-old case of a Massachusetts minister who was beaten to death in Alabama while doing civil rights work, a spokesman said Friday.

The Rev. James Reeb, a Unitarian Universalist minister from Boston, was among a group of ministers who traveled to Alabama in response to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s invitation to join the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march for voting rights.

The FBI launched an initiative in 2007 to investigate unsolved murders from the civil rights era. A spokesman with the agency, Chris Allen, said Reeb's case is one that is currently open.

The lead state prosecutor for Selma, District Attorney Michael Jackson, said he has met with FBI agents at least twice about the case. He said the agency is actively investigating.

Justice delayed is justice denied.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- An Alabama legislator wants the state to apologize for the treatment of a black woman who was raped by a group of white men in southeast Alabama in 1944.

Democratic state Rep. Dexter Grimsley of Newville says he is preparing a resolution that would apologize to 91-year-old Recy Taylor.

Taylor was 24 years old and living in her native Henry County when she was gang-raped by a group of white men in Abbeville. Two all-white, all-male grand juries declined to bring charges.

Taylor told The Associated Press in an interview last year that she believes the men are dead, but she would still like an apology from the state. The AP is using her name because she has publicly identified herself.

Per grace designs via Pams' listserve

State Senator Jimmy Holley ( r. Elba) has introduced a bill that would prohibit jailers from being individually sued for job-related issues. The bill has already cleared the committee. Seems to me that this bill would open a door where all kinds of abuses to
prisoners would go unchecked, not just on the State level but the
County and City level as well. I sure hope I"m wrong.

I hope you're wrong too...but I doubt it.