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Canada - TRURO - Startling developments in decade-old missing person investigations
trurodaily.com
Harry Sullivan
TRURO - The 1999 disappearance of outlaw biker and former Colchester County resident Randy Mersereau seemed like ancient history as the leaves changed colours last fall.
Then, on Oct. 14, the RCMP announced they were searching an Onslow Mountain residence for clues related to the case.
"Investigators are pursuing information that was brought to their attention," Sgt. Brigdit Leger told the Truro Daily News at the time.
"Because the investigation is ongoing we are not releasing the new information which came to light that led to today's search."
It was not long, however, before the case would break wide open; Mersereau's skeletal remains would be discovered and a number of local individuals would be hauled off in handcuffs to face numerous charges, including first-degree murder.
With each development in the case – including murder charges related to the 2000 disappearance of another local man Charles Maddison – and with each new charge brought before the courts, it soon became clear that this story was going to be the Truro Daily News' choice as newsmaker of the year, surpassing even the $11.2 million lottery win of the Large family from Lower Truro who gave away most of their money to family, friends and charities.
"Not every news story of the year gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling," Truro Daily News managing editor Carl Fleming said of the decision. "This is one of those years.
"For 10 years the disappearances of Randy Mersereau and Charles Maddison hung over Colchester County like a festering sore. What happened to these men? Would we ever know? Then, over a span of a few incredible weeks, the dominos started tumbling. It was the sort of stuff one might expect to read about in a big city newspaper or watch on TV. Yet here it was happening right under our noses and the investigation is still not over yet."
On Sept. 23, 1999, Mersereau, a former Hells Angel known to the drug trade, was inside Auto Scout Car Sales on Jennifer Drive in Bible Hill when a bomb blast knocked the building off its foundation and blew a hole in the wall. Seven people were injured in the late afternoon blast, though Mersereau - believed to have been the intended target of the explosion - escaped relatively unscathed.
Six weeks later, however, the then 48-year-old went missing and rumours of all extremes began to circulate - from the perspective that he had planned the entire episode and had gone into hiding, to the viewpoint that he had been killed by the Hells Angels for interfering in their drug territory.
Word from the street began to circulate as well that Mersereau's brother Barry Kirk Mersereau – who also had biker connections – had placed a $50,000 bounty on the head of Randy's killer.
Almost exactly a year after Randy Mersereau's disappearance, Kirk Mersereau and his common-law wife Nancy Christensen were found shot to death in their Hants County home, while their 18-month-old son remained in his crib.
Fast forward to last October when, after wrapping up an eight-day investigation at 74 Peppard Dr. in Onslow Mountain, police said they found undisclosed information that would aid in their continued investigation into Mersereau's disappearance.
By late November the investigation had moved to Hiram Lynds Road in North River where, after several days of searching in a heavily wooded area, Mersereau's skeletal remains were discovered.
On Dec. 2, just prior to announcing the discovery of Randy Mersereau's body, however, the RCMP named Jeffrey Lynds as his killer and announced they had arrested Gerald Leslie MacCabe of Salmon River on a charge of accessory after the fact in Mersereau's death for helping Lynds escape custody.
An odd point in naming Lynds as the killer was the fact that police had not laid charges against him. At last report, Lynds remains in custody in a Montreal jail on first-degree murder charges in a double homicide that occurred in Quebec, where he is believed to be suffering from terminal cancer.
Three days after MacCabe's arrest, on Dec. 5, police announce that they have discovered Mersereau's skeletal remains at the North River dig site and, then on Dec. 10, former East Mountain resident Les Greenwood, 41, was charged with accessory after the fact to Randy Mersereau's death and with his attempted murder in relation to the 1999 bombing of the Bible Hill auto dealership.
He was further charged with first-degree murder in the Sept. 9, 2000 shooting deaths of Kirk Mersereau and Christensen.
It was later revealed by the CBC that Jeff Lynds had provided a statement to police identifying Greenwood and another unnamed man as having conducted those killings.
On Dec. 13, convicted drug trafficker Curtis Lynds, a nephew to Jeff Lynds, was also charged with being an accessory after the fact in Randy Mersereau's killing. He was further charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Kirk Mersereau and Christensen.
The following day, Dean David Whynott, 44, of Truro Heights Rd., was charged as an accessory after the fact in Randy Mersereau's death. Whynott is a former owner of the home on Peppard Drive, where the October search was held.
On Dec. 16, CBC television reported on an alleged statement provided to police by Jeff Lynds in which he admitted to shooting Randy Mersereau five times in the basement of the Peppard Drive home. That report also namesd Curtis Lynds and Whynott as the individuals who disposed of Mersereau's body and alleged that Greenwood disposed of the vehicle.
"Lynds says he lured Mersereau to the home," the CBC reported. "He says he shot Mersereau five times with a hand gun provided by the Hells Angels who ordered the hit. He then claims Curtis Lynds and Dean Whynott took the body to (a) nearby field and buried it."
The CBC report also named Greenwood as having been responsible for shooting both Kirk Mersereau and Christensen in the stomach while in their home in Centre Burlington, Hants County. An unnamed individual is then said to have gone into the house to finish the couple off by shooting them both in the head.
Curtis Lynds was named in the report as being responsible for helping to set up the hit.
On Dec. 17, Windsor resident Michael John Lawrence, 36, was arrested in Springhill Penitentiary (where he was serving time for robbery and other offences) and charged with first-degree murder in the Kirk Mersereau and Christensen deaths.
"That's the unnamed individual," Leger said of Lawrence, in reference to the CBC report.
Lawrence was also charged with the first-degree murder of Charles Maddison of Portapipue, who was 55 when he disappeared on Sept. 8, 2000, while on his way to doctor's appointments in Halifax.
Maddison failed to show up for the appointments, however, and two days later his Dodge truck is discovered abandoned and burned.
"Mr. Maddison was an innocent victim," Leger said, after the charges were announced. "He was not involved in any criminal activity and tragically became the target of a senseless crime."
None of the individuals who have been charged in the above cases have been convicted of the allegations and all are to appear in court at later dates.
The investigation continues.
Following is some of the history of Mersereau's disappearance:
Sept. 23 - At 4:20 p.m., a bomb blasts through Auto Scout Car Sales Ltd., in Bible Hill, injuring seven people, including Mersereau.
Nov. 5 - Mersereau's car is found abandoned near Milford on Highway 102.
Dec. 13 - Mersereau is reported missing to Truro RCMP major crimes unit.
Sept. 8 - Randy's brother Barry Kirk Mersereau and sister-in-law Nancy Christensen were shot to death in Hants County.
Oct. 14 - RCMP search an Onslow Mountain property after receiving new information about the investigation.
Dec. 2 - RCMP major crimes unit begins to set up mobile command unit on Hiram Lynds Road in North River.
Dec. 3 - Gerald Leslie MacCabe, 43, of Salmon River is charged with accessory after the fact in Mersereau's murder, marking the first time police have referred to his disappearance as a homicide.
Dec. 3 - Court documents identify Jeffrey Albert Lynds as Mersereau's killer, though no evidence has been provided to suggest he has been charged with the crime.
Dec. 3 - Nova Scotia Medical Examiner called to investigation site.
Dec. 5 - Human skeleton remains discovered at dig site in North River
Dec. 10 - Les Greenwood, 41, of East Mountain is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Kirk Mersereau and Nancy Christensen, with accessory after the fact in Randy Mersereau's murder and with his attempted murder in the September 2000 bombing of a used car dealership in Bible Hill.
Dec. 10 - Curtis Blair Lynds is arrested at a halfway house in Truro on first-degree murder charges.
Dec. 13 - Curtis Lynds is arraigned in provincial court on first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Kirk Mersereau and Nancy Christensen and as an accessory in the death of Randy Mersereau.
Dec. 14 - Dean David Whynott is charged with being an accessory after the fact in the death of Randy Mersereau by helping Jeff Lynds escape custody.
Dec. 16 - CBC television reports on an alleged statement provided to police by Jeff Lynds in which he admits to shooting Randy Mersereau five times in the basement of the Peppard Drive home. That report also names
Curtis Lynds and Whynott as the individuals who disposed of Mersereau's body and alleges that Greenwood disposed of the vehicle.
Dec. 17 - Windsor resident Michael John Lawrence, 36, is arrested in Springhill Penitentiary and charged with first-degree murder in the Kirk Mersereau and Christensen deaths. He is also charged with the first-degree murder of Charles Maddison of Portapique, who was 55 when he disappeared on Sept. 8, 2000, while on his way to doctor's appointments in Halifax.
By Pauline Repard
Two Chula Vista police officers and a deputy district attorney worked with a local legislator to pass a law that will make it illegal beginning Saturday to possess a homemade device used to steal motorcycles.
Known as a "pigtail," the device works so fast that thieves can use it to hotwire a motorcycle in less than 20 seconds, authorities said. Previously, it was not illegal to make or own a pigtail, though existing law made it illegal to possess tools used to break into vehicles.
Chula Vista police Officers Martin Bolger and Anthony Molina and Deputy District Attorney Michael MacNeil worked with Assemblyman Martin Garrick, a motorcycle enthusiast and a Solana Beach Republican, to pass the bill aimed at curtailing motorcycle thefts. More than 1,100 sport motorcycles were stolen in San Diego County last year.
Garrick's bill added a section to the state Penal Code to outlaw possession of tools that bypass a motorcycle ignition and possession of those tools with intent to steal a motorcycle.
Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the legislation on July 19, but a news conference was held Tuesday outside the National City Motorcycle shop owned by Mike Ramos to announce that it will take effect Saturday. Attending the event were Garrick, Molina, National City Police Chief Adolfo Gonzales, Chula Vista Police Chief David Bejarano and California Highway Patrol Capt. Scott Parker.
Statistics from the Regional Auto Theft Task Force show that only 22 percent of the motorcycles stolen in the county are recovered. Authorities said the cost of insurance claims, with motorcycles valued at an average of $9,000, often are passed along to all consumers in the form of higher rates.
DUI - Do you feel your state DUI laws are too stiff?
SENT BY,
John Del Santo
Unfortunately all of the laws passed in the world about DUI or DWI don't make a difference because those people just keep driving, and most of them keep driving and drinking. DUI is DOWN amongst younger drivers because of the different programs like MADD, and that is good. I don't care if someone gets drunk in their living room every night and blows a .08 or a .10 or a .90..........as long as they stay the hell away from a vehicle. Once they get in or on a vehicle, then it is my danger and my concern. For some reason the judges do not take alcohol and driving seriously. Someone wrote yesterday that "no one that they know is "drunk" at a .08. Not "drunk" but certainly "impaired". Maybe they are not at the point where they wear a funny hat and fall off the bar stool, but the first think to go, at .08, is someones Judgement.....and the first thing that the poor judgement tells them is "Hey..I'm ok to drive, or ride"*/
About twenty years ago a law was passed that anyone driving or flying commercially was considered DUI at .04, while they were on duty. We truckers really thought that was ridiculous and bigoted. Then one of the trucking magazines did a series of tests on two truck drivers, trying to prove that the law was bad. They tested both drivers for skill and timing. then They gave each driver drinks until they were blowing a .04 and then gave them skill and timing tests again. . The one driver showed that his reaction time was 35 percent slower and the other drivers reaction time was 50 percent slower. So what they were trying to prove, the opposite results came out.
Using the equation "speed times 1 1/2 equals feet per second traveled" if someone who is sober is traveling at 40 MPH, and an emergency occurs, they will travel THIRTY FEET during reaction time before their foot ever touches the brake pedal. If the .04 alcohol increases their reaction by fifty percent, they will now travel FORTY FIVE FEET during their reaction time before they get to the brake pedal. That could make the difference between missing that motorcycle in front of them by ten feet.......or running over them by five feet. And if it is ME or YOU on that motorcycle, That Matters !
Do you feel your state DUI laws are too stiff?
We have been told that punishment in many other countries is much stiffer. Here is an unofficial list...
Australia The names of the drivers are sent to the local newspapers and are printed under the heading, "He's drunk and in jail."
Malasya The driver is jailed; if he's married, his wife is jailed too.
South Africa A 10 year prison sentence or the equivalent of a $10,000 fine or both.
Turkey Drunk drivers are taken 20 miles from town by the police and forced to walk back under escort
Norway Three weeks in jail at hard labor, one year loss of license. If the driver commits a second offense within five years, his license is revoked for life.
Finland Driver is automatically jailed for one year at hard labor.
Sweden Driver is automatically jailed for one year at hard labor.
Costa Rica Police remove plates from the offender's vehicle.
Russia License revoked for life.
England One year license suspension, a $250.00 fine and jail for one year.
France Drivers are punished with a three year loss of license, one year in jail, and a $1,000 fine.
Poland Jailed and fined and forced to attend political lectures.
Bulgaria A second conviction results in execution
El Salvador Your first offense is your last, as punishment is execution by firing squad.
Policing the police: No oversight - 2nd Installment of 3
By Gary A. Harki
The Charleston Gazette
This is the second installment in a three-part series examining the lack of police oversight in West Virginia.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- There's a lot Roger Wolfe doesn't remember about the night in June 2007 when West Virginia State Troopers beat him so bad that cranial fluid leaked from his nose.
The prominent Charleston attorney knows that he had been drinking and shouldn't have been driving.
He remembers being pulled over by State Police in Charleston and being taken to the South Charleston barracks on a drunk driving charge.
And he remembers waking up in a hospital room and seeing his reflection in one of the room's shiny metal instruments.
"It was the first time I'd seen myself and I thought 'Oh my God, what happened to me?'" Wolfe said in an interview with the Gazette.
Wolfe sued the State Police and the troopers who allegedly beat him and tried to cover it up.
He is far from the first person to say troopers from the West Virginia State Police, the largest law enforcement agency in the state, abuse their power and put the public in harm's way. It's a story that's been repeated over and over for the past 30 years. (See timeline on Page 5A).
The State Police investigate other agencies when allegations of abuse arise. And in the Wolfe case -- and all others -- they investigate themselves as well.
There is an inherent flaw in having the same agency that is going to pay out money if abuse occurred also investigate that abuse, said Dan Hedges, executive director of Mountain State Justice, a nonprofit public interest law firm.
Under that system, people won't believe it when an officer is absolved of wrongdoing, Hedges said.
"If it's done internally and there's nothing wrong, people are just going to say there is a cover-up. It ought to have integrity," he said. "That is the saddest thing. It teaches disrespect for law enforcement."
No one from the State Police would agree to be interviewed for this story. Spokesman Sgt. Michael Baylous cited as the reason the Gazette's lawsuit, filed in November, that requests records detailing how the agency handles allegations of abuse and misconduct.
Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin also declined to be interviewed, citing the lawsuit.
State Police Superintendent Col. Timothy Pack has declined all requests for interviews by Gazette reporters since being appointed superintendent by Gov. Joe Manchin in December 2008.
Investigating each other
State Police troopers from the same detachment used to investigate one another when necessary, until a 1995 Supreme Court ruling forced them to do otherwise.
In 1990, 17-year-old Billy Ray Casto from Harts in Lincoln County said Trooper Joe Parsons beat him with fists and a flashlight.
Casto filed a complaint with the department the following year. A trooper by the name of B.R. Lester, who worked in the same detachment as Parsons, was assigned to the case.
Lester, who soon found Casto's claims unsubstantiated, was no stranger to complaints against State Police troopers.
In April 1980, after a call from Lester, he and about 20 State Police troopers went to the White House Tavern in Lincoln County.
Two biker clubs, the Brothers of the Wheel and The Bootleggers, were camped outside after a night of drinking. Members of the clubs said that the State Police mercilessly beat them with riot batons as they lay in their sleeping bags and tents as their wives, girlfriends and children were forced to stand in front of the bar and watch.
The clubs sued the State Police for $1 million, and got about $24,000 awarded to them by a jury in 1982. It wasn't much money, but it's one of the first, if not the first, time a jury ruled against the agency.
Lester, who is retired and has leukemia, declined to be interviewed for this story.
After Lester dismissed Casto's claims against his fellow trooper, Hedges and Morgantown lawyer Franklin Cleckley went to the state Supreme Court on Casto's behalf.
"It was common knowledge people ended up in the [State Police] barracks with the hell beaten out of them," Hedges said. "It was so common something had to be done. Everyone knew the ones that did it and the ones that didn't."
The Supreme Court asked a criminal justice professor from Temple University, James J. Fyfe, to review the State Police's procedures when a trooper is accused of abuse. Fyfe recommended that outside groups and citizens participate in such investigations.
But Supreme Court justices ignored that recommendation when they ruled on Casto's petition in 1995. In a unanimous, unsigned opinion, they ordered the State Police to ensure a thorough investigation of abuse allegations be conducted by a neutral party. The court refused to require a civilian review panel, saying the State Police superintendent would still make the ultimate decision.
"Making a statement"
To this day, State Police refuse to release information about their investigations of their own troopers.
The lawsuit filed in November for the Gazette, by lawyer Sean McGinley and the firm DiTrapano, Barrett and DiPiero, asks for reports produced by the department's Professional Standards section, which handles internal investigations. It was set up after the Casto ruling in 1995.
The lawsuit was filed after requests for the public information from State Police and the state Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety were repeatedly denied. The original request said the names of troopers in the records could be hidden.
In past interviews, State Police Capt. Gordon Ingold, who runs the Professional Standards Section, has said legislative rules prevent him from releasing information about cases.
Legislative rule 81-10-6.2, part of the section that governs the State Police, says documents related to internal investigations "shall not be released ... except by the direction of the Superintendent or by order of a court with competent jurisdiction."
"We believe the rule prohibits telling anything, and we don't want to be in violation of the rule," Ingold has said.
Joe Ciccarelli, FBI supervisory senior resident agent in Charleston, has investigated allegations against the State Police. He believes the agency has an aggressive internal investigative unit.
The State Police keep detailed reports, in contrast to many smaller agencies, Ciccarelli said.
"I've had the State Police superintendent call me and say, 'Please investigate this.' There isn't a reluctance on their part," he said.
State Police set up the Professional Standards Division after the Casto ruling in 1993.
Eleven years later the State Police put Joe Parsons in charge of the Professional Standards Division -- the same Joe Parsons accused of beating 17-year-old Billy Ray Casto in 1990, the incident that led to the state Supreme Court ruling and the creation of the section. Parsons retired in 2008.
"It's unbelievable how the person that gave rise to the section, that they put him in charge," Hedges said. "It's the State Police making a statement."
"We did look at that original so-called irony with what took place back in 1991," Lt. Col. Dave Williams, then-State Police deputy superintendent, said at the time. "But there was no real concern or hesitation by those involved in the decision."
'The cover-up follows'
All of the State Police troopers named in Roger Wolfe's lawsuit -- Paul A. Green, Jason S. Crane, Kristy L. Layne and J.K. Rapp Jr. -- are still with the agency. It's not clear if they were disciplined in any way.
There will be no federal prosecution of the troopers, said Chuck Miller, assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia.
There were no eyewitnesses to the alleged beating, Wolfe's couldn't remember the details of what happened and the video equipment didn't work, Miller said. The troopers themselves all told the same story, he said.
Wolfe said he filed his lawsuit, not because he needed the money -- he doesn't -- but because he wanted to stop such incidents from happening to someone else.
"Our understanding of what they say, it changed over time, their version of events to their bosses. But the essence of what they said was that I tried to head butt them and they had to take me down," Wolfe said. "Meaning they threw me down on the floor. My injuries were completely inconsistent with falling down on the floor. I was handcuffed, remember."
Many victims sue, not because they want money but because they don't want to see someone else be the victims of similar abuse, Hedges said.
"They want to correct the problem but the system isn't set up to correct the problem. The way the system is constructed, the cover-up follows," Hedges said.
In Tuesday's Gazette: Some towns have or are looking at creating their own civilian review boards.
Reach Gary Harki at gha...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5163.
With 'Sovereign Citizen' Movement Growing, New SPLC Video Promotes Law Enforcement Safety
Posted in Antigovernment
by Robert Steinback
The so-called "sovereign citizens" movement — men and women who believe they are exempt from most state and federal laws, regulations and tax codes — is spreading like a prairie fire. While many of these are tax resistors or perpetrators of "paper terrorism" – the filing of nuisance liens and such – some sovereign citizens have demonstrated a willingness to resist police and government authority with violence.
The unique danger posed by this movement exploded May 20 when two West Memphis, Ark., police officers met a father-son team of sovereigns, Jerry and Joe Kane, during a routine late-morning traffic stop. As officers Brandon Paudert and Bill Evans puzzled over the incomprehensible paperwork presented by father Jerry, son Joe, 16, emerged from the vehicle with his AK-47 blazing and fatally shot both officers. The Kanes fled, but were tracked and killed in a shootout with police an hour later in a Wal-Mart parking lot after wounding two more officers.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has produced and posted online an instructional video intended for showing during roll call at law enforcement agencies. Narrating the 12-minute film are two men who fully understand the dangers some sovereigns present to authorities: West Memphis Police Chief Bob Paudert, father of one of officers murdered in May by Joe Kane, and Jim Cavanaugh, who retired earlier this year after 33 years at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Cavanaugh was a top official at the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Texas, during the five-year hunt for abortion clinic bomber and cop-killer Eric Rudolph, and in many other investigations involving right-wing radicals. Last year, he was honored for this work with the International Association of Chiefs of Police's Civil Rights Award.
The video opens with the actual dashboard-camera footage of the Kanes' car being stopped on an exit ramp off Interstate 40. Everything proceeds normally until a haunting moment when Officer Evans' expression suddenly changes as he realizes something is wrong. A moment later, Joe Kane unleashes his deadly fusillade.
"There are people at war with this country who are not international terrorists," the elder Paudert says as the training video progresses. "They are seemingly ordinary people, just like you and me, but they don't recognize the federal government's authority to impose laws and taxes on them.
"Don't discount or ignore these people, because they are willing to kill and be killed for their beliefs," Paudert says. "We, as law enforcement officers, need to recognize this very real threat so we can protect ourselves. And maybe if Brandon and Bill had recognized the warning signs of sovereign beliefs, they'd be alive today."
The Southern Poverty Law Center regularly conducts police training seminars on recognizing the warning signs of extremist group members who can pose particular danger to law enforcement officers. In the last six months, members of virtually every department SPLC has visited have reported contacts with sovereign citizens. In places as disparate as Georgia, Indiana, Nevada and Virginia, law enforcement officers are coming up against sovereigns allegedly scheming to steal houses, pry loose money from the government that isn't theirs, and harass their enemies with crippling property liens and other forms of "paper terrorism."
Evans and the younger Paudert were the latest of at least 32 law enforcement officials murdered by right-wing extremists since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
At the subsequent federal criminal trial of Weaver and Harris, Weaver's attorney Gerry Spence made accusations of wrongdoing against every agency involved in the incident: the ATF, the USMS, the USAO for Idaho, and the FBI. At the completion of the trial, the DOJ OPR formed a Ruby Ridge Task Force to investigate Spence's charges; the June 10, 1994 Task Force report was released in redacted form by Lexis Counsel Connect and raised questions with the conduct and policy of all the agencies.
Please read the rest of this Wikipedia article on Ruby Ridge. First of all, I don't condone ANY acts of violence against law enforcement. But to not admit that there are a lot of BAD cops only gives fuel to these nut cases. Saying these groups are anti-government gives more fuel to their cause. Most appear to believe in a strict adherence to the constitution, only in a radical way; similiar to Muslim extremists literal belief in the Koran. Youtube is full of videos showing law enforcement violating basic civil rights. Law enforcement has to be highly trained on the law, after all, they usually begin the initial contact. The goal of peace and harmony in the world will be better served by an objective analysis of this problem.
SATURDAY JANUARY 1st 10 AM. The Annual "DEAD BIRD RUN" starts at SWEETWATER Harley Davidson. Why sit home eating a dead bird, when you can be out riding ?
SUNDAY JANUARY 2 ABATE LOCAL 6 MONTHLY MEETING at Kate Sessions Park in PB AT NOON……BE THERE, BRING A FRIEND…
SATURDAY JANUARY 8th ABATE Presidents/PAC/Board of Directors Meeting. Hosted by ABATE Local 19 – Pomona Valley will be:
Ontario Convention Center
2000 E Convention Center Way
FREE parking is in OCC NORTH LOT
The meetings will be in Room 200 ABC
SUNDAY JANUARY 9 ABATE Local 11. North County. 11 AM at Connies's. Valley Center , overlooking Lake Wohlford.
Also on JANUARY 9 The SADDLETRAMPS Polar Bear Poker Run. All proceeds go to the family of Baby Izaih who was injured by a drunk driver.
Gathering at the lakeside VFW 12650 Lindo Lane, Lakeside.
SATURDAY MARCH 12 SAINT PATRICKS DAY PARADE & IRISH FESTIVAL 10 AM – 6PM . Balboa Park at 6th & Laurel.
MARCH 25, 26, 27 Gold Wing Road Riders "Rally in the Valley"
Edgewater Inn, Laughlin, Nevada.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, APRIL 9 ABATE LOCAL 6 SPAGHETTI DINNER Will be held at American Legion Post 460, 7815 Armour St, Kearny Mesa, San Diego. Stop in after your Saturday ride….or take your Family out to dinner. Sauce is home-made by a famous Italian cook.
APRIL 15, 16, 17 The Yuma Prison Run, Yuma AZ.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER FUTURE EVENTS THAT ANYONE KNOWS OF ?
http://www.havasunews.com/articles/2010/12/29/news/doc4d1ad0ac3ff46503245943.txt
Today's News-Herald
Two Lake Havasu City men arrested along with other suspected members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club have been indicted on charges and now face arraignment, according to the Mohave Daily News.
Jeffrey D. Woods, 53, and Nick B. Prano, 54, both of Havasu, are expected to make their next court appearances Jan. 6. Woods faces charges of misconduct involving weapons, possession of dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the Mohave Daily News.
Prano faces possession of dangerous drugs, according to the Daily News.
A Mohave County grand jury indicted five other men from across Mohave County, including five who were allegedly involved in a July 18 fight at a Bullhead City beach.
An area law enforcement task force made the arrests Dec. 8.
Also arrested during the operation were: Dale W. Smith, 52, Mohave Valley; Shawn P. Bailey, 35 and Shawn L. Muncy, 41, and Robert G. Keller III, 35, all of Bullhead City; and Gabriel T. Nader Jr., 25, of Golden Valley, and charged with rioting, participating in a criminal street gang and aggravated assault.
Daniel M. Macdonald, 52, Bullhead City, was arrested and charged with misconduct involving weapons, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and insurance fraud.
FUCK YOU ! Neither 'good' nor 'bad,' fatal police shooting was justified...
Terms like "bad shoot" and "good shoot" have no place in the discussion of the use of deadly force in law enforcement. These situations are always tragic, and no police officer ever wants to take a life. Instead, the focus should be on whether the use of deadly force was justified. To answer that question one must be guided by the evidence, rather than by appeals to emotion or prejudice.
n the Derek Hale incident, civilian and police witnesses said that when approached by the police, Hale presented himself as if he held a weapon in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt. All witnesses stated that Hale refused to obey repeated police commands to show his hands.
In doing so, Hale provoked a standoff because officers could not safely approach him until he removed his hands from his pocket. Hale was warned that he would be Tasered if he did not comply.
Attempts to subdue Hale with two Tasers failed. One Taser probe missed and the other did not penetrate Hale's skin. Multiple witnesses said that Hale then quickly stood up, ripped out a Taser wire, and with a hand still in his sweatshirt pocket abruptly turned on an officer who was changing a Taser cartridge just five feet to Hale's left. A forensic examination confirmed that Hale was standing and turning to his left when he was shot.
The police officer who shot Hale was providing cover for his fellow officers with his drawn service weapon. The officer is well-trained, highly experienced and a true professional. When Hale turned on the officer holding the empty Taser, the officer who fired his weapon was faced with a life-or-death dilemma that required a split-second decision. The officer could have gambled that Hale was not holding a gun in his pocket, which would have meant gambling with the life of his defenseless fellow officer.
Instead, the officer relied on his experience and training. The use of deadly force is justified in order to prevent death or serious physical injury to another person. The police officer reasonably believed that Hale was about to shoot an officer to death.
The police officers on the scene that day were aware of other facts that made it reasonable to believe that Hale may be dangerous. He was a subject in a wide-ranging Delaware State Police investigation involving members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club and other individuals. Multiple suspects of that investigation had been arrested over the preceding 36 hours, some in high-risk operations.
Hale was a member of the Pagans and was known to carry a firearm. He was wanted by the Delaware State Police for felony drug trafficking, and an arrest warrant was being prepared. Drug traffickers are often armed and can be violent.
Just two days before Hale was shot, state police had seized guns, ammunition, explosives and a large quantity of drugs from the same residence where this shooting occurred. Hale was seen loading items into a car with a woman and children, which suggested he was preparing to flee.
Delaware State Police and Wilmington Police decided that the safest course would be to arrest Hale if he appeared outside the residence and away from the woman and children.
Officers moved in when the opportunity was presented. Hale would have been taken into custody safely had he simply shown his hands.
The police officer who fired his weapon was confronted with a horrible situation under incredibly stressful circumstances with no time to deliberate.
This tragedy was not of his making. He acted because he felt he had to, and his actions were justified in keeping with his experience and training. It is wrong to second-guess him from the calm of one's office. It is especially wrong to second-guess when the evidence so strongly supports his decision to act.
A decision to settle a lawsuit arising from an incident of this nature typically involves striking a balance between cost and risk. There is always risk in litigation. Juries are unpredictable. Witnesses sometimes contradict one another, or change their stories.
Civil litigation is expensive, and where the cost of defense may exceed the cost of a negotiated resolution, elimination of the risk through settlement can sometimes make sense.
It is wrong to use the settlement of the Hale case as an excuse to label this a "bad shoot," as if the need for deadly force could ever be good.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20101216/OPINION07/12160312/1004/OPINION
Published by cyrilhuze.com
I know some of you will have a field day with this.
http://www.cyrilhuzeblog.com/2010/12/28/fiber-optic-mohawk-helmets-not-for-me-for-you/
I can't imagine myself with a Mohawk haircut, nor you… Much less wearing a Mohawk helmet shining like a Christmas tree! These fiber optic may be fun to use or show, but I doubt that a mature baby boomer (baby boomers are all supposed to be mature…) will buy one, even not for July the 4th.
But the main argument of Helmet Ic. is safety: no Mohwawk without a protective helmet and the fiber optic will help you being seen by all the other boneheads on the road. Choose your color to match your mood: white, blue, red, black, green, orange, pink ands multi-color. At Helmet Inc.....
Dave responds,
If loud pipes, bad tatoos, weird clothes, odd piercings, tacky paint, and wheelies just aren't enough, perhaps a day-glo mohawk will do it.
Not for us old farts, but the emerging cafe riders and retro-punk stylies will likely go for it. Now if I could only find my old Mad Max VHS tapes to find myself some "current" inspiration!
CA: Drivers Angered by Freeway Campaign Promoting Motorcycle Safety
http://goarticles.com/article/Drivers-Angered-by-Freeway-Campaign-Promoting-Motorcycle-Safety/3936182
Drivers Angered by Freeway Campaign Promoting Motorcycle Safety
by The McClellan Law Firm in Law / Personal Injury (submitted 2010-12-29)
The message that appeared on electronic freeway signs in San Diego was intended to be innocuous and helpful. Instead, in some people it triggered resentment and even anger. The offending message? "Share the road. Look twice for motorcyclists."
Edward Cartagena, a spokesperson for the San Diego Caltrans office told the San Diego Union-Tribune that none of the calls the office had received had been positive.
About a dozen angry callers complained that it wasn't up to them to keep an eye out for motorcyclists. Said Cartagena, "Wow, I didn't know there was a sentiment like that out there on the roadways." Motorcyclists Increasingly Endangered By Distracted Drivers
Motorcyclists told the newspaper that they welcomed the drive-by message campaign because they're increasingly vulnerable on crowded streets and freeways. Drivers are less attentive than ever, distracted by cellphones and other electronics, as well as more traditional distractions such as music, food, conversation and rapid lane-changing.
The result is that California is experiencing a dramatic rise in injuries and fatalities among motorcyclists.
Between 1999 and 2008, motorcyclist deaths in San Diego County skyrocketed from 16 to 52: an increase of 225 percent. San Diego County motorcyclists also suffered 1,134 injuries in 2008, the most recent year for which figures are available. These statistics reflect broader trends throughout California; in 1999, there were 230 fatalities statewide, by 2008 this number had surged to 529.
The California Highway Patrol is conducting a two-year "Look Twice, Save a Life" campaign to reduce the rapidly rising number of motorcyclist deaths and injuries in the four counties with the worst motorcycle crash rates.
Ultimately, motorcycle safety is a shared responsibility. Clearly, motorcycle riders must obey the laws of the road--but even the most careful rider is at the mercy of other drivers on the road. All drivers must pay close attention to the road and the surroundings to avoid potentially catastrophic collisions with motorcyclists.
JUSTICE DENIED FOR A DISABLED VIETNAM ERA VETERAN IN STURGIS, SOUTH DAKOTA!
ED SCHULTZ...NATIONAL TALK HOST...
DISABLED VIETNAM VETERAN DENIED JUSTICE IN STURGIS...
FOUND GUILTY ---NO POLICE RECORD-GOING TO JAIL
Rick Thorne served in the U.S. Navy in the late 1960's. He was discharged for medical reasons on 1/15/1969. Having struggled with countless jobs and his failing health. He and his wife moved to Mountain View Mobile Home Park in Sturgis, South Dakota early in 2008.
! For the past 43 years Rick has battled the Veteran's Affairs for service connected disability. Finally in the spring of 2010 Rick was given 10% service connected disability. He's now appealing for a 100% since Rick hasn't worked for 3 years and has mental issues stemming back from 1968 while in the Navy.
! Rick has walked with a cane for sometime because he has arthritis in his ankles, back and now his left shoulder. This was do from a fall from a four story hospital window in 1984 that nearly killed him. Rick and Rose Mary Moved into the before mentioned mobile home park hoping too retire there in the peace and safety of the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota.
! Rick and Rose Mary moved into the mobile home sight unseen. They didn't know at the time there was no on site manager or any formal security. They had no idea there wasn't a park manager living on the premises. Before long, They felt like they were living in the "Wild West." It never failed! Every few days police cars would arrive for one reason or another. The two senior Vietnam era veterans now realized they'd made a big mistake moving to Sturgis, South Dakota
! Now the Black Hills wasn't so pretty anymore as far as they were concerned. Even though there were animal control laws preventing them from freely roaming the mobile home park, no one was around to enforce the laws. In the summer of 2009 Rick had had enough of a neighbors cats spraying and defecating around his mobile home. It was making his wife sick so Rick placed a note on the neighbor's car windshield.
! Rick placed "NO TRESPASSING SIGNS" in front of his mobile home for safety and security reasons along with video camera's. Suddenly this tall husky stranger came walking up too Rick as he
tried to remove some snow from the front of his mobile home. Rick looked up and said, "How are you doing?" ! Suddenly the intimating guy blurts out, "I'm gonna kick your ass!" Stunned, Rick Then said, "I don't even know you!" The insane stranger man then said, "You killed my sisters cats!" Rick then said, I've never killed an animal in my life. Further more! You sisters cats keep coming over and spraying and defecating on my property. Don't you know there's laws here in Sturgis that animals can't roam free?"
! The stranger then blurted out with the smell of alcohol on his breath, "I'm still gonna kick your ass!" I raised my shovel hoping to scare him when he then shouted out, "You're a dumb Kentuckian!" I then said, "I'm calling the police if you don't leave now!" The insane individual finally left my property.
! Rick went into his mobile home and it was then his wife Rose Mary asked, "What in the world is going on. I heard a stranger yell out you're a dumb Kentuckian." Rick then said some stranger came up and threatened too kick his ass because of a note he placed on the guys sisters car last summer about the cats."
! Rose Mary then said, "You need to call the off site manager and tell her what happened." A few minutes later Rick called the manager and told her what happened and she said, "Bryan Vansickle is the person you described and we've had trouble with him before. Go ahead and call the police too protect you and your wife."
! Rick called the Stugis police department and spoke with a LT. Adam Martin. After Rick stated his concerns LT. Adam Martin replied, I will call Bryan Vansickle and get his side of the story." Rick then said, I'll give you the managers phone number for a contact." Lt. Martin then said, "We're well aware of Bryan Vansickle and have his phone number."
! About an hour later LT. Martin called back and said Mr. Vansickle was extremely sorry and he would never bother Rick or his wife again. Rick then asked about a protection order and officer Martin said he didn't think it was necessary but if he wanted too he could go to the courthouse and file for one.
! Rick then asked, "Can you warn Vansickle too stay away from my wife and I?" LT. Adam Martin then said, "I can document a "NO TRESPASS ORDER" and tell Mr. Vansickle about it." Rick then said, "Please do it for the safety of my wife and I" About an hour later LT.Martin called back and said he warned Bryan Vansickle to stay away from Rick and his wife.
OFFICER LT. ADAM MARTIN'S ORIGINAL INCIDENT REPORT DATED 12-28-09, REFERENCE TO ORI NUMBER- SDO460100. "I returned a phone call to Rick Thorne who called dispatch and wished to make a complaint on Bryan Vansickle. Rick and Bryan live at 3220 Lazelle. Rick (lot 114) stated Bryan (lot 106) came over to his residence and threatened to ʻkick his ass' leaving a note on Brian's sister's car.
The note was reference Brian's sisters cat pooping in Rick's yard. Rick stated he left a note , but it was some time ago. Rick had questions about a restraining order on Bryan. I advised him if he wished to apply for a temporary restraining order it could be completed at the couthouse. I answered Rick's questions and advised him I would call Bryan and speak to him about the incident. Rick also requested Bryan be given Notice of trespass from his lot.
I made contact with Bryan who stated Rick had left a note stating his sister's cats would come up missing. Bryan apologized and stated he over reacted. Bryan stated he would not go back to the residence and has advised his kids to stay away as well. I also advised Bryan Notice of Trespass as Rick requested. I will pass this information on to Rick. No other action... (Rick said in the original note he would get rid of the cats by calling animal control. Last summer Bryan Vansickle's sister was evicted from Mountain View trailer court. and she took her cats with her). NOTE: This document wasn't entered into evidence by my attorney or the prosecutor at the time of the trial.
! On August 10, 2010 during the Sturgis, rally Rick was coming back from taking pictures and about a block from his mobile home. Rick pulled his vehicle to the side of the road and waited as his wife, their neighbor Lynne Bertalot and her three young children came up to the car. Rick was talking about taking photos when all of a sudden this dark purple truck slowly passed by and an insane stranger with two young children in the car screamed out, "Get the FUCK off the road!"
! The insane man nearly mowed down Rick's wife and Lynne along with her three children. Rick and the others quickly realized it was Bryan Vansickle. All of them were terrified at that instant. A few
seconds later the bully pulled into his mobile home lot. Rick drove home to drop a few things off and he then backed up his car to where Bryan Vansickle was standing and said, "You have no respect for my wife and I and should apologize!"
! Rick took a deep breath then said, "Remember! Officer Adam Martin has a "NO TRESPASS ORDER AGAINST YOU!" Suddenly Bryan Vansickle aggressively approached Rick's vehicle and that's when Rick pointed a mace weapon at the assailant to keep him from coming closer. Instantly Vansickle screamed out at Rick, "I got you now! Oh boy! I got you now!"
! Rick instantly realized Bryan Vansickle had a vendetta against him from the December 27th, 2009 cat incident. Rick quickly pulled away and drove to his mobile home. He dropped off his back back with the mace in it that he carried to protect him from rattlesnakes and other wild animals in the area. Suddenly Rick remembered his wife was not far from the Vansickle residence.
! He got back into his car and saw Bryan's wife Tammy Vansickle on her cellphone. He stopped and said, "Your husband is going to be arrested." Tammy Vansickle then declared, "You stay here because the police are coming!" Rick drove near his wife when all of a sudden 10 police cars and one motorcycle officer with sirens screaming came flying into the trailer park.
! Rick waved one of the police cars down and suddenly several cops jumped out of their police cars with guns pointed directly at Rick. Officer Douglas Quarve approached Rick with gun in hand and said, "Where the gun!" Rick then replied, "I don't have a gun but I do have a mace pistol." Officer Quarve then asked, "Where's the pistol?" Rick Then said, "It's at my mobile home."
! Officer Quarve then said, "Show me where it is." Rick removed his cane from his vehicle. Instantly, several cops started tearing Rick's vehicle apart and didn't ask for permission to search his car. Several more cops were milling around during this time disinterested in what was going on at the time.
! Rick labored down the road with his cane with three cops in tow. It wasn't long before he entered the mobile home a gave officer Quarve the mace. A few minutes later Rick found himself in hand cuffs in the back of a sturgis police car. During this entire time Rick
wasn't read his "MIRANDA RIGHTS," and yet he was asked several questions concerning the incident at hand. ! As Rick gazed out of the squad car window he noticed an officer giving Lynne Bertalot a witness form. At no time did any officer question Rick's wife or offer her a witness form even though she stood right by Mrs. Bertalot at that time. When arresting Officer Quarve climbed into his squad car Rick asked him, "Did you offer my wife an incident report form?" Office Quarve said, "NO."
! Rick could see his wife was distraught as the police car slowly pulled away with her disabled husband handcuffed inside of the vehicle. It wasn't long before Rick was removed from the squad car and wasn't allowed to have his hand cuffs removed. Rick also wasn't given his cane to help him walk. He limped down the steep stairs leaning his body against the wall.
! Limping every step of the way and feeling very unstable. Rick finally made it into the booking room a short time later. It was then the cuffs were removed and Rick had to remove everything from his person. He limped through a scanner and was seated a short time later. It was there an inventory was taken of his possessions and he was photographed and finger printed, his DNA was taken awhile later. ! Rick asked if anyone had taken a statement from his wife yet and the attendant said she didn't know. Rick had brought his VA medications with him but the Sturgis Police Department refused him his medication. He said he had to have the medication or he couldn't eat or sleep. The answer was still no!
! About an hour later Rick was placed in a bleak jail cell. Several minutes after that officer Quarve entered the jail cell and asked, Mr. Thorne! I feel the charge of felony assault isn't justified in this case. Therefore, I'm going to issue you a ticket for "Simple Assault." Rick thanked the officer and then officer Quarve asked, Mr. Thorne, would you be willing to make a statement for me now?"
! Rick then replied, "I would be more than glad to answer any questions you have." Officer Quarve then read Rick his Miranda Rights and asked questions over the next few minutes. During the course of the night Rick kept demanding his VA medication and he was ignored each time. Finally, around midnight Rick was given a couple of tylenol pills. This was the equivalent of taking a couple of sugar pills as far as Rick was concerned.
! During the entire evening several drunken, smelly unruly motorcycle bikers from the rally entered the confining jail cell. Several of them were laying all over the floor and there wasn't hardly any room too move at the time. With no sleep, finally morning arrived and Rick had to be placed in a wheel chair because he was extremely weak from being denied his medication and having virtually no food in his stomach.
! About an hour later Rick pleaded ʻNOT GUILTY" and Judge Percy then said, Mr. Thorne! Are you aware that if you're found "GUILTY" I can sentence you too a year in jail and a $2,000 dollar fine?" Rick then said, Madame! I'm not guilty!" Judge Percy set another court date and Rick was finally wheeled into the processing room to be released.
! About two hours later Rick, his wife Rose Mary, Lynne Bertalot and her three children were standing in the lobby of the Sturgis police department. All three of them filed formal incident reports with the Sturgis Police Department against Bryan Vansickle for assault with a vehicle and for verbally assaulting them by screaming; "Get The FUCK Off The Road."
Suddenly Bryan Vansickle entered the Sturgis Police station. Rick quickly yelled out, "Get him out of here! He had me arrested!" Instantly! A Sturgis police officer escorted Vansickle off the premises. A short time later Rick found himself in the sheriff's office being served a protection order against himself from Bryan Vansickle.! About an hour later Rick's wife and Lynne Bertalot filed their own protection orders on Bryan Vansickle. On August 31, 2010, Rick , his wife Rose Mary, Lynne Bertalot and Bryan Vansickle appeared before Judge Johnson. During the course of the hearing Bryan Vansickle denied under oath he screamed out for Rick, Rose Mary, Lynne and her three children to: "GET THE F- - -OUT OF THE ROAD" which means he perjured his testimony.
! The judge was extremely condescending towards Rick, his wife Rose Mary and Lynne Bertalot. The final ruling was Judge Warren granted a five year protection order against Bryan Vansickle in regard to Rose Mary Thorne. He also granted a one protection order against Bryan Vansickle concerning Lynne Bertalot's children. Penny Nyberg, off site manager of Mountain View Mobile Park instructed Mrs. Bertalot not to have her to be covered by the protection order.
! For some strange reason, Bryan Vansickle removed the protection order off himself and placed it on his children. As witnessed in the 911 call made by Bryan Vansickle. He claimed to be terrified of Rick Thorne. Why would he remove his protection order off himself if he was in fear of his life at the time? Evidentially! Bryan Vansickle wasn't so scared of Mr. Thorne after all.
! Rick Thorne went through holly hell that night in the Sturgis Police Department jail. He appeared in 6 courtrooms within a 5 month period and all this nonsense for a SIMPLE ASSULT CASE! Why? If Bryan Vansickle had followed the "NO TRESPASS ORDER," issued by LT. Adam Martin of the Sturgis Police Department a year earlier, and if Vansickle hadn't verbally assaulted and almost run down innocent victim's with his purple vehicle. None of this insanity would have taken place!
! The following is the actual (INCONSISTENT) police report issued by officer Douglas Quarve of the Sturgis police department:
REPORT NARRATIVE
Case Report#: 10-5293 Date: 10 August 2010 Officer: Douglas Quarve 492-15
Narrative: Simple Assault
While on patrol I was dispatched to a "Man with a Gun" call 3220 Lazelle Lot #106. While in route dispatch advised an individual was holding a gun on the RP. Prior to arriving dispatch advised the assailant was leaving the trailer court in a silver SUV. I made contact with the SUV upon arrival in the trailer court.
I made contact with the driver of the SUV, Richard Thorn DOB 9-11-48, and asked him where the gun was. He stated he did not have a it on him. I asked him if it was in the truck, he said no. He stated further stated it was a Mace Gun and it was in his trailer. I asked him what happened and he replied he he lost his templr with his neighbor (not true! Rick was scared for his family and himself). His neighbor had yelled at him (Rick told the officer that Bryan Vansickle told all of
them to "GET THE FUCK OFF THE ROAD) as he was sitting in his car talking to his wife and friend. He said he went back to his neighbor's house and pointed the Mace Gun at him (I said I pointed the mace at Bryan only after he was coming toward me). Thorne was escorted to his trailer and the Mace Gun was recovered. The gun had a full cartridge of mace in the chamber and ready to use.
! I made contact with the RP, Bryan Vansickle DOB: 06-14-69, at his residence Lot#106. Vansickle stated his neighbor had pointed a gun at him and threatened to kill him (A LIE!). Vansickle was visibly shaken and distraught. Vansickle stated he was arriving home to his trailer with his son when he passed Thorn on the road. As Vansickle passed Thorn (Rick's name Mis-spelled) he stated he swore at him, then pulled into his driveway at lot #106. As Vansickle was returned and pointed a gun at Vansickle and threatened to kill him (a lie!). Vansickle thought Thorn had a gun and was in fear for himself and his son. Vansickle called 911 and reported the incident. Vansickle stated he wanted to press charges.
Thorn was placed under arrest--- NOTE: (NO MIRANDA RIGHTS WERE READ TOO RICK THORNE AT THIS TIME) and transported to the Meade County Jail. After he was processed I read Thorn his Miranda Warning at 1730 hours. Thorn agreed to waive his rights and talk to me. Vansickle state he lost his temper (NOT TRUE AS EARLER STATED) and pointed the Mace Gun at Vansickle. I asked Thorn to fill out a statement and he complied. Thorn was charged with violation of 22-18-1 Simple Assault. NOTE: Jennifer Beving, my attorney nor the prosecutor entered this document into evidence.
! December 16, 2010 was a day in infamy in the life of DISABLED VIETNAM ERA VETERAN RICK THORNE! After jury selection the fireworks finally began. After opening statements were heard Meade County States attorney Kasey Sorensen.
! Bryan Vansickle was called to the witness stand and during his inconsistent testimony. Vansickle once again stated he didn't blurt out to the defendant and those with him on the day in question for them to: "GET THE F - - -OUT OF THE ROAD."
! During the trial, the defendant's attorney failed to introduce the 2nd Amendment and the Castle Doctrine. These laws would havejustified a "SELF DEFENSE CASE FOR THE DEFENDANT."
Instead, the prosecutor and the judge read a few case laws blocking the disabled veteran's right to a fair trial regarding, HIS RIGHT TO A SELF DEFENSE CASE. Because of this discriminatory ruling the disabled defendant's case was now destroyed.
! Mrs. Beving, the defendant's court appointed attorney seemed ill prepared for the up hill challenge before her now. She also failed to introduce key documents that would have added further credence to the defendants case. The defendant also observed on several occasions. His attorney happily fraternizing with prosector Kasey Sorensen and her assistant.
! On cross examination Bray Vansickle admitted he did in fact scream out the above vicious statement against the defendant and those with him on the day in question. Neither the judge nor the prosecutor or the defendant's attorney brought this vicious lie out as a matter of perjury.
! Testimony wasn't introduced that Bryan Vansickle and his witness, Chuck Loy transacted a business deal for a vehicle about two weeks before the trial. The defendant bright this to light through his attorney and the prosector, Kasey Sorensen ruled this transaction wasn't "WITNESS TAMPERING."
! Under oath Bryan Vansickle stated he was driving a blue Ford truck during the August 10, 2010 incident almost running over Rose Mary Thorne, Lynne Bertalot and her three small children. Once again, Bryan Vansickle perjured himself. The vehicle he was driving was a purple truck of another brand.
! Neither the prosecutor or the defendants attorney questioned this overt lie by Bryan Vansickle. Although the defendant photographed the purple truck. His attorney failed to introduce these photos into evidence on the day of the trial. Bryan Vansickle's purple truck disappeared several weeks ago and hasn't been seen.
! One thing prosecutor Sorensen asked Rick, His wife Rose Mary and Lynne Bertalot was; "You understand this case isn't about the defendant and the plaintiff Bryan Vansickle. This case strictly involves the State of South Dakota verses the Defendant Richard Thorne. That claim blew Rick's mind when he heard it.
! Rick wondered how the case couldn't involve Bryan Vansickle since he was the one who originally instigated the original contact
back in December of 2009 with the cat incident. It was as if the State of South Dakota was deliberately trying to destroy Vietnam Veteran Rick Thorne. ! Bryan Vansickle could have deliberately sold the truck involved in the August 10, 2010 incident knowing full well it would be implicated in the trial against the defendant. The defendant's attorney (Jennifer Beving) never once objected when the prosecutor Sorensen badgered the defendant and his witnesses.
! On August 10, 2010, the Sturgis Police officers didn't get permission from the defendant to search his vehicle. They also failed to ask for permission to enter his home when they secured the mace weapon. As a disabled veteran, the defendant wasn't aware he could refuse the police entry into his vehicle and home unless they had a search warrant.
! When the verdict was read Rick was found guilty! The jury had painful looks on their faces at that instant. They had to go be the law even though true justice wasn't served that ungodly day. To add insult to injury of a disabled Vietnam veteran. Nearly the full brunt of the law was administered.
! The defendant had no prior record and NO MERCY was served on this broken man. THE SENTENCE IS:4 ADDITIONAL DAYS IN JAIL
$84.00 court costs (the Judge did waive the $500.00 fine however that the state had asked. $129.20 prosecution costs $$2727.88 attorney fees
ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASSES could be several hundred dollars. Especially since the defendant has to drive to another city for the classes.
! The defendant is living in a 23 year old mobile home and driving 11 year old vehicle. The defendant pays back child support and he and his wife barely have enough money to live on. Especially since Obama froze the cost of living increases for Social Security. It's shocking to think the Sturgis, South Dakota would financially destroy a Vietnam disabled veteran that is incapable of working.
! No Veteran or military personnel should ever again come to the Sturgis Rally, knowing how this disabled Vietnam Veteran was financially, mentally and physically destroyed by the legal system here. Rick and his wife plan to leave South Dakota when this legal mess has ended and they will never ever return again.
! Rick plans to ask the governor of South Dakota for clemency. They are honorably discharged and don't deserve such harsh treatment so late in their life. Please pass this article onto everyone you know and you can listen to the original 911 call that follows:
National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 12-30-10
Here are the 13 reports of police misconduct tracked in our National Police Misconduct News Feed for Wednesday, December 29, 2010:
An Owsley County KY deputy is the subject of a lawsuit and a federal investigation which may lead to charges on allegations that he beat a man in the face with a retractable metal baton, breaking his eye socket, and sprayed him with mace after he was cuffed in front of several witnesses then arrested him on false charges. Witnesses say the beating was unprovoked. [4]
Meanwhile, a Booneville KY police officer who was also at the event listed above is the subject of a federal and state investigation into allegations that he failed to stop that deputy from beating his victim and refused to assist him when he was injured. [3]
San Juan County WA settled a lawsuit for $75,000 to a woman who was tackled, tasered, and then arrested on false charges when she refused to allow deputies to search her home after they were called for a domestic disturbance and had arrived after the man involved had left. The search they performed anyway was deemed illegal and didn't turn up any evidence of any crime. [0]
118 people so far have filed claims to portions of a $3,000,000 settlement to a class action lawsuit involving alleged abused by the now-disbanded Minnesota Metro Gang Task Force that included illegal seizures of property, illegal searches, false arrests, and excessive force in addition to other allegations. The committee responsible for that task force comprised of officers from different agencies insists that a $3,000,000 settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing. [0]
A Franklin IN police officer has been charged with battery and official misconduct for groping a female informant's genitals and calling another officer's attention to her genital piercing in a disparaging manner while he was wiring her up for a sting operation. [0]
A now-former Mt San Jacinto College CA police chief has been sentenced to one year in jail on multiple charges including bribery, destruction of evidence and perjury involving a towing scam. [0]
A Danville IN assistant police chief has pled guilty to battery charges for breaking into a house and assaulting his estranged wife's boyfriend, injuring her in the process. [0]
An Albuquerque NM police detective has been arrested on allegations that he punched his girlfriend in face during an argument over taxes. [0]
A Providence RI police officer has received a suspended sentence after his no contest plea over his role in a drug ring that resulted in three other cops being indicted as well. [0]
A Forest City IA police officer has been fired over an unspecified on duty incident but officials won't say why because his union has filed a grievance on his behalf. [0]
A Sleepy Eye MN police officer has been fired for a drunk driving incident that happened nearly a year ago. [0]
The police chief of Grantsville UT had to pay a fine after he pled guilty to a poaching charge for killing a deer on private property. I was on the fence about adding this one but I guess it was a criminal charge so it applies. [0]
And finally, an Illinois State trooper was sentenced to probation and a fine in a plea deal to a misdemeanor charge for lying on a report she filed about a motorist she stopped who had a suspended license that she let go without arresting. Her report falsely claimed that she allowed another person to drive the car when she let him go. [0]
That's it for today, stay safe out there.
Canada - Whynott to make court appearance this afternoon
TRURO - A Truro Heights man charged as an accessory in the death of outlaw biker Randy Mersereau is to make a court appearance this afternoon.
Dean David Whynott, 44, of 541 Truro Heights Rd., is to appear in provincial court in Truro to set a date for a preliminary hearing. He is charged with knowing Jeffrey Albert Lynds murdered Mersereau and that between Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, 1999, he helped Lynds escape custody.
Whynott is the former owner of an Onslow Mountain house that underwent an extensive police search in October and where it is alleged that Mersereau was murdered.
A CBC television report has alleged that Whynott helped bury Mersereau's body after he was shot by Jeff Lynds.
He is scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 today.
Bomber Girls
BY: Denise Etheridge
Source: coastalcourier.com
The Bomber Girls volunteer with Wreaths for Warriors Walk and several other military fundraisers and charity events.
Bomber Girls Ladies Riding Club members are hard-core — when it comes to supporting soldiers. These civic-minded bikers raise funds to send care packages to deployed soldiers year-round.
"I have been friends with members and a supporter of the Bomber Girls Ladies Riding Club since its inception in 2007," Bomber Girls Vice President Jill Ward said. "My husband is a Vietnam vet and has expressed, many times, how poorly our troops were treated when returning from their service overseas."
Ward said her husband and fellow Vietnam veterans told her they did not want today's troops to experience the same sort of maltreatment. This led Ward to combine her love of motorcycling with her dedication for supporting soldiers and their families.
"Putting my love for motorcycling along with my love for supporting our soldiers and organizing good causes, the Bomber Girls LRC just became a good fit," she said. "I was invited to try them out, and it proved to be a great thing to be a part of. Not only do the Bomber Girls have monthly fundraisers to fill and ship care packages to deployed soldiers, we also volunteer through the Red Cross for Services to Armed Forces and get the opportunity to greet and send off troops from Hunter Army Airfield. We meet not only 3rd Infantry Division soldiers, but also National Guard, Marines and others flying in, out or through Hunter. We also get involved with Wreaths for Warriors Walk, and have adopted four soldiers' trees along the walk, whose families are or appear to be too far to attend the annual wreath laying, Memorial Day or other times."
W4WW president Tony Justi appreciates the organization's hard work.
"It's wonderful having groups like the Bomber Girls LRC support us," Justi said. He said the club also gets in touch with families of the fallen "to let them know that their soldier will be remembered on special occasions like their birthday and holidays."
The Bomber Girls manage to balance their support for the troops with their own families and jobs, Ward said.
"It gets tough at times — the balancing act — but when we get a thank-you card or a hug from a returning soldier it makes our 'second' job all worth it," she added.
Recently, club members helped raise money for two Hinesville families displaced by a house fire earlier this month. The head of one family was deployed to Afghanistan when the fire occurred.
A Bomber Girls member found out about the fire through a posting on Facebook and notified other club members.
"When I learned of this family, burglarized and burned out just before Christmas, seven children and a deployed father, we just had to do something," club member Shanon Clay had said.
The Bomber Girls gathered for "Bike Night" in Savannah and collected $400 in a drawing to benefit the families. The club also hosted a birthday party for two of the children.
Currently, the group is conducting an online photo contest titled "Love My Soldier." The soldier in the winning photograph will be eligible for the 2012 Bomber Girls Veteran of the Year title and will grace the club's calendar. Judging will be on the photo alone, but should include a description of 25 words or less about how the photo depicts the love the sender has for their soldier, Ward said.
There is a grand prize of $500. The entry fee is $10. Grainger Honda and Fair Haven Funeral Home are sponsoring the event. The contest will begin Jan. 1 and entries will be accepted through Feb. 9. Awards will be presented Feb. 12.
In addition to the photo contest, the Bomber Girls will have a cookie drive before their Abate Frosty Balls Run begins Jan. 30, at 77 West Fairmont Ave. in Savannah. Registration starts at 9 a.m. Anyone interested in participating should bring a dozen or more cookies and help sort and package them for shipping, Ward suggests.
"At the end of January, we send home-baked cookies to our soldiers in time for Valentine's Day," she explained. "We send a hygiene and snack package several months after that, summertime packages, movie mailings in the fall and Christmas decorations and thank-you notes in early winter. We want the soldiers to receive necessary things like soap, socks and shampoo, but we also want to help break the depressing monotony of war and being away from home — so we send fun items like whoopee cushions, books, wading pools and Christmas trees. Anything to let each soldier know there is someone at home thinking about them."
Ward said the club holds fundraisers to help pay for the items sent and the mass mailing costs, which can be as much as $1,650 per large scale mailing.
"We want all of our soldiers to know we all thank them for their sacrifices and for our freedom," Ward said.
For more information, call 912-247-8878 or go to http://www.bombergirlslrc.com/
Staff writer Seraine Page contributed to this story.
Scott City, MO - Boot-Heel Harley-Davidson Gives To Fallen Soldiers
Source: semissourian.com
User-submitted story by Jason Butler
Press Release January 1st 2011
The new Boot-Heel Harley-Davidson dealership located at 2100 E. Outer Road in Scott City, MO starts the new year off roaring to life on all cylinders. They are giving back to the community's fallen soldiers with the help of the Patriot Guard Riding Club with the Polar Bear Motorcycle Ride January 1st at 1:00 pm.
For every rider who braves the elements and participates, Boot-Heel Harley-Davidson will contribute a wreath to Wreaths Across America.
The Polar Bear ride is free to ALL riders. The more riders who participate, the more Boot-heel Harley-Davidson will give back to the community to commemorate our fallen soldiers.
For more information on this event please contact: Jason Butler at: (573) 334-7716
The men and woman of the Patriot Guard spend countless hours helping our local veterans weather it is to raise money for a needy veterans family or to escort a fallen comrade to his last resting place.
Wreaths Across America believes that there should be no veterans grave to go without a wreath to commemorate there service to our country and the many lives that have fallen to protect our country and freedoms.
Boot-Heel Harley Davison feels that the one of the many most heroic acts is for one of our fellow country men or woman is to enlist in military service and protect our country , rights and freedom.
Source: abc.net.au
Police are investigating links between the petrol bombing of a tattoo parlour in eastern Sydney and bikie gangs.
Two men smashed the front window of the Coogee Ink tattoo parlour and threw a petrol bomb inside around 1am (AEDT)
Thirty residents were evacuated from the Coogee Bay Road building as it caught alight.
No one was injured but the store has been significantly damaged.
Witness Robyn Thorncraft says the petrol bombing was terrifying and woke her up.
"It just sounded like lots of glass smashing and that is why I thought maybe some people have come up from the Coogee Bay Hotel with a bit too much to drink and have tipped over the garbage bins and are throwing the bottles everywhere," she said.
"That is what is sounded like, breaking bottles."
Eastern Beaches Superintendent Gavin Dengate says bikie gang members are known customers of the shop.
"Certainly the tattoo shop is linked to an outlaw motorcycle gang and that is one of a number of inquiries we will be making," he said.
Police are also investigating the bombing in relation to several other incidents which have happened across Sydney this year.
Southern Cross riders
BY: Bruce Mckean
Source: Daily Mercury
Southern Cross Motorcycle Club past president Bevan Teys has died aged 56. He was a tireless fundraiser for sick children.
BEVEN Teys was a kind and charitable man who used his love of motorcycles to raise tens of thousands of dollars for sick children.
He was also very brave, having suffered life-threatening injuries in a horrific crash in 2003 that resulted in his right leg being amputated.
Mr Teys, of Louisa Creek, died aged 56 on Christmas Eve after a long illness. His cremation service will be held today.
"The world has lost a good man," his daughter Leesha said yesterday.
"He'd do anything for his family, even when he was sick.
"He was a very good father who took me on a motorcycle trip to a town near Adelaide for a Ulysses motorcycle club rally years ago. We rode all the way there and back with about six or so other riders from Mackay. How many daughters can say they've done that with their dad?
"He loved fundraising for sick kids and he was very happy when he was doing it."
Mr Teys suffered a type of dementia over the last 12 months and became forgetful.
"But he still spoke about how he used to help the little kids," his daughter said.
"You could see how proud he was when he was helping the children."
Mr Teys was a past president of the Southern Cross Motorcycle Club, a group that conducts annual charity runs to raise money for children with spina bifida.
During his term as president he went on numerous charity rides throughout Queensland and Australia.
A tireless fundraiser, he had his leg amputated following a motorcycle accident in July 2003, which occurred while he was returning to Mackay from a fundraising event in Bowen.
He overcame his life-threatening injuries and took up motorcycle riding again, adapting to a three-wheel trike.
After his accident he resigned as president of Southern Cross but continued fundraising, even going on a trip to Clermont, Barcaldine, Winton, Mt Isa, Hughenden, Townsville and Mackay in September 2006.
Mr Teys had worked for Queensland Rail since 1979. His daughter said he was still able to physically drive trains after his accident but he was unable to complete the theoretical examinations and his employment eventually ceased.
He had the full support of his fellow Southern Cross riders, his family and friends and his QR workmates during the long ordeal of his accident and recovery.
His sister Nola said yesterday: "He was a beautiful man. It's a sad moment for the family but he is at peace now."
Mr Teys had two sisters and two brothers and was the father of three children.
The cremation service will be held at 2.30pm today at the Ian Philips Crematorium in Malin Road, Sarina. Floral tributes are optional and the family has asked that donations in lieu be made to the Variety Club of Australia.
OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine -- Maine's attorney general says federal agents were justified in shooting and killing a member of the Outlaws motorcycle club during a gunfight last summer.
Fifty-eight-year-old Thomas Mayne was killed June 15 when agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tried to arrest him at his home in Old Orchard Beach.
He was one of 27 Outlaws members named in a federal indictment out of Virginia charging them with crimes ranging from attempted murder to racketeering.
In a report Tuesday, the Maine attorney general's office said the four officers who fired at Mayne won't face charges because they used deadly force in self-defense. The agents fired a total of 20 rounds, at least seven of which struck Mayne.
Mayne had fired six rounds.
California - New state law aims to curb motorcycle thefts
Legislation targets 'pigtails'
http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/New-Law-Cracks-Down-on-Motorcycle-Theft/BkCdXHT2WkWFcOSEOOz8hw.cspx
NATIONAL CITY ---- Starting New Year's Day, a new law authored by Assemblyman Martin Garrick, R-Solana Beach, will enable police to arrest anyone carrying a type of makeshift device used for stealing motorcycles.
The legislation targets so-called "pigtails" ---- homemade ignitions that can allow a crook to start a motorcycle in as little as 20 seconds.
As of Jan. 1, possessing such a device will be a misdemeanor, and anyone caught with one could get up to six months in jail and be fined $1,000.
About 1,100 motorcycles were stolen in San Diego County in 2009, with insurance claims for the losses averaging $9,000, according to the Regional Auto Theft Task Force.
California has the nation's highest motorcycle theft rate. In the first 10 months of 2010, more than 5,000 motorcycles were stolen statewide, resulting in roughly $45 million worth of insurance claims.
"Although not everyone in the state rides motorcycles, the cost associated with the theft of sports bikes impacts all of us, since those costs are often passed on to auto policyholders as well," Garrick said during Tuesday morning's briefing at a South Bay motorcycle shop.
Current law bans the possession of burglar tools such as "slim jims," shaved keys and bolt cutters, if law enforcement can establish the intent to use them to break into or steal a car, truck or SUV ---- but not a motorcycle.
Garrick, who describes himself as an avid biker, said the statute will close that "loophole."
"The freedom of riding a motorcycle on California's roads is one of life's greatest joys that only enthusiasts can truly appreciate," he said. "With this new law, we are taking an important step to defend that freedom from those who seek to take it away by stealing someone's motorcycle."
One of the key proponents of the legislation was Chula Vista police Officer Anthony Molina, who raised concern about pigtails after getting a phone call from a fellow patrolman who had pulled over a known motorcycle thief.
Though the suspect was carrying hardware typically used to steal motorcycles, Molina reluctantly told his colleague he had to let him go, due to current law regarding such illicit tools.
The incident inspired Molina to work with the district attorney's office on the recently approved prohibition on motorcycle-theft pigtails.
Missouri - Patriot Guard bikers proud to block Westboro protesters at military funerals
BY: Jessica Machetta
Missourinet.com
Missouri residents have staged several counter blocks in response to Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church members that protest military funerals with their "God Hates Fags" mission statement.
The Missouri legislature tried to enact a law that makes protesting military funerals illegal. But the Supreme Court says the Westboro Baptist Church is exercising its right to freedom of speech under the First Amendment.
So, Missourians have staged counter protests to drown out church members who say military casualties are God's payback for the United States' acceptance of homosexuality.
L.T. Dobkins of Steelville is a biker with the Patriot Guard, which tries to protect veterans' families from protesters.
"We do everything in a peaceful means," Dobkins says. "We stand and cover them up with American flags. If there's 20 fo them and we've got 300 bikers out there … we can shield the family from them. They don't have to see them and they never hear them."
Court documents say the Topeka, Kansas-based church members have protested at more than 200 military funerals throughout the U-S.
Recently, the church protested the funeral for Elizabeth Edwards, former wife of vice-presidential candidate John Edwards.
Dobkins says he knows well what it's like to be disrespected.
"I'm from the Viet Nam era, I remember what happend," he says. "I wasn't proud to be a veteran for a long time, I am now."
"…To be able to protect family from that kind fo nonsense it helps," he says. "It helps me too."
His wife, Rita, says even when there is no family, the Patriot Guard is there.
"A lot of the veterans, they don't have a family," she says. "So, we're the Patriot Guard, we're their family, and we're there for them."
SENT BY RED
"The Gun Is Civilization" by Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret)
Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force.
If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either
convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under
threat of force.
Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories,
without exception. Reason or force, that's it.
In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact
through persuasion.
Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the
only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm,
as paradoxical as it may sound to some.
When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force.
You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to
negate your threat or employment of force.
The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on
equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal
footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal
footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun
removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a
potential attacker and a defender.
There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad
force equations.
These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns
were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a
[armed] mugger to do his job.
That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are
mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat--it has no
validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed.
People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the
young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a
civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a
successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force
monopoly.
Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal
that otherwise would only result in injury.
This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved,
confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting
overwhelming injury on the loser.
People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute
lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come
out of it with a bloody lip at worst.
The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor
of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed,
the field is level.
The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an
octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter.
It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both
lethal and easily employable.
When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight,
but because I'm looking to be left alone.
The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I
don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be
unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact
with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by
It removes force from the equation... and that's why carrying a gun is
a civilized act.
By Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret.)
So the greatest civilization is one where all citizens are equally
armed and can only be persuaded, never forced.
This is worth printing and sharing with others!
CALIFORNIA - New Motorcycle Law Revs Up Controversy...
Sherri Palmeri
Email: sherri.palmeri@sandiego6.com
SAN DIEGO - New motorcycles that are excessively loud will become a thing of the past in California.
A new state law will soon regulate the exhaust systems of motorcycles.
The law changes how the state will regulate motorcycle exhaust systems.
It requires street bikes built on, or after January 1, 2013, to carry a stamp certifying it meets federal sound limits.
"Since I live right off of Balboa Avenue, they (motorcycles) wake me up constantly," said Tina Fago, who favors the new law.
But most bikers are not happy about the law.
Myke Shelby, owner of San Diego Harley Davidson, said consumers will end up having to pay more for motorcycles they buy in California, than riders living in other states.
Shelby said bikers will simply buy and register their bikes elsewhere, and California business owners like him, will lose out.
Violators will face fines of up to $100 for a first offense, or $200 for subsequent offenses.
It will be considered a secondary offense, meaning a police officer can't stop a biker just because an officer believes the motorcyclist is breaking the sound emissions law.
The new law could map a path for the rest of the country, as other state and local lawmakers look for their own answers to address excessive motorcycle sound.
FOIA info
www.justice.gov/oip/index.html
FOIA Requester Service Center: telephone number (202) 514-4210
FOIA Public Liaison: Cheryl Durham, telephone number (202) 514-4210
NALC, Room 311
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Conventional Reading Room:
Call (202) 514-4210 for access instructions.
In compliance with the 1996 Electronic Freedom of Information Act, the Civil Rights Division FOIA Branch has selected these records as containing subject matter that has become or is likely to become the subject of periodic or repeated FOIA requests.
Component Information from DOJ Reference Guide
The Civil Rights Division (CRT) conducts the litigation of cases to secure equal opportunity in the areas of employment, education, housing, voting, public accommodations and facilities, and Federally assisted programs. CRT is also responsible for enforcing the antidiscrimination provision of the Immigration Reform and Control Act through the investigation and prosecution of charges filed on the basis of citizenship status or national origin. It also prosecutes criminal violations of Federal civil rights statutes. The Division maintains records of all its legal cases, correspondence, and memoranda, as well as records on certain individuals protected under civil rights statutes. Records maintained include those relating to the administration of the office.
DOJ Reference Guide:
A comprehensive guide to the FOIA that serves as a handbook for obtaining information from the Department
Special information required to make a FOIA request: None
Publicly available information for which a FOIA request is not required: Annual reports; general publications and related Civil Rights Division work. Publicly disseminated CRT publications can be found on this site under Publications.
Australia - Rival bikie gangs up the ante - Comanchero and Notorious
BY: Geoff Chambers
http://www.daily-telegraph.net/
: The Daily Telegraph
Comanchero and Notorious
A BIKIE war has erupted between the Comanchero and Notorious over plans to set up a chapter at Bondi Beach. Firebombings, extortion and street assaults have exploded in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs as the rival gangs battle for turf supremacy.
The firebomb attack at Coogee Ink yesterday morning escalated the simmering feud to new levels.
The tattoo parlour, on Coogee Bay Rd, is owned by Comanchero national president Daux Ngakuru and his right-hand man Mark Buddle.
Buddle, 32, was released from prison last week for his role in a daylight brawl with Notorious boss Allan Sarkis and his enforcer David Lima.
The trio, and a fourth man Michael Murray who is an associate of Buddle, clashed outside Bondi Ink on October 28. The tattoo parlour is also linked to the Comanchero.
Senior police, investigating whether Notorious was behind the latest firebombing, are worried about an increase in tit-for-tat reprisals after a series of revenge attacks in recent weeks.
The Daily Telegraph exclusively revealed the dramatic spike in clashes between the gangs earlier this month. The battle has centred on a turf war. Notorious wants a bigger piece of the lucrative Bondi, Coogee, Clovelly and Maroubra markets.
Notorious bikie chiefs began targeting the traditional Comanchero turf after senior members, including president Mick Hawi, were arrested for their alleged roles in the bashing death of bikie associate Anthony Zervas. The death triggered a war with the Hells Angels, which has ended.
In response to the new threat, the Comanchero went on a recruitment drive to beef-up its membership.
Earlier this year they began targeting the Kings Cross cash pot - the nightclub strip protected by Notorious.
Police sources said the Comanchero was considering opening a Bondi chapter to consolidate its power base and provoke Notorious.
The firebombing of Coogee Ink, which is located opposite the Coogee Public School, has brought bikie violence from western Sydney to the glamorous Eastern Suburbs.
Two men dressed in dark clothing were seen by a witness kicking in the front window of the tattoo parlour before throwing a make-shift petrol bomb into the shop about 12.50am. A police car responding to a noise complaint was a minute away from catching the men, who ran from the scene.
More than 30 residents were forced to wait on the street while fire crews put out the fire.
Two men briefly inspected the tattoo parlour yesterday and swore at the media before driving away.
http://www.injusticeeverywhere.com/
By David, on December 28th, 2010
Reports are still slow from the holidays but, anyway, here are the 7 reports we've tracked this Monday, December 27, 2010:
Wichita Kansas has settled a wrongful death suit for $300,000 to the family of a man who was killed when a police cruiser collided with his car while the officer was speeding without his emergency lights or siren activated. [0]
Four Portland Oregon police officers are being accused of using excessive force on a man who had to be hospitalized after he claims he was an innocent bystander when the officers took him to the ground, beat him, and tasered him three times including once in the neck on Christmas Eve when police were responding to a call about a fight at a club. The man is actually the second grandson of a local pastor involved in a questionable use of force case, the other was 15 when he was beaten and tasered between 6-12 times by police after he escaped from home even after his grandmother had informed police he was severely autistic. The man was in town from Arizona where he's a straight A student studying sports medicine. [3]
Three South Bend Indiana police officers are accused of using excessive force on a man they dragged from a car when they suspected he was involved in a minor accident with a parked disabled truck that didn't appear to have any damage. Police say they found the man passed out and he punched and kicked the officers when they tried to arrest him but witnesses who live in nearby homes claim the man never got up after cops drug him from his car and that they saw officers washing off large amounts of blood from their hands and boots after they beat and tasered the man several times. He suffered a facial fracture and doesn't remember what happened. [3]
A Houston County Georgia deputy is the subject of a lawsuit filed by a man claiming the deputy used excessive force and when he tasered him for asking why his son was pulled over and then threatened to be tasered again when he complained of having chest pains. [3]
An Ohio State Patrol Lieutenant Colonel who was second in command has retired while he was under investigation into allegations that he interfered with an investigation into a trooper who was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl. [0]
A Montgomery County Maryland police sergeant will have to repay $5,000 of the $10,000 that she wrongfully claimed for hours she didn't work after she pled guilty to payroll fraud charges. [0]
And finally, a Coral Springs Florida police officer was suspended for one week without pay over his arrest on drunk driving charges in Nevada, charges that were later dropped when prosecutors there failed to send their files to his defense attorneys within the time limit required. [1]
That's it for today, stay safe out there!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


DUSHANBE, September 2, 2013, Asia-Plus – The Central Election Commission declared that presidential candidates must collect signatures from 210 thousand voters, which is about 5 percent of the electorate.
The head of the Election Commission, Shermuhammad Shahian, told during press-conference on 31 August that collection of signatures for presidential candidates will continue until 7 October.
Furthermore, Mr. Shahian reported that 68 electoral districts have been created for presidential elections in the country.


Today is the 73rd anniversary of the D-Day invasion and, according to a Google search, no one in the mainstream media is reporting it. In the spirit of America hatred, the mainstream media seems to have completely forgotten about one of the largest scale invasions that the U.S. ever took part in, costing almost 2500 American lives.
Today is the anniversary of the D-Day. Allied forces planned and executed one of the largest invasions in history which played a major role in turning the tides against the Germans and ultimately lead to the defeat of Hitler.
It is difficult to say exactly why the mainstream media refuses to mention the anniversary. It is possible, that indoctrination against America in the public school systems over the past 40 is part of the cause. However in the "politically correct" climate of the mainstream media, it is likely that it is not fashionable for these media outlets to report anything that reminds the public of America's real history.
According to the mainstream media, having pride in the United States is apparently against the current narrative. This was clearly demonstrated on MSNBC on June 2, when Joe Scarborough of "Morning Joe" marginalized the Trump voter base as being a very small portion of the people overall. Trump voters , or course, are known for their pride in America.
Scarborough was on a rant in opposition to Trump pulling out of the Paris Climate Treaty when he, without real evidence, made the claim that president advisor Steve Bannon was the person that actually made the decision to pull out. He was so upset that he began referring to Bannon as the president . But Scarborough didn't start getting upset until he started describing the small sizeof Trump support base. After that he said "President Bannon" so many times that many speculate that he actually temporarily forgot who the president really is.
While the media doesn't say directly that American Pride is bad, it attacks and stereotypes those who support people and policies that show American pride. Essentially anyone who supports the Republican Party, Trump Supporters, Ted Cruz supporters, The Heritage Foundation, and similar organizations, are "de-facto racists, homophobes and bigots".
While the mainstream media does indeed make it clear to Americans that it is against American exceptionalism, reporting on the D-Day invasion, that lost so many lives, would be more of a humanitarian endeavor by recognizing those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. But it would seem that Media pride is more important than paying respects to those who gave their life.


One of the easiest ways to keep dry skin at bay is to moisturize with a lotion, cream, butter, balm, etc. However, not all moisturizers are created equally. The trick to really moisturize your skin is to look at the back of the product where the ingredients are.
You've probably heard this ingredient thrown around in the beauty world and is known to hold 1000x its weight in water. Amazing right? It's a potent humectant that acts like a sponge to pull water in and plump up your complexion.
Although hyaluronic acid is found naturally in our bodies, as we age, production starts to slow down so it's important to use products with this ingredient to combat signs of aging skin.
For an immediate glow or to relieve dry skin, use products with ceramide. These are fats naturally found in the skin and maintains and reinforces your skin's natural barrier. Using products with ceramides helps seal in water so your skin cells don't dry out.
This moisturizing ingredient attracts moisture from the atmosphere and locks moisture on your skin's surface. Glycerin is commonly used in a lot of products, so you'll be able to find it easily.