Posted on

Police who shot naked teen dead ‘justified’ claim lawyers

7 August, 2019; Oklahoma City – Attorneys representing  the two police officers who shot and killed a naked black teenager in May claimed the killing was justified in court papers today.

Two officers claim they tased Isaiah Lewis, 17,  multiple times with no effect (NB – tasers can be lethal, and no one should be tased multiple times).   They already knew he had had some form of breakdown, whether permanent or temporary was irrelevant (he had THC and an antihistamine in his system, nothing else).  He had run through the streets naked, and allegedly broken and entered.  He.  Was. Unarmed.

It is not clear whether the officers could have, as one might have immediately and reasonably done, just cornered/contained the 17 year old and called for an ambulance and medical crew to deal with the obviously mentally-unstable man.  They killed him instead.  As One News reported at the time of the killing, the same force had managed to arrest without killing an armed white teen who had murdered his parents.

According to Buzzfeed’s report back in May , there are discrepancies between police and witness claims, and that neither of the police involved in the killing were wearing bodycams, apparently not fully distributed to the force.  It is claimed Isaiah Lewis had previously assaulted other police officers, one had a head injury of some kind.

Officers Box, 56, and Scherman, 24, were placed on administrative assignment.

ACTION

Please contact Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater through one of the channels below and give him the following message, personalized to your liking:


I am sickened to learn that defense attorneys claim that  17 year-old Isaiah Lewis’ killing is considered ‘justified’,  and I expect your office to be robustly investigating the many questions around the killing.

It seems pretty clear that police statements do not add up ( for instance how does an unarmed naked teen pose a lethal threat to two trained, armed police officers  who should have been trying to get medics and an ambulance to deal with the situation?). 

The following questions need to be addressed at any trial, and the stunt pulled by the attorneys representing the killers can only serve to have further distressed the deceased’s family and friends:

Questions arising:
*  Why wasn’t an ambulance immediately called when it was clear the teenager was suffering some kind of mental health episode?  Whatever the cause of it, it was a medical situation as well as any potentially criminal one.

 

*  What injuries precisely were suffered by which officers that required them to go to hospital?  Were they serious enough to require medical treatment, or as is often the case, did they report to hospital in order to be able to say hospital treatment was needed should any legal action later arise – such as for an unlawful killing?  The exact injuries need to be disclosed.
*  Did other officers have body cams?  Why didn’t the two responding officers wear body cams?  Was absolutely nothing caught on cameras by anyone?  Did any other cameras record any of the episode?
*  Why is there a discrepancy between the deceased’s girlfriend – who says she never claimed she was assaulted and the police who claim they were told she was?
*  How precisely were tasers used:  how many times fired, to what part of the body, by which officer(s), and were the tasers deployed correctly by trained officers?  A taser, used correctly should be able to stop anyone – in fact they are occasionally fatal (beanbag guns, such as used in Europe, will unfailingly knock a weapon-holding person over, likely disarming them without the brain or cardiac damage tasers do).
*  How close were the police when they fired; how much time in between each round being fired and how did this not stop the deceased; was he still in a position to pose a threat to the two officers, unarmed as he was after multiple taser shots and being shot once – and they after being shot multiple times?
* And sadly, in today’s climate, any trial must also be told of any racial discrimination, race hate groups, and any racial incidents either officer may have been involved with.

I will be watching this situation carefully, and I expect to have all of these questions fully answered – and to see that justice is done.

Once you have made contact, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

 

Phone:  (405) 713-1600

Email:  (if any One Pulsers can find this, please let me know, thank you)

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/okgov/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/OKdistattorneys

personalised to your own liking, to the

 

 

Posted on

Texas: Stop your gun-happy police from killing more of us

1 August, Arlington, Texas – a homeless woman lying on the grass prompted people to call the police.  Sent to check on her welfare, police shot her while they were trying to shoot her dog.

Apparently the homeless woman was passed out; she may simply have been sleeping.  Her dog, said to be a small, young pitbull cross allegedly ‘charged’ at the police – so  they decided to take out a gun and shoot it multiple times.

Only they missed, and the woman, Margarita Victoria Brooks, was hit, later to be pronounced dead in hospital.

 

We have not seen the officers’ bodycam footage yet; it will be shown to a court.  This is neither protecting nor serving.

ACTION

Please contact Arlington police through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:

 

A woman lies dead after one of your officers decided to try to shoot her dog and missed:  I want such a person immediately relieved of any duty without pay, and I want your guarantee such a trigger-happy person will not kill again.  Get them out of policing now.

I cannot believe that your officers saw fit to try to shoot a dog as a first resort, even if it was ‘charging’.  Is this really what your training says?  If so, you need to reassess before more animals and people are senselessly killed.  I would like to hear why your officers, upon seeing this allegedly dangerous dog, continued to approach and call out without first getting any protective clothing, tasers, an animal handler unit.  If the woman was unconscious and had a dangerous unrestrained dog – they should have got an animal specialist.  If she was awake and moving, then you had no further business with her.  Which was it?  Your officer fired multiple shots, clearly in the woman’s direction:  this is unacceptable.  How many times has this officer used his gun?  What were the outcomes?  We need to find this out as soon as disclosure is legally possible.

If the footage 100% confirms your officer’s version of events, you still need to do some serious re-thinking of how you deal with unresponsive people especially if they have dogs, even if dogs are running at you.  There are alternatives to guns.

If the footage does not 100% confirm that a clearly dangerous dog made your trained officers fear for their lives so much so that they had to shoot, then you and your organisation are deeply flawed and deeply responsible for this avoidable death.  Many of us are working hard to teach that guns are only ever a last resort:  if as it seems guns are Arlington Police’s first resort, perhaps you should resign en masse.  The message you send out about immediately escalating to lethal force is one with dangerous repercussions all around us, and this has to stop.   I will be watching this situation, and demand justice for this woman (and what have you done with the dog?).

Arlington Police:
Phone:  817-459-5700

Email:  (their website is conveniently down at present)

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ArlingtonPolice/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ArlingtonPD

 

Please copy Governor Abbott on your correspondence to the police:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TexasGovernor/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GovAbbott

Once you have made contact, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

 

 

 

Posted on

Recall Congress to vote on Gun Control Bills ASAP

The number of gun murders and massacres so far this year is staggering, devastating and wholly unacceptable.

Mitch McConnell must – immediately – recall Congress to address this and to hold votes on gun control bills he has been sitting on.

USA Today explains the two bills in an article on 5 August:

H.R. 8: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019

In February this year, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019.

NBC News image of Mitch McConnell

This bill passed 240-190, with eight Republicans joining almost all Democrats to vote for the bill.  This bill would prohibit most person-to-person firearm transfers unless a background check can be conducted, aiming to close a potential loophole allowing the transfer of firearms without a background check at gun shows or between individuals.


The Senate has not taken any action on the bill since the House passed it.

 

H.R. 1112 Bipartisan Background Checks Act

This bill would extend to at least 10 days the amount of time firearms dealers must wait for a response from the background check system before the sale can proceed. Currently, they can make the sale if they haven’t received a response in three days.

H.R. 1112 passed in February 2019 by a vote of 240-190. Like H.R. 8, the Senate has taken no action on the bill since it passed.

Senate Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer is among those calling for Congress’ recess to be cut short, as is Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.  She tweeted to Senator Mitch McConnell, who is responsible for the bills’ lack of progress, writing:  “The House passed HR8, a Bipartisan Background Checks Act, *5 months ago* and the Senate has yet to vote on it. It was one of our 1st major priorities after ending the gov shutdown. You’ve been sitting on it since February giving bogus excuses. Care to explain the people why?”

ACTION

Please contact your elected representatives through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:

 In light of the country’s recent spate of gun murders including Gilroy, Dayton and Chicago, and especially in light of the El Paso massacre in which an AK-47 style assault rifle was used, I want to see Congress recalled immediately to address the nation’s gun death epidemic.

Two bills are with Senator Mitch McConnell – HR 8 and HR 1112:  these need to be put to a vote immediately, and Senator McConnell should be made to explain why he has sat on them since February. 

I will be watching to see what happens and how my representatives vote:  anyone who is still taking money from the NRA and who is not actively working to improve America’s gun laws will not be getting my vote.     It is a shame that Senator McConnell has suffered a broken bone:  but this must not stand in the way of calling Congress back from recess.

I am not remotely interested in your thoughts and prayers for those who have been killed:  I am only interested in your concrete actions to stop more avoidable gun murders. 

Find your congressperson here:  https://www.conginst.org/contact-congress/

And/or copy Mitch McConnell on your message:

Mitch McConnell
Phone:  (270) 781-1673
Email:  (form) https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactform
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/mitchmcconnell/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/McConnellPress

Once you have made contact, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

Posted on

For El Paso Victims: Reinstate Domestic Terrorism Unit

2 August 2019 – 20 dead and 29 injured in El Paso, when a man – a young, disturbed white supremacist – opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle in a crowded store.  His stated, published goal was to kill Hispanic people, and he said how he would do it.

But let’s go back a bit further:

August 2019 – the El Paso murder posts hate speech, a white supremacist manifesto AND A THREAT TO KILL on numerous social media sites, just before the killings start.  He had posted hate speech previously on 8chan.

April 2019 – Homeland Security ‘reassigns’ – ie disbands –  the Domestic Terrorism Unit. Its job was to monitor social media for signs of potential crime.  With the El Paso killer’s hate speech spread on social media sites like 8chan, then spreading to more mainstream social media sites – his clear death threats would likely have been picked up.

 

2013 – Web message board site 8chan opens; it is used to spread white supremacy messages, hate speech, and was cited in the Christchurch, NZ mosque and the San Diego synagogue shootings.  8chan’s users have ‘gamified’ mass shootings, and even have memes about high body counts.   In the case of the San Diego killer, according to new sources “Before the California shooting, Earnest posted to 8chan a link to his anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and white supremacist manifesto. After his post, 8chan users cheered him on, hoping he would get a “high score.” More than 100,000 people visit the 8chan site every week. Its most active forum has more than 12 million posts.”

At the time of writing, President Trump has still refused to condemn white terrorism; the Domestic Terrorism Unit is still mothballed; and there is no sign that the Federal Communications Commission  has taken any action against 8chan – yet the emails and telephone calls of millions of Americans are routinely recorded.  Thankfully, people like Senator Richard Durbin are trying to change that; he has proposed a bill on Domestic Terrorism.

Summary:  1.  We had a branch of Homeland Security, the Domestic Terrorism Unit, actively looking for would-be serial killers:  they were shut down.  2.  We have a President who is not only refusing to condemn white supremacists and hate speech, but who is actually stoking the fires of hate speech, with hate crimes up 106% since he took office and rising over 200% in cities where he holds his ‘rallies’.  3.  We have a dark website, 8chan, used by white supremacists (and a host of other criminal elements) where users goad others into getting a ‘high score’ on actual shooting sprees; a site blocked in New Zealand and elsewhere – but not blocked in America.  4.  We have antiquated gun laws written over 200 years ago which must be changed.  Now.

#          #          #          #

ACTION:

Please contact your elected representatives, copying in any or all (please do all of: President Trump, the FCC, Homeland Security, Mitch McConnell and  Senator Richard J Durbin through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:

 

I am reeling at the recent, senseless gun violence in America – Gilroy, Chicago, Dayton – sadly this is only a fraction of such crimes this year.  Today I write to you about El Paso – where a radicalised white supremacist has killed 20 and injured 29. 

He used a dark web site, 8chan, where he posted a hate-filled, white supremacist manifesto just before the killing.  This was not the first time the murder used social media to spread hate – and his manifesto and other thoughts were encouraged by 8chan users and spread through the internet.  The site promotes the ‘gamification’ of mass murder and its users share memes about getting a ‘high score’ ie a high body count.  The site is banned in New Zealand after one of 8chan’s users massacred mosque users.  I also note New Zealand is working hard to get automatic weapons off its streets after the killing.  8chan exists to promote white supremacy, violence and other crimes:  it should be banned in the USA as well – before another shooter is encouraged into action by 8chan users.

I am convinced that if we still had a Domestic Terrorism  Unit in Homeland Security, they might have readily picked up on the growing intensity of the El Paso shooter’s social media posts, and perhaps even stopped the El Paso shooting.  The killer posted shortly before the event what guns he was going to use and how he was going to operate:  if a team of professionals were monitoring this dark site, i believe lives might have been saved.  I demand the immediate reinstatement of the Domestic Terrorism Unit:  hate crimes are up 106%, and I note they rose after President Trump – who refuses to condemn white supremacist hate speech – holds his rallies.

On the matter of hate speech, I do not see the FCC and other relevant government agencies doing all they can to enforce laws.  The billboard depicting 4 congresswomen as ‘idiots’ put up by a gun shop is felt by many, including at least one of those elected reps, to be incitement to violence.  It is time hate speech is taken seriously.

Finally, I am tired of Mitch McConnell blocking bills – even blocking debates – from the House that could have stopped at least some of this carnage.  I fully support HR 1296 and S.894 – Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2019, proposed by Senator Durbin.  Further, in all future elections, I pledge to only vote for candidates who are supporting these bills and who are not NRA-funded pro-gun lobbyists.  I will be watching all my elected representatives carefully.  From today, if they are not working for gun law reform and against domestic terrorism, I hold them personally responsible for future gun massacres:  which at this point in time are not avoidable.

 SHORT MESSAGE FOR TWITTER – just copy and paste: Time to end NRA hold on Congress, reform Domestic Terrorism Unit, pass @SenatorDurbin ‘s Domestic Terrorism Act. Trump: address domestic terrorism NOW. McConnell stop blocking gun reform. Vote out NRA stooges @realDonaldTrump @FCC @DHSgov @McConnellPress #ElPasoTerroristAttack

 

and/or

Time to end NRA hold on Congress, reform Domestic Terrorism Unit, pass @SenatorDurbin ‘s Domestic Terrorism Act. Time for FCC to act on dark website 8chan where ElPaso shooter posted hate, was encouraged. Vote out NRA stooges @realDonaldTrump @FCC @DHSgov #ElPasoTerroristAttack

Once you have made contact, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

 

Find your congressperson here:  https://www.conginst.org/contact-congress/

President Donald Trump
Phone:  202-456-1111
Email: (form) https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/POTUS/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

Federal Communications Commission
Phone:  888-225-5322
Email:  send an e-mail to ecfs@fcc.gov and should include the following words in the body of the message: “get form” and your e-mail address
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/FCC/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARDc1atFViP33ZAg-SxrpFby3G1hzrAboea2u-bzO71LcWqVbuarzeYfUaqnnzzBJ_KjZ5FUb1qcbjQS
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/FCC 

Homeland Security
Phone:  202-282-8000
Email:  CRCLOutreach@dhs.gov
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/homelandsecurity/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/DHSgov 

Mitch McConnell
Phone:  (270) 781-1673
Email:  (form) https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactform
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/mitchmcconnell/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/McConnellPress 

Senator Richard Durbin
Phone: (202) 224-2152
Email:  (form) https://www.durbin.senate.gov/contact/email
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SenatorDurbin/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin

 

 

Posted on

Stand up to bigoted gunshop owner’s incitements to violence

Murphy, North Carolina July 2019 – Steve ‘Doc’ Wacholz owner of ‘Cherokee Guns’ in Murphy, North Carolina paid for an inflammatory billboard and stickers advertising his gun shop.  Using (presumably without their permission) photos of Congresswomen, comparing them to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and calling them ‘idiots’ – the billboard advises that the gun shop is one mile away.

The congresswomen are Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.  Some of them such as Rep Tlaib had previously received death threats which were highly publicised at the time.  Still this gun shop is ridiculing them, showing their pictures – and advertising that you can get a gun and rounds from the shop a mere mile away.  As Rep Tlaib succinctly put it, “How the hell is this not inciting violence?”

 

 

 

 

Above:  one of many bigoted posts made on Facebook by the shop

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech:  it also has limitations on that speech which exclude inciting violence from the Amendment’s protection.  Furthermore, with the NRA attempting to pretend those who sell guns are responsible, mature people – can we trust someone with these views to thoroughly vet those who want deadly weapons?

Further confirmation of Wacholz’s bigotry can be found in a quote appearing in SF Gate (a San Francisco news site),  “They’re socialists, from my point of view,” he told the local paper, before adding a bigoted trope. “I also feel a couple of them, being Muslim, have ties to actual terrorists groups.”

In summary, a man selling guns is literally targeting our elected reps, and has said he believes they have ties to actual terrorist groups:  this is surely incitement to violence:  by someone who can make money by stoking this hatred.  Why no legal action has been taken is incomprehensible and unacceptable.

The gunshop’s telephone was not in service when One Pulse tried to speak to them yesterday.  The discussion on the shop’s Facebook page is filled with bigoted comments.

Wacholz also inexplicably had a billboard depicting Donald Trump, known for his avoiding the draft due to (curable bonespurs (he played basketball with them), as a muscle-bound action man.

Despite targeting these elected reps who are from a variety of backgrounds and accusing them of having ties to terrorist groups, Wacholz is at pains to paint himself as non-racist, saying “I’m not inciting any violence or being racist,” he added. “It’s a statement. It’s an opinion.” 

Many would disagree, witness the comments on Cherokee’s Facebook page, which say that a sticker of the Congresswomen portrayed as ‘idiots’ will go to fans who visit: and eat a piece of bacon – an unveiled hateful jibe at Islamic and Jewish faiths.

The police and DA have failed to take any action despite this overt racism and the billboard.  One Pulse for America has contacted the police for an article on the situation, but they have not returned to us yet.  One Pulse for America and other gun control groups, civil rights organisations, and observers feel there is a credible possibility the billboard, stickers and actions of Wacholz may result in violence against the four.

As an aside, it is unknown how Steve Wacholz obtained the necessary clearance/permission to use the images of the congresswomen for his commercial purposes. It is true that images of public figures can be used for news purposes without necessarily having to get permissions, but this is a commercial venture, and not one of these women were likely to have agreed to have their images used to promote guns.

ACTION

Please contact North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:

 

I am absolutely disgusted that Steve Wacholz of Cherokee guns in Murphy, NC is engaging in incitement to violence against four sitting Congresswomen – some of whom have already had death threats.

You will surely be aware of the offensive billboard and now stickers picturing Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.  As Rep Tlaib succinctly put it, “How the hell is this not inciting violence?”

I demand the police and District Attorney’s Office take immediate action.  The First Amendment has known limits, and not only is this clear incitement to violence, but social media posts by Wacholz are actually offering the stickers of the offensive image to people who go to the shop ‘and eat a piece of bacon’ – is this kind of religious intolerance what you want in North Carolina. 

Furthermore, with the NRA attempting to pretend those who sell guns are responsible, mature people – can we trust someone with these views to thoroughly vet those who want deadly weapons?  Is it time to review Mr Wacholz’s licence to operate a gun shop? In summary, a man selling guns is literally targeting our elected reps, and has said he believes they have ties to actual terrorist groups:  this is surely incitement to violence:  by someone who can make money by stoking this hatred.  You must act!

I will hold Wacholz, the police, the DA and you morally responsible should any violence erupt over this unfortunate, illegal* situation if you do not act swiftly.  I am copying in the congresswomen on this message to let them know that I, as a member of gun control group One Pulse for America, stand with them 100% and condemn the bigotry that is allowed in North Carolina.  *When I say the poster is illegal, I am not only referring to the incitement to violence, but I am confident the congresswomen did not give their consent for their images to be used in this commercial venture to advertise guns.  I certainly hope they will be taking legal action for damages.

I will be watching this situation closely, and suggest that you take action to prevent any further inflammatory bigoted advertising in your state.

Governor Roy Cooper
Phone:  919-814-2000
Email (form):  https://governor.nc.gov/contact/contact-governor-cooper 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/NCgovernor/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/NC_Governor

Copy in the congresswoman/women of your choice by following this link:  https://www.conginst.org/contact-congress/

 

Posted on

MASK activists murdered: send condolences

Chicago 26 July – Chantell Grant and Andrea Stoudemire were volunteers for Mothers Against Senseless Killings and had been camped out on a Chicago street corner to prevent conflict.  They were shot dead, and police say they were specifically targeted.

They were shot on Friday evening by the occupants of a blue SUV. No arrests have yet been made.

The two women were actively trying to stop the senseless gun crime gripping Chicago.

Authorities report 48 people were shot that weekend:  in Chicago alone.

The police are now saying the women were targeted – it looks as if the criminal elements in Chicago want to make people afraid to stand up to gun crime and senseless killings.  We will not be intimidated.  If the police fail to swiftly find the suspects, we will take an action to let them know how important it is they are found, and that we will be watching.

ACTION

Please contact MASK through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:

 

Please accept my sincere and heartfelt condolences on the senseless killing of Chantell Grant and Andrea Stoudemire.  I can only imagine how wonderful and brave they were in campaigning in Chicago for gun reform as members of MASK:  to actually stand up in the face of violence took an unbelievable amount of bravery.  My condolences to all their families, friends and colleagues.

For my part I will continue to stand up against gun violence, to lobby for reasonable gun laws fit for the 21st century, and to remember these wonderful women.  Whoever the cowards were who tried to make us all afraid to stand up to gun violence will not stop me, and they will not succeed. 

Mothers Against Senseless Killings
Email:  tamar@ontheblock.org
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/maskontheblock/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MASKchicago_

Once you have made contact, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

Posted on

Gilroy Shooting: Support H.R. 1296 and people of Gilroy

“My son had his whole life to live and he was only 6.” – Alberto Romeo, on the murder of his son at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California on Sunday, 28 July.

Enjoying a family fun day out at the California festival, Stephen Romero aged six was one of four who were murdered and 12 injured by a white male teenager who had bought an automatic weapon from a Nevada gunseller’s website.

According to a witness, the shooter was able to fire 3 or 4 rounds per second. 

He apparently came armed with wire cutters to gain entry, rounds, a semi-automatic weapon, camouflage gear and a protective vest.

According to The Intelligencer, “Legan opened fire on three handgun-equipped police officers, who returned fire, killing him. Authorities said that the shooting could have been far deadlier if officers had not responded within less than a minute.”

The fact three trained officers who reacted quickly could not possibly have been quick enough to stop the murder or injury of 16 shows that a shooter with an automatic or semi-automatic cannot be stopped before there is carnage.  This is something our legislators should have already learned from the Las Vegas massacre for instance.

As explained in a CNN news story about this latest tragic gun mass murder, Nevada law allows anyone to buy a gun – without any kind of permit at all.  Nevada has no waiting time before a gun purchase, no limit to the number of guns you may buy, or how large a magazine your weapon(s) may have – and you can carry unconcealed almost anywhere in the state.

Who is to blame?   Could some of these be morally if not actually culpable?

The NRA will not change (though it seems to be slowly self-destructing – in no small measure do to the pressure it is under from groups like One Pulse for America); its paid apologists might change if we threw money at them as they seem to be for hire.  Instead of trying to attack or persuade them, we will be taking positive action by writing to Rep Jackie Speier, a long-term gun law reform activist, copying our elected reps and asking them to Support H.R. 1296.  We will also send messages of support to Gilroy, and offering condolences and help to Mayor Roland Velasco, pledging that we will lobby for better laws.

Mayor Velasco told an assembly “We cannot let the bastard that did this tear us down.”

On a thread offering help and condolences to Gilroy, Rep Jackie Speier, California, tweeted:  “I worked to pass the state law banning assault weapons in the 90’s. We need to buy back the ones still in people’s possession & throw the book at those who defy the law! We must also pass H.R. 1296, the Assault Weapons Ban, to ban military-style assault weapons across the U.S.”

ACTION

1.   Please contact Rep Jackie Speier through one of the channels below and give her the following message, personalized to your liking:


Thank you for taking a stand for sane gun reform laws in the wake of the Gilroy Garlic Festival mass murder – and all the 42 deaths and 134 gun related injuries that happened in the USA ON THE SAME DAY.

I agree that we need to buy back automatics and semi-automatics still in people’s possession & throw the book at those who defy the law. We must also pass H.R. 1296, the Assault Weapons Ban, to ban military-style assault weapons across the U.S.:  I know it is a measure that will save many lives.

As a member of One Pulse for America, I will write to my elected representatives to demand they support HR 1296 as well.  I hold the NRA and  Adam Laxalt, who killed a voter-approved tightening of Nevada’s loose gun laws, responsible for the ease with which the Gilroy killer, a white supremacist, was able to get such a gun and rounds.  I will be watching them closely and redoubling my efforts to change America’s deadly interpretation of the 2nd Amendment:  I do not see a ‘well-regulated’ militia:  I see teens and adults able to get weapons that can kill dozens within a minute with ease – and this has to change.  I am copying my congresspeople, and I demand they support HR 1296:  I will be watching what they do and promise not to vote for anyone who does not support this and other gun reform now.

Rep Jackie Spiers
Phone: San Mateo: (650) 342-0300 or Washington, DC: (202) 225-3531
Email:  https://speier.house.gov/contact/email  (form)
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JackieSpeier/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RepSpeier

Copy your congressperson- details here:  https://www.conginst.org/contact-congress/

2.   Please contact Mayor Roland Velasco through one of the channels below and give him the following message, personalized to your liking:

I write to offer sincere condolences to everyone impacted by the tragic shooting a the Gilroy Garlic Festival.  The tragedy of young lives taken so horribly and, I believe, avoidably is hard to take in.  I offer my support to the people of Gilroy and if there are any actions or collections to help, please keep me informed.

Along with sending my condolences, I will be taking concrete actions to help stop further tragedies.  I will support Congresswoman Jackie Speier in her bid to reform gun laws, and I will write to my representatives to ask them to vote for H.R. 1296.  

With respect and condolences, 

Mayor Velasco
Phone:  (408) 710-8508
Email:  roland.velasco@cityofgilroy.org
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MayorRolandVelasco/ 

Once you have contacted Congresswoman Speier and/or Mayor Roland Velasco, copying your representatives, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Detroit: Stop shooting dogs & start taking dog shootings seriously

Detroit’s police seem too jaded by gun crime to care that two dogs were shot in their own backyard by neighbours – who then shot at the owners.  In fact, Detroit police seem to think shooting dogs is their right if not their sport:  they shot 54 dogs in 2017.  This has to stop.

On Monday night 15 July, a Detroit woman reported her dogs Samson and Sadie were shot by their neighbors. The dogs had been let out in their fully fenced in backyard – where they were both shot by the next door neighbor.

Samson’s and Sadie’s owners went running outside and they were also allegedly shot at. They called 911: but nobody came.  They rushed both dogs to 5 Mile Veterinary hospital for care.  After paying thousands of dollars to save their dogs, the victims went to make a report at Detroit’s 8th Precinct and the couple alleges some of the officers laughed at them.

A police report was filed and a Detective Robinsonn was assigned to the case, but nothing has apparently been done to help this family. One Pulse was told that  Samson, Sadie and their owners are staying in a Motel because they are understandably too afraid to return home.

One Pulse for America has tried repeatedly to contact Detroit Police’s media arm – all phone numbers we called go to voicemail but one, and the main number is not in service; we sent two emails and messaged on Facebook.

If you are wondering why we should care about dogs being shot (if you don’t already care), these shootings frequently happen in the presence of families and children; bullets have been known to go stray and injure people.  The trigger-happy willingness to inflict unnecessary suffering or death does not belong in someone meant to protect and serve.  In allowing violence against animals, many of which have not displayed any violence whatsoever, we are allowing police to intimidate, to inflict needless emotional pain, and to show that in effect they are above the law.

A damning  investigation by Reason in 2016 found: “… the Detroit Police Department’s Major Violators Unit, which conducts hundreds of drug raids a year in the city, had a nasty habit of leaving dead dogs in its wake.

“One officer had killed 69 dogs over the course of his career, public records showed. That officer has now shot 80 dogs, according to “destruction of animal” reports filed by Detroit police officers in 2017 and obtained by Reason.”

ACTION

Please contact Detroit Police and/or the  through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:


I am revolted by the institutional, brutal shooting of dogs by Detroit’s police which has gone unchecked for years.  I can only conclude the department either turns a blind eye or approves of it.

It is bad enough that your police officers are shooting dogs with virtually no real provocation – puppies, miniature dogs, lost dogs – all shot on your watch in enormous numbers.  What are you doing to stop this?

In a recent case (Police Report Number is 1907150330), it is alleged police disregarded the 911 call made when two dogs were shot in their yard, and then their owners were also shot at.  It is alleged that your officers laughed when the owners were able to get to a station to file their complaint – and given the lack of empathy you show to animals, I can well believe it.  When did you respond to the 911 call?  Did anyone at all laugh at the couple’s plight when they came to report the shootings?  Who has been arrested?

I am a member of One Pulse for America, which has been so far ignored by your media arm despite sending emails and making calls.  We want to know what is being done to stop your officers shooting animals.  There are many non-lethal ways to deal with violent dogs – but all the evidence shows you are killing non-violent, innocent animals without a care in the world.  This has to stop. You are traumatizing people, killing animals, and teaching people who see you do so that you are above the law, and enjoy killing.  How else can you explain for one instance that you have a single officer who has killed over 80 dogs in their career? 

I expect a reply and I definitely expect action –  and I will be watching.

Police Chief James Craig
Phone:    or Detroit’s 8th Precinct at (313) 596-5800
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/detroitpolice/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CityofDetroit

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan
Phone:  (313) 224-3400
Email:  emailmayorduggan@detroitmi.gov
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MayorMikeDuggan/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MayorMikeDuggan

Detective Robinson
Email:  Robinsonn108@detroitmi.gov

Once you have contacted Instagram, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

Posted on

Fire officer who called for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to be shot

A Gretna, Louisiana police officer has brought the controversial force further disgrace by calling for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to be shot: the officer must be fired.

Newsweek reported “‘This vile idiot needs a round,” officer Charlie Rispoli wrote in a Facebook post referring to Ocasio-Cortez last week, according to a screenshot first reported by New Orleans news site NOLA.com on Saturday. ‘And I don’t mean the kind she used to serve,’ he continued, referring to the fact she once waitressed.”

Rispoli has been on the Gretna police force since 2005.  After his offensive, violent post about AOC, he has closed his social media accounts down.  It seems he did not understand a satirical article on AOC, which may have prompted his unacceptable call for gun violence.

It is one thing to think someone should not be in office.  It is disturbing to call for any human being to be executed.  But when someone who swore to uphold the law publically incites a shooting, they have broken their oath and demonstrated contempt for the law.  They should not be carrying a gun on our streets.

Generally speaking, state and local police officers take the Law Enforcement Oath of Honor at the beginning of their careers. The oath affirms their standards of integrity, bravery and honor to the community and law.

The department’s police Chief Arthur Lawson told the local news site that the post was “disturbing” and appeared to violate the department’s social media policy. Although he said he did not believe it was an actual threat against the congresswoman, he promised the situation would be dealt with.

Can we trust Lawson to take action?  It was under his command that hundreds fleeing Hurricane Katrina had shots fired over their heads while trying to cross a bridge to safety in Gretna.  They had been told to do so by a different police force.  The force has unsurprisingly been involved in shootings – and they are captured on film kicking a person on the ground who was complying and handcuffed.

Gretna is also America’s arrest capital city – according to a reporter in 2016 it had the country’s highest arrest rate with only a population of 18,000:  the majority of those arrested were non-white.  Gretna’s revenues depend largely on its arrests and resulting fines.

ACTION:

Please contact Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:


I was absolutely horrified to see a Gretna, Louisiana officer post on social media that elected representative Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez should be shot:  the officer must be fired at once.

“This vile idiot needs a round,” officer Charlie Rispoli wrote in a Facebook post referring to Ocasio-Cortez last week, and they are still on the force:  they broke their oath of office to serve the community and act with honour.  No one who can casually call for a shooting deserves to be an officer, let alone an officer on our streets with a gun.  

Gretna police Chief Arthur Lawson said the post was “disturbing” and appeared to violate the department’s social media policy. He said he did not believe it was an actual threat against the congresswoman, he promised the situation would be dealt with.  I however believe it is a very real threat, coming from someone in a position of power in the community who decided to broadcast this call to violence to millions:  I want this officer out of office and for the state prosecutors to take action against them.

When I look at the history of the Gretna police, I have zero confidence in Lawson taking any action at all.  Gretna’s arrest rate is among the highest in the country with minorities being by far the most targeted group.  Gretna has seen police shootings and police brutality.  Infamously, Gretna’s police fired shots over the heads of people seeking shelter there from Katrina – as advised to do so by a different force.  Clearly shooting is taken far too casually and officers feel they can threaten citizens – and disaster victims – with being shot.  The entire system needs investigation, and Lawson, like Rispoli, must go.  

As a member of  One Pulse for America, I demand you immediately intervene to rid the force of Rispoli, and set up an external investigation into the Gretna police.  Should anyone out there who saw Rispoli’s call to violence against Ocasio-Cortez takes violent action based on that post, I will hold you responsible as well as Rispoli and the culture of Gretna  Police if you do not act.  I will be watching to see what you do.

Once you have contacted Instagram, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards
Phone: (225)342-7015
Email (form):  http://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/form/home/4
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LouisianaGov/ 
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/LouisianaGov

Once you have contacted Instagram, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

 

Posted on

Shooting of teen in Anaheim: suspend officer, disclose facts

5 July 2019, Anaheim, CA – Replica guns are cited in yet another shooting death of an unarmed person, as an officer shot a 17-year-old girl.

NBC News reported that the ‘suspect’ , who family members identified as teen Hannah Williams, was shot in an incident on the Freeway, taken to hospital, where she died.  CNN has since reported that Hannah Williams’ vehicle and the police officer’s vehicles collided. 

The police issued a statement on 6 July which said:  “The officer-involved shooting occurred … what appeared to be a Beretta 92 FS handgun was recovered at the scene next to the female…The gun was later identified as a replica handgun designed to look like a handgun.”

 

An updated statement of 9 July purports to show the replica gun next to the real thing looking very realistic:  police say no orange paint was visible which replicas are meant to have to indicate they are not real weapons.

However, Rev. Jarrett Maupin, a spokesman for the family, told NBC News on Tuesday that Hannah did not have a gun on her when she was shot.

“We maintain that she was unarmed, a fake gun is a fake gun,” Maupin said during a press conference Tuesday.

A New York Times piece claims the gun was recovered from deep within the vehicle and could not have been being waived or wielded by the victim.

Maupin said they still did not know details on how Hannah died, such as how many times she was shot or even where she was shot. The family is now asking for the officer to be suspended without pay and for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to open a state investigation into her death.

One Pulse is dismayed the police will not answer basic questions and apparently have not suspended the officer.  One Pulse has contacted Anaheim police for updates and also be contacting major fake/’toy’ gun manufacturers to demand less realistic-looking weapons are produced going forward.

ACTION

Please contact the Fullerton Police Department and Governor Newsom through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:

I am absolutely sickened and disgusted that police have killed yet another young person who was unarmed.  Apparently the 17 year old Hannah Williams had a replica gun, and your officer decided to shoot her for it, causing her death.

You are investigating, but surely the family and public have the right to know what happened, why lethal force was used, what made your officer shoot, how many times they shot, where she was shot, and whether or not the fake gun was within her reach and was in sight, or as claimed in the media was recovered from deep inside the vehicle where she would not have had access to it.  Was your officer recording the event on bodycam?

Until we have a clear vision of what happened, it is clear the officer is a danger to any suspect they encounter, and must be immediately suspended without pay. I will be watching this case carefully, and demand you not only disclose the details the public require, but also look to reforming your training procedures so that future avoidable shooting deaths by your force can be avoided.  I want Governor Newsom, not least in light of recent legislation aimed at ending such tragic shootings, to hold a full state investigation.

Fullerton Police Department
Phone: (714) 738-6800
Email:  http://www.fullertonpd.org/faqs/default.asp (form)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CityofFullerton/  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FPDPIO 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom
Please copy him to demand he opens a state investigation into her death
Phone: (916) 445-2841
Email:  gavin@gavinnewsom.com or via this form https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GavinNewsom/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CAgovernor

Once you have taken the above action, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!