More Police Misconduct!

6 Officers Charged in Freddie Gray's Death

By: Marisol Bello and Yamiche Alcindor

These women collectively wrote a very intriguing article about six police officers who are now facing second degree murder charges against a young black man, wrongfully arrested, named Freddie Gray. On April 12, 2015, police arrested a man accused of carrying an illegal weapon, in Baltimore, Maryland. When investigated further, the ugly truth of the violence bestowed on Freddie that day turned out to be frightening. Freddie endured a head injury, and an injury to his back that resulted in a severed spinal cord. He was refused medical attention although he asked on multiple occasions for his inhaler, and simply just for help from a medical professional. In the video, you can see Freddie escorted to the van, unable to use his legs and screaming in pain. When investigated, they found the police were solely responsible for these injuries, happening sometime between the time of the arrest and the trip in the transportation van. A fellow passenger in the van insists he heard Freddie injuring himself, but the rest of the community cannot rationalize how one could severe their own spinal cord.

Marisol and Yamiche provide copious amounts of witness statements, facts, and treacherous details throughout their article, in hopes that the people of Baltimore are given the answers they deserve. I think its necessary for the community to be granted the peace of mind that everyone is responsible for their actions whether they be black, white, cops or thugs.

The article is very touching, supplying graphic detail and current information on the ongoing investigation. I have hopes that the community will collectively stay adamant on recovering the truth and that who ever may be responsible for such misconduct be punished accordingly.

My Thoughts On Yours

Katherine's Article: President Obama's Deal With Iran

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Katherine's blog. She made a lot of solid points and successfully captured my attention as the reader. I agree that Obama's decision to bypass Congress has too made me uncomfortable. I don't feel as if he's accurately covered all bases and quite honestly feel like this is a little too impulsive for my liking. Katherine makes a great point when she says, "This agreement aligns the U.S with an enemy while ignoring the concerns of our allies in this region." To me this statement speaks volumes. It not only raises red flags for me about the well being of our country but I also really agree with her words. I believe this agreement is not as thought out as it should be, there are a lot of questions left unanswered and while reading Katherine's article I found that I agreed with most everything she said. The only flaw in this blog was the missing link to the article that I was curious to read after such a great blog post! Great job, Katherine!

Rights For Convicted Criminals, PAHHH!

By: Richard Wolf

High court order review of sex offender GPS monitoring

Richard Wolf is a previous reporter on the Supreme Court, White House and Congress In Washington Career and maintained this position for more than a decade. In this article Wolf writes about the Supreme Court’s attempt to place ankle monitors on registered sex offenders. A North Carolina man, Torrie Dale Grady fights back with a claim that the ankle monitor violates the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment states that unreasonable search and seizure without a warrant and probable cause is prohibited.  
Wolf supplies a lot of information and describes in great detail the ends and outs of the case. I enjoyed reading his article; it was interesting and informative. I believe the ankle monitor is a great punishment for such disturbing crimes. If you cannot be trusted on your own and have committed several offenses, you should be monitored every waking second of your day. The fact that Grady thinks he’s entitled to any rights at this point after committing such offenses is a joke. Richard Wolf does a wonderful job of supplying the most information possible in such few paragraphs. Throughout the article Wolf consistently offers quotations from said case and makes the writer feel very involved with the ongoing situation. I hope to see the Supreme Court continue to get its way for the safety of our communities and our nation as a whole.

Cosby's jewels!

March 6, 2015

Article Here

Jewel Allison, a poet and author of "Stealing Peace: Let's talk about racism" claims that she too fell victim to Bill Cosby's sexual assaults. Jewel is a graduate of New York University, a public speaker and a music educator who dreaded painting another black man as sexually abusive. She believes America has "systematically victimized" African Americans and did not want to contribute to these ideologies. Jewel believed she must keep the assault she had withstood from Cosby a secret for many reasons. Do her allegiances lie with the black people of America, or with the female victims of sexual abuse. Firstly she believed the women alleging assaults were being criticized and discredited. She did not want to be viewed as just another women claiming assault and she certainly didn't want to paint black Americans as sexual predators. She also encountered a lot of negative feedback within her circle of friends when asked if she should come out with her story along with the twenty five other victims. Allison also states that because so many celebrities had defended Cosby against such allegations, she felt intimidated by the thought of being interrogated. Throughout the article, Allison battles with doing whats right or standing next to the black community. She speaks primarily to those interested in Cosby's case but to the general public as well. I see Jewel's side of the story and believe it must have been a hard decision to make. I think she laid out her argument and concerns well and presented a very well thought out article. I empathized with her struggles and acknowledge how hard it must have been to step out against her own race. Despite her apprehensions I believe she made the right choice sharing her story and assuring that Cosby face consequences for the unspeakable acts he has committed. Jewel Allison states she couldn't allow race to trump rape and I couldn't agree more.

In Gretchen's World

February 26, 2015

Article Link Here

Gretchen Carlson, a lead anchor on the FOX news channel, expresses her distress about recent contradictions between our U.S leaders. Gretchen has her own show on FOX, has previously worked as a co-host on Fox and Friends, reported on several national and international stories, and even contributed to the networks election coverage for the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. Carlson believes we as American's should question the contradictions between some of our U.S leaders. John Kerry, the secretary of state states "We're as safe as we've ever been" and Carlson thinks this may be just an attempt to keep us calm! Recent commentary from former head of the DIA, retired General Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, reveals the complete opposite of Kerry's statement. Kerry is "totally irresponsible and clearly not listening to the intelligence community." He further states "Kerry should be challenged by anyone who cares about the future of our country." For Carlson this has raised many questions. It has raised question for me as well. She makes valid points and references credible sources. She introduces the article with a personable approach to really engage the reader. I believe she is speaking to all Americans when she reaches out asking for opinions. She is concerned with the well being of our country due to recent ISIS threats and videos. The ISIS situation should not be taken lightly and we as Americans have the right to know truthfully what is coming. I don't want anything to be sugar coated, and neither does Gretchen Carlson.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ELIGIBLE FOR BACK-REFUNDS!

February 13, 2015

Yes, you read that right! A combination of both the Earned Income Tax Credit application and Obama's executive action on immigration have resulted in the eligibility for back-returns to illegal immigrants. Obama has bypassed congress on this issue lawlessly.  The EITC application, applying to those who do not receive W2's, is painfully unclear and has resulted in up to 10-14 billion dollars in lost revenue to ineligible recipients. John Koskinen, an IRS commissioner, states that the application causes confusion. He proposes that we need correctable error authority and to find a way to make it easier for the EITC filers.

In a meeting with congress last week, Koskinen told members that as long as social security numbers were issued, immigrants were deemed eligible even if they did not pay taxes. This to me makes for a very interesting story that I believe would be beneficial to read for many reasons. Firstly, 10-14 BILLION dollars of lost revenue, that could have been spent constructing schools or researching the cure for cancer, is no minor mistake. Second, the flawed stipulations for EITC filers is essentially taking money and throwing it right out of the window. We are hard working, legal citizens who deserve responsible representatives. Koskinen even admits to their flaws. He then attempts to distract listeners from the issue at hand by suggesting that claiming dependents incorrectly is primarily at fault for such high numbers in lost revenue. Give this article a read and discover all the mishap with the EITC application and with Obama's action on immigration.
Click here to for the link I found most informative on The Drudge Report.