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30 Nov 2011 10:51

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U.S.: Two major Occupy encampments close; protests mostly end peacefully

  • 200+ number of people arrested during the closing of the Occupy L.A. encampment early Wednesday
  • 52 number of people arrested at Occupy Philly when their camp closed at roughly the same time source
  • » However … In a major difference between the end of a number of other protests (most notably Occupy Oakland), police did not have to pull out pepper spray to end these protests. The LAPD was very careful with their strategy in this department. Despite the mayor calling for the closure of the camp early Monday, the police department held off two days, giving protesters time to leave on their own. That thinned out the numbers. As for those that remained, they had some minor scuffles with police at first, but those eventually faded, and protesters only got arrested after they didn’t immediately leave the park. Only a handful of major Occupy encampments remain at this point, most notably in DC and San Francisco. (EDIT: Updated Occupy Philly arrest count; the protesters left the encampment peacefully but were arrested for disturbances outside of the encampment.)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2011 10:59

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U.S.: Twenty years after Rodney King, the LAPD’s view on cameras evolves

  • Early on in their training, I always tell them, ‘I don’t care if you’re in a bathroom taking care of your personal business…. Whatever you do, assume it will be caught on video.’ We tell them if they’re doing the right thing then they have no reason to worry.
  • LAPD officer and recruit supervisor Sgt. Heather Fungaroli • Offering a fairly fresh assessment on the how the police department now views video. Twenty years ago, a video clip turned their whole view on the matter inside-out. The clip of Rodney King’s beating by multiple police officers, and the subsequent “not guilty” verdict in the case, led to a major riot in the city that drew national attention and led to 50 deaths. These days, the police force is quickly putting more cameras in police cars and even has its own videographers to cover incidents – advances which not only ensure better cop conduct but can help exonerate them in legal cases. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Dec 2010 12:16

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U.S.: “Grim Sleeper” suspect’s attorney: My client won’t get a fair trial

  • Sadly, the public officials who have the duty to uphold the Constitution have forgotten the basics in their desire for sensationalism and are jeopardizing Lonnie Franklin’s chance for a fair trial.
  • Lonnie Franklin’s attorney, Louisa Pensanti • Arguing that the release of the “Grim Sleeper” suspect’s photos created a sensational environment where it’d be impossible for Franklin to get a fair trial. “The photographs include members and friends of the Franklin family,” Pensanti said, “all now subject to the intense scrutiny of the public as well as the police.” Does that include the ones where the women in the photos are completely naked, by chance? Because those make up a large majority of the photos. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Dec 2010 20:13

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U.S.: Police want public’s help with huge “Grim Sleeper” photo collection

  • First off, We’re A little uncomfortable with the way the L.A. times is covering this story. See, the Times put the collection of photos – 180 of them – into a pageview-generating giant slideshow, complete with ads on every page. We’ll let you click through them without posting any ourselves. Anyway, moving on … the photos, collected from suspect Lonnie David Franklin Jr., are disturbing documents – the way they are cropped suggests at least some, but not all, of the women were naked in the original photos. The “Grim Sleeper,” called that due to a long period of dormancy, may have killed many other young girls; there’s nothing to suggest he ever stopped between 1998 and 2002. It’s possible he was just really good at covering his tracks. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2010 15:56

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Culture: Normal evening for the LAPD: Suge Knight arrested again, released

  • A person who’s been arrested multiple times, you see if he has any outstanding warrants. And he did.
  • LAPD Sgt. Shawn Ruda • On last night’s arrest of Marion “Suge” Knight, who was wanted on a minor traffic warrant, which is a lot less than what he’s been wanted for in the past. Knight, who hasn’t been relevant since his biggest star, Tupac Shakur, died back in 1996, has had a spotty police record ever since. For the current crime, he was released and will have to show up in court in a month or so. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Sep 2010 09:18

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U.S.: LAPD still having image problems all these years later

Riot squads were out in full force last night, as L.A.’s police chief defended its actions in a case that led to the deadly shooting of Manuel Jamines. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

01 Feb 2009 17:21

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Culture: Tommy Lee’s helicopter pulled over, a.k.a. the best story ever

  • What happened? Lee, a rock star you may have heard of from a few videos, was riding shotgun in a helicopter that was flying too close to a LAPD copter in Glendale, Calif. Their helicopter was pulled over. We wish our life was this interesting. source
  • What happened? Lee, a rock star you may have heard of from a few videos, was riding shotgun in a helicopter that was flying too close to a LAPD copter in Glendale, Calif. Their helicopter was pulled over. We wish our life was this interesting.
  • Drinking afterwards? TMZ.com, which broke the story (because they’re that awesome) claims that Lee was drinking immediately after landing, and was given a blood-alcohol test by the cops. The FAA is still investigating the incident, and the pilot might face charges. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
 
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