WATCH: Police Union Heads Claim Lawmakers Never Gave Them ‘Seat at Table’ on New Reform Bills

/0 Comments/in , /by

Leaders of New York’s police unions blasted the state legislature Tuesday for making changes to laws affecting them in the wake of the George Floyd police-involved killing, accusing lawmakers of “not giving us a seat at the table.”

Nearly 100 union leaders and cops massed for the June 9 press conference under the RFK Bridge on Randalls Island, to address inequities in the way the legislature is dealing with police-related bills. They also expressed frustration with the continuing riots and violence against them, threats of “defunding” and increases in violent crime.

The unions are coming off of 12 days of protests and violence, most of it directed at police officers after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a police officer Derek Chauvin. While union leaders called the killing “disgusting,” they claim there have already been numerous changes made to policing which has made New York’s officers the “best in the world.”

Pat Lynch, president of the largest of the unions, the Police Benevolent Association, said his officers have been abused and attacked at a time when crime is rising, yet, the city is discussing “defunding” the NYPD and “tying our hands behind our backs.” He noted that there were 40 people shot last week alone, and there were 7 people shot just last night and a total of 10 shootings for the evening; hundreds of stores were vandalized and looted during protests, and cops were attacked with bricks.

(Read more from “WATCH: Police Union Heads Claim Lawmakers Never Gave Them ‘Seat at Table’ on New Reform Bills” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Los Angeles: Homicides Soared 250% Since Last Week; Woman Shot After Confronting Looters

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Breitbart. Homicides rose by 250% in Los Angeles, and the number of shooting victims rose by 56%, during the week ending June 6, according to the Los Angeles Police Department — the same week as the Black Lives Matter protests and riots.

The surge in deadly crimes in L.A. mirrored similar reports elsewhere in the country for the week of May 31 to June 6, when riots and looting exploded alongside “peaceful protests” against the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In Chicago, for example, May 31 marked the single deadliest 24-hour period in 60 years, with 18 people killed. (Read more from “Los Angeles: Homicides Soared 250% Since Last Week” HERE)

_____________________________________________________

Woman Shot After Yelling at Looters in St. Louis

By KSDK. A woman was shot after yelling at looters in north St. Louis early Tuesday morning.

According to a police report from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, officers received a call on June 5 that a woman had been recovering from a gunshot wound to her foot.

The woman told police she and a man were driving home around 1 a.m. on Tuesday when they saw looters in the Wellston area. The man and woman said they yelled at the looters and then the looters got into several cars and chased them to the area of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and Hodiamont, which is where they fired shots into their car. (Read more from “Woman Shot After Yelling at Looters in St. Louis” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

‘Determined for War’: China Orders Fighter Jets

/0 Comments/in , /by

Several Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jets and a U.S. military transport plane flew in Taiwan’s airspace Tuesday morning, Focus Taiwan reported.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirmed the activity in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, saying: “[S]everal Chinese Su-30s briefly entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone southwest of Taiwan, and Taiwan’s Air Force responded with radio warnings and monitored their movements until they flew off.”

Focus Taiwan described China’s fighter jet activity as an “intrusion” into Taiwan’s airspace, while the U.S. C-40A transport plane that flew through Taiwan’s airspace earlier on Tuesday was described by the MND as having done so with Taiwan’s permission. . .

Chinese military “experts” commented on the PLA fighter jets’ flight through Taiwan’s airspace Tuesday in an article published by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) newspaper Global Times on Wednesday:

The U.S. warplane’s rare flight over Taiwan showed the increasing collaboration between the U.S. military and Taiwan secessionists, and the Chinese mainland’s fighter jet sorties and approaches sent them a powerful warning and demonstrated how much the PLA was determined and prepared for war.

(Read more from “‘Determined for War’: China Orders Fighter Jets” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Here’s Why Trump Almost Fired Esper

/0 Comments/in , /by

President Trump was reportedly close to firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper after the Pentagon chief publicly broke with him over deploying active-duty troops during recent protests.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump was prepared to ax Esper but was convinced not to do so after he consulted with several advisers and Republican lawmakers. Esper, who knew about the president’s feelings toward him, had also reportedly begun preparations for a resignation letter before being persuaded not to do so.

The tension came to a head when Esper publicly broke with Trump during a hastily called briefing at the Pentagon. The defense chief said he didn’t support the president invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 to quell demonstrations that began after the death of George Floyd.

“I’ve always believed and continue to believe that the National Guard is best suited for performing domestic support to civil authorities in these situations, in support of local law enforcement. I say this not only as secretary of defense, but also as a former soldier and a former member of the National Guard,” Esper said.

“The option to use active-duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations. We are not in one of those situations now,” he added. (Read more from “Here’s Why Trump Almost Fired Esper” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

The Social Distancing Double Standard Is Real and Absurd; Conservatives Charge Liberals With Social-Distancing Hypocrisy

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Washington Examiner. People of faith in the United States have been told since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic that they cannot congregate in their churches, mosques, or synagogues until the threat of the virus has passed.

It is simply too dangerous, our leaders say, for people of faith to meet as a body for worship and praise. Yet many of these same leaders also support the massive, crowded protests that have sprung up in response to the wrongful death of George Floyd.

It is impossible to miss the double standard, especially because these elected officials told us specifically that it is a matter of life and death that we socially distance ourselves.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, for example, joined a recent Floyd protest in his city, participating proudly in a demonstration that saw attendees doing very little to adhere to those social distancing guidelines we were told would save lives. But it was not so long ago that Garcetti, whose public appearance last week saw him forgo the all-important face mask, said that it was essential that churches, synagogues, and mosques remain closed. For public health reasons.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, whose restrictions on places of worship are still in place, has similarly marched with large crowds in the nation’s capital. (Read more from “The Social Distancing Double Standard Is Real and Absurd” HERE)

_______________________________________________________

Conservatives Charge Liberals With Social-Distancing Hypocrisy

By Politico. Conservatives have found their latest example of liberal hypocrisy: Disappearing outrage over protesters refusing to social distance.

The charge has spread through conservative Twitter and is invoked frequently on conservative media outlets, from Red State to Fox News. They note that when lockdown protesters flooded state capitol buildings, politicians and pundits alike expressed horror that gatherings would accelerate the coronavirus pandemic. But now, with thousands of people gathering to protest police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of the Minneapolis police, conservatives are asking: Where did that concern go?

For many on the right — even conservatives who are harsh Trump critics — the situation plays into a broader narrative of liberal elite double standards.

Conservatives “are upset at the political leaders who think protesting and mass gatherings are more important suddenly than being able to feed your family or keep your business open,” said Stephen L. Miller, a conservative media critic and contributor to The Spectator. (Read more from “Conservatives Charge Liberals With Social-Distancing Hypocrisy” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

U.S. School District Plans to Surveil Students With Bluetooth Tracking Devices to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 ​

/0 Comments/in , /by

A school district in New Albany, Ohio, is planning to combat the spread of COVID-19 when school returns in August by surveilling its students, according to a report by Wired.

According to the tech magazine, students will be required to wear bluetooth tracking devices developed by Volan that will monitor them wherever they go throughout the school day and send alerts in emergency situations.

Here’s more from the report:

The school district, with five schools and 4,800 students, plans to test a system that would require each student to wear an electronic beacon to track their location to within a few feet throughout the day. It will record where students sit in each classroom, show who they meet and talk to, and reveal how they gather in groups. The hope is such technology could prevent or minimize an outbreak of Covid-19, the deadly respiratory disease at the center of a global pandemic.

“We are very much interested in the automated tracking of students,” Michael Sawyers, the district superintendent for New Albany-Plain Schools, told Wired. Sawyers reportedly believes that the technology will enable school officials to determine if social distancing practices are being followed and pinpoint at-risk individuals should someone in the district test positive for the virus. (Read more from “U.S. School District Plans to Surveil Students With Bluetooth Tracking Devices to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Justice for David Dorn? Man Accused of Killing Retired Black Cop Never Served a Day of 7-Year Sentence

/0 Comments/in , /by

Had our criminal justice system been working the way it should, perhaps retired police officer David Dorn would still be alive today. Yet there will be no calls for true criminal justice reform to ensure that repeat violent felons like Dorn’s suspected murderer are locked up, even as there is rioting for justice for George Floyd when justice is already well on its way to being served.

Monday, Stephan Cannon, 24, was arrested for the murder of retired St. Louis police Captain David Dorn on June 2. Like nearly all murder suspects, Cannon had a prior violent crime record, but he never served a day in prison. This is the systemic injustice in our criminal justice system that nobody in politics wants to talk about. Yet for every cop like Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis there are thousands upon thousands of undeterred and unpunished criminals like Cannon who are responsible for killing exponentially more African-Americans.

Missouri court records show that Cannon was sentenced to seven years in prison for a robbery and assault in St. Louis County in 2014. The sentence stemmed from an incident in August 2013 when Cannon confessed to beating a man in a robbery in order to steal his cash and phone. As is often the case in our leaky justice system, he was able to plead down to second-degree robbery.

Cannon should have been behind bars, and assuming he was the one who pulled the trigger on June 2, David Dorn would still be alive. But in what has become the rule rather than the exception, Cannon was granted suspended execution of sentence (SES), according to Fox2. Thus, he never served a day in prison.

As a condition of the parole, Cannon was supposed to serve seven years for any subsequent violation. But after he violated his parole in 2018, the judge declined to enforce the sentence.

According to court records, Cannon was arrested for theft in February, yet despite his past criminal record and violating the grace accorded to him, he was out free with a scheduled hearing on June 22.

Liberals in both parties, including Jared Kushner’s pro-criminal team in the White House, always speak of the need for “second chances.” But like so many repeat violent offenders these days, Cannon wasn’t subjected to the full sentence even after violating his extremely generous probation on two separate occasions.

According to police, Cannon was seen on surveillance video pointing a gun at Dorn before Dorn fell to the ground and lay dying on the sidewalk in a horrific video streamed on Facebook. Cannon, who was with a group of people looting a pawn shop that Dorn was defending, was charged with first-degree murder for the death of the 38-year veteran of the St. Louis police force, as well as robbery, burglary, felon in possession of a firearm, and three counts of armed criminal action.

A second suspect who was with Cannon, Jimmie Robinson, was charged with burglary, armed criminal action, and stealing. His bond was set at just $30,000 despite his prior criminal record and parole.

Consider the fact that he was with Cannon at the murder of a retired cop and will be out on just $30,000, while the three cops who were with Chauvin, the one accused of killing George Floyd, are being held on $1 million bond. As former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy observes, in the case of one of those cops, Tou Thao, he is barely mentioned in the criminal complaint and not alleged to have taken any active role in the physical restraint of Floyd. The other two officers, Thomas Lane and Alexander Kueng, were undergoing their first week of training on the job with Chauvin and were completely under his command.

Indeed, the time has come for a “three strikes and you’re out” bill. How is it that such jailbreak is occurring in a state like Missouri that Republicans control with super-majorities in the legislature? Where are the bills to ensure that repeat violent offenders and parole-breakers are returned to prison and denied bail?

Just last December, a Missouri circuit judge suspended the 20-year murder sentence of a teenager who killed a retired St. Louis cop. Justin Mathews was convicted of murdering retired St. Louis police Sergeant Ralph Harper in 2018 during a robbery of the officer in front of his nephew’s home. In December 2019, Missouri Circuit Judge Michael Noble suspended the 20-year sentence and ordered the 16-year-old to enter a “program” at juvenile hall, which will enable his release at the age of 21.

Why is there no rush to fix these injustices against forgotten American victims of crime who don’t have the weight of their entire culture demanding justice?

Yesterday, the president held a roundtable with law enforcement and the top White House officials who were responsible for getting him to support jailbreak rather than law and order, including Jared Kushner and domestic policy advisers Brooke Rollins and Ja’Ron Smith. They continuously struck a defensive tone, validating the premise of the Left that somehow the injustice in our system is that we are too tough on criminals, rather than showing how tough-on-crime policies save more lives, particularly black lives in inner cities. At the end of the meeting, Trump referred to Kushner as “my star.”

Trump needs to pick a side in this debate and have his personnel reflect that reality. Tough-on-crime policies are supported by the overwhelming majority of suburban voters as well as any African-American voters who would ever entertain the idea of voting for the GOP. As recently as last September, 63 percent of Minneapolis residents supported expanding the police force by 850 people, according to one poll, with an even greater share of non-white respondents expressing support. Non-white respondents in particular articulated concern about high crime, which was already increasing in the Twin Cities at the time.

According to the Bureau of Economic Research, 41 percent of black-owned small businesses have been destroyed by the lockdown. Many more were undoubtedly destroyed by the riots. Jared Kushner was part of that failed shadow task force on the coronavirus response and opposed taking a tougher stance on the riots. The results of both policies have been devastating for those black voters most likely to vote for Trump.

Memo to Jared Kushner and his team of Koch associates in the White House: The black vote in general is not congruent with the looting vote, and it’s insulting to insinuate that most African-Americans want your weak-on-crime policies. In fact, the opposite is true. Law-abiding black business owners want low crime and economic opportunity. Now is the time for the White House to push a tough-on-crime bill like Reagan did and seek justice for the forgotten victims of preventable crimes like David Dorn. (For more from the author of “Justice for David Dorn? Man Accused of Killing Retired Black Cop Never Served a Day of 7-Year Sentence” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Anarchy Will Rule in Every Major City

/0 Comments/in , /by

Call it reverse broken windows policing. Police are treated as criminals and criminals are exalted as oppressed and entitled to riot with no consequences for assaults and property damage. The result? Record shootings and homicides in some major cities. This is only the beginning.

The societal and cultural response to the killing of George Floyd is closely paralleling the response to coronavirus. Just as with the virus, the lockdown killed more people than the ailment itself, the rioting in response to George Floyd’s death will lead to thousands more deaths in the long run and is already directly and indirectly responsible for exponentially more murders – primarily of black citizens.

On Sunday, a record 18 people were killed in Chicago in the worst single day of violence in 60 years, since the University of Chicago’s crime lab began keeping records in 1961. In total, over the weekend, 92 were shot and 27 succumbed to their wounds. All of the pictures of the known victims indicate they were African-Americans. And unlike with coronavirus, nearly all the victims were very young with much more life to live. Who is going to kneel on the ground for them? Who is going to pass legislation deterring repeat violent offenders, ending bail and parole for career criminals, and prescribing tougher sentences on gun felons? Well, certainly not the people using George Floyd’s death to promote the exact opposite.

The reality is that at least 17 people have been killed so far during the riots. However, as we see from Chicago and other cities, an unknown number – possibly totaling in the hundreds – have died likely as the result of police taking a hands-off approach to their work. The results of the riots and the war on cops are more deadly for African-Americans than anything imaginable.

Here is an eyewitness account of downtown Chicago by anti-gun violence activist Rev. Michael Pfleger:

“On Saturday and particularly Sunday, I heard people saying all over, ‘Hey, there’s no police anywhere, police ain’t doing nothing,’” Pfleger said.

“I sat and watched a store looted for over an hour,” he added. “No police came. I got in my car and drove around to some other places getting looted [and] didn’t see police anywhere.”

Chicago is not even the most vivid example. In some ways, they have been experiencing a relative increase in violence for several years. New York is really where we are seeing the stark contrast. Thanks to the more aggressive policing first begun by Mayor Rudy Giuliani, New York City enjoyed a massive decline in violent crime for over two decades.

Now that is all being wiped out overnight by new jailbreak laws and the war on the NYPD. Last week, the city reported 13 murders, up from just five over the same week last year. Shootings have nearly doubled and property crime is up. On Monday night, seven people were shot in Brooklyn over a 10-minute period.

Why? Because police are getting beaten and can’t defend themselves lest they face prosecution. Over 300 NYPD officers have been injured in the riots. Few will see justice. In Los Angeles, the prosecutor announced that few rioters will face charges and all those who violated curfew will be free from criminal charges. In Chicago alone, in just nine days, 2,665 arrests have been made for civil unrest and disorderly, 788 arrests for looting, and 525 guns recovered. Watch for the same people who claim to abhor guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens to suddenly ignore these gun crimes.

What is the point of being a cop in America today? According to the FBI, in 2018, there were 58,866 assaults against law enforcement officers, resulting in 18,005 injuries. You almost never heard about them. God knows how many are taking place today. The resignations and retirements will continue while new recruitment will be nonexistent. The ones who don’t resign will be fired unless they kneel to the mob, like one police chief in Michigan who was forced out after voicing support for people engaging in open carry to protect their families from the politically untouchable rioters.

By far, according to the FBI, the most common circumstance leading to a cop injury is a disturbance call. Police are responding to help and protect other citizens. Now they will just take a hands-off approach and come to do the paperwork.

The question President Trump and Republicans must start asking is what level of killings, injuries, and property damage is acceptable before they begin pushing an active pro-enforcement agenda with as much passion and energy as the Left is pushing anarchy? (For more from the author of “Anarchy Will Rule in Every Major City” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Actor Terry Crews Will Not Apologize for His Tweets

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A few days after football star Drew Brees distanced himself from his sincere remarks about the American flag because critics called him a racist, actor Terry Crews finds himself on the receiving end of the same cancel culturalists (not a Merriam-Webster approved term). This weekend, Crews shared a beautiful sentiment on Twitter: That white and black Americans should actually work together to defeat hatred. . .

Thousands of people liked and retweeted the statement, but Crews’ message was too offensive for others.

His haters accused him of being “tone deaf,” while others encouraged him to “educate” himself on the terms he used.

Unlike Brees, Crews is standing his ground. He has not deleted his original statement. In fact, he’s since reiterated his message several times and shamed those who were trying to put words in his mouth or misinterpreting him. Or calling him foul names.

“Please know that everything I’ve said comes from a spirit of love and reconciliation, for the Black community first, then the world as a whole, in hopes to see a better future for Black people,” Crews adds. “I believe it is important we not suffer from groupthink, and we keep minds of our own, and be allowed to ask difficult questions to each other. I believe this dialogue is important as we get through this trauma together. I love you.” (Read more from “Actor Terry Crews Will Not Apologize for His Tweets” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

The WHO Throws a Wrench in What We All Thought About the Coronavirus

/0 Comments/in , /by

For months we have heard about how asymptomatic people, particularly the young, are unknowingly spreading the Wuhan coronavirus to vulnerable people, including the elderly and those with preexisting conditions. The World Health Organization on Monday said asymptomatic people spreading the disease is actually “very rare.”

“From the data we have, it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said during a press conference. “It’s very rare.”

Originally, the WHO and the White House Coronavirus Task Force said that otherwise healthy people could contract the Wuhan coronavirus and pass it on to others without knowing it because they lack any symptoms, CNBC reported. The asymptomatic spread was the very reason most of the nation went on lockdown and social distancing was heavily emphasized.

According to Van Kerkhove, government officials are better off spending their time finding those who are infected and conducting contact tracing.

“We have a number of reports from countries who are doing very detailed contact tracing,” she explained. “They’re following asymptomatic cases. They’re following contacts. And they’re not finding secondary transmission onward. It’s very rare.” (Read more from “The WHO Throws a Wrench in What We All Thought About the Coronavirus” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE