Legalectric

Back in 2015, after too many police shootings and killings, and too many reports of police misconduct, the Department of Justice was brought in to evaluate the Minneapolis Police Department. Police misconduct is again the subject of a lot of discussions, bytes, photos, videos, meetings, and this DoJ report from 5 years ago has come up frequently. Here it is so that it’s easily found:

What did they look at?

And the bottom line? The recommendations:

So that was 2015. What’s happened since then? Chief Arradondo was questioned about this at a press conference shortly after the murder of George Floyd. His response was essentially that yes, there has been some progress, some work on the recommendations, but not all have been implemented. When asked for specifics, he didn’t address the question. So the real bottom line is that there’s a lot of work to do and they’re behind and need to do some catch up. Some are saying that Arradondo hasn’t been chief for all that long, but it’s been three years since he was appointed, and he needs to get to it, particularly now.

I’d guess that these recommendations could be applicable to any police department. Which cities, which police departments, are going to do the work?

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, the Charter Commission and City Council are ramming something through to be put on the ballot next election, and it’s my understanding that they did something similar in 2018 (nevermind they didn’t get it together to get the requisite vote on the U.S. Bank Stadium on the ballot, SHAME!). When I find the resolution and whatever else is before their Charter Commission and Council, I’ll post it.

Attention all you nuclear nerds. Hot off the press, article by Aaron M. Datesman, in Nature, Scientific Reports, and a concept, shot noise, which “should motivate a comprehensive re-evaluation of the conventional understanding of the 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power station, especially regarding its impact upon the population of the surrounding area.”

Check it out:

This article is open access, spread it around, with credit to orignal author, the source, and link to Creative Commons license.

Herman Cain, winner of today’s Horse’s Ass award for irresponsibility in the face of COVID — he is the COVIDIOT of the day!

Here he is at the tRump Tulsa Rally, June 20th. Note in the entire photo, there is exactly ONE mask visible.

Then he tweets this, ecstatic that masks are NOT mandatory:

And then, DOH, it’s revealed that June 29 he was diagnosed with COVID, two days before the twit twitted the above ecstatic “PEOPLE ARE FED UP” and on July 1, he was hospitalized with COVID! Twitting from his hospital bed?!?!

Then for staff, or whoever, to have the nerve to have the nerve to say, “Please keep him, and all who are battling this virus, in your prayers.” As if he cared about people he was with at that rally, as if he cared when he was so thrilled about distancing not being required at tRump’s Mt. Rushmore COVID-fest?

Herman Cain, here’s your Horse’s Ass award, for your irresponsible uncaring attitude toward COVID and toward those near you.

Really, you’ve got to read this, up for Public Inspection, to be published tomorrow. This is baldfaced disinformation about just who was traveling, just who was violent, and reveals just who knows nothing about history — this is shameful:

A snippet of the introduction — OMFD:

Many of the rioters, arsonists, and left-wing extremists who have carried out and supported these acts have explicitly identified themselves with ideologies — such as Marxism — that call for the destruction of the United States system of government.

Anarchists and left-wing extremists have sought to advance a fringe ideology that paints the United States of America as fundamentally unjust and have sought to impose that ideology on Americans through violence and mob intimidation. They have led riots in the streets, burned police vehicles, killed and assaulted government officers as well as business owners defending their property, and even seized an area within one city where law and order gave way to anarchy. During the unrest, innocent citizens also have been harmed and killed.

These criminal acts are frequently planned and supported by agitators who have traveled across State lines to promote their own violent agenda. These radicals shamelessly attack the legitimacy of our institutions and the very rule of law itself.

Jawdroppingly clueless, spewing false information in this “Executive Order.” Idiot, a treasonous pawn.

There’s fomenting happening right now about BLM’s wanting to remove a statue of Lincoln. Here’s the statute at issue:

Here’s the Complaint filed by ACLU in federal court:

Why? Attacks on journalists are a pattern of behavior. From the Complaint, and evident in the media coverage of police attacks, arrests live on camera, what more proof is needed:

The past week has been marked by an extraordinary escalation of unlawful force deliberately targeting reporters…

The press is under assault in our City.
Over the past week, the Minneapolis Police and the Minnesota State Patrol have tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed, shot in the face with rubber bullets, arrested without cause, and threatened journalists at gunpoint, all after these journalists identified themselves and were otherwise clearly engaged in their reporting duties. These are not isolated incidents.

This pattern and practice of conduct by law enforcement tramples on the Constitution. It violates the sacrosanct right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press that form the linchpin of a free society. It constitutes a pattern of unreasonable force and unlawful seizures under the Fourth Amendment. And it deprives liberty without a modicum of due process protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.

Plaintiff brings this action and asks the Court to restrain Defendants from further violence and unconstitutional conduct.