Mediaboss Marketing

REUTERS

Updated: Saturday, July 8, 2017, 10:37 AM

A police officer wounded in a shooting rampage in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, last year that left three officers dead sued Black Lives Matter movement leaders on Friday, accusing them of inciting violence that spurred the attack.

The lawsuit filed in a U.S. district court in Louisiana named DeRay McKesson and four other Black Lives Matter leaders as defendants and sought at least $75,000 in damages.

It came on the one-year anniversary of one of the deadliest days in modern U.S. history for law enforcement. On July 7, 2016, a black man angered by what he saw as deadly racial bias in U.S. policing launched a downtown Dallas sniper attack, killing five officers deployed at a protest decrying police shootings of black men.

McKesson was not immediately available for comment and Black Lives Matter leaders have denied accusations that their movement promotes violence against police.

About 10 days after the Dallas shooting, a decorated ex-U.S. Marine sergeant opened fire on police in Baton Rouge, killing three officers.

Baton Rouge had been hit by waves of protests after two police officers earlier that month killed a black man, Alton Sterling, under questionable circumstances. The incident was caught on video and sparked national debate.

The officer wounded in Baton Rouge, who was not named in the lawsuit, was shot by "a person violently protesting against police, and which violence was caused or contributed to by the leaders of and by 'BLACK LIVES MATTER'," the filing said.

48 photos view gallery

Gavin Long, the black gunman who killed the Baton Rouge officers and was later shot dead, identified himself as a member of an African-American offshoot of the anti-government, mostly white Sovereign Citizen Movement, documents showed.

Last year, McKesson and two other activists sued the Baton Rouge police department and other officials over the arrests of nearly 200 demonstrators during mostly peaceful protests over police killings.

Read the original:
Baton Rouge officer injured in ambush sues Black Lives Matter ...

A demonstrator protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling is detained by law enforcement near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. July 9, 2016. Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Reuters

A personal injury lawyer trying to raise money for her lawsuits against Black Lives Matter and its leaders on behalf of Baton Rouge police officers was rejected by a crowdfunding website on Sunday.

The YouCaring site is a free, online fundraising source for people around the country and in Baton Rouge, including residents whose lives were devastated by floods last year or families who have expensive medical needs. It also supports various versions of local and national Black Lives Matter campaigns.

But when lawyer Donna Grodner, who has filed two federal lawsuits on behalf of police against Black Lives Matter that target one of its leaders Deray Mckesson, created a page to raise $20,000 for expenses, YouCaring took it down.

In alignment with our mission, we removed this fundraiser because it was not within our community guidelines around promoting harmony, YouCaring chief marketing officer Maly Ly told the NewsHour Weekend in an email. We are not the right platform to air grievances, or engage in contentious disputes or controversial public opinion.

Then, Grodner created a GoFundMe page. GoFundMe did not immediately return a request for comment.

Grodner has filed two lawsuits that accuse Black Lives Matter and its leaders of causing the injuries of two police officers in separate incidents.

READ NEXT: Baton Rouge officer wounded by lone shooter sues Black Lives Matter

The first lawsuit was filed on behalf of an unnamed officer who said he was hit by debris during a protest after local police, who are white, killed 37-year-old Alton Sterling, a black man, on July 5 last year.

Following Sterlings death, Black Lives Matter organized a Weekend of Rage campaign, in line with type of take-to-the-streets rallies the movement has organized since its inception around 2012, to rail against the killings of black people.

The lawsuit claims that Black Lives Matter and one of its leaders Deray Mckesson are responsible for the officers injuries, though Mckesson is not accused of throwing anything. It says the Black Lives Matter activists have incited violence and do not try to calm the crowds.

A judge in that case is still deciding whether Black Lives Matter can be charged as an entity.

Grodner filed a second lawsuit on Friday, but with four more leaders as defendants including Alicia Garza and Johnetta Netta Elzie, making a similar claim.

The officer she is representing, also unnamed, was shot several days after the Weekend of Rage, by a man from Kansas City who law enforcement said had never attended any of the protests, according to local reports.

A First Amendment lawyer told the NewsHour Weekend on Saturday that Grodners theory is bizarre and seems it may be an attempt to hunt for dirt within the movement rather than a legitimate legal claim. David Roland, the director of litigation at the Freedom Center of Missouri, also said it followed the same principle used in a Civil-War era law.

Its the same logic that gets applied to people of the Muslim faith. If theres an act of terrorism, people say, If you dont come out and disavow this personally, then you are responsible, he said.

Roland feared it was a shot across the bow and designed to discourage dissent.

Black Lives Matter and the people who are involved in it are engaged in civil disobedience because they perceive a fundamental wrong in our society that needs to be corrected, Roland said. The best method that they know to employ is to engage in civil disobedience, and thats part of a long American tradition.

Grodners GoFundMe page called the protesters militant, saying the money will help hold them responsible for the injuries they caused, whether in whole or in part through its [anti]-police agenda.

In response to questions about YouCarings decision and the GoFundMe page, Grodner told the NewsHour Weekend in an email that Both are for the same purpose.

But Ly said in her email that YouCaring was drawing a line.

We exist to empower people and communities to rally positive financial, emotional, and social support, she wrote. While different viewpoints are a part of life, you should make efforts to ensure that the content of your fundraiser does not promote discord.

Follow this link:
Fundraising site will not support lawsuits against Black Lives Matter - PBS NewsHour

One year after law enforcement officers in Texas and Louisiana were ambushed by angry gunmen who said they were retaliating for high profile fatal police shootings nationwide, critics of Black Lives Matter are still trying to pin responsibility on the movement.

In a new lawsuit filed Friday, an unidentified Baton Rouge officer blamed DeRay Mckesson, Johnetta Netta Elzie and three other prominent Black Lives Matter leaders for inciting and encouraging violence at demonstrations across the country.

More specifically, it claims the movement and rhetoric of its leaders inspired a decorated ex-U. S. Marine sergeant to unleash a torrent of bullets upon Baton Rouge police on July 17, 2016, leaving three officers dead and another three injured including the plaintiff, identified only asOfficer John Doe Smith in the lawsuit.

The officer, a 42-year-old father of two who worked in law enforcement for 18 years, was left permanently disabledwhen bullets struck his abdomen, shoulder and head during the methodical ambush by 29-year-old Gavin Long at a convenience store.

Long, who was black, was killed by police in ashootout, had written in a suicide note that his actions werea necessary evil intended to create substantial change within Americas police force. He said he felt compelled to bring the same destruction that bad cops continue to inflict upon my people, upon bad cops as well as good cops in hopes that the good cops (which are the majority) will be able to stand together to enact justice and punishment against bad cops.

[Baton Rouge police assailant had searched names of officers involved in Alton Sterlings death]

The mans attack came 12 days after a different shooting in the same city, when a white Baton Rouge police officer shot and killedAlton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, outside a convenience store. A day later, another black man, Philando Castile, was fatally shot during a traffic stop by a police officer in Falcon Heights, Minn.

Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the country, including a peaceful one on July 7 in downtown Dallas. But it turned deadly, too, when an Army veteran named Micah Johnson ambushed law enforcement officers who were overseeing the demonstration route. Five Dallas officers were killed and seven more were wounded.

Before he was killed in a standoff with police, Johnson told negotiators he was angry over the shootings that week in Louisiana and Minnesota and wanted to kill white police officers.

Ten days after Dallas, Long drove to Baton Rouge from Kansas City, Mo., and continued the bloodshed on a Sunday morning.

[One year after Dallas, NYPD ambush again sends a chill across the policing world]

The new Baton Rouge lawsuit claims that Longs ambush attack may not have happened if Black Lives Matter leaders had not incited violence among their followers, even though an exhaustive investigative report determined that Long had not attended any of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Baton Rouge after Sterlings death and that he believed protests were a waste of time.

Mckesson and his fellow activists were responsible for the unidentified officers injuries because they incited disdain, hatred and violence against police at protests, on social media and in news interviews, according to the lawsuit. It says Black Lives Matter seized upon the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling by a Baton Rouge police officer to further incite its followers to take action against police.

Local news outlets reported that the description of the officers injuries match those of East Baton Rouge sheriffs deputy Nick Tullier, who nearly died in the shooting and remains hospitalized at a rehabilitation facility in Houston.

The officer has endured more than 16 abdominal surgeries and suffered extensive brain damage that has impacted his communication abilities, according to the lawsuit. He is still under constant threat of infection in his remaining wounds.

While there is no way to know how far (the officer) will progress back to normal life, he is definitely permanently disabled, the lawsuit says.

The complaint asks for at least $75,000 in damages.

This is quite a world, Mckesson told the Associated Press Friday when the publication made him aware of the lawsuit. He later told CNN that he was confident the lawsuit has no merit.Elzie declined to comment to CNN, the publication reported.

This lawsuit is the second one filed against Mckesson by a Baton Rouge police officer; both were filed by attorney Donna Grodner. In the previous lawsuit, Grodner argued on behalf of another unnamed officer that Black Lives Matter and Mckesson were responsible for injuries the officer sustained during protests that took place in Baton Rouge after Sterlings death.

Mckessons attorney asked a federal judge to throw out that lawsuit, reported the Advocate, arguing that Black Lives Matter is a social movement, not an organization, and therefore cannot be sued. The judge has not yet decided whether to dismiss the case, according to the Advocate.

Mckesson and other protesters arrested during that July demonstration in Baton Rouge later sued the city and local law enforcement agencies and they later agreed to settled, reported the Advocate. Charges were never brought against 98 of the 190 people arrested at the protests, including Mckesson.

On Sunday, another lawsuit was filed against Baton Rouge and Louisiana law enforcement agencies on behalf of 13 protesters and two reporters arrested during the demonstrations, alleging excessive use of force and civil rights violations, reported BuzzFeed News.

David Roland, the director of litigation at the Freedom Center of Missouri, told PBS News Hour that he was concerned that civil lawsuits blaming Black Lives Matter and its leaders for the actions of individuals loosely affiliated if affiliated at all with the movement could threaten the first amendment.

Its easier to dissuade protests, to chill speech, using the threat of a civil suit at least in some ways, Roland told PBS. It cant result in someone going to jail, but it can result in them being bankrupt.

More from Morning Mix

Hundreds of women disappear in Ciudad Jurez each year. A smartphone app could help.

Despacito singer Daddy Yankee becomes first Latino artist to reach No. 1 on Spotify

See the rest here:
'Permanently disabled' Baton Rouge officer sues Black Lives Matter for 2016 ambush shooting - Washington Post

(1 of ) A firefighter sprays water as flames from a wildfire consume a residence near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (2 of ) Flames from a wildfire consume a shed near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (3 of ) Firefighters battle a wildfire as it threatens to jump a street near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (4 of ) A firefighter battles a wildfire as it threatens to jump a street near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (5 of ) Flames from a wildfire consume a care near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, June 8, 2017. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (6 of ) This photo provided by KEYT-TV shows smoke looming above Broadcast Peak behind a fire break along a ridge line east of Cachuma Lake in the Whittier Fire in Santa Barbara County, Calif., Sunday, July 9, 2017. Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground. Southern California crews hope slightly cooler temperatures and diminishing winds will help in the battle Sunday. (John Palminteri/KEYT-TV via AP) (7 of ) CalFire firefighter Jake Hainey, left, and engineer Anna Mathiasen watch as a wildfire burns near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The fast-moving wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills destroyed structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries, fire officials said Saturday as blazes threatened homes around California during a heat wave. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (8 of ) Flames from a wildfire engulf trees near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The fire south of Oroville was one of more than a dozen burning in the state as firefighters worked in scorching temperatures to control unruly flames. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (9 of ) A plane drops retardant while battling a wildfire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The fire south of Oroville was one of more than a dozen burning in the state as firefighters worked in scorching temperatures to control unruly flames. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (10 of ) Jim Berglund sprays water while defending his home as a wildfire approaches on Saturday, July 8, 2017, near Oroville, Calif. Although flames leveled Berglund's barn, his home remained unscathed as the main fire head passed. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (11 of ) Jim Berglund sprays water while defending his home as a wildfire approaches on Saturday, July 8, 2017, near Oroville, Calif. Although flames leveled Berglund's barn, his home remained unscathed as the main fire head passed. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (12 of ) The remains of a recreational vehicle rest in a clearing after a wildfire burned through the property on Saturday, July 8, 2017, near Oroville, Calif. The fire south of Oroville was one of more than a dozen burning in the state as firefighters worked in scorching temperatures to control unruly flames. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (13 of ) A charred desk rests outside a residence after a wildfire burned through the property on Saturday, July 8, 2017, near Oroville, Calif. The fast-moving wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills destroyed structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries, fire officials said Saturday as blazes threatened homes around California during a heat wave. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (14 of ) Trucks burned by a wildfire rest in a grove near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The fast-moving wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills destroyed structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries, fire officials said Saturday as blazes threatened homes around California during a heat wave. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (15 of ) This Saturday, July 8, 2017, photo released by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows a DC-10 making a fire retardant drop on a ridge line along the eastern flank of the Alamo Fire in Santa Barbara County, Calif. Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground. Southern California crews hope slightly cooler temperatures and diminishing winds will help in the battle Sunday. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP) (16 of ) This Saturday, July 8, 2017, photo released by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows the moon rising over flames on a hilltop near Highway 166 east of Santa Maria, Calif., in what is known as the Alamo Fire in Santa Barbara County, Calif. Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP) (17 of ) This Saturday, July 8, 2017, photo released by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows abandoned campsites at Cachuma Lake where visitors were forced to flee advancing flames of the Whittier fire east of Cachuma Lake in Santa Barbara County, Calif. Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground. Southern California crews hope slightly cooler temperatures and diminishing winds will help in the battle Sunday. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP) (18 of ) This Saturday, July 8, 2017, photo released by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Vehicle burning on Highway 154 east of Cachuma Lake in the Whittier fire east of Cachuma Lake in Santa Barbara County, Calif. Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground. Southern California crews hope slightly cooler temperatures and diminishing winds will help in the battle Sunday. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP) (19 of ) This photo provided by KEYT-TV shows a warped satellite dish in the ruins of a structure at Camp Whittier east of Cachuma Lake in the Whittier fire in Santa Barbara County, Calif., Sunday, July 9, 2017. Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground. Southern California crews hope slightly cooler temperatures and diminishing winds will help in the battle Sunday. (John Palminteri/KEYT-TV via AP) (20 of ) Inmate firefighters battle a wildfire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The fast-moving wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills destroyed structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries, fire officials said Saturday as blazes threatened homes around California during a heat wave. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (21 of ) Carole Grassie, recovering from recent knee surgery, rests outside an shelter for wildfire evacuees on Sunday, July 9, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. Authorities issued a mandatory evacuation notice for Grassie's neighborhood Saturday evening as strong winds drove the fire through several communities leveling homes in its path. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (22 of ) This photo provided by KEYT-TV shows the smoldering entrance to a campground at Cachuma Lake after a wildfire swept through in Santa Barbara County, Calif., Sunday, July 9, 2017. Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes and forcing thousands to flee. Southern California crews hope slightly cooler temperatures and diminishing winds will help in the battle Sunday. (John Palminteri/KEYT-TV via AP) (23 of ) Josh Cornelison kisses girlfriend Sharon Reitan as she shows evacuation shelter volunteers video of their burned home on Sunday, July 9, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. A wildfire leveled their home, as well as several neighbor's residences, as it burned though a mountain community Friday. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ASSOCIATED PRESS | July 9, 2017, 9:05PM

| Updated 3 hours ago.

OROVILLE Two major wildfires in California have sent nearly 8,000 people fleeing to safety.

About 4,000 people evacuated and another 7,400 were told to prepare to leave their homes as fire swept through grassy foothills in the Sierra Nevada, about 60 miles north of Sacramento, Cal Fire said Sunday.

The fire burned nearly 8 square miles, destroyed at least 10 structures and damaged critical infrastructure, leading Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency to provide assistance to local authorities.

Fire spokeswoman Mary Ann Aldrich said additional homes were destroyed overnight. An inspection team is trying to determine the extent of the damage.

The area burning was about 10 miles south of Oroville, where spillways in the nations tallest dam began crumbling from heavy rains this winter and led to temporary evacuation orders for 200,000 residents downstream.

In Southern California, at least 3,500 people evacuated as two fires exploded in size at separate ends of Santa Barbara County and a third one threatened homes near a town in San Luis Obispo County.

One of the fires grew to 12 square miles, traversing a mountain range and heading south toward coastal Goleta.

There was minimal containment and flames shut down Highway 154, which is expected to remain closed for days. At least 20 structures burned, but officials didnt say if they were homes.

Sarah Gustafson, who moved from Washington to California seven months ago, was out running errands when she saw the pillar of smoke rising near her home. She rushed to retrieve her six cats and then spent the night at a Red Cross shelter.

It was terrifying, she told the Los Angeles Times. The sky was orange and black, you could see flames up on the ridge.

About 90 children and 50 counselors were stuck Saturday at the Circle V Ranch and had to take shelter until they could be safely evacuated. Buildings have burned but officials werent yet sure if they were homes.

Crews were also using an air attack against another blaze about 50 miles north that exploded in size to 37.5 square miles. About 200 rural homes east of Santa Maria were evacuated after the fire broke out Saturday and was fed by dry gusts.

Some of the firefighters working to contain that blaze were sent to nearby San Luis Obispo county when a fire broke out Sunday and threatened numerous structures near the town of Santa Margarita. Officials said the fire burned at least 200 acres.

Read this article:
California wildfires force nearly 8000 to flee for safety - Santa Rosa Press Democrat

(1 of ) Members of TenTen Taiko perform a Shinto ritual dance called kagura Sunday at the Enmanji Buddhist Temple's 63rd annual Teriyaki Chicken Barbecue Bazaar. (Photo by Robert Digitale/The Press Democrat) (2 of ) Some of the crowd Sunday at the Enmanji Buddhist Temple's 63rd annual Teriyaki Chicken Barbecue Bazaar. (Photo by Robert Digitale/The Press Democrat) (3 of ) The Enmanji Buddhist Temple was originally part of the Japan pavilion at the Chicago Century of Progress in 1933. Its components were later brought to Sebastopol and dedicated in 1934. Sunday was its 63rd Teriyaki Chicken Barbecue and Bazaar. (Photo by Robert Digitale/The Press Democrat) (4 of ) Volunteers cook the Japanese dessert imagawayaki Sunday at Enmanji Buddhist Temples 63rd Teriyaki Chicken Barbecue and Bazaar. (Photo by Robert Digitale/The Press Democrat)

ROBERT DIGITALE

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | July 9, 2017, 7:59PM

| Updated 3 hours ago.

Steven Saito took a bite of the traditional Japanese dessert imagawayaki and judged it worth the wait Sunday at Enmanji Buddhist Temples 63rd Teriyaki Chicken Barbecue and Bazaar.

To make the popular treat, volunteers poured batter into special cupped pans and at the proper time sandwiched sweet bean paste between two golden, biscuit-sized cakes. Saito, a San Mateo resident, said the cakes had a savory combination of warm, crispy edges and fluffy insides, while the red bean filling had just the right amount of sweetness for an adult palate.

The barbecue Sunday at the temple off Gravenstein Highway South in Sebastopol offered its own combination of culture, history and community. All day long volunteers served up big helpings of teriyaki chicken, rice and potato salad as part of the temples primary annual fundraiser.

The food is the main event, said Cara Kallen, whose husband Elliot had performed on stage as part of a local taiko group.

The events leaders Sunday planned to serve about 3,400 chickens, including about 1,200 sold in box lunches.

Were famous for the chicken, said Mike Uyeda, chairman of the event. The temple even opened a drive-thru at 8 a.m. for motorists to easily pick up the box lunches.

Don Edgar, a member of the Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees, was among the crowd Sunday.

Edgar, whose mother was Japanese, said the barbecue matters to him because of its recognition of Japanese culture and the temples connection to the community.

Its a great event, he said. Its nice to see some of the older people.

The days entertainment included TenTen Taiko, a Petaluma group that combined taiko drums and the Shinto ritual dance kagura. One dance included two characters portraying Shinto deities dressed in kimonos, robes and wooden face masks.

A history exhibit Sunday included a replica camp barrack of the type used to house interned Japanese residents of the western U.S. during World War II. The sparse barrack included stories of some of the local Sonoma County families who were forced to spend the war in internment camps far from home.

One of the barracks docents Sunday was Gary Sugiyama, 68, of Santa Rosa, whose parents and older siblings had been sent to a camp in Colorado. When the war ended, the family stayed in Colorado long enough to earn travel money home and then returned to Santa Rosa.

Sugiyamas wife, Becky, said the barrack serves as a reminder that we should never let this happen again.

In retirement, Sugiyama returned to Sonoma County after spending much of his professional life in San Francisco. When he left the county, he said, he had family ties with about half the temples members, but while away seemingly all those relatives married into the remaining families.

Suddenly, he said, I was related to everybody.

Read the original:
Crowds embrace Japanese culture at Sebastopol barbecue - Santa Rosa Press Democrat