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Charges against 17 Black Lives Matter protesters arising from a Commerical Street protest last summer have been erased.

In January, the protesters, who blocked a section of Commercial Street on a busy summer night and were arrested after refusing to disperse, agreed to plead guilty to violating a city ordinance on disorderly conduct. The deal called for the 17 to pay $200 each toward a victims compensation fund and to attend a restorative justice meeting with Portland police officials to discuss the protest. The protesters paid the fine, but the meeting with police fell apart after the protesters refused to be split into two groups to talk to Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck and were told that a representative of the District Attorneys Office would also attend the session.

The January deal called for the charges to be dismissed after six months, as long as the protesters abided by the terms of the deal and did not commit any criminal offenses in the interim. That deadline lapsed Wednesday and none of the protesters committed new offenses, said Jennifer Ackerman, an assistant district attorney in Cumberland County, so the court will automatically wipe out the charges.

In essence, the protesters and the DAs office agreed to disagree over whether the group had complied with the terms of the deal on the meeting with police, Ackerman said. However, the DAs office already lost an effort to have a judge determine that the protesters had breached the agreement. The judge refused to do so in May and turned aside the DAs office request to have the original criminal charges restored.

Although the judge called for both sides to try again on the meeting, it never took place. After the judges ruling, DA Stephanie Anderson said she would not seek to reschedule the meeting and that he protesters would have to come to her to reset the session, which they did not do.

To put the onus on my clients is entirely unfair, lawyer Tom Hallett, who represented the protesters at the hearing in May, said Wednesday. This was a clear victory for the Black Lives Matter side.

Original post:
Court will erase trespassing charges against Black Lives Matter protesters - Press Herald

PORTLAND, Maine A year after Portland police ended a Black Lives Matter demonstration with a mass arrest, the resulting legal drama has come to a close with the criminal charges against 17 protesters being dismissed.

The charges were expected to be dropped since May, when a court hearing failed to repair a botched settlement agreement between the demonstrators and the Cumberland County District Attorney.

The deal, which would have also seen the misdemeanor charges dropped, hinged on police and protesters talking through their differences in a so-called restorative justice session.

It would have been the first time such a program was used in a civil disobedience case in Maine. But the deal went to pieces in the hall of a Portland church in February, when the protesters and an assistant district attorney couldnt agree over logistics for the session.

In May, a judge blocked the district attorneys move to again prosecute the charges and ordered protesters and police to try again at the restorative justice session.

After the ruling, District Attorney Stephanie Anderson said her office would not make another attempt at the session, thereby leaving the charges in an inactive court docket where they were finally dismissed Wednesday.

See the original post here:
Charges against Portland Black Lives Matter protesters dropped - Bangor Daily News

Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Weve played this game before. It derived from a bit by podcaster Adam Carolla, who takes inane statements from politicians, celebrities and people in the news and asks: Are they stupid or are they lying?

Todays episode of Stupid or Liar focuses on the death of Justine Ruszczyk (Her name was not Damond. It was going to be Damond after she was married. If America adhered to that as the journalistic standard, my high school yearbook would have referred to me as Sir Michael Harriot, husband of Janet Jackson).

Less than a week after Justine Ruszczyk was killed by a fatal gunshot wound to the abdomen from a Minneapolis police officers gun, the police chief has been forced out, the mayor is on thin ice, and the new chief is an African-American man with deep roots in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Chief of Police Jane Harteau resigned Friday after careful reflection on the comments

As soon as I heard about this incident, I ran to my computer and waited. Ive seen the routine so many times, I knew exactly what would happen. Immediately following her death, some industrious news reporter would release her criminal historyeven if it had no bearing on the shootinglike media outlets did when they reported the killings of DeJuan Guillory and Walter Scott.

If she had a clean criminal record, theyd at least put out the most menacing, villainous photo of her, the way they did Trayvon Martin. Theyd go back as far as her high school teachers or her neighbors to find a personality defect that would adequately describe why the valiant hero cop feared for his life.

I sat patiently in front of the screen waiting for a Google alert from the mayor, police chief or police union explaining how there was no need to jump to any conclusions or take any actions until they conducted a thorough investigation. I knew it was coming. It always happened this way.

Im still waiting.

During my wait, an attorney called Ruszczyk the most innocent police shooting victim hes ever seen. Robert Bennettthe lawyer who made these commentsis either blatantly lying or he is the stupidest white man in the long, storied history of stupid white men.

Is there even a superlative for the word innocent? If sois Justine Ruszczyk more innocent than Rekia Boyd, who was simply talking on her cellphone when an off-duty cop fired a bullet into her skull? Was John Crawford IIIs innocence permanently erased in the .36 seconds it took for cops to burst into Walmart and eliminate his existence for the unmitigated gall of buying a BB gun? A lawyer like Bennett, who represents high-profile police-shooting victims, would know about these cases. If he doesnt, then, by definition, that makes him stupid.

stupid

st(y)oopd/

1. having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense.

Ruszczyks death happened fewer than 20 miles from the St. Paul, Minn., courthouse where Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted of murder in the death of Philando Castile. Castile was in his car posing no threat to the officer who killed him. Yanez shot him on July 6, 2016. For context, on July 7, 2016, this article appeared:

It was a regular thing for Philando Castile to be stopped by Minnesota police for minor traffic

Im sure an article like this will be coming out about Justine Ruszczyk pretty soon. I know it has been over a week, but shes from Australia, which is another country on the other side of the world, which means reporters probably have to translate her criminal record from Australian to English, which could take a while. Im sure thats what the holdup is about.

While Im sitting here, I might as well wait for the All Lives Matter people to explain how we dont know the whole story. Blue Lives Matter will probably come out en masse, too, to defend the honor of the Somali cop who shot her. If they dont care about race, then the All Lives Matter advocates will implore us to wait until authorities do their due diligence. Thats probably whats going to happen, right?

Unless they were lying this whole time.

To be fair, maybe the All Lives Matter people are so blinded by the combination of privilege and reflexive defensiveness that comes free in every package of white supremacy that they have no idea that responding to Black lives matter with All lives matter is akin to telling a man dying of a heart attack about their bout with acid reflux. Perhaps they dont know that there is not a sane human being in the United States who wonders whether white lives matter. Maybe All Lives Matter is just stupid.

The man who killed Rekia Boyd was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter becauseaccording to a judgethe fact that he fired an unregistered weapon into a dark alley wasnt proof of recklessness. Two days after Ruszczyks death, federal authorities declined to press charges against the cops who shot John Crawford.

Its been almost three years since a Beavercreek, Ohio, police officer fatally shot a black Walmart

Anyone who insinuates that Crawford, Boyd, Castile, et al. were not as innocent as Ruszczyk are conflating innocence with whiteness. None of the others had committed a crime. All of them are dead.

The media immediately named her shooteras did the city of Minneapolisas a Muslim of Somali descent. Staunch conservatives and white allies alike all say this has nothing to do with race. Quicktell me Jeronimo Yanezs religion. Can you tell me from which country Officer Sean WilliamsJohn Crawfords killerdescended? Stupid liars, the whole lot of them.

None of this is Justine Ruszczyks fault. She is as blameless as the previously mentioned victimsbut not more so. It is disingenuous to have a discussion about this entire incident and sidestep the obvious fact that part of the uproar about her death stems from the fact that she was a classically attractive white woman. Anyone who does so is either being dishonest or willfully ignoranttwo euphemisms for ... you know.

In just six days, Justine Ruszczyks death uprooted the entire government of the 46th-largest city in America. Two countries are outraged. People of all colors, religions and ethnicities are protesting.

They all have a right to be upset, but we should be clear: If it had anything to do with the fact that Ruszczyk was a bride-to-be, Sean Bells killers would be in jail. If it had anything to do with the fact that she was the one who called 911, then the men who shot Brendan Hester would be locked up. If her immigrant status makes others empathetic toward this tragedy, where were these same outraged advocates for swift justice when the men who shot Amadou Diallo walked away scot-free?

Justine Ruszczyk is an innocent, pure victim because she is white, and we all know it. No one wants to admit it, so Ill just sit here and wait for them to treat her with the same disrespectful criminal taint that they do every victim of color. Maybe theyll find a stash of CDs she was trying to sell or uncover a stash of loose cigarettes. Maybe there were Skittles in her pocket. Im sure theyll dig up something. Ill wait.

Nah. Im lying.

Theres no way Im that stupid.

See more here:
'Stupid or Liar': What Justine Damond's Death Proves About All Lives Matter - The Root

The president of Cincinnatis police union confirmed he received threats after posting a message on Facebook to Black Lives Matter, WXIX-TV reported.

Sgt. Dan Hils took the group to task in his Saturday post, pointing out that none of the citys 32 black homicide victims this year came at the hands of law enforcement: I wanted to let you know first how many of those black lives lost were in police interventions. Ok, get ready for ithold on and take a deep breathare you sure that you are ready?..Ok, thats right it is zero (0), not a one, zilch.

Hils posted his message just hours before a demonstration over a prosecutors decision to not seek a third trial in the case of a white University of Cincinnati police officer in the fatal shooting of a black motorist during a 2015 traffic stop, the station said.

The threatening and intimidating Facebook comments against Hils came between 11:30 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 a.m. Sunday, WXIX reported, citing a copy of the incident report.

It is very concerning when people feel the need to threaten someone when they post an opinion and statement on social media, Hils told the station.

The case is classified as telecommunications harassment, WXIX said.

I stand by my statement, Hils told the station. The threat felt very real. We are merely trying to protect those so they can protest and express their opinions this is a great concern. According to the report, there is a suspect whos a stranger to Hils.

The following is Hils full Facebook post. As of Tuesday afternoon, its received 581 shares and 1,300 likes:

Dear Black Lives Matter Protestors,

I wish to help your objective at the rally today protesting black lives lost. I have the list of the homicide victims in the city of Cincinnati in 2017. As of July 17th, there have been 39 homicides. Of those homicides, 32 of the 39 homicide victims were black.

Thirty-two black lives taken before their time. Thirty-two black lives taken violently. Due to your group name, I have omitted mention of the seven white murder victims. But, back to my point I wanted to let you know first how many of those black lives lost were in police interventions. Ok, get ready for ithold on and take a deep breathare you sure that you are ready?..Ok, thats right it is zero (0), not a one, zilch.

I know the names you will have on your signs, but may I suggest these names as well; Deandre Berry (killed 1/1/17), Deante Mattocks (killed 1/8/17), Terrence Woods (killed 1/12/17), Troy Smith (killed 1/13/17), Alexandrea Thompson (9 years old, killed 1/18/17), Corrye Barwick Jr. (killed 1/28/17), Twanda Alexander (killed 2/7/17), Donald Campbell (killed 2/14/17), Casey Roby (killed 2/16/17), Trevor Tiemann (killed 2/19/17), Michael Chichester (killed 3/13/17), Tyrone Frazier(killed 3/18/17), OBryan Spikes (killed 3/26/17), Tyler Lee (killed 4/2/17), Deondre Davis (killed 4/4/17), Jamar Hayes (killed 4/17/17), Kendall Perkins (killed 4/18/17), DeShawn Jenkins (killed 4/18/17), Omar Mohommad (killed 4/25/17), Judson Roper Jr. (killed 4/27/17), Jahmaria Cruz (killed 5/14/17), Anthony Gray (killed 5/16/17), Shawnice Johnson (killed 5/18/17), William Bell (killed 522/17), Troy Donald (killed 5/31/17), Boris Tolliver (killed 6/1/17), Jeremy Rohe (killed 6/14/17), Keonte Walker (killed 6/20/17), Jonathan Taylor (killed 7/1/17), William Thomas (killed 7/4/17), Dontae Whaley (killed 7/5/17), and Rafeal Harrison (killed 7/17/17).

Cincinnatis police officers responded to each of these homicide scenes exposing themselves to unknown physical risk. Our detectives have spent countless hours trying to find who is responsible for the homicides above along with the seven white victims that I did not list. Your CPD knows that all lives matter. How about a sign in support of police officers battling this violence?

Try to stay hydrated it is going to very warm.

Daniel J. Hils FOP #69, President

(H/T: The American Mirror)

The rest is here:
Police leader takes Black Lives Matter to task in eye-opening post. Then he gets threatened. - TheBlaze.com

A kerfuffle between a patron of the Vortex restaurant and the boyfriend of a waiter has lit up Atlantas social media Tuesday.

A couple received what they considered substandard service at the Vortex restaurant in Little Five Points earlier this month. The waiter seemed as if he hated his job and or annoyed he was serving black guests, they told the websiteBlackLivesMatterGreaterAtlanta.com

The patron, Kristina White, decided to leave a zero tip, and explained her reasoning at the bottom of the check: treat everyone the same.

Treat everyone the same Kristina White wrote on the check she received at the Vortex, instead of offering a tip for what she considered bad service. Photo: courtesy Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The entire time Ms. White and her friend were at this restaurant they were treated with the utmost disrespect, and lack thereof, wrote Sir Maejor Page, president ofBlack Lives Matter Greater Atlanta, on the groups website.

Their waiters boyfriend, who was on hand at the restaurant, later left critical messages on Whites phone and on her Facebook page, according to the Black Lives Matter website.

According tothe Vortex website, the server, Gaven Greenberg, was terminated and his boyfriend, Patrick Wilkinson, was served with a notice that he is no longer allowed on the property.

The restaurant wrote that it offered her a gift certificate and added In no event will we ever tolerate our patrons being bullied or harassed by anyone, including friends or family of our staff.

The Vortex has perhaps the most distinctive front door of any restaurant in Atlanta. Patrons of the Little Five Points branch enter through the gaping mouth of a swirly-eyed skull sculpture. The restaurant also permits smoking (in designated areas) and adopts a stance that suggests those who dont like smoking shouldnt attend. While were happy to welcome smokers and non-smokers alike, we will never tolerate crybabies, they write on their website.

Though the Black Lives Matter item was titledWhy You Shouldnt Dine At The Vortex a commenter on the BLM site wroteThe Vortex handled this immediately & with class.

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Vortex embroiled in Black Lives Matter flap - Atlanta Journal Constitution