John Bacon, USA TODAY

 December 29, 2015

Kevin Matthews, 35, killed by white Dearborn cop Dec. 23, 2015.

(VOD notes that neither of Detroit’s local newspapers published the Tamir Rice story prominently; the Detroit News’ Stephen Henderson consigned it to an editorial. Perhaps they are afraid of the reaction that may be caused in the wake of the racist murder of Kevin Matthews, 35, by a white Dearborn cop Dec. 23.

Protests in addition to the press conference covered by VOD Dec. 24, calling for a national march on Dearborn Jan. 4, have been targeting the Dearborn police frequently in the meantime. See photo below of New Era Detroit demonstration. Also read NOI Min. Louis Farrakhan’s statement on the need to abolish the whole criminal justice system below story.)

For story above, see http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/12/25/family-mourns-detroits-kevin-matthews-killed-by-white-dearborn-cop-natl-march-jan-4-2016/

“We no longer trust the criminal justice system, which we view as corrupt” –statement from Tamir Rice’s family

Protests from Cleveland to New York City

Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan calls for abolition of entire U.S. criminal justice system

Tamir Rice, shot to death by Cleveland cops at the age of 12

CLEVELAND–A Cleveland grand jury declined Monday to bring charges in the death of Tamir Rice, a black youth, 12, with a toy gun who was shot by a white police officer 13 months ago.

“The outcome will not cheer anyone, nor should it,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty said. He blamed the shooting on a “perfect storm” of human error and miscommunication.

The case is one of a number around the country that has prompted protesters to assert their belief that black people are treated unfairly in the U.S. justice system. On Monday evening in New York’s Washington Square, in Greenwich Village, protesters gathered to voice their opposition to the decision.

Rice’s family members released a heartfelt statement Monday evening saying they were devastated.

Samaria Rice at site of son’s murder by Cleveland cops. Her 15-year-old daughter was thrown to the ground and put in the cop car when she tried to help Tamir.

“After this investigation, which took over a year to unfold, and Prosecutor McGinty’s mishandling of this case, we no longer trust the local criminal justice system, which we view as corrupt,” read the statement, which accused McGinty of sabotaging the case and behaving like a defense attorney for the police. “I don’t want my child to have died for nothing and I refuse to let his legacy or his name be ignored. We will continue to fight for justice for him, and for all families who must live with the pain that we live with.”

Such cases also have prompted members of law enforcement to say they are feeling targeted. Steve Loomis, president of the Police Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, in Cleveland, said officers there were feeling relieved. “It’s a great weight off their shoulders,” he said. “It’s been a year of some pretty serious name calling, some pretty serious charges, and that affects not only them but their families as well.”

Killer cop Frank Garmback

Killer cop Timothy Loehmann

The grand jury in the Rice case was asked to examine the actions of rookie officer Timothy Loehmann and his training officer Frank Garmback, who responded to a report about a man with a gun near a recreation center. A dispatcher did not tell them the caller thought it was probably a child with a fake gun.

Tamir, 12, likely meant to show the officers his gun was a toy that shot plastic pellets, but there was no way the officers could have known that when they confronted him on a snowy day in November 2014, McGinty said. He said the dispatcher’s failure to provide the information about the “fake gun” was key to the case.

McGinty said he agreed with the grand jury decision. 

Tamir Rice family members, including sister who cops assaulted when she tried to help her brother.

“The actions of officers Garmback and Loehmann were not criminal,” McGinty said. “The evidence did not indicate criminal conduct by police.”

The family of Tamir blasted McGinty in a statement, saying it was “saddened and disappointed… but not surprised” by the grand jury decision.

“It has been clear for months now that Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty was abusing and manipulating the grand jury process to orchestrate a vote against indictment,” the family said in a statement released by their lawyers. “Even though video shows the police shooting Tamir in less than one second, Prosecutor McGinty hired so-called expert witnesses to try to exonerate the officers and tell the grand jury their conduct was reasonable and justified .”

“The outcome will not cheer anyone, nor should it,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty said. He blamed the shooting on a “perfect storm” of human error and miscommunication.

Protest over Tamir Rice grand jury decision in NYC’s Washington Square

The case is one of a number around the country that has prompted protesters to assert their belief that black people are treated unfairly in the U.S. justice system. On Monday evening in New York’s Washington Square, in Greenwich Village, protesters gathered to voice their opposition to the decision.

Rice’s family members released a heartfelt statement Monday evening saying they were devastated.

“After this investigation, which took over a year to unfold, and Prosecutor McGinty’s mishandling of this case, we no longer trust the local criminal justice system, which we view as corrupt,” read the statement, which accused McGinty of sabotaging the case and behaving like a defense attorney for the police. “I don’t want my child to have died for nothing and I refuse to let his legacy or his name be ignored. We will continue to fight for justice for him, and for all families who must live with the pain that we live with.”

Tamir, 12, likely meant to show the officers his gun was a toy that shot plastic pellets, but there was no way the officers could have known that when they confronted him on a snowy day in November 2014, McGinty said. He said the dispatcher’s failure to provide the information about the “fake gun” was key to the case.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson

Pros. Timothy McGInty

Mayor Frank Jackson said that now that the criminal process has concluded, an administrative review would no begin.

“I want to say to the family, to the mother in particular, that we are sorry for their loss, that we know that it has been a long process, but we do not intend to add to whatever anxiety or agony that they feel in terms of the process,” Jackson said. A committee that would include representatives from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, the prosecutor’s office and members of the public would review grand jury evidence and make a recommendation, Police Chief Calvin Williams said. That process could end in some sort of punishment for the officers involved, said Williams, who also offered words of condolence to Tamir Rice’s family.

Gov. John Kasich called Tamir’s death a “heartbreaking tragedy.” But he urged the community not to “give in to anger and frustration and let it divide us.”

The case was one in a series of police shootings nationwide that prompted Black Lives Matter protests.

Cover to Tamir Rice funeral program

Loehmann has said he ordered Tamir to show them his hands. He said Tamir reached for his waistband and that he saw a gun and fired to protect himself and Garmback. McGinty said the evidence supported Loehmann’s explanation.

Two outside reviews requested by McGinty, from a retired FBI agent and a Denver prosecutor, determined Loehmann exercised a reasonable use of force because he had reason to perceive Tamir as a serious threat. Those were released in October.

Earlier this month, lawyers for Tamir’s family released their own report. It found that Tamir was not reaching for his waistband, and that the officers rolled up and shot Tamir so fast he had no time to hear or respond to any orders they gave.

The family on Monday reiterated it’s request that the Department of Justice investigate Tamir’s death.

“The way prosecutor McGinty has mishandled the grand jury process has compounded the grief of this family,” the statement said.

Tamir Rice protest in Cleveland Nov. 25, 2014.

MIN. FARRAKHAN: AMERICA’S CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM MUST BE ABOLISHED

By Richard B. Muhammad – Editor

Dec 17, 2015

NOI Min. Louis Farrakhan speaks on Black Chicago radio station Dec. 17, 2015.

CHICAGO—America’s corrupt criminal justice system cannot be reformed and faces divine destruction, said the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam on the Cliff Kelley Show, a popular Black talk program.

And everyone connected with hiding the truth and lying about the controversial shooting of a Black teenager in Chicago must be held accountable and concrete steps are demanded, not just talk, if they w

The destruction of the system is not only warranted but inevitable because God himself is bringing in a new system that will give justice to all, he told the radio show host and listeners.

Laquan McDonald, shot 16 times to death by Chicago cop Jason Van Dyke, since charged with murder after video released.

The discussion of justice arose Dec. 12 as the Minister answered questions about events in Chicago driven by the death of Laquan McDonald, a suspected cover-up by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, police officials, officers, state’s attorney Anita Alvarez, other entities and subsequent angry protests and demonstrations.

The problems in Chicago point to a need to do more than remove a mayor, police chief or state’s attorney, said Min. Farrakhan. What difference does it make to get rid of them and the system that produces them is still in place? asked Min. Farrakhan. “Who is man enough, who is strong enough to say that the system of justice in America is an injustice to the American people? It all should be destroyed and something new and better put in place. Because the system produces a McCarthy, an Alvarez and all that we have suffered under. We need a new system.”

Protesters march down Whitcomb in Detroit after murder of Kevin Matthews, 35, by white Dearborn cop.

Time and again people are replaced but the same compromises and the same problems arise because the system is no good, cleaning house must include getting rid of those unworthy to serve and changing a system that thwarts proper service, he said.

“The kind of way that Black men are being shot down—not only in Chicago—but in America tells me that there is a culture of violence against us that is now systemic because it is happening everywhere,” the Minister added.

Chicago’s mayor has been under intense scrutiny since video of the 17-year-old being shot 16 times by police officer Jason Van Dyke was made public because of a judge’s order. The officer has been charged with murder. Protests have been an almost daily occurrence at city hall, the state’s attorney’s office, police headquarters and downtown shopping and business districts. Former police superintendent Garry McCarthy has been fired and protestors have called for state’s attorney Alvarez and Mayor Emanuel to resign.

Kevin Matthews’ sister Karen and his family mourning at Detroit press conference Dec. 24, 2015.

There was a rush by the city to get money to the family of Laquan McDonald in an effort to keep the death quiet, the Minister said. The payment was made to avoid a trial with subpoenas and depositions from all involved in keeping what happened secret and those who lied saying the teen lunged at officers while video shows him walking away, said Min. Farrakhan.

Mario Woods, executed by San Francisco cops

A 26-year-old Black male was recently shot multiple times by officers in San Francisco, who blocked his way, the Minister noted. “See this is (a) hate crime because you don’t shoot an animal when you go out to hunt 25 times. … So this is hatred of us.”

Even police unions, who are the defense counsel for the police officers, don’t want to discipline “police officers who have killed somebody in wicked error. So now when you talk about getting rid of stuff, you’ve got to go all the way to the top, clean it all the way to the bottom. Otherwise Black people have no place in American jurisprudence.”

In response to a caller, the Minister explained that the destruction of the present system was underway.

However, he said, there is time between God’s decree and the total destruction of a nation facing divine judgement. Those who heed God’s call must work to be better and the Nation of Islam is part of ushering in the system that Master Fard Muhammad, founder of the Nation of Islam and powerful one prophesized of in scripture to deliver justice, will create.

Pres. Obama at constant war.

“When you take a person that you think is good and you vote them in to replace somebody that you believe was bad then the system turns that one,” the Minister said. Barack Obama went into the White House with the best thoughts to make America stronger and better in the world by changing foreign policy, but he ran into “forces,” he added. “Now he’s signing off on drones that are assassinating people and killing men, women and children. We didn’t vote him into office to do that. I say to all of us, it’s not them. It’s that system that is so corrupt and rotten to the core that there must be change— but real change. Otherwise putting a new mayor into the same old system you get the same results. Putting a new state’s attorney in to the same old system, putting the same city counselors in to the same old system—everything has got to change. Continue reading →

LeGrier and Jones Families Demand Answers From Chicago Police

LeGrier, 19, shot 7 times; Jones, 55, caught in line of fire

Dec 27, 2015

By KaiElz

Bettie Jones, 55, mother of five; Antonio LeGrier, 19, college student, dead at hands of Chicago cops.

CHICAGO — With all that has happened and all that has come to fore like the release of the videos  showing Laquan McDonald’s fatal shooting by white police, the Ronald Johnson fatal shooting by white police; the mishandling of Phillip Coleman by police, which led to his death, and then the acquittal of  police commander  Glenn Evans of all charges for allegedly shoving a gun down Ricky Williams’ throat, it seems that business continues as usual in Chicago.

Police have released few details about the December 26 shooting, saying in a statement, “11th District Harrison officers responded to a domestic disturbance on the 4700 block of West Erie St. Upon arrival, officers were confronted by a combative subject resulting in the discharging of the officer’s weapon, fatally wounding two individuals. The matter remains under investigation and all further inquiries can be directed to the Independent Police Review Authority.”

Melvin Jones, facing camera, hugs Robin Andrews, both brothers of Bettie Jones, 55, in Jones’ living room after she was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer.

On the morning the day after Christmas two families found themselves mourning the death of their loved ones, both shot by Chicago police officers after officers around 4:30 am responding to a call about a domestic disturbance shot and killed  19-year-old engineering student, Quintonio LeGrier and a 55-year-old Bettie Jones, mother of five.

Bettie Jones lived in the first-floor apartment with her boyfriend. She was the mother of four daughters and a son. The daughters are 38, 33 and 19-year old twins. The son is 30.

Police were offering few details of the early-morning shooting, the first use of lethal force by Chicago police since last month’s release of a video of Laquan McDonald’s death put a national spotlight on the city. The  shootings follow weeks of protests over the death of Laquan McDonald, which have put the spotlight on the Chicago Police Department and Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Chicago police officers talk with relatives of one of the two people killed by a police officer.

Officers were called to the home located on West Garfield Park around 4:30 a.m. The  police report states  a dispatcher related that a “male caller said someone is threatening his life. It’s also coming in as a domestic. The 19-year-old son is banging on his bedroom door with a baseball bat,” according to radio traffic.

The officers were “confronted by a combative subject resulting in the discharging of the officer’s weapon, fatally wounding two individuals,” the department said in a brief statement.

Family members of  Quintonio LeGrier, an honors student at Northern Illinois University said  he had been struggling with mental health issues recently.

According to Janet Cooksey, LeGrier’s  mother, she and his father had spoken about taking him to the hospital for re-evaluation  after the holidays.  She mentioned that he had been taking medication which seemed  make his behavior worse so she had suggested that he stop taking it.

Relatives weeping outside house where Quintonio LaGrier and Bettie Jones were shot to death by police.

Both families have said that Bettie Jones was a downstairs neighbor who had been asked by LeGrier’s father to keep an eye out for the arrival of the police.

No official statement by the police or any other  source has provided an account as to how both LeGrier and Jones came to be wounded by one of the officers in front of the  two-flat in the 4700 block of West Erie Street.

LeGrier’s father, Mr. LeGrier reported that his son had “emotional issues” that made him angry. He had made the call because his son acted agitated and was carrying an aluminum baseball bat. He believes the officer “messed up” and shot recklessly as his son came to the front door, hitting him several times and also striking Jones.

“I don’t feel that his life was worth losing because he got upset,” Antonio LeGrier said.

If this is true  questions have to be answered.  Did the victims demonstrate any reason to shoot them? Bettie Jones certainly had no weapon and Le Grier may or may not have been holding a bat but definitely no gun. Further, how close were the police to the two victims? Was there any verbal exchange?

Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin

Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, who represents the district where the shooting occurred, said in a statement, “At this point, we are confronted with a series of unanswered and deeply troubling questions.  Why did the officers on the scene need to resort to the use of their firearms to subdue a young man with a bat? Why weren’t the officers equipped with tasers so that Quintonio could be subdued without lethal force? How, during an officer response, did a 55-year-old mother of five come to be struck dead by bullets?”

Antonio LeGrier, the victim’s father said the officer who shot his son was about 30 feet away. He said the officer told him Quintonio LeGrier lunged at him with the bat.

“In my opinion, he knew he had messed up. It was senseless,” Antonio LeGrier told the Sun-Times about the unnamed officer. “He knew he had shot, blindly, reckless into the doorway and now two people are dead because of it.”

Janet Cooksey with photo of her son, Quintonio LeGrier, 19, college student

Jones’ relatives believe she was behind LeGrier, near the entrance to her apartment, and was shot by mistake.  Jones’ daughter  says she was shot opening a door for officers.

Evelyn Glover Jennings, Jones’ cousin said of Bettie Jones, “She’s my first cousin; I want this investigation to be thorough. I want answers.”

Being smart and careful, the Police Department would not provide specifics regarding  where the victims were standing when they were shot, but blood could be seen in the small vestibule and just inside Jones’ apartment.  At least one bullet appeared to have traveled through Jones’ apartment, hitting at least two walls.

Jones’ daughter,  Latisha Jones, 19, was awakened by  gunfire, got up and found her mother on the floor of her apartment with a gunshot wound to the neck. “She wasn’t saying anything,” Jones said. “I had to keep checking for a pulse.” However she was still breathing.  Jones was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Chicago protesters have been shutting down streets on a nearly daily basis.

Janet Cooksey, LeGrier’s mother criticized how police handled the situation.  Confused as to why her son was shot 7 seven times she expressed that she thought that a little excessive.

“He’s gone, he’s gone. Seven times he was shot,” Cooksey said. “He didn’t have a gun. He had a bat. One or two times would have brought him down.

“I’m trying to be strong because I pray. But that’s my only child. And I’m hurting. I’m hurting real bad,” she said.

She noted that her son “had mental issues” but insisted they were no cause for how police reacted.

Students at Northern Illinois University, where LeGrier was studying engineering.

“They did tell me he was shot seven times. That’s a bit much. That’s a bit much,” she said. “I don’t take all of that. My son only weighed about 150 pounds. Why do you have to be shot that many times? Why? If the police are trained in the field, then how, they’re just handling the situation by killing people?”

Cooksey noted  that her son was no thug on the street but rather a  graduate  from Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy with honors. He was studying engineering at Northern Illinois University.  Cooksey said, “My son was going somewhere.”

The police officials said  investigators were waiting for the autopsy to determine how many times LeGrier was shot an that  investigators were looking into whether responding officers knew they were dealing with someone with mental health issues and whether anyone on the scene was equipped with a Taser. No gun was recovered at the scene.

First Chicago police shootings since massive marches protesting killing of LaQuan McDonald, shot 16 times.

Family members of  Bettie Jones  said they, too, have “so many questions and no answers.” Her brother, Melvin Jones  said, “Right now there’s a whole lot of anger, a whole lot of tears.

Melvin Jones explained that he and about 15 other relatives were at the apartment Friday to celebrate Christmas with food, family and card games.  He said that his sister had  an excellent Christmas.  “And then to wake up to this.

“You see it on the news and think that something needs to be done,” Melvin Jones said, referring to recent shootings by Chicago police. “It really hits you and it just leaves you numb. He added “I don’t have time to feel, I have a funeral to prepare.”

Bettie Jones’ youngest brother, Robin Andrews, who drove in from Milwaukee upon receiving the sad news,  said that Bettie had been battling ovarian cancer for several years and had recently taken time off at work to recuperate.

The family had thought that there was hope so the news of her death really hit them hard.

Chicago cops seriously wound young father, Mekel Lumpkin, 23

Scene of Mekel Lumpkin’s shooting Dec. 26 by Chicago cops.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20151226/washington-heights/police-shoot-seriously-injure-man-washington-heights-saturday-reports

VIDEO BY CORNELL SQUIRES OF PRESS CONFERENCE DEC. 24, 2015

Cop crossed Detroit border, chased Matthews on foot, away from view of dashcam video, then shot him in a backyard.

 Neighbors say they heard at least six gunshots—Matthews was unarmed; ME says Matthews died of “multiple gunshot wounds”

 ‘No more unarmed Black men killed by police; let them police with their hands, not their guns’—Rev. Charles Williams II, National Action Network

‘We want justice and we are going to fight this all the way’—sister Karen Matthews

By Diane Bukowski and Cornell Squires

“A sweet man” — Kevin Matthews/Family photo

December 25, 2015

DETROIT – The family of Kevin Matthews, 35, gunned down by a white Dearborn cop on Dec. 23, wept in agony during a Christmas Eve press conference called by the Rev. Charles Williams II, Michigan chair of the National Action Network (NAN). Matthews’ mother and immediate family, and generations from infants to great-grandparents crowded the stage at Historic King Solomon Baptist Church in Detroit.

The cop, who Detroit police chief James Craig and Dearborn police chief Ronald Haddad have refused to name, followed the unarmed Matthews on foot across the Detroit border on Tireman, to a backyard on Whitcomb, out of sight of his police car’s dashcam video. Neighbors said they then heard six gunshots. The Wayne County Medical Examiner has now said that Matthews died of “multiple gunshot wounds.”

“We want justice and we are going to fight this all the way,” the family vowed. Williams announced that NAN and other organizations will hold a massive national rally in Dearborn Jan. 4, 2016.

William Melendez mug shot Nov. 19 at Wayne County Jail.

Floyd Dent points out “Robocop” Melendez in court during trial.

“We’re going to send Bill Melendez a letter,” Williams said, referring to the former Inkster cop now locked up in the Wayne County Jail, after his conviction of major felonies for a vicious assault Jan.31 on Detroit autoworker Floyd Dent. “We going to tell him—make room, there’s another one on the way.”

Matthews’ mother Valerie Johnson said, “My son was a good son, a good brother, he hurt nobody. He didn’t do anything wrong to anybody to deserve to die like this. I loved my son and he loved me. My son was on his way to see about me when he was shot down. He always had a smile on his face. He always would do anything he could for anybody, he would help anybody. I love him and I’m going to miss him. I’m going to miss my child.”

Tears streamed down Kimberly Matthews’ face. She was Kevin’s sister.

Kimberly Matthews speaks at press conference, calling her brother “the star of the family.” Her brother Lavell and mother Valerie Johnson are at her right.

“My brother was very loving, he was my closest sibling,” she said. “Every time I saw him he told me he loved me, and he would kiss me. We talked on the phone every day. He was a family-oriented person, the person in our family that made everybody laugh, that made everybody feel special. He is going to be a big loss. He was the star of this family, just the sweetest, loving, caring person. We want justice and we are going to fight this all the way. We are not going to let my brother die in vain.”

Is this the Dearborn cop who killed Matthews, appearing to explain action at scene of shooting?

Grimacing in pain, his brother Lavell Matthews added, “That was my brother; that was my brother. I loved him and he loved me back. I need justice. Something is going to happen because I’m never defeated. They took my brother and they shot him like a dog.”

His family said Matthews suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, for which he was on disability income, and that he had also been hit by a car Thanksgiving Day, breaking his arm and sustaining injuries to his head. They said his cast had just come off, but he still could not use his arm; his fingers remained clenched up.

“He was one of those folks in the community who was definitely a respected person,” Rev. Williams said. “Not only did they know him well, they knew his challenges well. Police officers on the Detroit side knew him also. When they saw him wandering, they would give him a ride to his mother’s house. It is concerning to me that the officer claimed he felt threatened. Not only did Kevin have a broken arm, but he was a very small guy.”

Grover Easterling, Jr. and Sierra Wither of national Organization for Black Struggle.

Numerous supporters attended the press conference, including Sierra Wither and Grover Easterling, Jr. of the national Organization for Black Struggle.

“This is a family that just lost a loved one who was differently abled,” Wither said. “Across the country, police are using mental illness in conjunction with Blackness to criminalize people.

Easterling added, “We need the officer’s name released. They let the victim’s minor police record be known before they even identified him.”

Bill Davis, President of the Detroit Active and Retired Employee Association (DAREA), said “Anytime somebody can be gunned down because they are not white, we are all affected. We just had 108,000 people in Flint poisoned by Governor Rick Snyder, who engineered the phony Detroit bankruptcy. The Department of Justice is sleeping at the wheel. If that had happened in any other country, we would be bombing them.”

Bill Davis, President of DAREA, at press conference.

The picture Rev. Williams and the family painted of Matthews contrasted greatly with the view that Matthews was a “troublesome criminal,” put forward by Detroit Police Chief James Craig and Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad.

Craig told reporters directly after the killing that there was “evidence of a struggle” in the backyard, and said they had one eyewitness. Haddad said Matthews had tried to take the cop’s gun, and that he supported his officer’s actions.

The Detroit Police Department works on numerous inter-agency task forces involving suburban police. One which also included the federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) was involved in the June 24 shooting death of Terrance Kellom, 19, in his father’s home on Evergreen near Joy Road, not far from the site of the Matthews shooting.

Terrance Kellom, killed by federal and Detroit police in his father’s home

Detroit police earlier worked directly with Dearborn police and the FBI to assassinate Imam Luqman Abdullah, shooting him 21 times, in October, 2009. The U.S. Department of Justice later exonerated the killers.

Craig, whose department allegedly has taken over the investigation, claimed Matthews was wanted on a a $2,500 misdemeanor warrant from Redford Township, while Haddad said he had a probation violation warrant from Redford Township.

No such warrants for Kevin Matthews are shown either on the state police ICHAT website, or in Wayne County Circuit Court online records. The ICHAT site does include numerous arrests of Matthews, nearly all with no subsequent judicial action. He served probation for 12 months for one misdemeanor case in 2013.

In any event, Matthews had never even been arrested for a felony, the only valid excuse the Dearborn cop might have had for chasing him. But as his family has said, he was constantly being harassed by police.

Backyard on Whitcomb north of Tireman where cop shot Kevin Matthews to death.

Other mainstream media is now reporting without foundation that Matthews may have just committed a larceny, recalling the police murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Media was quick to pounce on an earlier store video of Brown and a friend allegedly shoplifting. The cop who killed Brown, however, had no knowledge of that incident at the time.

Brown’s killing ignited fiery rebellions and protests across the country as police continued to shoot down hundreds more unarmed Black men in the ensuing months.

Ironically, two Black residents of southwest Detroit were talking to this reporter at the same time that Matthews was killed. They complained of racist practices by both Dearborn and Redford Township police, and detailed stories of illegal stops they had undergone only recently.

Protest against murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO.

One stop involved a Redford Township cop pulling one man over as he was driving his pick-up truck. The man repeatedly asked why he had been stopped, but the cop refused to explain, instead demanding his license and other papers. Finally he told the man he had stopped him for a barely visible chip in his windshield, which could not have been seen from even a short distance away.

He then claimed that Township police were looking for a vehicle and a driver fitting his description, the age-old story used by racist cops.

Terry Jerome Jones (l) with supporter; cousin Antoinette Austin (center) with attorney (r).

Antoinette Austin said she believes Dearborn and other white suburban police are targeting not only Black men, but differently-abled men as well. Austin’s cousin Terry J. Jones was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder as a child, she said.

In 2011, while he was walking down a Dearborn sidewalk off Michigan Avenue getting some air, he was brutally beaten and nearly killed by Dearborn cops for no reason other than “walking while Black.”

“If the courts and the Justice Department had acted when Dearborn police beat my cousin Terry to the point where he might have died, Kevin Matthews might be alive today,” Austin said. “Terry is still undergoing numerous operations for the injuries he received. They tore his muscles from his tendons. Next week, he is going into surgery to repair his rotocuff.”

Dearborn police chief Ronald Haddad

Austin said Jones was slugged and knee-kicked in the head after cops threw him to the ground, using the “N” word, and then choked with a noose around his neck while he was handcuffed behind his back. They called for assistance from other cops in a dispatch terming it a “fun run.” They said he was probably a crackhead and continually insulted him.

The cops allegedly involved, who have  not been disciplined, are Cpl. Edward Doulette, Cpl. Chad McDonald, and Sgt. Edward Fries.

Then, she said, Dearborn courts and a public defender tried to get Jones to plead guilty to lesser charges in exchange for not suing the city, and also threatened to commit him to a mental hospital. (See video of Jones’ beating below).

“Terry refused absolutely to take any kind of deal and give up his rights,” she said. He was eventually completely exonerated of charges brought against him and is currently pursuing a civil lawsuit for damages in federal court. The City of Dearborn has moved to dismiss the lawsuit. The judge has extended the plaintiff’s time to answer to motion until Feb. 4, 2016, according to federal court files.

Jones’ case drew the attention of Detroit Channel 7’s Heather Catallo when she was working with the Local 7 Investigators. She followed it with a series of reports, running a police dashcam video of the assault to CODthe shock of the Dearborn police, Austin said. The police did not know they had obtained a copy of the video.

KEVIN MATTHEWS PRESS CONFERENCE Q & A PART TWO; VIDEO BY CORNELL SQUIRES

Related stories:

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/05/04/support-man-injured-for-life-by-dearborn-police-for-walking-while-black-tues-may-5-10-am/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/08/21/no-justice-for-young-detroit-dad-terrance-kellom-worthy-refuses-to-prosecute-killer-cops-again/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/06/20/detroit-rally-demands-charges-in-police-execution-of-19-yr-old-dad-terrance-kellom/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/05/09/coalition-confronts-i-c-e-demands-justice-in-terrance-kellom-killing-end-to-other-attacks/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/05/05/family-members-want-terrance-kelloms-autopsy-report-unsealed-funeral-announced-to-public/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/05/03/hundreds-comfort-terrance-kelloms-family-at-vigil-will-autopsy-show-both-feds-dpd-shot-him/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/04/30/police-assassination-of-terrance-kellom-19-detroit-chief-craig-feds-have-blood-on-hands/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2010/10/16/family-religious-and-civil-rights-leaders-outraged-after-doj-exonerates-imam-luqman-abdullah%e2%80%99s-killers/

December 21, 2015

VOD: The Flint water crisis will never end for the people of Flint and their children, of course, because they have been damaged for life. VOD, however, has been reporting that Flint-type water is coming to YOUR town soon, under the auspices of the regional Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), a product of Gov. Snyder’s Detroit bankruptcy carried out by Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr.

Detroit’s illegally elected Mayor Mike Duggan targets the DWSD as he announces GLWA creation Sept. 9, 2015.

A GLWA-DWSD/R partnership is scheduled to start Jan. 1, 2016. This does NOT carry out the mandates of the bankruptcy Plan of Confirmation regarding the GLWA, which meant it to be an independent authority with DWSD as a retail customer subordinate to it.

An article just published in the Washington Times questions the capacity of Gary Brown, just anointed head of the DWSD by “Mayor” Mike Duggan, to run the DWSD, since his experience is related to his years in the Detroit Police Department.

See http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/dec/20/detroit-water-chief-says-real-work-just-starting/

PLEASE see VOD stories below, and ACT this time. The petition that is out there to stop the GLWA is still current, since there has never been a legal notice published under PA 233 of 1955 of the contract between the GLWA and the City of Detroit signed June 12, 2015, and Detroiters’ right to a referendum to make that contract null and void.  Only 15,000 Detroit resident signatures are needed. Links to the petition and all pertinent documents are included in the stories below.

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/10/13/will-regional-takeover-of-detroit-water-make-residents-of-6-counties-drink-flint-water/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/09/19/alert-still14-weeks-to-stop-detroit-water-take-over-more-shut-offs-rate-hikes-lay-offs-pollution/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/07/10/regional-water-czars-plan-permanent-shut-offs-to-large-parts-of-detroit-while-increasing-rates/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/06/16/authority-approves-bankruptcy-theft-of-detroits-water-system-retirees-begin-referendum-campaign/  

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/05/22/stop-water-shut-offs-now-cancel-detroitwater-debt-ireland-demands-no-water-charges/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2014/10/26/we-charge-genocide-detroit-water-shut-offs-foreclosures-focus-of-un-visit/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2014/08/21/near-catastrophic-failure-of-detroit-sewage-pumps-caused-detroit-floods-toledo-water-crisis-city-retirees-say/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/03/02/detroit-long-term-debt-rises-300-in-bankruptcy-retirees-fight-back-with-protest-court-appeals/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2014/09/10/detroit-bankruptcy-great-lakes-water-authority-to-steal-largest-asset-of-largest-u-s-black-city-4/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2014/11/15/detroit-bankruptcy-plan-genocide-in-usas-largest-black-majority-city-rich-get-95-9-poor-get-13-5/

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/05/27/detroit-shuts-water-off-again-violating-un-declaration-when-will-city-rise-up/ 

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2014/08/21/near-catastrophic-failure-of-detroit-sewage-pumps-caused-detroit-floods-toledo-water-crisis-city-retirees-say/

Protesters demanding “Stop the War on Black America” gather outside courthouse after mistrial declared Dec. 16, 2015.

First Baltimore policeman’s trial in death of black man ends in hung jury

Reuters

By Ian Simpson and Donna Owens

 December 16, 2015

VOD: The first pictures and videos of Freddie Gray’s arrest appeared to show him already severely wounded after a beating. He grimaced in pain and at first appeared unable to stand, as he was tossed into the van. Were the right cops charged? The cops involved in his arrest were all white. Three of the six cops standing trial, mostly those inside the van, are Black. Has the prosecution deliberately thrown this trial as the medical examiner  claimed Florida prosecutors did in the death of Trayvon Martin? And as the prosecution did in the case of Aiyana Jones’ murder by Joseph Weekley?

Freddie Gray, Jr.

BALTIMORE (Reuters) – A mistrial was declared on Wednesday in the case of a Baltimore police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray, a Black man whose killing while in custody sparked riots [rebellions] last April, and the city’s mayor appealed for calm.

The judge dismissed the jury in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Officer William Porter – the first of six officers to be tried in Gray’s death – after 16 hours of deliberations during which it was unable to reach a verdict on any of the charges against the policeman.

“I do declare a mistrial,” Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams said.

The judge said an administrative judge would schedule a new trial as early as Thursday.

Within minutes of his ruling, a phalanx of uniformed officers surrounded the courthouse. They pushed back a group of a few dozen protesters and arrested at least two people, one of whom appeared to swing at an officer. Large numbers of police have been stationed around Baltimore over the past few days.

Freddie Gray appeared severely, possibly mortally wounded, during his arrest by white officers before being put into van.

Porter, 26, was the first of six officers to be tried in Gray’s death from a broken neck suffered while he was transported in the back of a police van.

The panel of five men and seven women had said on Tuesday that it was deadlocked, but Williams had told the jurors to keep trying to reach a verdict.

Porter, who like Gray is black, was charged for having put Gray in the back of the van without seat-belting him and with being too slow to pass on his request for medical assistance.

His attorneys had argued that he may have been unaware of department policy mandating that detainees be seat-belted, which was put into place shortly before Gray’s arrest.

Gray’s death triggered protests, rioting and arson in the majority-black city of 620,000 people, and intensified a U.S. debate on police treatment of minorities. It followed the police killings of black men in cities including Ferguson, Missouri, and New York, which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.

CALLS FOR CALM

Freddie Gray tossed into van, clearly already severely injured.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake urged people to remain calm about the ruling. “We must respect the outcome of the judicial process,” she said in a statement.

Officials in Baltimore had come under heavy criticism for a restrained initial response to April’s riots, which some observers contended allowed arson and looting to spiral out of control.

“I urge everyone to remember that collectively, our reaction needs to be one of respect for our neighborhoods,” Rawlings-Blake said. “In the case of any disturbance in the city we are prepared to respond.”

Porter had been charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. The charges against the other officers range from second-degree murder for the van’s driver, to misconduct.

Warren Brown, a Baltimore defense lawyer who was in the courtroom, said of the decision, “I am not surprised at all. I think you will have the same scenario with the other trials.”

He said he wanted to see if the jury broke down on racial lines. Seven of the jurors are black and five are white.

Protester confronts sheriffs in front of courthouse.

Gray was arrested after fleeing from police. He was put in a transport van, shackled and handcuffed, but was not secured by a seat belt, in violation of department policy. He died a week later.

Porter testified Gray told him he needed medical aid. Porter told the van’s driver and a supervisor that Gray had asked for aid but none was summoned, according to testimony.

The defense argued that Porter did not believe Gray was seriously injured until the van’s final stop. His lawyers have said that Porter acted as any reasonable officer would have.

“In some ways, a hung jury might be better than an acquittal,” Deray McKesson, a prominent U.S. civil rights activist, said on Twitter.

One legal expert said he was surprised to see a mistrial declared on just the third day of deliberations.

“I thought the judge would never declare a mistrial absent a fistfight until the jury had been deliberating for six or seven days,” said Jim Cohen, a professor at Fordham Law School in New York. “They chose the wrong defendant to try first.”

(Reporting by Ian Simpson and Donna Owens; Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Dan Grebler and Jonathan Oatis)

Related:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/baltimore-police-preparations-ahead-of-freddie-gray-verdict-alarm-activists/ar-BBnDisy?ocid=U348DHP

Tens of thousands of protesters shut down Orioles game at Camden Yards in Baltimore after Freddie Gray’s murder.

Members of the Homrich 9, arrested for blockading water shut-offs trucks.

From: Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management 

December 15, 2015

 Judge Michael Hathaway during hearing on Tigh Croff, who killed a homeless man running away from him.  Hathaway said in chambers  he would have done the same thing and gave the defendant probation. What he will do about Detroiters living without water?

Next court appearance related to the Homrich water shut-off blockade comes this Friday (12/18) at 9am Frank Murphy Hall, 5^th floor in Judge Michael Hathaway’s courtroom.

By proper procedures this case should not be in front of him at all, but this motion is that he should be recused from the case for substantive reasons of pre-judgment and bias. He is the one who stayed the jury from deliberation because, without evidence, notification, or opposition, the head of Duggan’s law department, Butch Hollowell told him that the trial “had gone off the rails.” It is unlikely that this case will get to the jury if the arguments are heard by him. It’s time again to fill the courtroom.

VOD: Diane Bukowski and Cornell Squires of the Voice of Detroit were present at the Dec. 1 hearing during which Hathaway argued with supporters of the Homrich 9 that he had legitimately shut down the 36th District Court jury trial at the request of “Mayor” Duggan’s top aides, including Butch Hollowell. See http://voiceofdetroit.net/2015/12/02/judge-michael-hathaway-seizes-water-protest-verdict-from-black-detroit-jury-halts-trial/.

Diane Bukowski under arrest Nov. 6, 2008.

Bukowski was also unjustly convicted of two felonies in front of Hathaway in 2009 for doing her job  as a reporter for the Michigan Citizen under the First Amendment. She was covering the high speed Michigan State Trooper case which killed two Black men, James Willingham and Jeffery Frazier on Detroit’s east side on Nov. 6, 2008, the day of President Barack Obama’s first election.

The troopers were not charged, although they drove at high speeds without lights and siren through a residential neighborhood with three elementary and schools in close proximity, at 3:30 p.m. Judge Hathaway was extremely biased throughout her trial, even granting a prosecution motion to exclude First Amendment consideration. http://freedianebukowski.org/.

THERE IS NO WAY JUDGE MICHAEL HATHAWAY WILL RECUSE HIMSELF FROM THE HOMRICH 9 CASE. WHILE THIS CASE WENDS ITS WAY THOUGH LEGAL BYPATHS, WHAT WILL DETROITERS DO TO SAVE THE THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES WHOSE WATER HAS BEEN SHUT OFF, AND THE THOUSANDS MORE WHO WILL CONTINUE TO BE SHUT OFF, ACCORDING TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF A BLUE RIBBON PANEL?

Rally against Benton Harbor Emergency Manager 2012.

LOOK TO FERGUSON, BALTIMORE, CHICAGO AND ELSEWHERE, FOR A PEOPLE WITHOUT WATER WILL DIE AS SURELY AS THE HUNDREDS NOW BEING KILLED BY POLICE THROUGHOUT THE U.S. THIS IS NOTHING BUT GENOCIDE! FIGHT BACK BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!

http://voiceofdetroit.net/2014/11/15/detroit-bankruptcy-plan-genocide-in-usas-largest-black-majority-city-rich-get-95-9-poor-get-13-5/

December 13, 2014

Fusillade of bullets pumped into man after already shot by LA Sheriffs

Nicholas Robertson with his daughter, one of three children.

LYNWOOD, Calif. — Two sheriff’s deputies fired their weapons at least 25 times and a man — reportedly wielding a gun — was killed Saturday in Lynwood outside Los Angeles.

The shooting occurred about 11 a.m. in the area of Long Beach Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue, Deputy Sara Rodriguez of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Information Bureau told CBS Los Angeles.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

At a press conference on Sunday, officials said the suspect’s name is Nicholas Robertson, a 28-year-old from Compton. Relatives told CBS Los Angeles he is a father of three.

Officials said at the press conference would only say Robertson had “prior contact with the judicial system,” but declined to provide details.

Nicholas Robertson crawling as cops pump bullets into him.

The incident was on the motel-lined commercial street, about seven blocks south of the 105 Freeway.

Authorities said deputies were dispatched to the area following reports of a “man with a gun” and “shots fired” call. Robertson is accused of shooting his gun into the air and acting erratically.

A graphic cellphone video of the incident appears to show two officers firing as many as 33 times at the suspect, reports CBS News’ Chris Martinez.

Early in their confrontation, Robertson falls to the ground and after a short interval he is seen crawling on his stomach as he is repeatedly struck by additional gunfire from police.

The suspect was described by various callers as a black male wearing a checkered shirt.

Deputies approached the suspect in front of a busy Arco station. They said the suspect refused multiple orders to drop his gun.

Authorities also said the suspect pointed his weapon — a loaded .45 — at deputies.

At their Sunday afternoon press conference, Los Angeles officials say video shows the suspect had his gun on him during the entirety of the incident.

Earl Ofari Hutchison

Community activist Earl Ofari Hutchinson and other civil rights activists on Saturday accused police of using excessive force. They also asked for a fast-track investigation into the shooting by L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.

“The shooting of Robertson comes on the heels of the Chicago Police videotaped release of the shooting of Jacquan McDonald and is eerily similar,” Hutchison said, “You have a suspect that’s on the ground and subdued yet officers still keep pumping bullets into him. This is both reckless and excessive use of force. And given tension in the community over these types of shootings it makes it even more urgent that Lacey conduct a full, fast and impartial investigation and quickly release her findings.”

CBS Los Angeles spoke to Robertson’s friends and family at the scene.

“They shot him in his shoulder, and he was crawling to this gas station,” said Pamela Brown, Robertson’s mother-in-law.

She doesn’t believe Robertson had a gun and she doesn’t understand why deputies fired so many rounds.

A makeshift memorial set up Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, for a man who was shot and killed by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies Saturday near a gasoline station, in Lynwood, Calif.

“He left three kids behind,” she said, “Two daughters and a son. What? They could have Tased him, or anything.”

Several people gathered at the scene calling the shooting unjustified and accusing the deputies of excessive force.

In a statement. LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said, “I want to assure the public that the Sheriff’s Department takes deputy-involved shootings very seriously and this investigation will be handled with the utmost professionalism and integrity. In this modern age of cellphone video and instant analysis on the internet I would ask that we keep in mind that a thorough and comprehensive investigation is detailed and time intensive. Our number one priority is public safety.”

Meanwhile, Brown said even though it won’t bring her son-in-law back, she wants answers.

“I’m not mad at them,” she said, “but you should have handled this in a different way.”

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