19 Search results

For the term "confrontation".

Federal Appeals Court Overturns Murderer’s Death Sentence

by · Aug 1, 2022 3:37 pm

A divided panel of the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has overturned the death sentence of a South Carolina man who murdered four people in two states.  Associated Press writer Jeffery Collins reports that in its July 26 ruling the Appeals court concluded that the judge in Quincy Allen’s 2005 sentencing hearing had excluded, ignored or overlooked the murderer’s “serious mental illness history of childhood abuse” which the court believes had a “substantial and injurious effect or influence on the outcome of the sentencing proceeding.”   The ruling came a week before a judge hears a lawsuit brought by several other condemned South Carolina murderers who argue that the electric chair and the firing squad, utilized by the state, amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.  The state has been forced to use these execution methods because anti-death penalty groups, including the European Union, have pressured drug manufacturers not to sell the state lethal injection drugs.

Continue reading . . .

Fatal police shootings and race

by · Mar 17, 2022 8:00 am

The claim that police lethal force is disproportionately used against blacks has gained a lot of attention in recent years. Some data show the strength of this perception, though there is also data questioning this assertion. Unfortunately, the government does not mandate the reporting of lethal force by police departments, so it has been difficult to learn more about the frequency and context of these incidents. Nonetheless, the narrative that blacks are disproportionately killed by the police has inspired rapid policy changes.

Some databases have attempted to collate information on police use of lethal force, but their numbers are not always consistent and are subject to their own limitations. Other researchers have examined the relationship between race and police lethal force at a more detailed level, where they are able to see whether other case characteristics influence the relationship. A recent report by Robert VerBruggen of the Manhattan Institute explains several of the approaches used to examine racial bias in fatal police shootings, which are discussed below.

Continue reading . . .

Police abolition significantly decreases public safety: The CHOP Zone in Seattle

by · Jan 21, 2022 9:00 am

A 2022 study published in the journal of Criminology and Public Policy showed that police abolition significantly increased crime during the 2020 Capitol Hill Occupation Protest (CHOP) in Seattle.

Following the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, tensions between the public and the police increased greatly and protests erupted in cities throughout the United States. Seattle was no exception, with protestors gathering nightly at the Seattle Police Department (SPD)’s East precinct. The protests often turned confrontational and dangerous as people set fires and caused property damage, while officers took to deploying riot control weapons to control the scene. On June 8, 2020, in an attempt to calm the situation, the SPD suddenly abandoned the East precinct, and officers were instructed to no longer patrol nor respond to calls for service in the area unless there was a mass casualty event.

Continue reading . . .

Life in Progressive New York City

by · Dec 18, 2020 11:15 am

Progressive social and criminal justice policies are running the show, or perhaps I should say running amok, in New York City.  Such policies are said to aim to help the poor and those who must rely on public services.  Just now I received a small but valuable insight from the brilliant Rafael Mangual who lives in the City.  Judge for yourself how much “help” is being provided.

Continue reading . . .

A Quiet Morning at SCOTUS

by · Oct 13, 2020 9:13 am

The U.S. Supreme Court released an orders list this morning, taking up one set of consolidated civil cases. No criminal cases were taken up. No action was taken on a widely anticipated case regarding the Confrontation Clause and testimony on DNA test results, Chavis v. Delaware, No. 20-317. That case will likely be considered in another conference soon. Continue reading . . .

Rose Garden Remarks

by · Jul 1, 2020 2:27 pm

Part 2 of a three part series.

On Tuesday, June 16, President Trump signed an executive order, establishing preliminary measures taken by the federal government to begin police reform.

Trump’s speech started strong, as he revealed in his Rose Garden remarks that he’d had met with nine families who had lost members as a result of police brutality or racially motivated killings. As he unveiled the details of the new order, he addressed his private meetings with the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Botham Jean, Antwon Rose, Atatiana Jefferson, Jemel Roberson, Michael Dean, Darius Tarver, Cameron lamb, and Everett Palmer.  Continue reading . . .

Appeals Court Overturns Activist’s Murder Conviction

by · Mar 31, 2020 10:42 am

In an unpublished ruling released earlier this month, a divided panel of the California’s First District Court of Appeal overturned the murder conviction of DeAngelo Cortijo, a well known Bay Area  criminal justice reform advocate.   The San Jose Mercury News reports that a jury found Cortijo guilty of the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Oakland resident Jamad Jerkins in 2016.  At trial, Jerkins’ girlfriend testified that he had told her about an earlier incident where Cortijo had pulled a gun on Jerkins.   The judge sustained the defense objection that the girlfriend’s statement was hearsay, and instructed the jury to ignore it, but he refused Cortijo’s request for a mistrial.   Cortijo later testified that he had confronted Jerkins in an apartment parking lot, pointing a loaded gun at him,  and claimed that when Jerkins tried to slap the gun away, it went off.

Continue reading . . .