Trump’s Attorney General
The recent protests outside Trump campaign rallies are just dress rehearsals for what is in store if Donald Trump becomes president.
Am I fear mongering? I don’t think so.
Consider this: The president of the United States appoints the U.S. Attorney General who takes office after confirmation by the U.S. Senate. The Attorney General serves at the pleasure of the president and is a member of the president’s cabinet.
If Trump is elected president, who would he appoint as Attorney General?
Trump has a skewed view of justice and his ignorance of the constitution is breathtaking.
Trump is repeatedly accusing U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing a lawsuit involving Trump University, of bias because of his Mexican heritage. This has resulted in scathing criticism. Sunday, Trump said he would have some concerns about the impartiality of a Muslim judge.
If one follows Trump’s twisted view of reality, an American judge of Italian heritage shouldn’t preside in trials involving the Mafia.
By simply gauging this warped thought process, it’s safe to assume that a bigot would probably appoint an extreme right wing attorney general to appease many of his supporters.
Probably, someone who will not vigorously prosecute cases involving police brutality or fatal shootings of unarmed suspects. Someone who will not make strong legal arguments on behalf of the federal government when landmark cases go before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Under a Trump attorney general, prosecution of these cases will more than likely be few and far between. This will send the wrong message to law enforcement agencies throughout the nation that police officers will no longer be prosecuted for if they brutality beat suspects or fatal shoot unarmed people who pose no threat to them
Meanwhile, the steady stream of videos captured on cell phone camera showing police beatings and fatal shootings will continue. Little, if anything, will be done, and there will be demonstrations in cities like there were in Ferguson, Baltimore and Chicago.
The protests will spread throughout the nation and will become more violent and lives will be lost, which could lead to the rise of domestic terrorism spawned out of frustration, anger and desperation.
The progress made by holding brutal and trigger-happy cops accountable will be compromised.
In Ferguson, Missouri, there has been substantial progress. In 2014, several officials stepped down, including the city manager, court clerk, police chief, municipal judge and police officers.
The city has a new police chief, a new city manager and a new municipal judge — all blacks who replaced white leaders.
All Ferguson officers wear body cameras. The city council has new members, too, several of whom are black. And the business district that was at the center of last year’s sometimes-violent protests is slowly rebuilding.
The Department of Justice under the Obama appointed Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch have prosecuted police officers involved in police brutality and fatal shootings of unarmed suspects and gone after law enforcement agencies that, for years, have allowed thugs with guns and badges to run rampant and without impunity.
Last year, the Department of Justice was investigating 21 law enforcement agencies (see the complete list here) that the feds have investigated since 2009 for chronic abuses like racial bias and excessive force, according to a 2015 news report.
Still, there is much more work to be done.
Bottom line: Minorities aren’t going to meekly board the trains or sit in the back seats of buses. Those days are over, and are fading on America’s rearview mirror.
Judge’s Remarks in Sentencing a Cop Were Powerful
Earlier this year, Detroit Judge Vonda Evans spent nearly 20 minutes addressing ex-Inkster Police Officer William Melendez before sentencing him to between 13 months and 10 years in prison for the beating Floyd Dent in Jan. 28, 2015. He could be out as in 10 months with time served.
She gave scathing criticism about how police handled this incident.
Also the judge noted said police officers have a highest rate of drug abuse, alcohol, divorce and suicide.
“Their life expectancy is ten years less than the average American. Police are human being too. They feel despair and they have ups and downs. Their job is made worse because they see on a daily basis, more than any other occupation, the worst behavior that people can inflict on one another. They go to work every day with the knowledge that some of the people that they are sworn to protect and serve want to kill them.”
Hispanics and the Ballot Box
Donald Trump apparently touched a raw nerve in the Hispanic community.
Registration among Hispanic voters is skyrocketing in a presidential election cycle dominated byDonald Trump and loud GOP cries to close the border, according to the Hill.
Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Elected and Appointed Officials, projects 13.1 million Hispanics will vote nationwide in 2016, compared to 11.2 million in 2012 and 9.7 million in 2008.
To read the entire article “Hispanic voter registration spikes”
click here: The Hill
Good News in Southern California
The Oxnard Police Department in California announced last week that it completed phase one to have its officers wear body cameras.
In recently years, the department has come under fire for a number of fatal shootings involving unarmed suspects, including an innocent victim who was shot on the street more than a dozen times. The victim and his brother, who managed to escape being hit by police bullets, were walking together when the two unarmed men were mistaken for suspects.
I wrote a number of stories about the protests against Oxnard police by many in the community “Criticism Over Police Fatal Shootings Continues as Calls for a Police Oversight Committee Increase” and “Oxnard Police: Shooting Tattoos Investigation Report Not For Public Eyes”
In a press release, the Oxnard Police Department reported that it has purchased 50 body cameras and handed them out to patrol officers who have completed training on how to use them.
“Body-worn cameras have been shown to enhance the effectiveness of Law Enforcement while promoting professional accountability and aiding in event documentation. A goal of our program is to increase transparency, officer accountability, and enhance the public’s trust and confidence in the Oxnard Police Department. These systems have also been proven to deter violence or other negative behavior by individuals who may otherwise choose to assault a victim or an officer,” the press release stated.