CNN) -- Israeli soldiers routinely and intentionally put children in harm's way during their 22-day offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza, according to a United Nations report made public Monday.
On March 6, a Palestinian boy sits on the rubble of a building destroyed during Israel's 22-day Gaza offensive.
1 of 2 The report said a working group had documented and verified reports of violations "too numerous to list."
For example, on January 15, in a town southwest of Gaza City, Israel Defense Forces soldiers ordered an 11-year-old boy to open Palestinians' packages, presumably so that the soldiers would not be hurt if they turned out to contain explosives, the 43-page report said.
They then forced the boy to walk in front of them in the town, it said. When the soldiers came under fire, "the boy remained in front of the group," the report said.
It said the boy was later released.
Also cited were "credible reports" that accused Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that runs Gaza, of using human shields and placing civilians at risk.
But it singled out the Israelis for more sweeping criticism.
A spokesman for the Israeli prime minister called the report another example of the "one-sided and unfair" attitude of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which requested it.
The report cited two alleged incidents from January 3. In one, it said, after a tank round struck near a house, a father and his two sons -- both younger than 11 -- emerged to look at the damage.
"As they exited their home, IDF soldiers shot and killed them (at the entrance to their house), with the daughter witnessing," the report said.
In the second, it said, "Israeli soldiers entered a family house in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Standing at the doorstep, they asked the male head of the household to come out and shot him dead, without warning, while he was holding his ID, hands raised up in the air, and then started to fire indiscriminately and without warning into the room where the rest of the family was huddled together.
"The eldest son was shouting in vain the word 'Children' in Hebrew to warn the soldiers. The shooting did not stop until everyone was lying on the floor. The mother and four of the brothers, aged 2-12 years, had been wounded, one of them, aged 4, fatally."
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The alleged instances occurred during Operation Cast Lead, which was launched December 27 to halt rocket attacks into southern Israel from Gaza and ended January 17 with a cease-fire.
The U.N. report called the response by Israel disproportionate.
Of the 1,453 people estimated killed in the conflict, 1,440 were Palestinian, including 431 children and 114 women, the report said.
The 13 Israelis killed included three civilians and six soldiers killed by Hamas, and four soldiers killed by friendly fire, it said.
The report said the Israeli operation resulted in "a dramatic deterioration of the living conditions of the civilian population."
It cited "targeted and indiscriminate" attacks on hospitals and clinics, water and sewage treatment facilities, government buildings, utilities and farming and said the offensive "intensified the already catastrophic humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people."
It said Israeli strikes damaged more than 200 schools and left more than 70,000 people homeless.
"There are strong and credible reports of war crimes and other violations of international norms," it said, adding that many observers have said war crimes investigations should be undertaken.
"The alternative is de facto impunity," it said.
It called for the end of Israel's blockade of Gaza and the free passage into the territory of food, medicine, fuel and construction supplies.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, called the report "another example of the one-sided and unfair attitude of the rapporteur of the Human Rights Council, a council that has been criticized by current and previous secretaries-general for its unbalanced attitudes toward Israel."
He added, "The negative fixation on Israel by the council has done a disservice to the issue of human rights internationally as has been attested to by the leading NGO's [nongovernmental organizations] on human rights."
Another report issued Monday also was critical of the IDF. The report from Physicians for Human Rights said the Gaza incursion violated IDF's own code of ethics.
The report by the medical group, which shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, cited instances where it said IDF forces did not evacuate injured civilians for days and prevented Palestinian teams from reaching the wounded, and said some of them died as a result.
It said 16 Palestinian medical personnel were killed by IDF fire and 25 were wounded during the IDF operation, and accused the IDF of attacking 34 medical centers in violation of the IDF's own "ethical code for fighting terror."
In response, the IDF accused Hamas of having used medical vehicles, facilities and uniforms to conceal its members' activity.
"Hamas used ambulances to 'rescue' terror activists from the battlefield and used hospitals and medical facilities as hiding places," the Israelis said in a written statement.
"Despite this, throughout the fighting, IDF forces were instructed to avoid firing at ambulances, even if they were being used by armed fighters. They were instructed only to shoot if there was fire towards our forces emanating from the direction of the ambulance."
Regarding the reported delays in casualty evacuations, "there existed real difficulties in evacuating the injured, due to the roadblocks, booby-trapped roads and dirt mounds placed by the Hamas as well as the considerable damage to the infrastructure," the statement said.
Nevertheless, it said, an IDF investigation is ongoing and its conclusions will be made public once it is complete.
But Dr. Dani Filc, PHR-Israel chairman, was skeptical that the investigation would prove useful. "There are considerable doubts that the IDF is the correct institution to investigate suspicions of these violations," he said.
"The IDF's repeated promises to the High Court to look into attacks on medical teams and medical centers have gone unfulfilled, and there are suspicions concerning its seriousness and readiness to carry out the matter."
The Israeli military did accept criticism Monday on another matter -- the practice of some Israeli soldiers of wearing T-shirts that appear to condone acts of violence against Palestinians.
The Israeli daily Haaretz newspaper reported that Israeli soldiers who had finished basic training ordered the shirts, one of which showed a pregnant Arab in the crosshairs of a gun sight with a caption reading "1 Shot 2 Kills." Another showing a small child in a gun's sight was captioned, "The smaller they are, the harder it is."
"The examples presented by The Haaretz reporter are not in accordance with IDF values and are simply tasteless," the Israeli military said in a written statement. "This type of humor is unbecoming and should be condemned."
Israeli soldiers said last week that Palestinian civilians were killed and Palestinian property intentionally destroyed during Israel's military campaign in Gaza, according to Haaretz.
The IDF has said it is investigating the claims, but its top general expressed skepticism Monday.
"I don't believe that soldiers serving in the IDF hurt civilians in cold blood, but we shall wait for the results of the investigation," Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi, the chief of staff, said in a speech.
"I tell you that this is a moral and ideological army."
He blamed Hamas for choosing "to fight in heavily populated areas.
"It (was) a complex atmosphere that includes civilians and we took every measure possible to reduce harm of the innocent," he said, according to an IDF statement.
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All About Israel • Gaza • United Nations • Israeli Defense Forces • Hamas • Physicians for Human Rights
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Livni lauds U.S. boycott of UN racism conference
Livni lauds U.S. boycott of UN racism conference
By Natasha Mozgovaya, Shlomo Shamir and Barak Ravid
After weeks of tension in Israel and protests by several Jewish organizations in the United States over the Obama administration's decision to participate in the preliminary talks for the United Nations conference on racism in Geneva in April, the State Department officially said on Friday it would not participate in Durban II.
"Our delegates met with over 30 delegations, the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights and other interested parties. In addition, the Department consulted with many governments in capitals regarding our effort. The engagement by the U.S. delegation was widely welcomed and appreciated," acting State Department spokesman Robert Wood said in a statement Friday explaining the administration's position. Advertisement
"Sadly, however, the document being negotiated has gone from bad to worse, and the current text of the draft outcome document is not salvageable. As a result, the United States will not engage in further negotiations on this text, nor will we participate in a conference based on this text. A conference based on this text would be a missed opportunity to speak clearly about the persistent problem of racism," Wood continued.
"The U.S. believes any viable text for the Review Conference must be shortened and not reaffirm in toto the flawed 2001 Durban Declaration and Program of Action (DDPA)," Wood said. "It must not single out any one country or conflict, nor embrace the troubling concept of 'defamation of religion.' The U.S. also believes an acceptable document should not go further than the DDPA on the issue of reparations for slavery. We will observe developments in Geneva and in capitals to see if such an outcome emerges. We would be prepared to re-engage if a document that meets these criteria becomes the basis for deliberations."
In the same statement the State Department confirmed the participation of the U.S. in the UN Human Rights Council later this month. "... [We] share the concerns of many that the Council's trajectory is disturbing, that it needs fundamental change to do more to promote and protect the human rights of people around the world, and that it should end its repeated and unbalanced criticisms of Israel. We believe, however, it furthers our interests and will do more both to achieve these ends and advance human rights if we are part of the conversation and present at the Council's proceedings."
"Durban II is a cynical conference that is entirely anti-Semitic and anti-Israel under the guise of combating racism," Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in response to the State Department announcement. "The U.S. government's decision is a genuine, courageous expression of its values as the leader of the free world, and this decision needs to point the way for other countries that share those same values."
The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC said in a statement: "President Obama's decision not to send U.S. representation to the April event is the right thing to do and underscores America's unstinting commitment to combating intolerance and racism in all its forms and in all settings."
"As feared, it has become increasingly clear that the only purpose of the Durban conference is to condemn the State of Israel for its very existence," said William C. Daroff, vice president for public policy and director of United Jewish Communities' Washington office.
"President Obama is absolutely correct in refusing to participate in this sham. Israel is one of our nation's closest allies, and we commend the President for recognizing the need to remove America's name from these efforts to soil the name of Israel and Jews across the globe. We are hopeful that other countries will follow our lead by refusing to give credibility to this shameful fear mongering and anti-Semitic effort," Daroff said.
It is thought that certain European Union member states could follow Washington's lead and skip Durban II, although senior European diplomats at UN headquarters in New York are doubtful that the EU as a body will boycott the conference.
"I don't expect much from the EU in terms of solidarity with the U.S.," a senior Western diplomat told Haaretz over the weekend, "but a few EU states will feel very uncomfortable in remaining completely indifferent to the American move."
Canada has also announced its boycott of the April meeting, together with Israel and the U.S.
UN sources said that Iran and Syria led the uncompromising position against the U.S. with regard to the text of the draft outcome document being negotiated ahead of the conference. Diplomats in New York said that Israel has been very careful not to appear to be actively attempting to influence the American position regarding the conference.
livni, the ethnic german jewish WHORE!
By Natasha Mozgovaya, Shlomo Shamir and Barak Ravid
After weeks of tension in Israel and protests by several Jewish organizations in the United States over the Obama administration's decision to participate in the preliminary talks for the United Nations conference on racism in Geneva in April, the State Department officially said on Friday it would not participate in Durban II.
"Our delegates met with over 30 delegations, the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights and other interested parties. In addition, the Department consulted with many governments in capitals regarding our effort. The engagement by the U.S. delegation was widely welcomed and appreciated," acting State Department spokesman Robert Wood said in a statement Friday explaining the administration's position. Advertisement
"Sadly, however, the document being negotiated has gone from bad to worse, and the current text of the draft outcome document is not salvageable. As a result, the United States will not engage in further negotiations on this text, nor will we participate in a conference based on this text. A conference based on this text would be a missed opportunity to speak clearly about the persistent problem of racism," Wood continued.
"The U.S. believes any viable text for the Review Conference must be shortened and not reaffirm in toto the flawed 2001 Durban Declaration and Program of Action (DDPA)," Wood said. "It must not single out any one country or conflict, nor embrace the troubling concept of 'defamation of religion.' The U.S. also believes an acceptable document should not go further than the DDPA on the issue of reparations for slavery. We will observe developments in Geneva and in capitals to see if such an outcome emerges. We would be prepared to re-engage if a document that meets these criteria becomes the basis for deliberations."
In the same statement the State Department confirmed the participation of the U.S. in the UN Human Rights Council later this month. "... [We] share the concerns of many that the Council's trajectory is disturbing, that it needs fundamental change to do more to promote and protect the human rights of people around the world, and that it should end its repeated and unbalanced criticisms of Israel. We believe, however, it furthers our interests and will do more both to achieve these ends and advance human rights if we are part of the conversation and present at the Council's proceedings."
"Durban II is a cynical conference that is entirely anti-Semitic and anti-Israel under the guise of combating racism," Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in response to the State Department announcement. "The U.S. government's decision is a genuine, courageous expression of its values as the leader of the free world, and this decision needs to point the way for other countries that share those same values."
The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC said in a statement: "President Obama's decision not to send U.S. representation to the April event is the right thing to do and underscores America's unstinting commitment to combating intolerance and racism in all its forms and in all settings."
"As feared, it has become increasingly clear that the only purpose of the Durban conference is to condemn the State of Israel for its very existence," said William C. Daroff, vice president for public policy and director of United Jewish Communities' Washington office.
"President Obama is absolutely correct in refusing to participate in this sham. Israel is one of our nation's closest allies, and we commend the President for recognizing the need to remove America's name from these efforts to soil the name of Israel and Jews across the globe. We are hopeful that other countries will follow our lead by refusing to give credibility to this shameful fear mongering and anti-Semitic effort," Daroff said.
It is thought that certain European Union member states could follow Washington's lead and skip Durban II, although senior European diplomats at UN headquarters in New York are doubtful that the EU as a body will boycott the conference.
"I don't expect much from the EU in terms of solidarity with the U.S.," a senior Western diplomat told Haaretz over the weekend, "but a few EU states will feel very uncomfortable in remaining completely indifferent to the American move."
Canada has also announced its boycott of the April meeting, together with Israel and the U.S.
UN sources said that Iran and Syria led the uncompromising position against the U.S. with regard to the text of the draft outcome document being negotiated ahead of the conference. Diplomats in New York said that Israel has been very careful not to appear to be actively attempting to influence the American position regarding the conference.
livni, the ethnic german jewish WHORE!
German gov't slammed for not following US lead to stay away
The German government's decision to not follow the US lead and withdraw from the Durban II UN anti-racism conference before its scheduled opening April 20 in Geneva drew sharp attacks this week from German and Israeli critics.
The previous conference in Durban, South Africa in 2001 was marred by anti-Semitism and aggressive hatred of Israel, prompting the US and Israel to walk out.
In the wake of the decision by Israel, the US, and Canada not to participate in Durban II, observers in Israel and Germany have expressed frustration and disappointment with the Social Democratic Party-led Foreign Ministry's failure to confront global anti-Semitism and prevent the demonization of Israel.
Thomas von der Osten-Sacken, a German publicist and Middle East expert who heads the non-profit relief organization Wadi in northern Iraq, told The Jerusalem Post that Germany's decision to participate in Durban II is "simply scandalous. They should have long since taken a position and boycotted that thing. But their silence speaks volumes."
A spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry told the Post that the Germans are involved in the "text negotiations" and "efforts to prevent the misuse of the Durban processes."
When asked if the German government will participate in a conference infected by anti-Semitism and loathing of Israel, she said that a "decision has not been reached."
She argued that the "German government is advocating a worldwide fight against racism."
But in an e-mail to the Post, Prof. Gerald Steinberg, chairman of the Department of Political Studies at Bar-Ilan University, wrote: "Officials have repeatedly stated that given their history and what they call the special German obligation to fight racism, they must be present at a UN anti-racism conference.
"This is absurd - Germany should be the first country to denounce and stay away from any activity that is anti-Semitic, as is the case with the Durban process, and is based on the abuse of the rhetoric racism and human rights to promote hatred and the singling out of Israel. The German position, including the support of many anti-Israel NGOs and foundations that claim to promote peace and democracy, but instead are leading anti-Israel campaigns, is fundamentally immoral."
An Israeli Embassy spokesman in Berlin declined to comment on Germany's presence at Durban II.
An amalgam of German institutions combating anti-Semitism, including the Central Council of Jews in Germany, have appealed to the German government to stay away from the anti-Israel conference, asserting that the 2001 Durban conference was a precursor to the replicating of anti-Jewish hostility and hatred of Israel at this year's conference.
The Post has obtained a copy of a letter sent to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in early September, which urged the Foreign Ministry to not participate in a "recognizably anti-Semitic propaganda event within the framework of the UN and in the process cooperate with such openly anti-Semitic forces like Iran."
The Coordinating Council of German non-Governmental Organizations Against Anti-Semitism, an umbrella organization unifying diverse NGOs, initiated the protest letter.
"Following the boycott declarations from Canada, Israel and the US, we expect a positive response to this request. Germany should give a clear signal, especially out of responsibility for its history, and should not take part in the 'Durban Review Conference,' in consideration also of the goals of the German Bundestag resolution of November 4, 2008, said Klaus Faber, a representative of the Coordinating Council and former state secretary in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt.
"Only in this way can we prevent the predictable anti-Semitic diatribes at the Durban II conference from being legitimized by Germany," he told the Post.
Nasrin Amirsedghi, a German-Iranian intellectual who fled the Islamic Republic of Iran, told the Post that, "Since 2001, despotic states under the leadership of Iran have sat and dominated at the anti-racism conference, at which they instrumentalize Western achievements for their intolerance and hostility to Jews and against the principles of democracy and freedom.
"If Germany doesn't boycott the Durban Review Conference in April 2009, it must share historical guilt for the second time. It will be the end of Germany's credibility with regard to Nazi atrocities."
The Bastard u.s. government`s policies of Racism continue to raise it`s Devil head.
The previous conference in Durban, South Africa in 2001 was marred by anti-Semitism and aggressive hatred of Israel, prompting the US and Israel to walk out.
In the wake of the decision by Israel, the US, and Canada not to participate in Durban II, observers in Israel and Germany have expressed frustration and disappointment with the Social Democratic Party-led Foreign Ministry's failure to confront global anti-Semitism and prevent the demonization of Israel.
Thomas von der Osten-Sacken, a German publicist and Middle East expert who heads the non-profit relief organization Wadi in northern Iraq, told The Jerusalem Post that Germany's decision to participate in Durban II is "simply scandalous. They should have long since taken a position and boycotted that thing. But their silence speaks volumes."
A spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry told the Post that the Germans are involved in the "text negotiations" and "efforts to prevent the misuse of the Durban processes."
When asked if the German government will participate in a conference infected by anti-Semitism and loathing of Israel, she said that a "decision has not been reached."
She argued that the "German government is advocating a worldwide fight against racism."
But in an e-mail to the Post, Prof. Gerald Steinberg, chairman of the Department of Political Studies at Bar-Ilan University, wrote: "Officials have repeatedly stated that given their history and what they call the special German obligation to fight racism, they must be present at a UN anti-racism conference.
"This is absurd - Germany should be the first country to denounce and stay away from any activity that is anti-Semitic, as is the case with the Durban process, and is based on the abuse of the rhetoric racism and human rights to promote hatred and the singling out of Israel. The German position, including the support of many anti-Israel NGOs and foundations that claim to promote peace and democracy, but instead are leading anti-Israel campaigns, is fundamentally immoral."
An Israeli Embassy spokesman in Berlin declined to comment on Germany's presence at Durban II.
An amalgam of German institutions combating anti-Semitism, including the Central Council of Jews in Germany, have appealed to the German government to stay away from the anti-Israel conference, asserting that the 2001 Durban conference was a precursor to the replicating of anti-Jewish hostility and hatred of Israel at this year's conference.
The Post has obtained a copy of a letter sent to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in early September, which urged the Foreign Ministry to not participate in a "recognizably anti-Semitic propaganda event within the framework of the UN and in the process cooperate with such openly anti-Semitic forces like Iran."
The Coordinating Council of German non-Governmental Organizations Against Anti-Semitism, an umbrella organization unifying diverse NGOs, initiated the protest letter.
"Following the boycott declarations from Canada, Israel and the US, we expect a positive response to this request. Germany should give a clear signal, especially out of responsibility for its history, and should not take part in the 'Durban Review Conference,' in consideration also of the goals of the German Bundestag resolution of November 4, 2008, said Klaus Faber, a representative of the Coordinating Council and former state secretary in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt.
"Only in this way can we prevent the predictable anti-Semitic diatribes at the Durban II conference from being legitimized by Germany," he told the Post.
Nasrin Amirsedghi, a German-Iranian intellectual who fled the Islamic Republic of Iran, told the Post that, "Since 2001, despotic states under the leadership of Iran have sat and dominated at the anti-racism conference, at which they instrumentalize Western achievements for their intolerance and hostility to Jews and against the principles of democracy and freedom.
"If Germany doesn't boycott the Durban Review Conference in April 2009, it must share historical guilt for the second time. It will be the end of Germany's credibility with regard to Nazi atrocities."
The Bastard u.s. government`s policies of Racism continue to raise it`s Devil head.
Real Talk..backed by Proof... by Wikipedia,the Dictionary!
I do Not talk or express myself using Rumor mill information.
I do Not express views based from IDLE Gossip.
I do Not allow myself watch,and henceforth,become DumbDowned by the nightly or weekly sitcoms of Bull-Shit and lies from the predominate culture,thereby Glorifying them.
I do Not playerhate or waste my time telling lies about what I THINK my male friend OR foes may or may not be doing...for I am not gay!
I do Not express views based from IDLE Gossip.
I do Not allow myself watch,and henceforth,become DumbDowned by the nightly or weekly sitcoms of Bull-Shit and lies from the predominate culture,thereby Glorifying them.
I do Not playerhate or waste my time telling lies about what I THINK my male friend OR foes may or may not be doing...for I am not gay!
Seek The Truth not the Spoof!
Search all: alternet.org,islaamtv.com,refuseandresist.org,nodeathpenalty.org,mumia.org,arc.org,linktv.org
Stop listening to the censored bull-shit of cnn,who recently fired one of it`s main foreign reporters for wanting to show and speak the truth about the recent middle east crisis,the siege of Gaza by the infidels!
Stop listening to the censored bull-shit of cnn,who recently fired one of it`s main foreign reporters for wanting to show and speak the truth about the recent middle east crisis,the siege of Gaza by the infidels!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Targeting Another Generation of Black Men
Gary King Sr. tries to avoid idle moments. When he’s not working as a drywaller, he keeps himself busy refurbishing his tidy, single-family house on Congress Avenue in Oakland, California. Sometimes he drums for hours, his hands a blur as they beat out a rhythm. If he is still for too long, the memories of his eldest son’s death come flooding back.
“It’s like it was yesterday,” he said. “It’ll always be yesterday for me.”
His son, Gary King Jr., was killed on Sep. 20, 2007, by Sgt. Patrick Gonzales of the Oakland Police Department. Gonzales, who allegedly stopped King Jr. because he looked like a suspect in a month-old homicide, stunned him with a Taser and then shot him twice in the back. Gonzales says he felt a gun on the youth and fired because he feared for his life.
Since 2003, Oakland has paid an average of $2,403,877 every year to settle lawsuits against the police.
Witnesses and relatives are not sure whether King Jr. was armed. Police say they recovered a revolver of unspecified caliber and make from the scene. However, no one claims the victim pulled a gun, and witnesses say the 20-year-old was fleeing when Gonzales fired.
In May 2008, the King family filed a federal civil rights suit against the city of Oakland, claiming Sgt. Gonzales used deadly force unlawfully. The trial is set for this September.
The King case is one of three wrongful-death suits against the Oakland Police Department currently in court. The families of Andrew Moppin, 20, and Mack “Jody” Woodfox III, 27—both killed by rookie officer Hector Jimenez in separate incidents in 2008—have also filed federal civil rights suits. Both men were reportedly unarmed at the time of their death. An Internal Affairs investigation cleared Sgt. Gonzales of all wrongdoing in King Jr.’s death, and Jimenez was also cleared in Moppin’s death. The Woodfox case was still under review as this issue of ColorLines went to print.
In 2008, nine people were shot by Oakland police, with six fatalities. In 2007, there were 12 police shootings and five deaths.
Other law enforcement agencies in Oakland have also killed young men of color. This last New Year’s Day, BART police officer Johannes Mehserle shot and killed 22-year-old Oscar Grant in the Fruitvale station. Grant was unarmed. His family has filed a $25 million claim with BART.
These shootings and subsequent lawsuits have raised more questions about the department’s training and oversight and further exacerbated long-standing tensions with communities of color. Historically, the violence by
Oakland police served as an impetus in the rise of the Black Panther Party, whose 1966 platform included a demand for “an immediate end to police brutality and murder of Black people.” Although the police force today is significantly more multi-racial than in those years, residents say officers continue to misue their power.
Oakland police have been under the supervision of a federal judge since 2003, when a settlement was reached in the “Rough Riders” lawsuit in which a group of officers was accused of assaulting suspects, planting evidence and falsifying reports. A team of independent monitors created by the Negotiated Settlement Agreement is supervising an overhaul of departmental policies. Attorneys for all three families mentioned previously say that in the absence of effective, independent oversight, litigation is the only means to compel the department to change its policies.
“The most effective check on the Oakland police has been civil rights lawsuits,” said attorney Michael Haddad of Haddad & Sherwin, who represents the King family.
Indeed, litigation filed after Oakland police officers attacked antiwar protestors at a 2003 rally outside the Port of Oakland led to a new crowd control policy with stricter regulations on the use of non-lethal force. In 2008, a federal judge struck down a departmental policy authorizing officers to conduct strip searches in public.
“Whenever you have to go to the courts to fix your police department, that’s a problem,” said Eugene O’Donnell, a former New York Police Department officer and professor of criminology at the City University of New York-John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Since 2003, Oakland has paid an average of $2,403,877 every year to settle suits against the police.
•••
C O L O R L I N E S March/April 2009 Page 1 2 3 Next>
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Two Words That Can Get You Life in Prison Nov/Dec 2008 Prosecutors are labeling more people as gang members. Congress considers if it should take similar measures.
Video: Bullets in the Hood Nov/Dec 2007 Excerpt from 2004 documentary produced by ProTV and the Downtown Community Television Center
Turning to Tasers Nov/Dec 2007 Phoenix police became the first in the country to use Tasers, but will that decrease shootings?
Black, Latino Suburbs Have Most Shootings Nov/Dec 2007 In Chicago suburbs, more police shootings have occurred in communities with large black or Latino populations.
Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex Fall 1998 What is the Prison Industrial Complex? Why does it matter? Angela Y. Davis tells us. (From Special Section: Prison Industrial Complex)
Copyright © 2009, ColorLines Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
“It’s like it was yesterday,” he said. “It’ll always be yesterday for me.”
His son, Gary King Jr., was killed on Sep. 20, 2007, by Sgt. Patrick Gonzales of the Oakland Police Department. Gonzales, who allegedly stopped King Jr. because he looked like a suspect in a month-old homicide, stunned him with a Taser and then shot him twice in the back. Gonzales says he felt a gun on the youth and fired because he feared for his life.
Since 2003, Oakland has paid an average of $2,403,877 every year to settle lawsuits against the police.
Witnesses and relatives are not sure whether King Jr. was armed. Police say they recovered a revolver of unspecified caliber and make from the scene. However, no one claims the victim pulled a gun, and witnesses say the 20-year-old was fleeing when Gonzales fired.
In May 2008, the King family filed a federal civil rights suit against the city of Oakland, claiming Sgt. Gonzales used deadly force unlawfully. The trial is set for this September.
The King case is one of three wrongful-death suits against the Oakland Police Department currently in court. The families of Andrew Moppin, 20, and Mack “Jody” Woodfox III, 27—both killed by rookie officer Hector Jimenez in separate incidents in 2008—have also filed federal civil rights suits. Both men were reportedly unarmed at the time of their death. An Internal Affairs investigation cleared Sgt. Gonzales of all wrongdoing in King Jr.’s death, and Jimenez was also cleared in Moppin’s death. The Woodfox case was still under review as this issue of ColorLines went to print.
In 2008, nine people were shot by Oakland police, with six fatalities. In 2007, there were 12 police shootings and five deaths.
Other law enforcement agencies in Oakland have also killed young men of color. This last New Year’s Day, BART police officer Johannes Mehserle shot and killed 22-year-old Oscar Grant in the Fruitvale station. Grant was unarmed. His family has filed a $25 million claim with BART.
These shootings and subsequent lawsuits have raised more questions about the department’s training and oversight and further exacerbated long-standing tensions with communities of color. Historically, the violence by
Oakland police served as an impetus in the rise of the Black Panther Party, whose 1966 platform included a demand for “an immediate end to police brutality and murder of Black people.” Although the police force today is significantly more multi-racial than in those years, residents say officers continue to misue their power.
Oakland police have been under the supervision of a federal judge since 2003, when a settlement was reached in the “Rough Riders” lawsuit in which a group of officers was accused of assaulting suspects, planting evidence and falsifying reports. A team of independent monitors created by the Negotiated Settlement Agreement is supervising an overhaul of departmental policies. Attorneys for all three families mentioned previously say that in the absence of effective, independent oversight, litigation is the only means to compel the department to change its policies.
“The most effective check on the Oakland police has been civil rights lawsuits,” said attorney Michael Haddad of Haddad & Sherwin, who represents the King family.
Indeed, litigation filed after Oakland police officers attacked antiwar protestors at a 2003 rally outside the Port of Oakland led to a new crowd control policy with stricter regulations on the use of non-lethal force. In 2008, a federal judge struck down a departmental policy authorizing officers to conduct strip searches in public.
“Whenever you have to go to the courts to fix your police department, that’s a problem,” said Eugene O’Donnell, a former New York Police Department officer and professor of criminology at the City University of New York-John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Since 2003, Oakland has paid an average of $2,403,877 every year to settle suits against the police.
•••
C O L O R L I N E S March/April 2009 Page 1 2 3 Next>
The Bronx Defenders Jan/Feb 2009 Changing the criminal justice system
Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire Nov/Dec 2008 A law professor tracks policies that fail prisoners and their families.
Two Words That Can Get You Life in Prison Nov/Dec 2008 Prosecutors are labeling more people as gang members. Congress considers if it should take similar measures.
Video: Bullets in the Hood Nov/Dec 2007 Excerpt from 2004 documentary produced by ProTV and the Downtown Community Television Center
Turning to Tasers Nov/Dec 2007 Phoenix police became the first in the country to use Tasers, but will that decrease shootings?
Black, Latino Suburbs Have Most Shootings Nov/Dec 2007 In Chicago suburbs, more police shootings have occurred in communities with large black or Latino populations.
Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex Fall 1998 What is the Prison Industrial Complex? Why does it matter? Angela Y. Davis tells us. (From Special Section: Prison Industrial Complex)
Copyright © 2009, ColorLines Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
Undoing Racism™ & Community Organizing Workshop
The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond’s Undoing Racism™/Community Organizing Workshops move beyond a focus on the symptoms of racism to an understanding of what it is, where it comes from, how it functions, why it persists and how it can be undone. The core of workshop’s systemic approach emphasizes learning from history, developing leadership, maintaining accountability to communities, creating networks, undoing internalized racial oppression and understanding the role of organizational gatekeeping as a mechanism for perpetuating racism.
HOW CAN WE UNDO RACISM?
The fabric of racism is inextricably woven and constructed into the founding principles of the United States. Racism was done and it can be undone through effective anti-racist organizing with, and in accountability to the communities most impacted by racism. The People’s Institute believes that effective community and institutional change happens when those who are agents of transformation understand the foundations of race and racism and how they continually function as a barrier to community self determination and self sufficiency.
ANTI-RACIST COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
Anti-racist community organizing and training analyzes power and how it is used to maintain a racial construct that was implemented centuries ago during the founding of the nation. This nation has always reflected rich diversity from the innumerable multitude of indigenous cultures who inhabited and sustained this land prior to arrival of European explorers to our present composition. Yet, unequivocally, whites continue to fair significantly better than all people of color. Anti-racist organizing helps us to understand why.
ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES
Through dialogue, reflection, role-playing, strategic planning and presentations, this intensive process challenges participants to analyze the structures of power and privilege that hinder racial equity and prepares them to be effective organizers for social justice. Workshop participants will:
Develop a common definition of racism and an understanding of its different forms: individual, institutional, linguistic, and cultural;
Develop a common language and analysis for examining racism in the United States;
Understand one’s own connection to institutional racism and its impact on his/her work;
Understand why people are poor and the role of institutions in exacerbating institutional racism, particularly for people and communities of color;
Understand the historical context for how racial classifications in the United States came to be and how and why they are maintained;
Understand the historical context for how U.S. institutions came to be and who they have been designed to serve;
Understand how all of us, including white people, are adversely impacted by racism every day, everywhere;
Address surface assumptions about how your work is (or is not) affected by racism;
Develop awareness and understanding about ways to begin Undoing Racism ;
Gain knowledge about how to be more effective in the work you do with your constituencies, your organizations, your communities, your families;
Understand the role of community organizing and building effective multiracial coalitions as a means for Undoing Racism.
HOW CAN WE UNDO RACISM?
The fabric of racism is inextricably woven and constructed into the founding principles of the United States. Racism was done and it can be undone through effective anti-racist organizing with, and in accountability to the communities most impacted by racism. The People’s Institute believes that effective community and institutional change happens when those who are agents of transformation understand the foundations of race and racism and how they continually function as a barrier to community self determination and self sufficiency.
ANTI-RACIST COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
Anti-racist community organizing and training analyzes power and how it is used to maintain a racial construct that was implemented centuries ago during the founding of the nation. This nation has always reflected rich diversity from the innumerable multitude of indigenous cultures who inhabited and sustained this land prior to arrival of European explorers to our present composition. Yet, unequivocally, whites continue to fair significantly better than all people of color. Anti-racist organizing helps us to understand why.
ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES
Through dialogue, reflection, role-playing, strategic planning and presentations, this intensive process challenges participants to analyze the structures of power and privilege that hinder racial equity and prepares them to be effective organizers for social justice. Workshop participants will:
Develop a common definition of racism and an understanding of its different forms: individual, institutional, linguistic, and cultural;
Develop a common language and analysis for examining racism in the United States;
Understand one’s own connection to institutional racism and its impact on his/her work;
Understand why people are poor and the role of institutions in exacerbating institutional racism, particularly for people and communities of color;
Understand the historical context for how racial classifications in the United States came to be and how and why they are maintained;
Understand the historical context for how U.S. institutions came to be and who they have been designed to serve;
Understand how all of us, including white people, are adversely impacted by racism every day, everywhere;
Address surface assumptions about how your work is (or is not) affected by racism;
Develop awareness and understanding about ways to begin Undoing Racism ;
Gain knowledge about how to be more effective in the work you do with your constituencies, your organizations, your communities, your families;
Understand the role of community organizing and building effective multiracial coalitions as a means for Undoing Racism.
REFUSE & RESIST!
To the Reaganites, racists, mysogynists, televangelists, wouldbe
Rambos, war planners, and America-firsters, we say the
future is not yours. Because we see the potential for a different
future, we will Refuse and Resist Like wise, we now declare that we renounce all allegiance
to this hateful “Resurgent America”BULLSHIT!
You are on your knees now due to this economic crisis of piss you passed like gas from your flat fat ass...hahaha.Suck a dick for dinner tonight!
Rambos, war planners, and America-firsters, we say the
future is not yours. Because we see the potential for a different
future, we will Refuse and Resist Like wise, we now declare that we renounce all allegiance
to this hateful “Resurgent America”BULLSHIT!
You are on your knees now due to this economic crisis of piss you passed like gas from your flat fat ass...hahaha.Suck a dick for dinner tonight!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
March 10th, 2009
Human heads found in ice chests!
CNN) — Five human heads were found Tuesday beside a highway in the central Mexican state of Jalisco, on a road leading to the city of Guadalajara, police said.
Police in the municipality of Ixtlahuacan del Rio were informed of the discovery at 2 a.m., the prosecutor’s office said in a written statement.
Each head was in a separate ice chest, it said.
Several of the ice chests contained notes, one threatening further violence: “Like these, I am going to finish everyone,” says one. “I’m going after you, ‘Goyo.’”
And another said this, “Here we go, ‘Goyo,’ idiot.”
And another one said this, "this is funny,Goyo fucker."
The victims’ eyes were taped shut; the heads had been severed only a few hours before they were discovered, the statement said.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...are you scared yet?
CNN) — Five human heads were found Tuesday beside a highway in the central Mexican state of Jalisco, on a road leading to the city of Guadalajara, police said.
Police in the municipality of Ixtlahuacan del Rio were informed of the discovery at 2 a.m., the prosecutor’s office said in a written statement.
Each head was in a separate ice chest, it said.
Several of the ice chests contained notes, one threatening further violence: “Like these, I am going to finish everyone,” says one. “I’m going after you, ‘Goyo.’”
And another said this, “Here we go, ‘Goyo,’ idiot.”
And another one said this, "this is funny,Goyo fucker."
The victims’ eyes were taped shut; the heads had been severed only a few hours before they were discovered, the statement said.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...are you scared yet?
Friday, March 6, 2009
Atrocities of the old Dirty Bastards and Now in Present day israel
The enslaved boyars and their families were forced to labor for months, rebuilding the old castle with materials from another nearby ruin. According to tradition, they labored until the clothes fell off their bodies and then were forced to continue working naked. Very few of the old gentry survived the ordeal of building Vlad's castle.
The atrocities committed by Vlad in the German stories include impaling, torturing, burning, skinning, roasting, and boiling people, feeding people the flesh of their friends or relatives, cutting off limbs, drowning, and nailing people's hats to their heads. His victims included men and women of all ages, religions and social classes, children and babies. One German account includes the following sentence: "He caused so much pain and suffering that even the most bloodthirstiest persecutors of Christianity like Herodes, Nero, Diocletian and all other pagans combined hadn’t even thought of."
As expected, death by impalement was slow and painful. Victims sometimes endured for hours or days. Vlad often had the stakes arranged in various geometric patterns. The most common pattern was a ring of concentric circles in the outskirts of a city that constituted his target. The height of the spear indicated the rank of the victim. The corpses were often left decaying for months.In later accounts of these stories, Vlad's atrocities against the people of Wallachia have sometimes been interpreted as attempts to enforce his own moral code upon his country. According to the pamphlets, he appears to have been particularly concerned with female chastity. Maidens who lost their virginity, adulterous wives, and unchaste widows were all targets of Vlad's cruelty. Such women often had their sexual organs cut out or their breasts cut off. They were also often impaled through the vagina on red-hot stakes that were forced through the body until they emerged from the mouth.[11] One report tells of the execution of an unfaithful wife. The woman's breasts were cut off, then she was skinned and impaled in a square in Târgovişte with her skin lying on a nearby table. Vlad also insisted that his people be honest and hard-working. Merchants who cheated their customers were likely to find themselves mounted on a stake beside common thieves.
Check it out,,,it`s in and from WIKIPEDIA!
The atrocities committed by Vlad in the German stories include impaling, torturing, burning, skinning, roasting, and boiling people, feeding people the flesh of their friends or relatives, cutting off limbs, drowning, and nailing people's hats to their heads. His victims included men and women of all ages, religions and social classes, children and babies. One German account includes the following sentence: "He caused so much pain and suffering that even the most bloodthirstiest persecutors of Christianity like Herodes, Nero, Diocletian and all other pagans combined hadn’t even thought of."
As expected, death by impalement was slow and painful. Victims sometimes endured for hours or days. Vlad often had the stakes arranged in various geometric patterns. The most common pattern was a ring of concentric circles in the outskirts of a city that constituted his target. The height of the spear indicated the rank of the victim. The corpses were often left decaying for months.In later accounts of these stories, Vlad's atrocities against the people of Wallachia have sometimes been interpreted as attempts to enforce his own moral code upon his country. According to the pamphlets, he appears to have been particularly concerned with female chastity. Maidens who lost their virginity, adulterous wives, and unchaste widows were all targets of Vlad's cruelty. Such women often had their sexual organs cut out or their breasts cut off. They were also often impaled through the vagina on red-hot stakes that were forced through the body until they emerged from the mouth.[11] One report tells of the execution of an unfaithful wife. The woman's breasts were cut off, then she was skinned and impaled in a square in Târgovişte with her skin lying on a nearby table. Vlad also insisted that his people be honest and hard-working. Merchants who cheated their customers were likely to find themselves mounted on a stake beside common thieves.
Check it out,,,it`s in and from WIKIPEDIA!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Zionist BUll-ShiT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTcfDcuWfYQ
PRISONS...Slave Ships on Dry Land!
And you want to shake my hand...you faggot...why do you want to touch me...I`m a man you sissy!That`s the white boy way,yep.
If I want to walk at night in a park to get some fresh air and enjoy star gazing,I get attacked by a sissy man!
When I go to a Sento in Japan ,nothing happens,ever.But when or if I go to a public bath house in the states,it`s a completely different story,why,because the predominant culture has bread a bunch of faggot,sissy ,racist,bitchy men who only care about and think about money and sex!
If they are not attacking another man,they are attacking someone,male or female , under the age of 15.
That`s because they are perverted and hentai!
PRISONS...Slave Ships on Dry Land!
And you want to shake my hand...you faggot...why do you want to touch me...I`m a man you sissy!That`s the white boy way,yep.
If I want to walk at night in a park to get some fresh air and enjoy star gazing,I get attacked by a sissy man!
When I go to a Sento in Japan ,nothing happens,ever.But when or if I go to a public bath house in the states,it`s a completely different story,why,because the predominant culture has bread a bunch of faggot,sissy ,racist,bitchy men who only care about and think about money and sex!
If they are not attacking another man,they are attacking someone,male or female , under the age of 15.
That`s because they are perverted and hentai!
Bull-Shit Laws by the Bull-Shit Liars
RIGHT AND WRONG,huh??
The fact that something is legal under the system's laws, doesn't make it right. Slavery was legal. Killing Native Americans and stealing their land was all done legally.
Ass booty crack lickers.
The fact that something is legal under the system's laws, doesn't make it right. Slavery was legal. Killing Native Americans and stealing their land was all done legally.
Ass booty crack lickers.
the FBI = the Federal Bastards of Injustice
SELF DEFENSE
All living things instinctively defend themselves. This is a God-given right of all life. If a man goes into a bear's cave, he violates and threatens the bear's place of security. The bear will defend his home by instinctively fighting off the man and eliminating him. The bear is not wrong, because self defense is right.
When the bastards knock at your door ,tell them to go fuck their mother!
And that is Exactly what I intend on saying and doing!!!
If you are Not a Coward,,,you will follow the leaders advice.
All living things instinctively defend themselves. This is a God-given right of all life. If a man goes into a bear's cave, he violates and threatens the bear's place of security. The bear will defend his home by instinctively fighting off the man and eliminating him. The bear is not wrong, because self defense is right.
When the bastards knock at your door ,tell them to go fuck their mother!
And that is Exactly what I intend on saying and doing!!!
If you are Not a Coward,,,you will follow the leaders advice.
The Death Penalty in the u.s. is RACIST!
Stop this Nonsense BullShit!
The fraternal oder of police is a gang of cowards who sit around and cum drinkers and wifebeaters and who sit around with their index fingers in the bung-hole of their mellow fellow officers while circle jerking their fathers in the mist of a race riot that they covertly instigated.
The laws of the unjust land were put into effect to keep the people who rightly be in power from being in power.The bastards of punjab illegally stole everything of value by force,brainwashing,and lies.
To be continued...
The fraternal oder of police is a gang of cowards who sit around and cum drinkers and wifebeaters and who sit around with their index fingers in the bung-hole of their mellow fellow officers while circle jerking their fathers in the mist of a race riot that they covertly instigated.
The laws of the unjust land were put into effect to keep the people who rightly be in power from being in power.The bastards of punjab illegally stole everything of value by force,brainwashing,and lies.
To be continued...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
I Knew It...bush The Two-headed Snake
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