NAACP wins in Court :Guilford County Commissioner Redistricting Plan Unconstitutional

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 18, 2012

For More Information:     Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

   Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700   

        Atty. Jennifer Marsh, Legal Redress Coordinator, 919-682-4700   

NAACP Wins Again in Court:

Guilford County Commissioner Redistricting Plan Unconstitutional

(DURHAM) - For the second time in a week, the NAACP was victorious in defending the voting rights of North Carolinians. On Friday, the United States District Court of the Middle District of North Carolina agreed with the NAACP constitutional challenge to the newly imposed redistricting of the Guilford County Board of Commission by the North Carolina General Assembly when it enjoined the proposed changes from taking effect until the constitutional flaws are corrected. In this lawsuit, the NAACP successfully sought to protect the voting rights of over 40,000 Guilford county voters who would have been stripped of their right to be represented on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.

Last year, the extremist leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly stealthily passed local bills in an effort to gain partisan advantage across the state. One of these bills, Session law 2011-407, bypassed the local democratic redistricting process and changed the method of electing the Guilford County Board of County Commissioners. In their mad rush to help local conservative politicians increase their political power, the General Assembly carved out flawed maps that the NAACP, and now the courts, found to be unconstitutional. By depriving some voters representation on the Board, this bill is a clear violation of the one person, one vote requirement under the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and Article 1, § 19 of the North Carolina Constitution. When Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger was presented with the clearly flawed maps, he refused to correct them, instead saying he would not change them until forced to do so by the courts.

"Twice now the General Assembly leadership has chosen to waste taxpayer dollars in court proceedings instead of following the North Carolina Constitution that they are required to uphold," said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the NC NAACP. "We sit and watch in utter amazement that we have elected officials so uninterested in following our Constitution, whether it comes to voting rights, quality education for all or equal protection under the law. It is clear that the North Carolina NAACP and the progressive community must stay vigilant as we keep our eyes on Jones Street in the coming months."

The NC NAACP brought existence of these constitutional defects to the attention of leaders of the NC General Assembly and they refused to address them by contending that their actions were legal and in conformity with their legislative agenda. A timely correction of these violations would have prevented this lawsuit and the needless expenditure of State funds which is required to litigate voting rights cases.

In its order, the Court directed the State of North Carolina to show how the North Carolina General Assembly is going to correct the unconstitutional redistricting mandate in a timely manner in order to allow elections to go forward as originally scheduled. A hearing on the remedies will be held on February 22, 2012.    

The NAACP recognizes the importance of ensuring that all people are afforded the opportunity to participate equally and fairly in the electoral process.  The NAACP will continue to defend voting rights across the state.

###

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

Read More

Judge Strikes Down Law Banning Sex Offenders from Facebook

Well this will cause some major issues in all the states.. Laws will have to be rewritten and pass..

A federal judge in the Middle District of Louisiana has struck down a state law barring sex offenders from using Facebook and other social media on First Amendment grounds.

Chief Judge Brian Jackson ruled Thursday that the law, which took effect in August, imposed “a sweeping ban on many commonly read news and information websites,” as well as social networking sites.

The definition of “chat room” in the law is so broad, for instance, the court’s own website could fall under the ban, he said.

John Doe

However Facebook had this to say,

“We take the safety and security of our users, especially the many young people on Facebook, very seriously. We have consistently supported bills that criminalize usage of social networking sites by registered sex offenders. Our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities already bars these individuals from using Facebook and we would welcome the potential of criminal penalties to strengthen these provisions.”

The Governor had this to say,

Louisiana families should have the comfort of knowing their children are able to go online without the threat of sex predators. It’s offensive that the Court would rule that the rights of sex predators are more important than the rights of innocent children. As the father of three young kids, I will do everything in our power to protect Louisiana families and that includes appealing to the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and bringing legislation this upcoming session to fortify and strengthen the law.

The internet is the virtual playground where sex offenders are trying to strike and prey on our kids. We must have the tools to crack down on monsters that are preying on our kids. If these predators want to search the internet for a victim, they won’t be able to do it in the State of Louisiana.

Read More

Tillis lying thru his teeth..

Read More

Adam Greene Settles Police Beating Suit For $300,000: Nevada Officers Kicked Man In Diabetic Shock

send via email I thought I would share on my blog

 

Police dash-cam footage captures beating of Adam Greene by Nevada police.

A diabetic who was suffering from insulin shock when Nevada police officers mistook him for a drunk driver and physically assaulted him will receive a settlement of nearly $300,000.

Adam Greene, 38, settled his lawsuit against the city of Henderson and the state of Nevada on Tuesday night. Under the settlement, Greene will receive $158,000 from the city and $35,000 from the state. His wife will receive an additional $99,000 from the city.

The payout settles a federal civil rights lawsuit that Greene filed against Henderson city police and the Nevada Highway Patrol, accusing them of battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

"We think it's fair. We agreed to it, and we're satisfied," Greene told KTNV about the settlement.

The lawsuit stemmed from a Oct. 29, 2010, traffic stop, portions of which were captured by dashboard cameras mounted in four Nevada Highway Patrol cruisers. Those videos were released Wednesday.

Greene is observed on video swerving in the eastbound lane of the Lake Mead Parkway. When he stops at a traffic light at the Boulder Highway intersection, he is approached by a trooper, who draws his service weapon, kicks the driver's side window and yells, "Don't move! Hey, driver, do not move!"

When the trooper opens the car door, another officer moves in and places a handcuff on one of Greene's wrists. At that point, the state troopers, with assistance from Henderson police officers, pull Greene from his vehicle. The four-door sedan rolls forward until an officer stops it.

Five officers force a dazed and confused Greene to the ground. A sixth officer, from the Henderson police department, then walks over and kicks Greene in the face multiple times, as one of the officers yells, "Stop resisting, motherf***ER. Stop resisting, motherf***ER!" Another officer repeatedly knees him in the torso.

Once Greene is subdued, an officer finds a vial of insulin on him and announces Greene "could be a diabetic."

Moments later, an officer can be heard talking on the radio to a police dispatcher: "He's a diabetic. He's probably in shock, semiconscious."

Other officers are heard joking about the incident. "[He] was not a small guy," an officer laughs. "I couldn't take him by myself."

Greene was not charged in connection with the traffic stop. At a local hospital, he was treated for low blood sugar and multiple injuries that he said he received during the traffic stop.

"I ended up with two broken ribs. I had some cuts and a black eye on my face," Greene told KTNV. "I was confused, but I wasn't resisting, and I would think this would be incorrect and inappropriate behavior whether I was drunk ... Or not drunk."

Greene told the Las Vegas Sun that he was on his way to work when he had the diabetic reaction. He said he is a father of four and has been a diabetic for 26 years.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a Henderson police sergeant involved in the traffic stop was disciplined but remains employed by the department. Nevada's Fox 5 News has identified four of the Henderson police officers involved in the case as Douglas Lynaugh, Francis Shipp, Seth Vanbeveren and Brett Seekatz.

Despite the ordeal he has been through, Greene, whose father was an Arizona state trooper, said his family does not hold a grudge. "We hold no ill will towards the officers involved or the other police officers in the city, and we support them and we're ready to move on," Greene told 8newsnow.com.

Read More

Yes planting Hemp at the DEA office will get you ARRESTED…

A group of civilly-disobedient hemp farmers and business leaders were arrested Tuesday morning while digging up the lawn to plant industrial hemp seeds at the headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Read more here….

Read More

Update to House oversight committee hearing on Contraceptive for women

email from Nancy
We almost couldn’t believe it.  Today, at a House Oversight Committee hearing, House Republicans convened a panel on denying access to birth control converge with five men and no women.  As my colleague Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney asked, where are the women?
Join me in our call to Speaker Boehner, Eric Cantor, Chairman Issa and all House Republicans to demand that women be brought to the table when discussing women’s health issues.
Help us gather 50,000 signatures before Congress heads home tomorrow.
Sign the petition >>

Thank you for standing up for what’s right and joining our fight.
Best,
Nancy Pelosi

Read More

A facebook share item, about Joshua Bell

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

if we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

By: Josh Nonnenmocher

Read More

Ordinances that Prohibit Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination By Government Contractors Protect Employees Without Burdening Governments of Businesses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Cathy Renna, 917-757-6123, cathy@rennacommunications.com, Christy Mallory, 310-794-9469, mallory@law.ucla.edu, Brad Sears, 310-794-5279, sears@law.ucla.edu

LOS ANGELES, CA – February 16, 2012 – Local ordinances that require city and county contractors to prohibit sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination protect thousands of workers without burdening governments or businesses, according to a new study from the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute.

“This study provides evidence that a federal executive order that similarly barred discrimination could protect millions of workers while not overburdening federal contractors or the U.S. government,” said the study’s co-author, Christy Mallory, Legal Fellow, Williams Institute.

Currently, only 21 states and the District of Columbia include sexual orientation or gender identity in their statewide non-discrimination laws, and no federal law prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the private sector. A federal executive order that prohibited such discrimination could protect up to 16.5 million workers.

The local governments in the study reported widespread compliance among contractors and very little, if any, resistance to adopting LGBT-related employment policies.  Further, no locality reported that any employees had filed complaints of sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination after the policies were implemented.

“Their responses indicate businesses were willing to adopt these policies in order to contract with cities like Raleigh and Indianapolis,” said Mallory. She continued, “This demonstrates that contractors accept the possibility of government enforcement, even when no state law imposes similar requirements.”

The survey responses also indicate that the laws are not burdensome or costly for the agencies to implement and enforce.   No locality reported that it had to hire additional staff to enforce these ordinances, or that there was any cost associated in adding sexual orientation and gender identity to existing non-discrimination policies and practices.

“Our analysis shows that concerns about these laws have not been born out,” said Brad Sears, Roberta A. Conroy Senior Scholar of Law & Policy and Williams Institute Executive Director, “the agencies reported no disruption to the contracting process as a result of passing these ordinances—for themselves or their contractors.  In short, it’s business as usual after a locality has decided to add these protections for LGBT people.”

The study evaluated data from 29 city and county government agencies that require local government contractors to adopt sexual orientation and gender identity employment non-discrimination policies.  Some cities and counties also require local government contractors to take further steps to protect  LGBT workers, such as posting inclusive Equal Employment opportunity policies, training managers and employees to prevent harassment  and discrimination, and including the LGBT community in outreach and recruitment efforts.

Click here for the full study.

Read More