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How Scores of Black Men Were Tortured Into Giving False Confessions by Chicago Pol...
More than 20 years after being tortured into giving confessions by Chicago police officers, dozens of black men remain behind bars.
Michael Tillman was 20, with a 3-year-old daughter and an infant son, when he was brought into the Area 2 police station on Chicago's South Side for questioning. His mother, Jean Tillman, says that although he had gotten into some trouble with the law as a youngster, he had been on the straight-and-narrow, working as a janitor and paying his bills, since he and his girlfriend had their first child. That was July 22, 1986.
He hasn't been home since.
Tillman is one of at least 24 African-American men that the People's Law Office in Chicago claims are still serving sentences for crimes they say they confessed to only after enduring hours of torture at the hands of Chicago police officers under Commander Jon Burge between 1972 and 1992. Although 10 of Burge's victims have been pardoned or given new trials after their illegally obtained confessions were exposed, the vast majority of the 100-plus cases have yet to be reviewed by the state of Illinois. Those men have either served out their sentences, died in custody or, like Tillman, continue to live their lives behind bars, hoping that one day they will have a fair trial.
According to Tillman's 1986 trial testimony, when he arrived at the Area 2 police station in the predawn hours of July 21, 1986, Detectives Ronald Boffo and Peter Dignan took him to a second-floor interrogation room and pressed him for information about the murder of 42-year-old Betty Howard, whose body was found the day prior in the apartment building Tillman oversaw. When he told the detectives that he knew nothing about the murder, he says that Boffo and Dignan, along with three other officers, became abusive. Without ever reading him his Miranda rights, he says they handcuffed him to the wall, hit him in the face and punched him in the stomach until he vomited blood. During the course of what appeared to be three days, rotating pairs of officers brought him to the railroad tracks behind the station and held a gun to his head, suffocated him repeatedly with thick plastic bags, poured soda up his nose and forced him into Dumpsters outside of the apartment building, ordering him to search through the rubbish for a murder weapon until, according to Detective John Yucaitis, Tillman confessed to the crime.
According to Tillman's mother, she, her husband and an attorney they called for counsel were all denied access to her son during his three days of interrogation.
***Continues, click link to read*** More than 20 years after being tortured into giving confessions by Chicago police officers, dozens of black men remain behind bars. ... more -
FEMA seeks immunity from suits over trailer fumes
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is requesting immunity from lawsuits filed on behalf of Gulf Coast hurricane victims who claim they were exposed to dangerous fumes while living in government-issued trailers.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt is scheduled to hear FEMA's bid to be dismissed from a series of consolidated cases filed against the federal government and the companies that supplied FEMA with tens of thousands of trailers after Katrina and then Rita in 2005.
In court papers, FEMA's lawyers told the judge the agency is entitled to immunity from such claims challenging its response to disasters such as Katrina.
The federal government's lawyers said FEMA spent more than $2.5 billion to purchase more than 140,000 new trailers from recreational vehicle dealers and trailer manufacturers after the storms. They also said the agency relied on manufacturers to furnish the agency with a "safe, habitable, functional product." The Federal Emergency Management Agency is requesting immunity from lawsuits filed on behalf of Gulf Coast hurricane victims who claim... more -
Warlords gang-rape 12-year-old girl, family threatens to commit mass suicide if j...
Uncle of the victim accuses the police chief to have links with the gunmen responsible for such crimes.
A 12-year old schoolgirl was gang-raped by five gunmen in Sarpul province in Northern Afghanistan.
The girl and her family asked Hamid Karzai to prosecute the rapists and take their case seriously. They threatened that if they are not provided justice, the whole family will commit mass suicide to get rid of such life. They say, the local authorities keep silence on such cases and did not act to arrest those responsible.
While crying, the rape victim told journalists that she was raped in a village called Baghabi in Sarpul province. She says five gunmen poured into their house in mid-night and after beating and abusing the family members, gang-raped her.
Ali Khan, uncle of the girl told Ariana TV that he has reported the case to the police and visited the police chief a number of times to ask for justice, but they do not pay attention to the issue and even abused and threatened him to be silent otherwise he will be jailed. He accuses the police chief to have links with the gunmen responsible for such crimes. But General Abdul Khaliq Samimi, police chief says they have arrested three people connected to the issue.
On February 18, 2008 a fourteen-year old girl named Bashira was gang-raped by three men in the same province. One of the rapists is Najibullah, the son of Haji Payinda, a member of parliament from Sar-e-Pul.
Sayed Noorullah, father of Bashira told Tolo TV on July 19, 2008 that the case against the rapist has not been followed property by the court, because the rapist is son of a member of parliament and they bribed the Forensic Medical Investigation department to show the 22-year-old rapist as being less than 18 to escape the charges based on law.
Sayed Noorullah threatened that if the rapists are not punished, he will become “a dangerous suicide bomber” and take revenge himself.
Gang-rape of young girls in the Northern provinces of Afghanistan by local warlords is very common but only few cases are reported by media, because it is usually risky for the journalists who report such issues. Uncle of the victim accuses the police chief to have links with the gunmen responsible for such crimes. ... more -
Karl goes off to the Big House and it's not on a hill.
Robert Greenwald says:
This sounds like a dream, doesn't it? Well, it's not. We have a unique opportunity right now to send Karl Rove to jail, but only if we take immediate action.
All we have to do is pressure the 40 members of the House Judiciary Committee, make them hold Rove in contempt and send him to jail. We've never had such a direct opportunity to hold Rove accountable. No, this is not enough punishment for his years and years of crimes, but it's a huge start, and will send a very clear message to the entire Bush administration.
We put together this video to explain the issues surrounding Rove's failure to testify before Congress, and why Rove should be held in contempt and sent to jail. Check out Send Karl Rove to Jail, and sign our petition to ensure that the HJC holds Rove in contempt.
Today at 1pm ET / 10am PT, the first episode of Meet the Bloggers will air live, and Karl Rove will be the big topic of discussion with bloggers Marcy Wheeler, Liliana Segura, Baratunde Thurston, and special guest Arianna Huffington. The video will be featured on the show, sign the petition, forward it to friends (don't forget to Digg it), and go to meetthebloggers.org to send in your own thoughts, and join the discussion at 1pm ET. Robert Greenwald says: ... more -
From the mouths of babes
This article is about a young girl asking a simple question "Why are there only statues of white men there?''. It's in response to CarolynGillis' current.topic simple solutions to critical problems. Most critical problems are critical because we have complicated the issues.
To solve critical problems, we have to ask the simple questions. Only then can we find the simple answers. The most important part of this article is the question asked by the little girl. You don't have to be a world leader, or "mover and shaker" to get justice for others. Usually asking that simplest of questions, what can I do to help, will start things moving in the right direction. This article is about a young girl asking a simple question "Why are there only statues of white men there?''. It's in response to C... more -
40 years later, no justice for black man burned to death
FERRIDAY, Louisiana (CNN) -- The blaze engulfed Frank Morris' shoe repair shop in minutes, bright orange flames stretching 60 feet into the air. Morris was so severely burned, only the soles of his feet were spared.
He clung to life for a few days before dying in a hospital. It was December 1964. Morris, a 40-year-old African-American, repaired shoes for blacks and whites in Ferriday, Louisiana, a small town near the Mississippi border terrorized by the Ku Klux Klan.
Nearly 44 years later, not a single person has been charged in the killing. Last year, the Justice Department made investigating about 100 civil rights era killings, including Morris', a priority after urging from the Urban League, the NAACP, the Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups.
The Rev. Robert Lee Jr. said on his deathbed, Morris never named his killers but said two "white friends" carried out the attack.
"He thought they were his friends, and he said, 'Yes, I thought they were my friends,' " Lee, now 94, recently said.
Lee recalls the horrible condition his friend was in right after the attack. "The doctors wondered why he survived those two or three days. You never seen something so dreadful looking."
Time is of the essence for prosecution -- witnesses are dying, as are the possible perpetrators.
"The average age we believe of those who would have carried out these crimes is probably going to be in his mid-70s if he is alive," said U.S. Attorney Donald Washington, whose district includes Ferriday. "We are concerned about whether there are live witnesses and live subjects."
Washington hopes publicity will help move the Morris case forward. He wants people to think, "Do I know someone or do I know personally any information that can help these federal prosecutors?" Anyone with information is urged to call 318-443-5097 or 504-816-3000.
It was in the early morning hours of December 10, 1964, when the front window of Morris' store was shattered. Someone poured gas in the cluttered building and torched it. Morris was sleeping in a back room and tried to run through the inferno, according to authorities.
Jake Davis was a young teen back then. He often played with Morris' son and had begun working at the store a few weeks before the killing. He's still haunted by what happened.
"It bothers me to this day, and I'm 56. It's a thing constantly on my mind," he said.
Today, Davis wears cowboy boots and jeans with a crease so sharp, it looks like it would cut your fingers. He spends his time working on old cars and playing Zydeco music.
Davis recently shared his story with the FBI after years of silence. He said he was simply too scared to talk about the incident at the time it happened.
He says he remembers three white men coming into the store the day before it was torched.
"I was hearing a whole lot of talking, loud talking, cursing," Davis said. "After a while, [Morris] came back up front and told me and my brother to leave and come back tomorrow. That's what we done.
"We didn't ask no questions. I had an eerie feeling, but I left and went home and told my mom, 'Some white folks and Mr. Frank, they arguing and cussing; what could we do?' She said, 'Ain't none of our business.' "
for more follow link FERRIDAY, Louisiana (CNN) -- The blaze engulfed Frank Morris' shoe repair shop in minutes, bright orange flames stretching 60 feet int... more -
6 foot penis forced to apologize!!!
A judge has ordered a 19-year-old man to write an apology to a the city of Saratoga Springs in New York for dressing in an offensive costume at a high school graduation.
Calvin Morett had pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct for dressing in a 6-foot penis costume at the graduation at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. A video of his visit last month has appeared on YouTube.
Now I cant even walk around in my penis costume without getting into trouble, whats the world cumming to!?
if anyone can find the video, that would be great! A judge has ordered a 19-year-old man to write an apology to a the city of Saratoga Springs in New York for dressing in an offensive ... more -
Hey buddy, can you spare a movie ticket?
Hundreds of Denver's homeless could be cooling their heels in a movie theater or museum while the Democratic National Convention is in town next month.
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless plans to get 500 movie tickets as well as passes to the Denver Zoo, Denver Museum of Nature and Science and other cultural facilities for the people it helps.
Bus tickets will be provided for events beyond walking distance, said John Parvensky, the non-profit's president.
Many shelters will expand their hours and receive televisions so that patrons can safely watch convention.
Homeless persons will also be giving the opportunity to register to vote while the DNC is in town so they will be eligible in November.
The funny thing is that voter registration for the homeless is just for show since without a local address or government ID, they will not be able to vote. Further after the movie and the visit to the zoo, they will still be homeless.
Complete story www.rockymountainnews.com Hundreds of Denver's homeless could be cooling their heels in a movie theater or museum while the Democratic National Convention is in... more -
World Court urges U.S. to halt Mexicans' executions
The U.N.'s highest court on Wednesday ordered U.S. authorities to do everything in their power to halt the executions of five Mexicans on death row in Texas until their cases are reviewed.
The Bush administration has said the World Court does not have jurisdiction in the case.
The ruling followed hastily convened hearings last month at which Mexico argued that the United States is defying a 2004 order by the International Court of Justice to review the cases of 51 Mexicans sentenced to death by state courts.
That order was based on the court's finding that the condemned prisoners had been denied the right to help from their consulate following their arrest.
When the executions were cleared to go ahead despite that ruling, Mexico turned again to the court last month and asked the judges to issue an emergency injunction to stop the schedule of killings.
The World Court agreed Wednesday that it would consider Mexico's case and sought to prevent the imminent execution of five of the Mexicans.
The U.N.'s highest court on Wednesday ordered U.S. authorities to do everything in their power to halt the executions of five Mexicans... more -
The Revolution Will Be Televised: Killer Mike and Ice Cube's New Video
Hip hop has made money off of controversy, but it seems hip hop is returning to it's original roots and fighting the power.
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The 10 Worst Corporations of 2007
Neither Honest Nor Trustworthy: The 10 Worst Corporations of 2007
by Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman
The U.S. public holds Big Business in shockingly low regard.
A November 2007 Harris poll found that less than 15 percent of the population believes each of the following industries to be "generally honest and trustworthy:" tobacco companies (3 percent); oil companies (3 percent); managed care companies such as HMOs (5 percent); health insurance companies (7 percent); telephone companies (10 percent); life insurance companies (10 percent); online retailers (10 percent); pharmaceutical and drug companies (11 percent); car manufacturers (11 percent); airlines (11 percent); packaged food companies (12 percent); electric and gas utilities (15 percent). Only 32 percent of adults said they trusted the best-rated industry about which Harris surveyed, supermarkets.
With the 10 Worst Corporations of 2007, we aim to show - again - that Big Business is out of control and to connect comparable abuses to the failure of government overseers, regulators and enforcers.
Presented alphabetically, here are the 10 Worst Corporations of 2007:
http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/mm2007/112007/mokhi... Neither Honest Nor Trustworthy: The 10 Worst Corporations of 2007 by Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman ... more -
Save Darfur: Al-Bashir Charged With Genocide By ICC: Now UN Security Council Must...
Jerry Fowler, president of the Save Darfur Coalition, responded to criminal charges against Sudan president Omar al-Bashir introduced today by International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. Al-Bashir has been charged with genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity for overseeing the Darfur genocide which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives through violence, disease and malnutrition.
"Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo's charges against al-Bashir underscore the need for the U.N. Security Council to finally act decisively with a comprehensive strategy for Sudan. The world at-large, primarily the Security Council, has allowed al-Bashir to continue his reign of destruction, recalcitrance and violence with utter impunity. These charges must now sober al-Bashir's international apologists who continue to shield and protect the Khartoum regime from meaningful measures with meaningful consequences.
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And that includes China, the US, and others that continue to turn a blind eye to the genocide in Darfur for OIL money. They say "never again." Now is the chance to prove those words are sincere.
Jerry Fowler, president of the Save Darfur Coalition, responded to criminal charges against Sudan president Omar al-Bashir introduced ... more -
Italian wins damages over gay driving test retake
An Italian court has ruled the government must pay 100,000 euros ($157,700) in damages to a man who was told to retake a driving test because he was homosexual.
When 26 year-old Danilo Giuffrida told doctors he was gay at his medical examination for military service, they passed the information to the transport ministry, who told him he must repeat his driving test or have his license withdrawn due to his "sexual identity disturbance."
Giuffrida agreed to re-take his test, passed it for a second time, but the ministry renewed his license for just one year rather than the usual 10 years because of his homosexuality.
The judge ruling on the case in Catania, on the southern island of Sicily, said the actions of the defense and transport ministries showed "evident sexual discrimination" against Giuffrida and ran counter to his constitutional rights.
The behavior of the ministries led Giuffrida to have "a grave sense of mistrust towards the state," added the judge, who ordered them to pay him 100,000 euros of damages in his verdict issued on Saturday.
Giuffrida's lawyer said the case marked the first time the state had been punished for sexual discrimination, and he hoped Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would "summon Giuffrida and apologize to him on behalf of the state and all Italians."
Giuffrida said the sentence was "a step forwards for civil rights because from now on what happened to me can't happen again."
An Italian court has ruled the government must pay 100,000 euros ($157,700) in damages to a man who was told to retake a driving test ... more -
FCC chief says Comcast violated Internet rules
Finally, the FCC has ruled that comcast's attempt to block internet traffic to and from it's users in order to prevent the use of file-sharing software such as BitTorrent has violated FCC rules and recommends that the company be punished.
There will be a vote on August 1 on a measure to bring penalties against Comcast.
Another win for net neutrality!
Finally, the FCC has ruled that comcast's attempt to block internet traffic to and from it's users in order to prevent the use of file... more -
McCain divorce account contradicts court documents
McCain, who is about to become the GOP nominee, has made several statements about how he divorced Carol and married Hensley that conflict with the public record.
In his 2002 memoir, "Worth the Fighting For," McCain wrote that he had separated from Carol before he began dating Hensley.
"I spent as much time with Cindy in Washington and Arizona as our jobs would allow," McCain wrote. "I was separated from Carol, but our divorce would not become final until February of 1980."
An examination of court documents tells a different story. McCain did not sue his wife for divorce until Feb. 19, 1980, and he wrote in his court petition that he and his wife had "cohabited" until Jan. 7 of that year -- or for the first nine months of his relationship with Hensley.
Although McCain suggested in his autobiography that months passed between his divorce and remarriage, the divorce was granted April 2, 1980, and he wed Hensley in a private ceremony five weeks later. McCain obtained an Arizona marriage license on March 6, 1980, while still legally married to his first wife.
Bigamy is the act or condition of a person marrying another person while still being lawfully married to a second person. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries. For example, in the United States, because of the contract a married person makes upon becoming married, that person is obliged not to marry again as long as the first marriage continues; stipulations of the marriage license applying.
I'd say that was kind of a serious issue that should be addressed McCain, who is about to become the GOP nominee, has made several statements about how he divorced Carol and married Hensley that confl... more -
42 violent police will go to jail this month
42 Police officers will be sentenced this month in Genoa (Italy) for a brutal attack on demonstrators protesting against a G8 summit.
Undercurrents filmed exclusive images of the Police raid in 2001 becoming key evidence during the 4 year court case. The trial featured torture by Police and officers planting ‘war weapons’ on demonstrators to justify their unprovoked attack.
Our video journalists will be in Genoa to hear the prosecution sentence of the 42 Police officers. We have access to all the victims who will make a tour of the building where the attack took place. We will cut images of the police raid to a present day interview in the same space.
Images of how the Police ripped out hard drives from the PCs of independent journalists and smashed peoples skulls against walls leaving blood streaking across the floor.
This will be a graphic insight into Police brutality against the Globalization movement. But it will also give hope to the many who have spent years struggling for justice.
42 Police officers will be sentenced this month in Genoa (Italy) for a brutal attack on demonstrators protesting against a G8 summit. ... more -
What is blog house?
1. A genre of dance music, influenced by electro and French house music, made with a simple and lo-fi aesthetic sensibility by people all over the world. Hallmarks of the blog house sound include distorted melodies, 8-bit sounds, sliced-up vocals and pop structures. The democratization of music production and distribution technologies has made the creation and dissemination of blog house available to anyone with a computer and the desire to make dance music.
2. Dance music that proliferates through a blog.
Maybe the best thing about blog house is that it's FREE. F yeah!
See below for a list of some of the most popular blog house blogs. 1. A genre of dance music, influenced by electro and French house music, made with a simple and lo-fi aesthetic sensibility by people ... more -
Dancin' in the Blogosphere
"Blog House" refers to the MP3 blog subculture that showcases remixes by mostly up-and-coming producers.
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Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs Hospitalised
Las Vegas police have revealed that Warren Jeffs, the Jailed leader of a sect that endoreses Polygamy, was taken from his Arizona jail to a medical centre in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Police however, refused to comment on his actual condition.
Jeffs, who is awaiting trial on 10 felony charges, inluding five counts of sexual conduct with a minor, is the leader of the "Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", which has an estimated 10,000 strong following in the US. Las Vegas police have revealed that Warren Jeffs, the Jailed leader of a sect that endoreses Polygamy, was taken from his Arizona jail... more -
Lawsuit filed against Oil companies for harassing protected wildlife
Two conservation groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging the Bush administration's decision to let oil companies unintentionally harass or harm polar bears and walruses off the northwestern Alaska coast.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Anchorage claims that federal officials violated laws designed to protect the animals and their sensitive habitat in the Arctic waters of the Chukchi Sea. Two conservation groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging the Bush administration's decision to let oil companies unintentionally... more
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