Maxine Waters is making a second attempt to persuade the Department of Justice to investigate shootings by police officers in Inglewood, California. From her letter:

On Sunday, August 31, 2008 another citizen of Inglewood was shot and killed by an Inglewood Police Officer under questionable circumstances. Press reports described Eddie Felix Franco as a 56-year old homeless man who died a short time after he was shot by Inglewood Police. In addition to Mr. Franco, another bystand­er was injured in this shooting and an accompanying dog was shot and killed at the scene.

It is my understanding that the Department of Justice is inclined to allow a pending local investigation of police misconduct to be concluded before a federal investigation is begun. However, four fatal shootings in four months demonstrate an alarming number of deaths at the hands of a relatively small police force.

Agriprocessers, the Postville, IA meatpacking firm that was subjected to ICE raids, has now been charged with child labor violations.

In all, 9,311 criminal misdemeanor charges involving 32 under-age workers were filed against the company, Agriprocessors Inc., and its owner, Aaron Rubashkin, and his son Sholom, who was the top manager of the packing plant in Postville, Iowa.

More....

Rep. Betty McCollum says "she played a pivotal role in securing some $50 million for the Twin Cities to help defray the cost of the [Republican National Convention]." She deserves credit for her willingness to ask whether that money financed police security that was needlessly militaristic.

“Betty is the first public official we’ve met with since this crackdown began who has actually listened,” said Gena Berglund, an attorney who has been active in the Lawyers Guild’s efforts to protect the First Amendment rights of RNC protestors. Berglund said the NLG’s request to meet with Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher, who has been at the center of controversy over alleged police misconduct, or members of his staff was “turned down flat.” The NLG was able to meet this week with a staff person in St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s office, but said Berglund, “That meeting went nowhere. They are not interested in listening to us.”

It's not smart to taunt or to march toward police officers who are wearing riot gear and armed with tear gas, shock grenades, and pepper spray. The police are likely to overreact, as this video (taken by a citizen journalist who got caught in the middle of the police and protesters) demonstrates.

Law enforcement agencies are justifying their heavy-handed tactics in St. Paul by telling the press of ominous threats to delegate safety: [more ...]

You'd better watch your mouth and control your middle finger if you travel to Pittsburgh.

City police wrote nearly 200 disorderly conduct citations over a 32-month period for swearing, obscene gestures and other acts deemed disrespectful, a number that a civil rights group said was unacceptable and showed a lack of officer training.

Free expression is sometimes rude. That's the price of freedom.

"Nobody likes to get sworn at, but you can't make it a crime," said Witold Walczak, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Foundation of Pennsylvania.

A New York trial court upheld Governor David Patterson's executive order directing state agencies to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages performed in other states or countries. Justice Lucy Billings rejected a challenge filed by legislators who argued that it was up to the legislature to decide which out-of-state marriages should be recognized in New York.

Justice Billings rejected the plaintiffs’ reasoning, finding that Mr. Paterson’s order was consistent with state laws that generally require officials to recognize marriages from other jurisdictions and are silent on whether same-sex marriages should be excluded from that recognition.

“Furthermore,” she wrote, “when partners manifest the commitment to their relationship and family, by solemnizing that commitment elsewhere, through one of life’s most significant events, and come to New York, whether returning home or setting down roots, to carry on that commitment, nothing is more antithetical to family stability than requiring them to abandon that solemnized commitment.”

Citizens of the District of Columbia can vote in a presidential election, but they have no voting representative in the House of Representatives and no representation at all in the Senate. A delegate to the Republican National Convention from D.C. reports that the voting rights issue was of primary importance to the D.C. delegation. They tried to introduce a voting rights plank into the Republican platform, but the measure found little support.

Of course it didn't. Too many Democrats live in D.C. The GOP has no interest in allowing citizens to vote if they might vote for Democrats. Better that they should go unrepresented in Congress, from the GOP perspective.

At the Democratic National Convention, the right to vote was taken more seriously: [more...]

The police were busy in St. Paul yesterday.

Police arrested 284 people Monday after firing projectiles, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse a crowd demonstrating near the convention site.

So much for freedom of assembly. Exercising that right in St. Paul apparently results in an arrest for conspiracy to riot.

Some of the arrests were probably legitimate (there have been scattered reports of vandalism), but the pattern at political conventions has been to arrest first, ask questions later. It will be interesting to see how many of the arrestees are never charged, and how many charges are ultimately dismissed.

TalkLeft recently called attention to the preemptive strike that the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department has launched against protesters at the (now downsized) Republican National Convention. Glenn Greenwald has a noteworthy post arguing that it is "increasingly clear that it is the Federal Government that is directing this intimidation campaign." The "anti-terrorist" tactics include spying upon, and even infiltrating, "dangerous" groups of vegans and peace-promoters.

So here we have a massive assault led by Federal Government law enforcement agencies on left-wing dissidents and protesters who have committed no acts of violence or illegality whatsoever, preceded by months-long espionage efforts to track what they do. And as extraordinary as that conduct is, more extraordinary is the fact that they have received virtually no attention from the national media and little outcry from anyone.

Take a minute to read what Greenwald has to say.

Borrowing from the Bush Administration's "preemptive war" playbook, police agencies in the Twin Cities made "preemptive strikes" against organizations planning to protest at the Republican National Convention.

Ramsey County authorities conducted raids across Minneapolis and St. Paul Friday and Saturday .... Five people were arrested and more than 100 were handcuffed, questioned and released by scores of deputies and police officers, according to police and elected officials familiar with the raids.

The police continue to be obsessed with groups that came to town to monitor police misconduct. [more ...]

Well, that explains it. It seems that the seizure of video recording equipment from reporters who traveled to the Twin Cities to keep an eye on police interactions with protesters was just an exercise in homeland security.

Minneapolis police spokesman Bill Palmer said the incident happened at 1:40 a.m. and that the group was stopped on suspicion that they were trespassing in a nearby railroad yard. ... Palmer also said the officers appears to have acted reasonably and would have stopped anyone seen near transportation infrastructure late at night.

How silly. First, walking past a railroad yard does not justify a "suspicion" of trespassing. Either the officers saw the reporters trespassing or they didn't. Second, does Palmer really believe that the police are entitled to stop anyone who is "near" a train late at night?

The "national security" spin still doesn't explain why the recording equipment was confiscated. Is homeland security compromised by folks who take pictures of trains?

A workplace raid a la Postville, Iowa appears imminent in Mississippi. From the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance:

A series of preparations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the Gulf Coast has local advocates on edge about the possibility of yet another worksite raid, and yet another devastating blow to businesses, families and communities in the name of immigration enforcement.

"The preparations we are seeing ICE make are alarmingly similar to what occurred immediately prior to the raid on the Agriprocessors, Inc. Kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, a few months ago, " said Patricia Ice, an immigration attorney and spokesperson for MIRA. ICE has reportedly booked dozens of rooms in hotels on the Gulf Coast. They may be checking in as early as tonight.

More....