WARS ABROAD, WARS AT HOME

 

Tuesday, June 9

Justice Reinvestment Act: Rally and Public Hearing
12:30pm, At the State House in Boston

The Justice Reinvestment Act will improve justice and safety, reduce incarceration and invest millions of $ to create jobs for struggling families. A key component of the Justice Reinvestment Act is to end mandatory minimum sentencing for drugs, the topic of the June 9 hearing. Massachusetts is struggling with two diseases: drug addiction and economic exclusion.  It’s time we stand up for healing!  Download a Justice Reinvestment Fact Sheet Here   For more info please contact: Steve O’Neill of EPOCA (508) 410-7676 steve@exprisoners.org

 

The State Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on Tuesday, June 9, 1pm, at the State House (Gardner Auditorium) , on two important bills - (1) An Act eliminating mandatory minimum sentences related to drug offenses [H.1620, S.786] and (2) An Act reforming pre-trial Process (Pre-trial and bail reform) [H.1584, S.802].  This is the first step in moving these bills forward to a floor vote.

 

In Boston, Media “Reporting” Police Accusations

Media reports originally claimed that Rahim wielded a “machete” after he was approached by the agents. But after photos emerged showing how laughable that description was, the weapon was changed in subsequent reports to a “military-style black knife” — not just any knife, but a black one. Literally within hours of the killing, both the Boston and national media had uncritically published multiple, wholly uncorroborated accusations about Rahim based solely on the claims of the law enforcement agencies that had just killed him.  More

 

DPPer Hayat Imam wrote yesterday:

Dear Friends,

See the Boston Globe today for the article about a young man killed in Roslindale by police. The man who was killed was the younger brother of my own Imam at the mosque, a most tolerant and loving man. It seems inconceivable that his brother could have had anything to do with terrorism. And I don't understand this "shoot first, ask questions later" attitude. If they really wanted answers why shoot and kill someone? The police were 15 feet away and they had guns in their hands. Even if the man was carrying a knife, surely the police could have protected themselves by disabling the man rather than kill him. It is heart-breaking that his father heard his last words on the cell phone, after he made a desperate call to his father before he was shot. He said "I can't breathe". 

 

Hayat also sent along this statement issued by local Muslim leaders:

 

A group of Clergy, Civil Rights leaders, and Muslim community leaders – Imam Abdullah Faaruuq, Imam Taalib Mahdee, Malika MacDonald-Rushdan, Nadeem Mazen, and Yusufi Vali - were invited by the Boston Police Commissioner William Evans to a viewing of the video footage from the shooting of Usaama Rahim. We applaud the Commissioner, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney in this effort towards transparency. Transparency must be a cornerstone of this process for the community to understand what happened and to begin healing from this tragedy.

 

The video we saw was from a nearby Burger King Security camera which was a great distance from the altercation. In addition, it was raining that morning. The images on the video are small in scale because of the distance from the security camera and are smaller silhouettes.

 

Here is what we saw. A man (who the police informed us was Mr. Rahim) can be seen walking across the CVS parking lot to an area which is hidden behind a tree. The tree area is next to a main road and was not a bus stop. Three men (who the police informed us were plain clothes officers) approach Mr. Rahim near the tree area.  As the three plain clothes officers get close to Mr. Rahim two additional men (who the police informed us were also officers) are seen running onto the scene and approach Mr. Rahim from either side. As soon as the additional officers approach Mr. Rahim you can see all officers back away. Mr. Rahim advances towards the officers, into the CVS parking lot where he is seen falling to the ground. The officers were in front of him at this time; it does not appear he was shot in the back. No weapons could be identified in the video; neither a knife nor a gun.

This is an ongoing investigation and the authorities were not at liberty to answer questions that shared anything beyond what was observed in the video. We have been assured the authorities will keep us informed of any new developments and will invite those present today back after the investigation is concluded.

 

The Boston-Muslim community has been shocked by this event. Towards that end, we plan to hold a community forum tomorrow (Thursday, June 4) at 7 pm at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center to come together as a community and to share as much as is known currently. Let us all collectively work as united Bostonians to ensure peace, safety, and security for all citizens moving forward.

 

This press statement was jointly crafted by Masjid Alhamdulillah, Masjid al-Quran, ICNA Relief Massachusetts and the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center

 

Why Police Kill So Often

The FBI reports 404 civilians were killed by police in 2011. All were listed as “justifiable homicides.” Under more intense questioning, it was then revealed that figures are not actually kept for “unjustified” police murders and, remarkably, their statistics rely exclusively on incidents self-reported by the cops. Nonetheless, even with the problematic figures at hand that are surely underestimated, the number of people killed by police stands starkly apart and darkly atop the rest of the world.  More

 

America's law enforcement officers have shot and killed upwards of 385 people so far this year, according to a new Washington Post investigation. That's a rate of about 1 every 9 hours, or 2.5 shootings per day. That's a lot compared to other countries -- cops in Germany killed only 8 people in 2013-2014, for instance. British police didn't kill anyone last year. Through June 1, there have been 5,099 gun deaths in the U.S., according to up-to-date numbers maintained by the Gun Violence Archive. Based on the 385 figure, that means that American police are responsible for about 1 in every 13 gun deaths in the country, or 8 percent. The Gun Violence Archive numbers include suicide as well as homicide, so the police-involved share of gun homicides would be even larger.

 

Congress Did Not Pass an Anti-Surveillance Law (Thoughts About the USA Freedom Act)

When President Barack Obama signed the USA Freedom Act, it did not end bulk data collection or mass surveillance programs. It did not address many of the policies, practices or programs of the NSA, which NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed. It did not sharply limit surveillance nor was it an anti-surveillance law. The USA Freedom Act renewed Patriot Act provisions, which had sunset days ago… Journalist Marcy Wheeler pointed out that bulk collection of Americans’ international phone calls will continue. “Backdoor searches” under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act will continue, as the NSA can collect emails, browsing and chat history of US citizens without a warrant… Senator Bernie Sanders voted against the USA Freedom Act and explained in a released statement that it would still give the NSA and “law enforcement too much access to vast databases of information on millions of innocent Americans.” The independent senator voted against the Patriot Act and both of the law’s extensions in 2005 and 2011.  More

 

The Senate passed the USA Freedom Act in a 67-32 vote with most Democrats voting in favor, including Mass Senators Markey and Warren