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lastsonlost · 5 years

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What the fuck!?

The Dec. 18 document from the FBI specifies an alleged plan for activists to purchase guns from a “Mexico-based cartel associate known as Cobra Commander,” or Ivan Riebeling.

When federal law enforcement officials last year began collecting dossiers on mostly American journalists, activists and lawyers in Tijuana involved with the migrant caravan, one part of their investigation focused on an alleged plot by a drug cartel to sell guns to protesters, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation report.

A Dec. 18, 2018, document from the FBI, obtained by the Union-Tribune, specifies an alleged plan for activists to purchase guns from a “Mexico-based cartel associate known as Cobra Commander,” or Ivan Riebeling.

The protesters wanted to “stage an armed rebellion at the border,” the FBI reported to dozens of federal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Mexico.

The unclassified report was provided to the Union-Tribune on the condition the person providing it would not be named, and with the request that the entire document not be shared online because of the ongoing nature of the investigation.

The document warns of “anti-fascist activists” that “planned to disrupt U.S. law enforcement and military security operations at the US/Mexican border.”

Two additional law enforcement officials confirmed the investigation is ongoing, although no one has been charged. “Unclassified” means information can be released to people without a security clearance, but the document was also labeled “law enforcement sensitive,” which means it was intended to be seen only by those in law enforcement.

“This is an information report, not finally evaluated intelligence,” the six-page report states. “Receiving agencies are requested not to take action based on this raw reporting without prior coordination with the FBI.”

The FBI sent its report with “priority” to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Administration, among other agencies.

Two people named in the report, Ivan Riebeling and Evan Duke, said the accusations are untrue and illogical.

Duke said he never met Riebeling and that Riebeling was not someone he would have associated with.

Riebeling also said the accusations in the FBI’s report are illogical.

“It doesn’t make any sense that someone from the United States would purchase guns in Mexico. And the Hondurans certainly didn’t bring money to buy guns. It doesn’t make any sense; in fact it’s extremely absurd to say the Hondurans wanted to attack the United States at the border,” said Reibeling.

A few names included in the FBI report overlap with names included in a secret database of people being monitored by Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations, originally reported by NBC San Diego and Telemundo 20.

However, the database includes many others not included in the FBI’s report, and it remains unclear why those people — mostly American journalists, activists and attorneys — were targeted and monitored.

In March, it was discovered that Customs and Border Protection had compiled lists of people it wanted to stop for questioning at the border. Agents questioned or arrested at least 21 of them, according to documents obtained by NBC San Diego. On that list, Reibeling is described as an “instigator,” and Duke’s name and picture is also included.

CBP said the names on the list are people who were present when violence broke out at the Tijuana border in November and January, when agents deployed tear gas. The agency said people were being questioned so that the agency could learn more about what started the altercations.

Some of the people detained and questioned said they were asked whether anyone was encouraging migrants to rush the border during the two incidents. Several people confirmed they were told they were being questioned as part of a “national security investigation.”

The FBI’s report says a group of activists in Tijuana supporting the migrant caravan “were encouraged to bring personally owned weapons to the border and the group also intended to purchase weapons from a Mexico-based cartel associate known as Cobra Commander, AKA the Mexican Rambo, and smuggle the weapons into the United States.”

Several activists involved with the migrant caravan said the accusation that they would try to purchase weapons in Mexico is especially absurd, given that buying guns in the United States is easy and legal.

“Here I find the government again trying to tie me into some (stuff) I wasn’t involved in,” said Duke, a U.S. activist who is opposed to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and whose work in Tijuana was monitored by federal authorities.

Duke said Riebeling was not someone he would have associated with because he didn’t trust him and because Riebeling had expressed negative views in social media videos about the migrants in the caravan.

“We were warned to look out for him,” said Duke. “We took the precaution to find out who he was and where he was, but we never had any contact with him. And we never saw him around the migrant caravan.”

Riebeling said he was originally helping an earlier caravan of mostly women and children who arrived in Tijuana, but he quickly decided he “no longer wanted to help Hondurans.”

“I can send you several videos of myself attacking the Hondurans because they are my enemies,” Riebeling said during a recent interview.

Reibeling said he was never detained or interrogated by the FBI about his involvement with the migrant caravan. He said he took no part in trying to sell guns to anyone and that he’s not a cartel member.

“I am not cartel. I don’t sell drugs. I don’t sell arms,” said Riebeling. “I’m a revolutionary. A man who believes in his ideals, and I’m going to defend Mexico.”

The unclassified FBI report identifies Riebeling as being “associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel,” but Riebeling, a Tijuana resident, said he is not.

“If I were selling drugs, or guns, they would kill me,” said Riebeling.

Riebeling said he was upset by the accusations in the report.

“The government of the United States knows perfectly well that I am not a member of any cartel,” said Riebeling. “I have associates with several of the cartels, yes I do, but I am not a narco-trafficker and they know that.”

Riebeling said he became angry with members of the Central American caravan in Tijuana after he discovered some were selling items he brought them for humanitarian relief, like blankets, water and shoes.

“They were exchanging these items for drugs and it made me mad, and I no longer wanted to help them and I was vocal about it,” he said.

In a video he posted online, he encouraged members of drug cartels to attack migrants with bats and “hunt down” migrants to take them to Mexican immigration authorities to be deported.

Many members of the migrant caravan were attacked with rocks and tear gas. Two Honduran teenagers were brutally killed.

Duke said he was told to avoid Riebeling because of his negative views about migrants.

“I was warned about him when I arrived in TJ,” said Duke. “His name came up to me from a couple different sources to watch out for this guy.”

The FBI’s report says Duke was working with Riebeling and others not just to procure weapons, but to help set up camps to train activists to become “community defense militias, also known as autodensas.”

“Organizers planned for the camps to be used as staging platforms from which five person units would form to train anarchists in fighting, combat, and conducting reconnaissance, and then launch to disrupt U.S. government operations along the border,” the report states.

After the report was distributed to dozens of law enforcement agencies, Duke faced intense scrutiny when crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Duke said that along with another activist, he was twice hot-stopped — held at gunpoint by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and detained for hours — as he tried to cross.

In one instance, Duke said, he was driving into San Diego from Tijuana at the San Ysidro Port of Entry after delivering supplies to migrants at shelters in Tijuana.

When he got near the CBP checkpoint, border officials drew their guns and ordered him out of the car, Duke said.

“My first thought was: ‘Wow I don’t think this is good. This can’t be good,’” said Duke. “I overheard their radios and someone was saying, ‘You’ve got so many guns on these guys. You’re only supposed to have six guns on them.’ I think there were 25 guns on us at that moment.”

Based on questions investigators asked him, Duke said he believes it’s possible that authorities are acting upon information provided to law enforcement by right-wing conspiracy groups. He said a North Dakota radio talk-show host bragged on the air about reporting him and his colleagues to law enforcement.

In mid-November, Duke and a group of activists began renting a house in Tijuana and hosting about 25 volunteers at a time working to counter what they viewed as the U.S. government’s violation of asylum seekers’ human rights.

The FBI’s report says the rental house in Tijuana was guarded by armed group members.

Riebeling, who also goes by the names Ivan del Campo, Ivan Mariano Martin del Campo and Jose Ivan Reiveling Sierra, has criminal records in Mexico and the United States, according to a Mexican state police document and confirmed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Riebeling was arrested in 1997 by CBP for allegedly trying to smuggle nine to 10 pounds of marijuana into the United States, but the charges against him were dropped, according to a June 2017 letter from the DEA to Baja California’s Policía Estatal Preventiva.

In March 2007, Chula Vista police arrested Riebeling on suspicion of carrying a concealed stolen gun in his car, according to the letter. DEA agents in San Ysidro arrested Riebeling in March 2008, and he was convicted in federal court for kidnapping and robbery. He was sentenced to 48 months in prison but received clemency, the DEA’s letter states.

The “Procuraduría de Justicia del Estado de Baja California,” which is the equivalent of the attorney general for the state of Baja California, confirmed that Riebeling has at least two criminal records in Mexico for assaulting police officers.

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laurellynnleake · 6 years

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Fight To Protect Immigrants! - Resource & Organization Masterlist (updated: 6/22/18)

If you need help and/or want to help others trapped in the brutal US immigration system, let me get you started! Regardless of your time and abilities, you can help in countless ways big and small. Head to Informed Immigrant to find local/national/global orgs supporting undocumented immigrants - you can donate money/time/transportation, join protest actions, register voters, cook dinners, watch kids, and simply provide emotional support to people!

I’ve gathered together some useful links and resources here - please help me spread ‘em around, and add any of your own links and info too (and let me know if you donate/contact reps and I’ll draw you some art).

Calling Scripts:

Check out Celeste Pewter’s twitter for up-to-date call scripts and resources for contacting your reps and fighting for human rights (@ her or use #Icalledmyreps after you call to get a boost and/or share info). She eventually transcribes most scripts here, but can take several days, so while these links below go to images on twitter I’ve also included captions under the cut.

Tips for calling your electeds

Calling Senate/House for Feinstein/Nadler’s Keep Families Together Act post EO (6/22), and for Texans near the border (6/13)

Call scripts pushing for House/Senators to investigate DHS’s Zero Tolerance Policy (6/22), and for contacting the DOJ/DHS to protest the Zero Tolerence Policy post executive order (6/20)

Call scripts for governors to refuse to send the National Guard to the border (6/22) and calling for Sec Nielson’s resignation (6/18)

Calling Congress re: Kids already separated, and rumors of military lawyers (06/22)

Calling governors, federal reps, and state attorney’s about joining the multi-state lawsuit (6/22)

General Guides for Contacting Reps:

Find My Reps

Resistbot (emails and faxes reps for you)

5calls

Herd on the Hill a FB group of dedicated volunteers who will print out your letters, and deliver them.

How to Call Your Reps When You Have Social Anxiety

Legislative & Organizing Resources:

Join a local protest at FamiliesBelong.org. Donate here.

ACLU Know Your Rights pocket guides includes ICE Visits (ICE Visitas), If Questioned About Imm. Status (Que Hacer Si Le Preguntan Acerca de su Estatus Migratorio), and What To Do If Stopped By Police (Qué Debe Hacer Si la Policía/Agentes de Inmigración/FBI) in English and en Español, as well as guides for protests.

Know Your Rights Handouts: If ICE Raids a Home/Employer/Public Space (AILA) in Español, Chinese, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, & Punjabi

Indivisible’s Immigration News Resources

Indivisible’s Immigrant Ally Toolkit

Tisp for attending protests and rallies and advice for white allies

Look up ICE detention centers here

Internet security: FB centric, basic computer security, more elaborate

Organizations to Join/Support:

Use the Informed Immigrant to find groups near you, find legal aid, and join the fight!

Pueblos Sin Fronteras provides humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees. Donate here.

Al Otro Lado is a bi-national, direct legal services organization serving indigent deportees/migrants/refugees in Tijuana, Mexico. Donate here.

The Florence Project provides free legal services to adults and unaccompanied children in imm. custody in Arizona. Donate here.

Border Angels serves San Diego County’s immigrant population through various migrant outreach programs such as Day Laborer outreach, a free legal assistance program, and more. Donate here.

RAICES provides free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees in Texas. Donate here.

The Immigrant Children’s Assistance Project is an American Bar Association project currently helping unaccompanied children in South Texas w/ knowing their rights. Donate here.

United We Dream is the largest immigrant-youth led group in the USA, and their site provides news, event info, as well as guides and toolkits for fighting the system, protecting LGBTQ immigrants, and taking care of your mental health. Donate here.

The Black Alliance for Just Immigration “educates and engages African American and black immigrant communities to organize and advocate for racial, social, and economic justice.” Donate here.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is one of the largest civil rights and advocacy organizations dedicated to fighting against discrimination against Muslims. Click here to donate to the national organization or a specific campaign, or click here to find your local CAIR chapter (which needs your support as much/even more).

CUNY CLEAR provides representation and rights training to Muslim communities targeted by law enforcement. Donate here.

Families for Freedom fights on behalf of families facing deportation. “We are immigrant prisoners (detainees), former immigrant prisoners, their loved ones, or individuals at risk of deportation.” Donate here.

The Immigrant Defense Project uses impact litigation, advocacy, and public education to fight to stop mass deportations and an unjust immigration system. Donate here.

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national resource center that helps train immigration lawyers and advocates on the local, state and federal level. Donate here.

The International Rescue Committee works to provide aid to people affected by humanitarian crises. You can donate to specifically support U.S. refugee resettlement programs re: Trump’s Muslim Ban here, and see other ways to get involved (volunteering/calling reps) here.

The International Refugee Assistance Project works to organize lawyers and law students to fight for the human and legal rights of refugees through legal aid and policy advocacy. For legal help click here, and to donate click here.

Make the Road New York uses policy advocacy, organizing, education, and survival services (including workforce training and adult education) to improve the lives of immigrants—in particular Latino and working class communities—in NYC. Donate here, get involved here.

Mariposas Sin Fronteras works with LGBTQ people detained in immigration facilities and works to get vulnerable detainees out on bond. Donate here.

MPower Change does grassroots organizing, campaigning, and storytelling to empower Muslim communities in the USA. Donate here.

National Immigration Law Center works for the rights of low-income immigrants through impact legislation, policy analysis and advocacy, communications, and education programs. Donate here.

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project offers legal services directly to immigrants with its network of 350 pro-bono attorneys. Donate here.

Remember, one person alone can’t do everything, so please take care of yourself and each other - but if we all do a little, we can make a difference together!

Captions for the Pewter call scripts under the cut, as well as a list of pro-bono legal aid and therapist volunteers organized by Joanna Rothkopf.

Tips for calling your electeds, especially if you’re leaving a VM

If you’re leaving a voicemail, make sure you clearly state your name and where you are calling from. (Zip, etc.)

Make sure you have a concrete ask, or specify a specific opinion. Imagine a staffer asking: “What’s the best outcome/resolution for you?” and frame your comment that way. E.g. If you want them to specifically oppose an amendment, say that, and explain why.

Always clarify if you would like a response, and leave a way for the office to reach you. (Phone number, email, etc.)

If you have another issue, bring it up on the phone at the time. Always personalize your comments.

For Cruz/Cornyn constituents on the TX detention facilities: (06/18, tweaked by OP)

You: Hi, my name is [name]. I am calling from [zıp code]. You: I am calling today to ask [Cruz/Cornyn] take a stand...

Opposing the detention facilities for young people in Texas, and

To also oppose the DHS’s overall zero tolerance policy.

You: The horrific conditions being experienced by these children are absolutely unacceptable, and betray the values of our state.

You: <Insert optional comments here>

You: Furthermore, I am also calling on [Cruz/Cornyn] to support their colleague Senator Feinstein’s Keep Families Together Act. President Trump has clearly and repeatedly stated he would support a bill to keep families together, so I expect [Cruz/Cornyn] to follow the GOP agenda.

Call the capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121 #ICALLEDMYREPS @CELESTE PEWTER

Talking points for Texas residents re: local/state electeds re: the detention facilities (06/13)

What did the city/county/state know about these proposals to hold children in warehouses, with limited access to fresh air? Does local city/county/state official condone these practices?

If yes: does [official] understand that these kids are in conditions that are comparable to what certain criminals experience in jail?

If no: great. How will [elected] address this with their federal counterparts? I do not support facilities like these, and want [elected] to exert all possible pressure with their federal counterparts.

Will [elected] come out with a public statement condemning these facilities?

Call the capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121 #ICALLEDMYREPS @CELESTEPEWTER

For House/Senators re: DHS’s Zero tolerance policy (opening investigations) Talking points post-Trump executive order (6/20)

The Executive Order would only create family detention centers which would continue to lead to expanded camps.

The executive order doesn't offer recourse for reuniting already- separated families The EO gives wide discretion to DHS Secretary Nielsen

Crossing the border will be deemed a criminal violation, vs. a civil one (which will lead to parents being charged criminally; and children likely being taken)

The EO doesn't address asylum seekers, and will still prohibit anyone seeking asylum under domestic violence/gang violence from seeking asylum

The House bill (Border Security and Immigration Reform Act) will also not fully address these concerns.

Call the capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121 #ICALLEDMYREPS @CELESTE PEWTER

Talking points re: the DOJ/DHS following Trump's Executive Order signing (6/20)

Ask the DOJ/DHS stop lying about the origins of zero tolerance policy - it's well documented it's a Trump Administration policy

Stop using Flores to justify this policy.

Stop saying it's about the wall. Democrats have actually offered funding for the wall before (during the DACA debate) and the GOP/Trump Administration passed. This is NOT about the wall

Per news reports this morning, DHS thought the zero tolerance policy would deter border crossings. According to public documents sited by outlets like the Hill, crossings have actually gone up, including crossings by unaccompanied minor children

The Executive order doesn't have a recourse for how families will be reunited. How will the DOJ/DHS address this?

Stop insisting this is up to Congress to act - this is a DHS/DOJ created problem

Call your SENATORS post-Trump's executive order signing re: family separation (06/22)

You: Hi, my name is [name]. I am calling from [zip code} You: I am calling to ask Senators to continue to do everything in their legislative power to address the DHS/DOJ's zero tolerance policy. You: This week's executive order does not adequately solve the problem of family separation; it just creates family detention centers, and doesn't address the overarching problem. You: We also need clarity on how this executive order helps the children who have already been separated. The administration is claiming 500 kids have been reunited. When will we get proof? When is this rumored staging ground in Texas supposed to be complete?

Dem Senators: Finally, I'd like to call on [Senator] to continue to express support for Feinstein's Keep Families Together Act. GOP Senators: I am calling on [Senator] to support Feinstein's Keep Families Together. You: <Additional comments>

Call the capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121 #ICALLEDMYREPS @CELESTE PEWTER

Call both chambers re: asking for Secretary Nielsen's resignation (06/18)

You: Hi, my name is [name]. I am calling from [zip code]. You: I am calling on [elected] to issue a public statement to ask for Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's resignation. Not only has she been complicit in helping the Trump Administration institute their new zero tolerance policy, she has lied repeatedly to the public on the policy, and what it does and doesn't do. You: I am calling on [elected] to follow in congressional colleague Senator Kamala Harris's footsteps, and call for Secretary Nielsen's resignation immediately. You: <insert optional comment>

Call the capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121 #ICALLEDMYREPS @CELESTE PEWTER

Call your GOVERNORS and ask them to direct the national guard to NOT send resources to the border (06/18)

You: Hi, my name is [name]. I am calling from [zip code].

You: I am calling to ask [GOVERNOR] to please follow Governor Baker of Massachusetts, by instructing the national guard to not deploy to the US-Mexico border. The National Guard cannot and should not be used to further assist in enforcing the Zero Tolerance policy being enacted by the Trump Administration.

You: I am also calling on [GOVERNOR] to commit to signing an executive order similar to Governor Hickenlooper of Colorado, prohibiting any state resources from being used to asssist the Trump Administration's efforts to enforce the zero tolerance policy. I understand it's largely ceremonial, but I want [GOVERNOR] to commit to taking a stand.

You: <insert optional comments here>

Find your governor's contact info here: https://openstates.org #ICALLEDMYREPS @CELESTE PEWTER

Talking points re: JAG corps allegedly being assigned to try cases at the border (06/22)

JAG lawyers have different rules to follow than civilian lawyers. How can we be sure they'll follow proper procedure when trying cases? How will any appeals process on behalf of the defendant be impacted (if applicable) given that military and civilian appeals are different?

WHY are we letting DHS/HHS utilize DOD resources, for something that is strictly in DHS/HHS territory? What is the justification?

Should we not be concerned we're allowing military personnel to handle civilian affairs? This is conflating multiple departments and cross issues.

Call the capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121 #ICALLEDMYREPS @CELESTE PEWTER

Call your GOVERNORS and ask them to continue issuing directives to NOT support border efforts + support their requests for clarity on children in their respective states (06/22)

You: Hi, my name is [name]. I am calling from [zip code]

You: I am calling to ask [GOVERNOR] to continue to refuse to utilize any state resources that would help the federal government's zero tolerance policy. [GOVERNOR] should commit to signing an executive order similar to Governor Hickenlooper of Colorado.

If there are children in your state: I am also calling on [Governor] to continue to be vocal on the need to get accurate numbers on how many children are in our state, and where these facilities are. I ask [Governor] to do everything in their power to tour these facilities. Accountability is needed. You: <insert optional comments here>

Find your governor's contact info here: https://openstates.org #ICALLEDMYREPS @CELESTE PEWTER

Call your local electeds to request a resolution condemning the zero tolerance policy/family separation (6/22)

You: Hi, my name is [name]. I am calling from [address/zip code].

You: I am calling to ask [MAYOR/CITY COUNCILMEMBER] to please endorse a resolution that makes clear [CITY] does not condone the Trump Administration's current immigration practices, including family separation, family detention centers, and the refusal to provide asylum to those who are seeking it under domestic violence and gang violence.

You: Yesterday's federal executive order does little to solve the problem. Families are still separated, and the executive order only opens up the pathway to family detention centers.

You: I am calling on [MAYOR/CITY COUNCILMEMBER] to show what our city stands for, and take a stand. You: <insert optional comment here>

#ICALLEDMYREPS @CELESTE PEWTER

Call your Attorneys general, and ask them to join the multi-state lawsuit. (06/22)

You: Hi, my name is [name]. I am calling from [zip code].

You: I am calling on [AG] to join the other state attorneys generals who are planning on suing the Trump Administration to compel reunification for the 2.3K children separated from their families.

You: As Maryland's AG Frosh confirmed in an interview: the executive order does not adequately address the problems that have resulted in family separation; including how to reunite the families, and the government appears to not have a concrete plan.

You: Please sign onto the lawsuit and compel the administration to act.

You: <insert optional comment>

Find your AG: http://www.naag.org/naag/attorneys- general/whos-my-ag.php

Attorneys:

Ted Colquett, Birmingham, AL - [email protected], (205) 245-4370

Morgan Petriello, Los Angeles, CA - [email protected], (323) 651-2577

Elleni Kalouris, Chicago suburbs, IL - [email protected]

Therapists:

Muni Olia, Philadelphia, PA - Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist - [email protected]

Ruth Durack, MSW, Peoria, IL - Social Worker - [email protected]

Lauren Fallon, LCSW, IL - Social Worker - [email protected]

Jennifer Goldstein, Chicago, IL - Therapist - [email protected]

Gloria Jetter, LMSW, New York, NY - Social Worker - [email protected]

Note: These attorneys and therapists/psychiatrists were shared via Jezebel, and have not been vetted by the website; their inclusion on the list is by request.If you are an attorney or therapist who would like to offer your services to immigrants and refugees pro-bono, email Joanna Rothkopf with your contact information at [email protected]. The descriptions I found for many of these resources are also courtesy of Rothkopf and Pewter.

Please consider boosting this post, @phonescripts, @justsomeantifas, and @nativenews!

#keepfamiliestogether #immigrant rights #undocumented immigrants #resist trump #protest resources #long post #l3 host post

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progressivejudaism · 6 years

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I have included the entire text of this article. It is worth reading the entire text here from Rabbi Aaron Brusso of Bet Torah of Mt.Kisco, New York’s beloved Armondo:

A week before the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer told him he was going to a detention facility, Armando, our synagogue’s custodian for two decades, had come in to work on President’s Day to be there for my family as we held a small service to celebrate my son’s upcoming bar mitzvah.

Afterwards, as we ate lunch, Armando stood at a distance smiling. A week later, when I spoke to him in custody, he said through tears, “I have seen your son grow. I wanted to be there for the big celebration. ”My son, by happenstance of birth, is a United States citizen, and simply by reaching the age of 13 he becomes a full citizen of our religious community. Armando has worked and lived in this country more than twice as long as my son has been alive, has two boys of his own, no criminal record, steady employment and a community of hundreds of families who love him.

Yet in an instant, he was taken away.

Like my son, I did absolutely nothing to earn or deserve my citizenship, it was gifted to me at birth because of a decision my great-grandparents made. I didn’t have to work for it, sacrifice for it, travel for it. It was given to me before I knew to dream of it, before I knew what dreams were.

We enjoy tremendous privilege and access simply because we were born in the right place at the right time. Not so for Armando.

We got a call that Armando had been arrested over the weekend and was in the county jail. He was in a restaurant with family when a fight broke out. The police were called and they arrested a number of people, including Armando. Aside from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he was completely exonerated in court.

But during his time in the county jail, ICE was sent a list of inmates. An ICE officer came to the jail to let him know he was going to be brought into detention.

Armando came to this country nearly 30 years ago. In the 20 years he worked in our synagogue, he paid social security, Medicare, state and local taxes. As far as we were concerned he belonged in every way. But others apparently saw that differently.

As soon as Armando was in ICE custody, our community sprang into action. As a rabbi, it has been particularly moving to see my synagogue live out the value of chesed, or loving-kindness. Community members collected money, secured legal representation and wrote dozens of letters attesting to his character. We reached out to his family and assured them we would be there for them and would not let him be deported.

One family’s letter mentioned that Armando was a guest reader in their child’s preschool classes. Another parent talked about how Armando convinced her hesitant son to get out of the car and go inside for religious school. Then there was the parent who had a medical emergency and had to rush a child to the hospital with only time to ask the closest adult — Armando — if he would get her other son after class and stay with him. I was so used to seeing Armando taking care of our families that I was a bit ashamed of how little thought I had given to him being a father to his own sons.

I accompanied Armando’s son to visit his dad while he was being held at the county jail. Armando looked at his son and said “I don’t want you to stop your education. I want you to have what I didn’t.” I imagined the same conversation between my great-grandfather and my grandfather, just with a Yiddish accent.

The attorney we found worked quickly to put together a plea for a stay of deportation and get in touch with immigration authorities. He put together a character profile, but how do you characterize the look of embarrassment on Armando’s face when the synagogue staff brought out a cake and sang happy birthday to him? Or the way he made our kids feel at home when they high fived him in the hallways? Or the smile on his face when he would explain to people how often he brought his own son to synagogue? “He grew up here,” Armando would say.

The ICE officer, who the lawyer informed us had complete say over Armando’s fate, didn’t return the attorney’s call for days. A week after Armando entered ICE detention, I called the attorney to check in. “An hour ago, he was taken from the detention facility and is being moved,” the lawyer reported. “We don’t know where to. All they know is that he is in transit.” The only way Armando’s family knew any of this was because the attorney had reached out to ICE.

Later that day, Armando called his family from Tijuana, Mexico, his country of birth. He had been brought over the border and left without bank cards, cash, cell phone or ID. He was given no time to gather any belongings or to call his family to say goodbye. As Armando told his son, an ICE officer who escorted him with others to the border told the group, “You’ll all probably get kidnapped.”

When I heard that, I thought about how carefully Armando cared for the families in our community and how unthinkable it would be for him to purposefully cause anyone discomfort or fear. Earlier, when rhetoric around immigration was heating up and people born in Mexico were being referred to as drug dealers and rapists, I had stopped Armando in the hallway; I felt the need to apologize for the cruelty we in the United States had enabled. He shook his head and said, “I just don’t understand why people need to talk like that.”If crossing a border to seek a better life is in and of itself such a crime, why would anyone need to characterize people like Armando as cruel and brutal? If anything, the exaggeration reveals how insufficiently transgressive it is to dream of a better life. If anything is brutal, it’s the enforcement system itself. It is now built for speed and efficiency, for maximum action and minimum thought. When we don’t feel the need to understand a person’s story,

it becomes much easier to taunt them with fears of being kidnapped. In fact, it becomes necessary, because if we all realized immigrants were human beings, who could sleep at night?

But didn’t he break the law by coming here? If we are a nation of laws then don’t we have to respect the law? Good people, people who love Armando have asked these questions. I think it’s important to make a distinction between procedural justice, the idea that the law should be applied equally, and substantive justice, the notion that law should produce good in the world. Right now we are applying the law strongly and across the board. But we also have to own the consequences of doing so. We are breaking up families that include U.S. citizens, depriving them of income and taking parents away from children. We are creating greater dependencies in our society and millions are vulnerable to this fate. Circumstances change. What begins with good intentions can end in cruelty. It is possible for a law to be both legal and cruel at the same time. Like good parenting (don’t drink, but if you do I’ll come pick you up no questions asked) it is possible to send clear, mixed messages.

A pathway to citizenship can be created for those who are here at the same time as laws for orderly entry are reaffirmed. We can apply the law equally and assure that it produces good in the world. We can reestablish the integrity of our communal body without losing our soul. Apparently these kinds of distinctions were appreciated by a judge in New York. Shortly after Armando was deported we found out that the motion for stay of deportation had been granted. Department of Homeland Security acknowledged receiving it, the day after Armando was deported.

Now Armando’s absence weighs on me. Before February, every day rushing to a class, a meeting or a counseling session, I would catch Armando out of the corner of my eye and we would quickly smile and wave. Since he was taken, there have been moments where I thought I saw him and turned, but there was nobody there. A phenomenon even more painful for his sons.

After Armando was dropped off with nothing across the border he made his way to relatives. We didn’t hear anything from him for 24 hours. I finally got a text from his son saying his dad was ok. We have been in almost daily contact with the family since. His oldest son is incredibly positive, but I have talked to him enough to have built up trust.

Through tears he will say that he just wants to get his dad back. Recently, a delegation from my synagogue joined Armando’s son and flew down to San Diego to meet Armando in Tijuana. We wanted to be with him as he walked to the border to seek asylum.

They told us that they did not have the “capacity,” and turned him away.

We will try again soon.

One thing is for sure: our community will not give up. As I crossed back into the U.S. from Mexico, having left Armando behind, I handed over my passport to be scanned. For the first time I did so without pride. I was a citizen, but of what kind of country? The irony is that in enforcing so callously the line between citizen and non-citizen, we don’t affirm, but actually cheapen, the meaning of citizenship.

As citizens, we are all implicated in our country’s behavior. If human beings without our status can be treated, in our names, in such cruel and thoughtless ways, then of what value is our status? The truth is that when Armando was taken, we didn’t just remove a father from his family and a member from a community, we deported a piece of our humanity as well.

The picture I can’t get out of my mind is of Armando and his son holding each other and saying goodbye through tears last week in Tijuauna. This past week I stood next to my son as he read from the Torah for the first time. Fathers have so many hopes for their sons.I hope my son uses his unearned citizenship to make this country worthy again of people like Armando.

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levelbar · 6 years

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7 Aspiring Lawyers of Color Want You to Pay Attention to the DA Race

This piece was written by the seven Scholars in the 2018 LevelBar cohort.

No position in America, no single individual has a bigger impact on the criminal justice system ― including police brutality, but the whole crisis of mass incarceration in general ― than your local district attorney.

--Shaun King, founder of the Real Justice Movement

Lady Justice might hold the scales, but there are surprisingly few checks and balances in our U.S. criminal justice system. While judges have recently been the focus of media attention, another figure in the courtroom wields similarly unchecked power over the impartment of justice, yet we don’t seem to pay her the same attention. One single person has complete authority to decide which crimes are to be prosecuted, what charges will be filed, and whether a child will stand trial as an adult. Likewise, she decides who receives a plea deal. One person can recommend probation over prison and decide whether or not a police officer must answer for his or her crimes. That often-overlooked figure is the District Attorney, and her reach is unparalleled.

No law mandates the DA to pursue certain cases. In fact, there is no clear oversight of the DA’s decisions. The responsibility to limit or oversee a district attorney rests solely upon ALL OF US. Only the voters have the power to hold district attorneys accountable to the highest standards of integrity, fairness, and compassion. In 2002, about 79,000 more residents in San Diego county voted for governor than they did for district attorney, meaning many of us have willingly given up the most important tool to influence our criminal justice system. By emphasizing both the power of our vote and the role of the DA, we take a step forward toward reforming the current justice system.

If you’ve never had a run-in with the law, it may seem easy to ignore to the race for district attorney, but the stakes are too high for young people of color to do so. According to the NAACP, “the United States makes up about 5% of the world’s population and has 21% of the world’s prisoners.” Representing 32% of the population, African Americans and Latinos made up 56% of the prison population in 2015. African American men in particular, are being incarcerated at five time the rate of white men. In a report submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union writes, “These racial disparities result from disparate treatment of Blacks at every stage of the criminal justice system, including stops and searches, arrests, prosecutions and plea negotiations, trials, and sentencing. Race matters at all phases and aspects of the criminal process, including the quality of representation, the charging phase, and the availability of plea agreements, each of which impact whether juvenile and adult defendants face a potential LWOP sentence.” Further details of the report demonstrate the active role that the district attorney, as the lead prosecutor, plays in creating these disparities:

Racial disparities in sentencing also result in part from prosecutors’ decisions at the initial charging stage, suggesting that racial bias affects the exercise of prosecutorial discretion with respect to certain crimes. One study found that Black defendants face significantly more severe charges than whites, even after controlling for characteristics of the offense, criminal history, defense counsel type, age and education of the offender, and crime rates and economic characteristics of the jurisdiction.

Available data also suggests that there are racial disparities in prosecutors’ exercise of discretion in seeking sentencing enhancements under three-strikes and other habitual offender laws. For instance, a 1995 legal challenge revealed the racially biased role of prosecutorial discretion in the application of Georgia’s two-strikes law. Georgia prosecutors have discretion to decide whether to charge offenders under the state’s two-strikes sentencing scheme, which imposes life imprisonment for a second drug offense. They invoked the law against only 1 percent of white defendants facing a second drug conviction, compared to 16 percent of Black defendants. As a result, 98.4 percent of prisoners serving life sentences under the law were Black. In California, studies similarly show that Blacks are sentenced under the state’s three strikes law at far higher rates than their white counterparts.

The evidence that prosecutors contribute to systematic inequalities in criminal justice is nothing short of damning. It is clear that “equality under the law” is far from reality, and yet, we as voters fail time and time again to exercise our power to bring our country closer to this ideal. When officials are elected by the people, they must conform to the values of the electorate. Right now, we’ve shown our leaders that we are complicit in racial inequality, that we don’t value justice or equality, and that we will continue to elect them despite their racist sentiments and actions. What message will you send with your vote?

Many of us already know the lifelong impact of convictions. This impact compounds itself not only on people of color but on immigrants as well. It is all too common that formerly incarcerated individuals encounter unreturned calls for interviews and are denied public services or assistance and immigration relief. Those convicted of a felony are ineligible to vote in many states, contributing to a cycle of disenfranchisement and recidivism. Only racially diverse prosecutors who respect human rights above all else can remediate this crisis in the penal system. The District Attorney influences the level of prosecution, sways police action, and dictates the sentencing for the person being prosecuted. Therefore, the DA race is inescapably important. No matter where you live, it is in your best interest to be informed of what the DA’s track record has been within your community.

As today’s immigrant population faces attacks from the highest levels of the government, the DA race gives us an opportunity to respond. The DA’s prosecutorial choices can lead to even greater threats of deportation. Such was the case for Roland Sylvain, a Haitian immigrant who faced deportation from the U.S. due to a “aggravated felony” conviction which stemmed from his use of a false name while receiving a speeding ticket. Harsh prosecution practices are part of the current war on the immigrant population and our choice for DA directly impacts the lives of individuals and the integrity of families.

The authors of this piece all reside in Alameda County. For the fiscal year 2017-2018, 17% of Alameda county’s budget went towards incarceration and responding to crime. That number becomes disproportionately high when you compare it to the 1.2% of the county’s budget that went towards prevention services for at-risk youth. We would like to see a significant shift in these statistics. The upcoming election for the District Attorney in Alameda County involves two democratic candidates, Pamela Price and Nancy O’Malley. Pamela Price has been running her campaign as a progressivist as well as a reformist. Her goal is to unseat the incumbent District Attorney Nancy O’Malley by incorporating a humanitarian approach of “justice with compassion.” Incumbent O’Malley runs with support that relies “heavily on police unions, attorneys from all over the bay area,” Governor Jerry Brown, and Senator Kamala Harris. O’Malley has been denounced by the East Bay Citizen, who opined that “Price’s campaign has been boosted by an outpouring of support from progressives in Alameda County, who believe O’Malley is ambivalent toward convicting police officers for wrongdoing.” The election is complex, as many powerful figures endorse O’Malley despite her less progressive appeal. Senator Harris has, according to Rockridge Patch, “formerly worked with O'Malley in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office before becoming a district attorney herself in San Francisco,” which may explain her endorsement of DA O’Malley. However, in addition to the substantial support O’Malley is receiving, Rockridge Patch has also acknowledged that “billionaire George Soros backs challenger Pamela Price.” This endorsement from Soros might level the playing field, giving Price the chance to compete, or weaken her campaign due to public distrust of billionaires and large individual donors.

The election of a District Attorney requires a fundamental evaluation of our values. We must make an informed choice. To be complicit in these races is to ensure the status quo. It is to say that we do not feel empowered to choose who we elect to hold our community and, importantly, our police accountable to the law. To vote can mean so much more. It can voice the pain of millions of American residents, especially those groups most disproportionately entwined in the criminal justice system. It can make clear that we not only expect but we demand that our prosecutors act without bias in choosing which cases to indict, plea deals to offer, and sentences to recommend, that they hold police officers to the highest of ethical standards and stand firm in prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law when they abuse their authority. We cannot stay silent in underscoring the importance of electing not only a just DA in areas with high concentrations of people of color, but a just DA who has the boldness and courage to ensure that her functionaries are just as well. A vote can demand that no one be above the law and that everyone be treated equally under the law, one county at a time. What are your values? Do you know the values of the District Attorney whose sole discretion determines the direction of justice for your community? Why not?

Juan Martin Cabrales : “As the son of immigrants and a person of color, I care about the DA race because of the influence the office holds over my community. For several years I have worked professionally with numerous immigrants and can attest to fact that families have been torn apart due to low level crimes. A DA who is informed about the severe consequences certain convictions have on an individual’s immigration case is extremely important. Minor crimes such as possession or petty theft can create a catastrophe for a family unit. Our DA should be compassionate towards individuals who clearly do not pose a threat to the community. Furthermore, the DA has the power to sign certifications of cooperation, which are required for an immigrant obtain certain immigration benefits, such as a U Visa for victims of crimes. The DA race is a vital role in the criminal justice system and we should do our parts to be informed on the power they hold and who it will effect.”

Ausjia Perlow : “When I was younger, I always valued fairness above all and was taught that the American justice system did as well, that justice was blind treated everyone fairly. This illusion culminated in my aspirations to practice law. That naivete has since been replaced with a determination to be a changemaker, one who meaningfully brings that system closer to the ideals of equality and fairness that we purport to hold so dear. One of the easiest ways that we can all accomplish this is simply by electing District Attorneys who are also committed to being changemakers. We need more people willing to reject the status quo and to instead to adopt new methods to strive toward these higher aims of fairness, compassion, and justice.”

Gabriela Arroyo : “As a person color I have always felt unrepresented in politics. I also feel that the experiences of people of color are not taken into consideration properly, thus when DAs use their discretion they are not always aware of the impact their decision has on a person who is already at a (structurally) racial disadvantage. Therefore, It is essential to make changes by electing DAs who can relate and understand the communities that they are involved with. DAs should be able to understand the full effect of a cyclical approach, and should hold values that incorporate rehabilitation, reintegration, and community-based programs.”

Kimberly Anne Verzano : “Race, power and privilege are factors that perpetuate the problem of structural inequalities within the American Legal Justice System. As a woman and a first generation Filipino American, I understand and relate to the struggles that people of color face. Minorities are not always at the forefront of power but are more often crushed by those who possess it. Historically, people of color have been exploited for their labor or victimized by the legal system because they cannot afford exceptional legal aid. In the 21st century, police brutality especially in Oakland is a major contributor to social injustice. The police need to be held accountable and the only way we can do this is by electing the right District Attorney [DA]: someone who is aware of the racial inequality within the American Justice System and is willing to be the main advocate for underprivileged communities. Take Oakland, for example, a city of diverse cultural backgrounds, where minorities from impoverished communities have been disproportionately represented. Historically, Oakland’s reputation in incarceration has heavily been focused on specific minorities such as Black and Brown bodies.”

Ashley Lopez Figuera : “I care about the DA race because the District Attorney’s decisions help determine the fate of my Latino and immigrant community. Is it one filled with fear of authority? Or with a sense of safety and tolerance? Can I see people from disadvantaged backgrounds beating the odds and rising to powerful positions? Or wasting their untapped potential in a jail cell? I want my loved ones to have an equal opportunity to live life to the fullest, and I am sure you do too.”

Feven Ezra : “The DA race is the most important sector in this primary election simply because of the effects it brings to the Alameda County. Without an individual with integrity and understanding of the community in which they operate, the city that I live in will not encourage and support the folks that have lived here for generations but rather will accommodate people and corporations that choose to criminalize and equate humans with profitable gains. I am eager to participate in the 2018 DA elections because I want to decriminalize the youth and people of color that are facing incarceration for petty crimes.“

Hideyasu Kurose : “When I was living in South Central, people of color from my neighborhood were arrested, sequestered, and ultimately incarcerated on a moment by moment basis. I recall that many were labeled gang members and profiled as gang members but these hard-working men and women were simply blue-collar workers lacking sufficient funds to pay basic parking fines, car registration, or exorbitant tax assessments. Functionaries of the LA District Attorney would ensure that these hard-working men and women spent the maximum amount of time in prison so that their resolve would be broken prior to their trial. There is no doubt that many among them who had never encountered gang members before, certainly encountered them in LA County jail. Therefore, the rapid apprehension and incarceration of my neighbors by the LA County DA’s office not only promoted prejudice, it fueled gang recruitment by putting hard-working men and women of color in prison side-by-side with established gang members. If poor people could afford bail, then gang exposure awaiting trial would be limited but as the searing op-ed of Kamala Harris and Rand Paul in the NY Times confirms, most poor people of color cannot afford bail.”

#levelbar #district attorney #election #oakland

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mitchipedia · 4 years

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Link list: Wednesday, June 10 2020

When I’m not wasting my time switching to-do managers, I like to waste my time trying different read-it-later services. www.macstories.net/reviews/g…

Cory Doctorow’s Pluralistic pluralistic.net/2020/06/1…

“How cops spy on Black journalists: Writing in Propublica, reporter Wendi C Thomas describes how she discovered that the cops in Memphis, her town, were spying on her…. It’s the most petty, inane, paranoid bullshit imaginable, an indictment of a thin-skinned city government cowering in its basement, jumping at shadows, terrified of truth-tellers.”

“Teen Vogue on surviving rubber bullets: Less lethals are still lethal.”

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor “The quest to transform this country cannot be limited to challenging its brutal police alone. It must conquer the logic that finances police and jails at the expense of public schools and hospitals.”

“Appeals court rejects judge who wanted $65m for lost pants: After 15 years, former administrative law judge and committed vexatious litigant Roy Pearson, Jr has met with another setback in his quest to sue his dry cleaner for $65,000,000 for losing a pair of his pants in 2005.”

“Earlier this week, 1,000+ people marched on the courthouse in Compton, LA; they were joined by the Compton Cowboys, a Black riding club, along with friends who formed a procession of 100+ riders.” 1 in 4 American frontier cowboys was Black.

“Wargame based on the 1968 Chicago police riots”

Dutch company in deal to buy Grubhub www.nytimes.com/2020/06/1…

I would love it if this deal resulted in Grubhub being less predatory of restaurants and delivery people. The app and service works fantastically, but the business practices are obscene.

Leslie Furcron’s lawyer says police shot her in the face for calling them “murderers.” timesofsandiego.com/crime/202…

She was shot during demonstrations and rioting in La Mesa, California, the otherwise sleepy suburb of San Diego where Julie and I live. The rioting was 2-½ miles from our house; we could hear it from our living room window (though we didn’t know what it was at the time – we thought it was just highway noise!)

Navy to Ban Confederate Battle Flag from Installations, Ships and Aircraft timesofsandiego.com/military/…

Loyal Americans shouldn’t fly the flag of an American enemy that fought a war to protect slavery.

Trump opposes efforts to remove Confederate commanders’ names from military bases www.cnn.com/2020/06/1…

Trump tweeted, in his usual semi-literate fashion: “These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a… ….history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom.”

Actually, no, they’re monuments to losers who fought against freedom. But whatever. You be you, Donald.

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11tumbler · 7 years

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Case Closed 2

It had been 3 days since the murder. The medical examiner released his report showing she died of a heroin overdose. Kym thought it was strange, it was a very large dose and the examiner couldn’t find a second needle mark anywhere on her body. Junkies usually had track marks from continued needle use all over their bodies. Also, with the public way her body was staged, this all looked like someone was sending a message. Kym was looking into known drug dealers and Mr. Randolph’s financials.

She and Derek stop by Joey’s Repairs looking for a mechanic, Ronaldo. He wasn’t there, but the owner did give them his home address on file. He knew they needed a warrant, but he really didn’t want them coming back or looking for more information so just gave them the info so they would leave. Derek drives to Ronaldo’s house.

Just as they are pulling up Kym sees someone jump off the porch and head down between the houses. She jumps out of the car and takes off after him. Derek gets out of the car and follows. “Stop running this is LAPD,” Kym yells. The guy stops and puts his hands up. He slowly turns around. Kym sighs and holsters her gun. “What are you doing here?” she asks. “Probably the same thing you are, looking for Ronaldo.” “Who is this guy” Derek asks as he gets to them his gun still in his hand. “He’s a private investigator,” Kym answers. He puts away his gun, “Ok I’m going to check out the house. “No one answered, and it doesn’t look like anyone’s home,” Robert tells him. He just walks away waving off Robert’s comment, going to check the place out for himself.

Robert turns slightly to put his small notebook into his back pocket, Kym sees the slightest bulge under his shirt where he must have a gun on his side. He walks up to Kym. She’s not sure why and almost steps back. He’s really close so he can talk quietly. “I was going to sit on the house, but now that the police have showed up, I’m sure he’s been tipped off and won’t be back here. You shouldn’t waste your time with this place.” Kym just sort of nods. He was so nice and sincere. If he wasn’t so sexy it would be easier for Kym to hate him. He walks away and Kym watches him get into an old 80’s Grand Prix. She and Derek finish up at the house then head back to the precinct.

Kym was a little curious about Robert. She knew she had a million little things to follow up on for all her cases, but wanted to look him up. She made a deal, a quick look then she could concentrate on her cases. She found his license number and that he was a private investigator for a little over 5 years. He was a cop with San Diego police before that. He did have a permit for a concealed carry firearm. She stared at his picture for a few minutes distracted, then closed everything and got back to work.

A few days later Kym’s day was going great. A prostitute was attacked and her face slashed, but she got away and was able to give a description of the guy to the cops. It sounded like the same guy they were looking for, for another murder she was investigating. Now they had a sketch and it was in a similar area so they went out to canvas the neighborhoods. Unfortunately they didn’t find him, but she saw a note under the windshield wiper on the passenger side of their police car as they walked back up. She pulls it out. Ronaldo is at 247 Grove, hiding at a drug house Then in smaller print below that, You should be the lead detective, you’re a better cop Kym knew it was from Robert. She knew he had a little notebook and he’s the only one that would tip them off about Ronaldo and it was on her side of the car. She smiled at the last part getting distracted until she was brought out of her thoughts.

“What is that?” Derek asks. “It says Ronaldo is at 247 Grove, which is a known drug house.” “Who left it?” “My guess is that private investigator.” “Looks like he needs a little help getting to this guy and has asked the LAPD for help. Well let’s go bust some doors down,” Derek says. They round up two guys from their drug task force and go to the house.

Kym and Derek head around back with the other detectives Jeremy and David at the front door. Those two knock announcing they are police asking to open the door. Soon Ronaldo bolts out the back door right into Derek who was waiting. Derek tries to grab him, but Ronaldo punches him knocking him out and he falls to the ground. Kym reaches for her gun and starts to pull it out. Ronaldo grabs it out of her hands throwing it to the ground and then shoving her back into the wall of the house. Before he can turn and run off he is tackled to the ground.

Robert had slammed into him, taking him down and getting him pinned down. “Augh! Police brutality mother fucker!” Ronaldo shouts. “I’m not a cop asshole,” Robert answers. Kym gets up and grabs her handcuffs. “You should go check on your partner for a few minutes,” Robert says. Kym understands that he wants to question this guy. “Tell me who ordered the hit on Jess Randolph?” “Fuck you. Get off me or I’m pressing charges.” Robert leans into him more jamming his shoulder and wrist. The guy yells out. “I think after you just assaulted two officers they aren’t going to give a fuck what I do to you. Now tell me, who wanted her dead.” “Ugh! I don’t know. It wasn’t us. Randolph never fucked us over.” Robert releases the pressure on his shoulder. Kym was with Derek who was trying to wake up. She steps over and handcuffs the guy. Robert gets up. “Thank you. I owe you a drink,” she says knowing that he at least stopped the suspect and maybe saved their lives. “I’m going to take you up on that. And you’re welcome,” Robert answers. He walks off.

Kym reads Ronaldo his rights stating he is under arrest. Kym calls for the other detectives who were still dealing with the guy at the front door. They come around and help Derek and get the guy and load him up in the back of the car. Kym and Derek question him, but he sticks to his story and doesn’t know anything about a murder and wants a lawyer. Kym was frustrated. She was hoping this was going to be a break in this case, but it was just a dead-end.

#sharkaroo fanfiction #caseclosed

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africanimmigrationresearchp-blog · 5 years

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The African Immigrant Experience

By Micaela Leonarte

You can read my 1st post of The African Immigrant series “What Do You Know About African Refugees in the United States?: Looking at Patterns” here, and my second post “Where are the African Born the Immigrants in the Bay Area?” here.

California is one of the most welcoming state in US to refugees. Besides LA, San Diego and Sacramento, the Bay Area (specifically Alameda county) receives the most refugees in California. Besides understanding the statistics and historical context of their arrival, it is essential to understand the experience of this significant population that reside within the Bay. For this, and interview and survey were used to determine what the African immigrant experience is like.

Experiences vary from person to person.

Lugones & Spealman (1983) highlight the importance of narratives to inform research on experience and the importance of each person narrating their own experience. For these reasons, the interview to a former USF alumnus, who is both an African immigrant and a Eritrean refugee, provides in depth and accurate insight on the african immigrant experience.

Because the immigration experience tends to vary depending on a set of characteristics, a survey was additionally administered to 28 African immigrants who reside in Bay Area, in order to generalize the information from the interview. The areas of interest will be employment, education, housing, assimilation and welcome.

Part 1: Eritrean Refugees

Employment for a Refugee

The typical Eritrean refugee occupies “basic jobs”, such as working at 7/11, local stores or train to get a security guard license. As he mentions, refugees are “always evolving” and this is visible in their transition to “better” jobs, such as working for a delivery company and driving for Uber or Lyft (they require a year in the US in order to work for ride-sharing companies).

Prioritizing Work over Education

I asked him if many Eritrean refugees pursue higher education in the Bay Area just like he did. He said that most Eritreans refugees, like many immigrants, work immediately after arriving instead of attending school because of their parents demands to help their family back home financially. Some people do pursue education by attending school part time and working delivery for example. Others managed to get their education back in Eritrean while the only University there was still open, and are now able to work in tech or medical fields in the Bay Area.

How Political Issues Affect the Lives of African Refugees

Controversial political topics such as expensive housing, nationalist centric administrations, aid, and police brutality are, according to the interviewee issues African immigrants/refugees worry about.

Local Politics: The Housing Crisis and African Refugees

Housing in the Bay Area is an issue that has caused people to be pushed out of the city, causing gentrification and making it difficult for people who work here to make enough money to afford living close to their job and avoid commuting for hours. Similarly, refugees who are located in the Bay Area are recently leaving to “more affordable” areas such as Sacramento. According to the interviewee, he is frequently asked by organizations that help refugees to consult with his Eritrean networks to find housing for incoming refugees.

National Politics: How Police brutality Affects African Refugees

“The Burden of Being a Black Guy”

-Refugee Interviewed

Living in Oakland as a African refugee exposes the interviewee to potential police brutality. Even though African immigrants do not share the same identity or background as African Americans, due to physical appearance African immigrants are equally vulnerable to issues of racism while seeking refugee or a different life in the United States.

National Politics: African Refugees and Federal Policy

Politics affect the incoming refugees and services available to African refugees and immigrants. The current administration has made cuts on the number of refugees welcomed to the US as well as made statements on a negative perspective on African countries. This in return makes it more difficult for refugees or immigrants to enter the US. As less funding is allocated to aid and refugees, refugees and immigrants are affected through the decrease of resources available to immigrants and refugees living already in the US. Organizations such as the IRC rely on federal funding for the salaries of their staff and for the services they provide such as english classes and job training.

Part 2: African Immigrants (non-refugees)

To contrast the experience of Eritrean refugees, people who have escaped turmoil and threats by entering the US, it is important to contrast the experience with another type of african immigrant, South African immigrants (non refugees). Through an anonymous survey shared with mostly South African born immigrants, the following conclusion and observations were made:

Demographics of Immigrants in the Bay Area Surveyed

Most african immigrants we surveyed were for the most part highly educated (with college education or more), majority women, religious (mostly christian), not refugees, and coming from South Africa (three from Monzambique, Kenya and Zambia) , have been residing in the US an average of 19.3 years, and most have become a US citizen.

Results

Most people strongly agreed that it was difficult finding housing in the Bay Area, similarly to the eritrean refugee’ s account and general Bay Area residents. Housing appears to be an issue affecting everyone residing here, not isolated to african immigrants or refugees.

When performing a spearman’s rho correlational analysis via STATA, we find that having family or friends in the Bay Area before arriving negatively correlated/ did not help the african immigrant get a job in the Bay Area (r=-0.4880, t=0.0907). Many already had a job when entering the US, but as many of the participants (women) surveyed noted, their husbands had a job already lined up or were transferred to the Bay Area for work. Most jobs mentioned included lawyer, managers, VP in companies, secretary or assistant in marketing and sales. Similarly, there is almost no correlation between having family or friends in the Bay Area and finding it less difficult to find housing(r=-0.2522, t=0.4058) or finding the Bay Area more welcoming (r=0.1333, t=0.6641).The housing issue was mentioned to be attributed to the lack of credit history. Nonetheless, the Bay Area was ranked very welcoming by the african immigrants surveyed. This is also visible through the question asking if they feel inclined to become a U.S. citizen and by the fact that many of them have already chosen to become citizens.

Conclusions

The african eritrean and ethiopian refugee and South African immigrant experiences vary in aspect such as context of migration, educational/professional status and jobs performed once in the Bay Area, and maybe even gender of influx of african refugees versus non-refugees. Nonetheless, there is a serious commonality between these two groups, and that is the difficulty to find housing, which is the main reason, refugees, immigrants and anyone who lives in the Bay Area gravitates towards moving away from the city and from the Bay Area into more affordable places. Even though the Bay Area is a very welcoming place to cultural diversity, economic diversity is not one of its strengths.

References:

Lugones, M., & Spelman, E. (1983). Have We Got A Theory For You! Feminist Theory, Cultural Imperialism and The Demand For ‘the Woman's Voice’. Women's Studies International Forum, 6(6), 573-581.

Graphs made with R Studio

Survey done with Qualtrics

Statistical Analysis done with STATA

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estelagellison9 · 6 years

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"El Chapo" Case Update: Witness Claims Bloodshed and Bribery Rampage

New Post has been published on https://www.therecover.com/el-chapo-case-update-witness-claims-bloodshed-and-bribery-rampage/

“El Chapo” Case Update: Witness Claims Bloodshed and Bribery Rampage

The most expensive and historic drug cases the nation has ever seen continues as more cooperating witnesses give shivering details about Guzman’s years of torment. A former lieutenant for his cartel testified on Monday at his Guzman’s U.S. trial saying “The notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, armed with a diamond-encrusted pistol, relied on rampant bloodshed and bribery to protect his multibillion-dollar drug smuggling operation and his hold on power.”

It had already been a grueling three days on the stand as a government witness, Jesus Zambada explained to the jury that gunplay and cash payoffs were the main ingredients of the Sinaloa cartels business model. A photo of Guzman’s pistol that was decorated with his initials was shown to the jurors while being described the brutal way the cartel dealt with various violent threats and personal debts.

Zambada testified, he was told by his older brother, Sinaloa cartel leader Ismael, “El Mayo” Zambada, that a meeting held in 2004 between Guzman and a competitor named Rodolfo Fuentes ended badly when the two never exchange handshakes. The brother claimed that Guzman made it very clear he wanted Fuentes dead, and ended up ordering a hit.

Among the assassinated was a corrupt police commander in 2008 for telling people that, “that he was going to finish off my brother and Chapo,” and another competitor who was shot down by, “a hail of bullets from Ak-47″ that nearly took off his head”, the witness described.

According to Zambada, he claims he was told by one of his paid informants within the law enforcement that police were close to capturing Guzman. They suggested the cartel should give a $250,000 cash bribe to a ranking officer, ultimately, “The operation was aborted. There was no problem,” he said.

Guzman’s Attorney argued that cooperators like Zambada are framing Guzman in order to help themselves, win the favor of the court within their own criminal cases. Monday during the cross-examination, the defense claims Zambada is downplaying his involvement in the cartel and magnifying that of Guzman as a fictitious drug lord known for gruesome killings and fabricated prison escapes when in reality they say he has been hiding and, in the background, not calling the shots.

William Purpura Defense attorney questioned Zambada on how it was possible Guzman outranked him when the court had evidence Guzman had to ask him to get his supplies of cocaine. To clearly explain to jurors, he pulled down Zambada’s mugshot from a lower portion of a cartel ranking chart in the courtroom and held it above the one of Guzman.

The lawyer asked, “How does that look?” Zambada said with a devious look on his face before answering, “Fine, I’m below him.”

“El Chapo” has pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking charges along with several other counts. If he is found guilty he could be facing life terms.

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womenofcolor15 · 4 years

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#KarensGoneWild: The Karens In Detroit, Montclair & Beyond Have Been Out Here Cutting Up & Some Of Them Are About To ‘Lose Their Jobs’

We’ve got the latest round up of foolish KAREN activities and several of them are about to lose their jobs if they haven’t already. One pulled a gun on a black mother who was defending her child in Detorit. Get into their clownery inside…

KAREN activity has been on one thousand lately as the nation has been protesting against police brutality and bringing awareness to racism in the media.

A heated exchange caught on video between a white couple and a black mother and daughter has the Internet seemingly torn. The white couple and the black mother-daughter duo came into contact with one another outside of an Oakland County Chipotle in Detroit. The mother – reportedly named Takelia Hill – claims the white woman bumped into her 15-year-old daughter before entering the restaurant. The daughter claims she asked the woman for an apology, but the white woman allegedly began yelling at her.

In the video that has gone viral, it begins with the white woman pointing her gun at the mother and daughter and screaming for them to back up as they tried to get her license plate number:

This happened today in Auburn Hills,MI Another Karen .. pic.twitter.com/lWksZwXITD

— Makay (@makaysmith10) July 2, 2020

Initially, folks felt the white woman was wrong, but then video footage of the moments before the viral video started has folks questioning the black woman and daughter’s behavior. It's unclear if the daughter was already standing behind the white couple's car before they began to back up, but once it looked like he was going to hit the teenager, the mom went off.

Peep the full exchange below:

Choose your battles.

Posted by Arden RD-Iag Bolden on Thursday, July 2, 2020

One Facebook user - who is a black woman - wrote a response to the full video:

Two versions of the same incident..... The second video shows more of the encounter.... Listen, this bothers me so much, because now, the automatic assumption is, whenever we see a “black vs. white” issue, the white person “has” to be wrong and racist, and the black person is supposedly right and vindicated just because..... how does “bumping someone” make you inherently racist and ignorant? Every white person ain’t racist, and clearly, the woman was trying to apologize

Unfortunately, the mother and daughter in this video have misconstrued real struggle and racial plight for minutiae moments of rebellion and antagonization. When the white lady got in her car, it was clear she was trying to remove herself from and deescalate the situation.... She even at one point could be heard saying “I care about you”. Seemed apologetic to me.... The black lady demanded an apology, but then when she got one, she was mad at that! “Why you apologizing if you didn’t nothing!” Smh. This lady was obviously not going to be satisfied with or without an apology. She saw her racial moment, and decided to take it

At that point, the situation heightened when the black lady walked behind her van.... When you saw them reverse and your daughter walked TOWARDS the building, why would you provoke the matter by walking in the direction behind a moving vehicle? Why surround her vehicle as she’s trying to leave? Make that make sense

Like, come on y’all..... stop trying to bait situations then cry “She’s racist!” She had every right to pull the burner out because y’all provoked this bullshit! Then gone try to shout, “Trump making it real comfortable, call the police.” Lady, in this exchange, you and your daughter appeared more “racist” than that white couple....... Black people like this piss me off because they walk around with a huge ass chip on their shoulders challenging any white person to come knock it off.... That’s more dangerous than anything

I’m a black woman, and I guaranTEE you, if that woman came at me like that and then tried to block my vehicle from leaving, she’d be staring down the barrel of my 9 mm subcompact, too.... People be trippin, trippin.... smh.

People seem to be torn about who was in the wrong here. Some say the white woman should have never brandished her gun, while others say the black woman should have just walked away after getting her license plate number instead of continuing to escalate the situation.

A family member of the black woman and daughter claims the white woman was arrested and released:

Update ! She has been arrested but that’s not enough !

— Makay (@makaysmith10) July 2, 2020

Update!!!!! They were let go !!! The police just took the guns away !!! Ridiculous!!!! They said they couldn’t arrest her because my niece mother hit there car (with her hand ) to stop them from hitting my niece!!! Justice needs to be served! This is white privilege

— Makay (@makaysmith10) July 2, 2020

However, Sgt. Dale Brown, a spokesman for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, told Insider that no one had been arrested. He confirmed an investigation was ongoing and would be forwarded to the prosecutor's office for potential criminal charges.

Who do you think was in the wrong?

Also...

A Starbucks Karen made headlines recently after she blasted a barista for refusing to serve her without a face mask. Amber Lynn Gilles hopped on Facebook after she was refused service in a San Diego Starbucks for not wearing a mask.

"Meet lenen from Starbucks who refused to serve me cause I'm not wearing a mask. Next time I will wait for cops and bring a medical excemption," she captioned a picture of the barista.

People in her comments were letting her have it:

Her post ended up backfiring because a GoFundMe was created for the barista - named Lenin Gutierrez - and it have gotten over $102,000! He said he plans to use the money to further his education and donate to charity.

Peep his interview below:

youtube

Of course, Starbucks Karen doesn't think she did anything wrong:

“I never threatened him.” Hear from woman who was denied service at a Clairemont Starbucks for refusing to wear a mask. She publically shamed the barista. A Go Fund Me Page on his behalf is now over $22,000. She says she’s getting death threats. #nbc7 & https://t.co/ylvk5rP6Vf pic.twitter.com/gCREw0LR5V

— Artie Ojeda (@ArtieNBCSD) June 25, 2020

Karen will Karen. She has the NERVE to threaten to sue this man for the money he made via the GoFundMe. She said she wants some of the money and is threatening to sue the GoFundMe creator for defamation and slander. Ma'am, YOU are the one who started this! You publicized this first, so you can't sue for defamation.

This Karen - aka Susan Schulz from Montclair, NJ - called the police on a black lawyer couple who was building a pation in their OWN backyard. She said they needed a permit and allegedly went to the yard a few times to demand to see it. Then, she claimed assault. Turns out, they didn't even need a permit! Peep the clip above.

Law And Crime reports:

In the video, Susan Schulz, whose LinkedIn page lists her as chief of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxics Compliance Section, is shown calling the police and accusing Fareed Nassor Hayat, an attorney and law professor at City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, of “pushing [her] off his property” following a dispute over a patio permit.

The Montclair Police confirmed to The Record that they responded to a call concerning the altercation and are investigating the incident.

Fareed broke down what happened when Permit Karen came in his yard:

It has happened again. White entitlement and black hate embodied in Susan who lives on Marion Road and works at the EPA, called the police to lodge a false report of assault against me when told to leave our property. Susan, aka "Permit Karen,” came onto our property three times within thirty minutes to demand to know if we had the proper permit to install a stone patio in our backyard, on the other side of the fence of her yard. When asked if a permit was required by law, she said she didn’t know, but insisted we answer her questions and submit to her demands, or she would call the police to force us to stop improving our home. (A permit is not required in Montclair for a stone patio this size. This fact was known to us through our own independent research, our contractor and later verified when building and safety arrived at our home to investigate her complaint.) When challenged about her flawed legal conclusions, assumption of right, her lack of agency over our home and our eventual demand that she leave our property immediately, Susan decided to call the police and make a false report of assault. She invoked centuries of brutality in her call to the police and sought to put her black neighbors back in their place. She believed that we were required to answer her questions and smile while doing so. But to her surprise, her efforts were met by two proudly black human beings, parents, lawyers, law professors, activist, community members, neighbors, citizens and fighters, who refused to submit. Her efforts were also met by a collection of largely white neighbors, who refused to simply go along with her racist efforts or not stand up against her attempt to invoke the racist power of the state through police. Their efforts were antiracist ideology at work. Each neighbor declared to her and the police that she summoned, that she was a lie and no such assault occurred. She left our home, rejected and unfulfilled, yet still empowered to do future harm. To her Black Lives Don’t Matter when up against her presumed inalienable rights of whiteness. She did not see the flaw in her ways or apologize for her behavior. Her type, the racist, must be rejected and ostracized like she was today by Norrinda and I, but equally important, by our white neighbors here in Montclair and our white and non-white allies worldwide.

Sighs...just mind your business Karen.

In another incident...

This happened today at Gibson and Arnold in Houston. This is a Houston Area Attorney. We are looking for info so that the bar can hear about this conduct. Twitter let’s get it... pic.twitter.com/t9BIhRiInq

— Black With No Chaser (@BlackNoChaser) June 29, 2020

A Houston woman called her boss the n-word after she was fired and it was caught on video.

The unidentified woman repeatedly used the racial slur and called her boss a "motherf***er" while busting out a freestyle rap. “Let’s make some raps for the n***er,” she said in the video. Chile....

Peep the clip above.

According to reports, she was a temp who was immediately removed after her racist rant. The company claims she was intoxicated.

Update! The employee was fired. Here is one of her owners stating that the employee was intoxicated and being fired by the black employee in the video. The black man was her manager. pic.twitter.com/cthjdhIOoE

— Black With No Chaser (@BlackNoChaser) June 30, 2020

Glad she's outta there.

Also...

So my husband stopped at #LittleCaesars for a quick bite, husband brings this home! I’m truly disappointed. This is truly saddening and disturbing and not funny at all! These aren’t funny jokes and shouldn’t be made period and on company time?! pic.twitter.com/zQaXecN2se

— misty laska (@LaskaMisty) June 28, 2020

An Ohio couple ordered a pizza from Little Caesars only to be shocked when they opened the box. Jason Laska said he bought the pizza Saturday night in Brook Park and when he got home, his wife discovered the pepperoni had been arranged as a swastika - a symbol adopted by Adolf Hitler and was turned into a symbol of hatred.

“[My wife] turned and asked me, ‘Babe, did you order this, did they make it for you?’ And I turned around and looked at it and I could see the shock on her face and then my jaw just dropped,” Laska told WJW-TV.

“[The employees] told him that it was supposed to be an internal joke that they were playing on each other and the other employee, and the pizza was never intended to go out,” Laska said.

The couple called the pizza restaurant and they were told that the employees put the symbol on the pizza as an "internal joke" on each other. The manager assured the couple the employees involved were terminated.

Little Caesars confirmed in a statement that the chain fired the employees involved in the offensive incident.

“We have zero tolerance for racism and discrimination in any form, and these franchise store employees were immediately terminated,” a spokesperson told the outlet. “We’re deeply disappointed that this happened, as this conduct is completely against our values.”

Photo: Screenshot from Makay's Twitter Video

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/07/02/karensgonewild-gun-montclair-detroit

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ladystylestores · 4 years

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George Floyd died of asphyxia, independent autopsy finds: Live | USA News

The United States was gripped by a weekend of protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died on Monday in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and police brutality nationwide.

Lawyers representing Floyd’s family said that independent medical examiners who conducted an autopsy of Floyd determined that asphyxiation from sustained pressure was the cause of death.

Protesters are demanding all four officers involved be charged in Floyd’s death. So far, only one – white officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as the black man pleaded, “I can’t breathe” – has been arrested. He was charged on Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Those protesting against police brutality have been met, at times, with excessive force by authorities. Two officers were fired over the weekend in Atlanta, Georgia, for pulling two black people out of a car and throwing them to the ground. Videos have shown police targeting angry but peaceful protesters with tear gas and mace. Journalists have also been targeted by police.

Protesters have remained undeterred by curfews and the presence of the US National Guard in some cities. Some largely peaceful protests turned violent, with looting and vandalism as the night raged on.

Latest updates

Monday, June 1

19:00 GMT – More curfews in New York City, Washington, DC

New York City is imposing a curfew as the nation’s biggest city tries to head off another night of violence erupting amid protests over Floyd’s death. The curfew will last from 11pm Monday (3am GMT) to 5am Tuesday (9am GMT), Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday. The limitation on 8.6 million people’s movements comes on top of coronavirus restrictions and as the mayor and governor deplored the outbreaks of violence, but also criticized some police actions.

Separately, Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Monday that the city also is imposing another curfew as it braces for several more days of protests. Bowser said at a news conference that the curfew would begin at 7pm Monday (11pm GMT) and run through Tuesday morning, with similar restrictions beginning again Tuesday night and continuing into Wednesday morning.

17:55 GMT – Independent medical examiner: Floyd died due to asphyxia

Lawyers representing Floyd’s family said that independent medical examiners who conducted an autopsy of Floyd determined that asphyxiation from sustained pressure was the cause of death.

“World renowned medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson found the manner of Mr Floyd’s death was homicide caused by asphyxia due to neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain. Sustained pressure on the right side of Mr. Floyd’s carotid artery impeded blood flow to the brain, and weight on his back impeded his ability to breathe,” a statement from the lawyers read. “The independent examiners found that weight on the back, handcuffs and positioning were contributory factors because they impaired the ability of Mr. Floyd’s diaphragm to function. From all the evidence, the doctors said it now appears Mr Floyd died at the scene.”

Baden said that what they found was “consistent with what people say. There was no other health issue that could cause or contribute to the death.”

7:25 GMT – Trump wants governors to use more National Guard troops

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters that US President Donald Trump wants governors to utilise more National Guard troops to respond to protests against police brutality.

Earlier on Monday, Trump told governors he wanted them to “dominate” protesters, urging the use of more aggressive tactics.

McEnany did not address a question from a report about whether

White House press sec just confirmed Trump had call with Putin today but did not address question about whether he asked him for advice before his call with the governors, as asked by reporter

17:20 GMT – US to send federal assets to help quell protests

The White House on Monday said additional federal assets will soon be deployed to respond to protests across the country over the death of a black man, George Floyd, while in police custody.

The protests had turned violent in some places, which prompted many governors to turn to the National Guard for support. But the protesters have remained undeterred.

President Donald Trump had two briefings on Monday, with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Attorney General William Barr “and there will be additional federal assets deployed across the nation,” Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said at a briefing.

16:00 GMT – Trump calls governor’s weak, urges crackdown

President Donald Trump on Monday derided the nation’s governors as “weak” and demanded tougher crackdowns on protesters in the aftermath of another night of violent protests in dozens of American cities.

Trump makes an announcement about US trade relations with China and Hong Kong as National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin listen in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 29, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo [-]

Trump spoke to governors on a video teleconference with law enforcement and national security officials, telling the local leaders they “have to get much tougher” amid nationwide protests and criticizing their responses.

“Most of you are weak,” Trump said. “You have to arrest people.”

15:50 GMT – Biden to hold roundtable with mayors

Joe Biden will hold a roundtable with several mayors whose cities have been affected by unrest over the weekend.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will hold a virtual event Monday with the leaders of Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and St Paul, Minnesota.

Biden began his day meeting with community leaders at a predominantly African American church in Delaware.

15:45 GMT – DC imposes 7pm curfew

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser is imposing a 7pm curfew Monday and Tuesday after three days of protests, some of which have turned violent

An 11pm curfew had been in place Sunday night. But the violence still escalated, with protesters setting fires, breaking windows and looting businesses. There were clashes with police, who used pepper spray and other measures to try to break up the demonstrations.

15:10 GMT – Where have protests taken place?

14:09 GMT – Photos from Sunday’s protests against police brutality

A weeping protester confronts police during nationwide unrest following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Raleigh, North Carolina [Jonathan Drake/Reuters]

A man holds a flag as police disperse demonstrators during a protest amid nationwide unrest following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Washington, DC [Jim Bourg/Reuters]

Protesters kneel in front of New York City Police during a march to honour George Floyd in New York City [John Moore/Getty Images/AFP]

Demonstrators in Seattle, Washington, chant during a gathering to protest the recent death of George Floyd [David Ryder/Getty Images/AFP]

Demonstrators put their hands behind their heads as they stand in front of San Diego Police in San Diego, California [Ariana Dreshler/AFP]

A black man and a white woman hold their hands up in front of police officers in downtown Long Beach, California [Apu Gomes/AFP]

14:00 GMT – Floyd’s family to release findings from independent autopsy

The attorney for George Floyd’s family was set to announce findings Monday of an independent autopsy into his death a week ago after a Minneapolis officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

Floyd, a black man who was in handcuffs at the time, died after the white officer ignored bystander shouts to get off him while also ignoring Floyd’s cries that he couldn’t breathe. His death, captured on citizen video, sparked days of protests in Minneapolis that have spread to cities around the US.

An official autopsy last week said the combined effects of being restrained, potential intoxicants in Floyd’s system and his underlying health issues, including heart disease, likely contributed to his death. There were no other details about intoxicants, and toxicology results can take weeks. In the 911 call that drew police, the caller described the man suspected of paying with counterfeit money as “awfully drunk and he’s not in control of himself.”

The criminal complaint noted that the medical examiner’s report was preliminary, but said the autopsy “revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.”

Ben Crump, the attorney representing Floyd’s family, soon announced plans to commission the family’s own autopsy.

13:55 GMT – Truck driver arrested on suspicion of assault

Authorities say the driver of a semitrailer that rolled into the midst of thousands of people marching on a closed Minneapolis freeway in protest over the death of George Floyd has been arrested on suspicion of assault.

Authorities had said it appeared no one was hurt Sunday, but some witnesses said a handful of people who were on Interstate 35W near downtown Minneapolis sought medical attention on their own. Authorities said they could not confirm that.

A truck that was driven into a rally protesting the death of George Floyd on the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, US [Go Nakamura/Reuters]

The freeway was among many shut down in the Minneapolis area for the second night in a row as officials imposed an 8pm curfew and sought to make it more difficult for protesters to move around.

Bystander video showed the crowd parting seconds before the semi rolled through, then the tanker truck gradually slowed and demonstrators swarmed the truck.

Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said Sunday that it initially appeared from traffic camera footage that the semitrailer was already on the freeway before barricades were set up at 5pm. State Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said at a later briefing, however, that the truck went around a traffic barrier to stay on the road.

Read witness accounts here.

13:50 GMT – UK PM office: Attacks on journalist ‘very concerning’

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman says arrests and assaults on journalists covering protests in the United States are “very concerning.”

James Slack said Monday that “journalists all around the world must be free to do their job and to hold authorities to account without fear of arrest or violence.”

He said the violence of the past few nights was “very alarming”, and noted, “people must be allowed to protest peacefully”.

Slack said, “The footage of George Floyd’s death was deeply distressing and our thoughts are with all those who have been affected.”

Noting that a police officer has been charged with murder, he said “we would hope and expect justice to be done.”

13:45 GMT – Louisville police kill one

The police chief of Louisville, Kentucky, says police officers and US National Guard soldiers enforcing a curfew in Louisville killed a man early Monday when they returned fire after someone in a large group fired at them first.

Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad confirmed the shooting happened around 12:15am outside a business on West Broadway, where police and the National Guard had been called to break up a large group of people gathering in defiance of the city’s curfew.

Someone fired a shot at them and the officers returned fire, the chief said. It was unclear whether the person killed is the one who fired at the law enforcers, he said.

Protests have erupted in Louisville over the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician who was shot eight times by narcotics detectives who knocked down her front door, as well as the death of George Floyd.

____________________________________________________________________

Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the protests in the US over the deadly arrest of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath in Louisville, Kentucky.

Here are a few things to catch up on:

George Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old black man, died on Monday after a white officer used his knee to pin Floyd’s neck to the ground for nearly nine minutes. Floyd can be heard on a bystander video repeatedly pleading with officers, saying “I can’t breathe.” He eventually becomes motionless with the officer’s knee still on his neck. (You can read about the deadly incident here.)

The four officers involved in the incident were fired. Derek Chauvin, the white officer who pinned Floyd down, has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Protesters demand the three other officers be charged, as well.

Protests – some violent – have since erupted nationwide as demonstrators rally for justice for Floyd and all unarmed black people killed by police.

See the updates from Sunday’s protests here.

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shirlleycoyle · 5 years

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FBI Says Girls Do Porn Founder Is a Wanted Fugitive

The founder of Girls Do Porn is a wanted fugitive and the FBI says it will extradite him if he is found hiding abroad.

Michael Pratt is the ringleader of sex crime operation Girls Do Porn, a porn production company that coerced women into having sex on video and lying to them about how the videos would be distributed. According to testimony from his co-conspirator Matthew Wolfe, Pratt may have fled to New Zealand during a recently-ended civil trial where he and his associates were accused by 22 women of fraud and coercion.

“Michael James Pratt is a fugitive. We are attempting to locate him," Kelly Thornton, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego, told Motherboard. "If he were found outside the U.S., we would seek his return. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI.”

The judge in the civil trial ruled in favor of the women, ordering Girls Do Porn to pay them nearly $13 million in damages. But in October, in the middle of the trial, Pratt and his co-conspirators, including lead videographer Wolfe and actor Ruben Garcia were charged with federal counts of sex trafficking.

Pratt, who is originally from New Zealand, operated a scheme that, according to the women's lawyers, coerced hundreds of women into shooting porn. Most notably, he and his employees told them that the videos would only be sold to private collectors in Australia and New Zealand, and that they'd never be seen online. But the videos were posted to Pratt's website and promoted on huge, free porn sites like Pornhub. The viral spread of the videos, without the women's consent, ruined many of their lives.

Associate U.S. Attorney Alexandra Foster told the New Zealand Herald that New Zealand police have been cooperating with the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She wouldn't confirm whether they believed Pratt was in New Zealand, but did say that if he's found to be in the country, extradition would be sought.

In the meantime, authorities in New Zealand are spreading this image of Pratt in hopes that someone will provide a tip to his whereabouts:

"The tentative ruling does not affect the criminal case. The government's burden of proof in the criminal case is 'beyond a reasonable doubt,' which is a much higher standard than in this civil lawsuit where the burden of proof is a mere preponderance of the evidence," Girls Do Porn defense lawyers Aaron Sadock and Daniel Kaplan said in a statement to the New Zealand Herald. "The findings of fact in the civil case do not carry over to the criminal case where the government will have to prove the facts under a much more stringent standard."

Throughout the trial, the lawyers for Girls Do Porn argued that the women were adults, and signed paperwork knowing what they were getting into. But their testimonies and extensive evidence presented throughout the 99-day trial showed this was not the case. Girls Do Porn producers offered them alcohol and marijuana, they were denied access to read the contracts they were signing, and deeply mislead about the nature of the operation, from the fact that they'd be having sex on camera to how the videos would spread online.

The full civil ruling, written by San Diego Superior Court judge Kevin Enright who presided over the case, is a 187-page account of the brutal and harrowing ordeals the women targeted by Pratt and his associates went through.

Several testified that they'd tried to escape the shoot. One plaintiff testified that when she tried to leave the hotel room where the porn shoot was taking place, Pratt pushed a chair against the door and refused to move it.

Another of the women emailed Pratt after her family, co-workers, and strangers discovered the video, pleading with him to take it down. His response: "LOL good one."

Last week, a 23rd woman separately filed a lawsuit against Pratt and Girls Do Porn for damages similar to the 22 Jane Does from the previous trial.

“The men placed their camera equipment in front of the hotel room door and were yelling at her as she was locked in a hotel room demanding that she hurry up and sign the contract,” the woman’s attorney, Loren Washburn, said according to NBC 7 in San Diego. Within a few weeks, the video she appeared in was posted online and went viral, Washburn said, circulating in the woman's small, religious community, "leading to harassment, ostracization, and degrading interactions with her peers, friends, and family.”

If Pratt is extradited to the U.S., he faces life in prison.

FBI Says Girls Do Porn Founder Is a Wanted Fugitive syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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redemptioninteriorsllc · 7 years

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My Daddy was a hero!!! Dean Douglas Espinosa JR Kidnaping in Mexico Raises Legal Questions : Border: Bounty hunters, who face charges in fugitive's abduction, say it was organized by police in Salinas. November 24, 1995|SEBASTIAN ROTELLA | TIMES STAFF WRITER Email Share SAN DIEGO — In bounty hunter jargon, it was a cross-border "extraction." The four heavily armed bounty hunters from Salinas tracked down a suspected triple murderer at his brother's house in Mexicali. Aided clandestinely by one or two Mexican federal police officers, they chased and tackled the fugitive, hustled him into their car and fled to the international line, according to authorities. That was as far as they got: U.S. Customs inspectors arrested all five men after noticing that the morose passenger in the back seat of the Oldsmobile Cutlass was handcuffed and bleeding. * The aftermath of that expedition in July has become steadily more complex. The bounty hunters are marooned in a legal wilderness familiar to police and prosecutors who work at the U.S.-Mexico border. And the case poses a quandary of delicate diplomatic questions and accusations of police misconduct. The fugitive, 28-year-old Daniel Covarrubias, awaits trial in Salinas for a savage home invasion in which gunmen killed three adults and wounded a baby. Three of the bounty hunters, ex-convicts all, pleaded guilty to gun charges in San Diego last week. Federal prosecutors have treated them sternly, mindful of past disputes with Mexican authorities. "We are not in a position where we are going to look the other way when people do this," said U.S. Atty. Alan Bersin. "The border is not going to be lawful in some ways and lawless in others." * But Bersin, the attorney general's special representative at the border, knows how convoluted and contradictory the reality here can be. Sometimes, Mexican police aggressively pursue fugitives from the United States. Other suspects, though, take refuge south of the line behind a wall of corruption and bureaucracy--frustrating police and victims on the other side. Friends and lawyers of the bounty hunters say they are heroes, despite their pasts. And Edward Anguiano, the only bounty hunter who did not plead guilty, advances an explosive defense: He claims he is innocent because Salinas homicide detectives recruited him and organized the abduction. The detectives allegedly communicated with the bounty hunters by cellular phone on the day Covarrubias was caught, according to court papers. Lawyers have demanded the contents of FBI interviews with the detectives as potentially exculpatory evidence that Anguiano's conduct was officially sanctioned, a defense known as "public authority." "These individuals were acting at the behest of law enforcement and apprehended a triple murderer," said defense lawyer Steven E. Feldman. "He is in jail and they are being prosecuted. Why is that? It doesn't seem fair." The chief of police in Salinas asserts that investigations by his agency and the Justice Department show that his detectives did not play a role in the abduction. The bounty hunters proposed the "soldier-of-fortune mission" to the detectives, according to Chief Dan Nelson, and were rejected. Nelson said of the detectives: "There was no duplicity or complicity on their part. They told them that we cannot be involved in anything remotely close to that." * As for the allegation about cellular phone calls, Nelson said a bounty hunter called a detective to tell him that the fugitive had been nabbed and that the detective "may have returned the call." The accusation of police involvement revives memories of a rancorous dispute between the United States and Mexico that followed the torture-murder of a Drug Enforcement Agency agent in Guadalajara in 1985. Enraged at evidence indicating that Mexican police and political figures protected the killers, the DEA kidnaped several suspects and spirited them to California for trial. An enraged Mexico sought a treaty outlawing such abductions; the accord exists, but has not been ratified. Although cooperation has improved during the year-old administration of President Ernesto Zedillo, U.S. officials hope for more action on fugitives and extraditions--Mexico has never extradited a Mexican citizen. In a pending case against the alleged masterminds of a cross-border drug smuggling tunnel, for example, Mexican police have failed to capture the suspects, two rich Los Angeles businessmen who fled to Tijuana. * "While we expect greater and greater cooperation from Mexican authorities in dealing with the problem of fugitives," Bersin said, "the pace of the progress in this area should not detract from our effort to prosecute those who violate U.S. law at the border." In that context, the prosecution of the Salinas bounty hunters appears to be a demonstration of good faith by the Justice Department. Prosecutors filed but then dropped kidnaping charges, charging the suspects as felons in possession of weapons instead. It is debatable whether the capture in Mexicali amounts to a crime under U.S. law. Moreover, Mexico could not request extradition if the United States tried the suspects for kidnaping. of 2) Kidnaping in Mexico Raises Legal Questions : Border: Bounty hunters, who face charges in fugitive's abduction, say it was organized by police in Salinas. November 24, 1995|SEBASTIAN ROTELLA | TIMES STAFF WRITER Email Share Beyond the legal issues, the case has been marked by an odd combination of amateurism and brutality. It began about a year ago in a bleak barrio in Salinas, when Covarrubias and two other gunmen allegedly stormed into a small garage converted into a two-room house. Prosecutors remain unsure whether they wanted money, drugs or revenge; the gunmen and the victims were immigrant laborers and did not have serious criminal records. Regardless, farm worker Ramon Morales, his wife Martha and her brother, Fernando Martinez, were killed. The gunmen also wounded the couple's 11-month old daughter. "It was one of the most grisly things I've seen in 30 years of law enforcement," Nelson said. "It was a dastardly murder. There were heads blown up like watermelons." The police soon arrested two accomplices. Tipped off by relatives of the victims and suspects, detectives then traced Covarrubias, Joaquin Nunez and Antonio Sanchez to the Mexican state of Sinaloa, authorities said. San Diego-based investigators from the California Department of Justice, who specialize in cross-border cases, initiated a standard legal request for Mexico to charge the fugitives under Article 4 of the Mexican Constitution, which enables prosecution of crimes committed on foreign soil. Although weeks passed and at least one suspect left for Mexicali, U.S. federal prosecutors say Mexican officials moved with relative speed. Authorities in Salinas disagree. Chief Nelson blamed "slow bureaucracy" rather than corruption. "What really galled us here was that we knew where these people were," he said. "One was working down there, he had a job." Enter the bounty-hunting quartet: Anguiano, 27, Dean Espinosa, 38, Joe Navarro, 30, and Jason Wilson, 25. They worked for a bail bondsman with offices in Salinas and El Centro, just across the border from Mexicali. According to the defense, Detectives John Gates and Tim McLaughlin planned and supervised the operation. The two allegedly met with the bounty hunters this summer, told them where Covarrubias was hiding and stayed in touch by phone, ready to pick up the fugitive when he was returned to U.S. soil, according to written arguments by attorney Feldman. If true, that scenario could shield the bounty hunters against charges of being ex-convicts in illegal possession of weapons because they armed themselves believing that they were agents of the police, defense attorneys suggest. Feldman also claims the abduction was carried out by one or two Mexican federal police officers. Prosecutors reject that interpretation. They say the bounty hunters, led by Espinosa, approached relatives of the murder victims and offered to capture Covarrubias. Their payment would be a fee of about $5,000, split four ways and sweetened by the fringe benefit of the glory, authorities say. "Maybe there was a little ego involved, not necessarily the money," Nelson said. "It was like, 'Hey, you guys can't get him. But we'll go get him.' " The competing versions will be hashed out at Anguiano's trial. For now, three points are clear: the adventure got the bounty hunters in a lot of trouble. Two suspected killers remain at large, probably in Mexico, probably less likely to be caught because of the diplomatic tension generated by the case. And Covarrubias is behind bars in Salinas, which few ever expected.

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ncfcatalyst · 8 years

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CW: police brutality, racism

The Sarasota officers that shot Rodney Mitchell five years ago are still on duty today. A documentary screening and dinner was held at the Peace Education and Action Center this past Sunday, March 19, to celebrate Mitchell’s life and to support his mother, Natasha Clemons, in her fight through the judicial system.

Clemons has fought in the courts since Mitchell’s death in June 2012 and is now marching the case up to the Supreme Court. All proceeds from the dinner went towards paying for a lawyer qualified to represent the case at that level.

Rodney Mitchell would have turned 28 on Tuesday. The dinner and screening was co-organized by Black Lives Matter (BLM) Manasota Chapter and Answer SunCoast as part of a twice annual series of events: a vigil commemorating Mitchell’s death and a celebration in honor of his birthday.

“ANSWER has been involved right from the beginning, we’ve helped organize many protests and events around the anniversary of his death,” Ruth Beltran, a leader in the national Answer Coalition’s Suncoast chapter, said. “Now that Black Lives Matter is initiated, they have joined in supporting this cause as well.”

Beltran noted that BLM Manasota is in the process of moving meetings to Newtown to boost community involvement. Their next public meeting is to be announced.

The annual events – in addition to supporting Clemons’ ongoing legal fees – have become a beacon of light for the Newtown community and neighboring black communities in Bradenton and Palmetto.

“This event truly is for the community so we can come together, so I can show them exactly what’s really happening,” Clemons said. “Just know that we’re here for a common cause, we’re here to support each other, encourage each other, love each other.”

The dinner provided the first opportunity to publicly screen a documentary covering Mitchell’s death and the community’s monumental reaction to it. The documentary is part of a larger series put together by the Tampa Bay Times about police brutality.

“It just tells the truth, it states the facts,” Clemons said. “It shows to the world that Rodney was innocent. It’s different when you show people the evidence base and the documentary did that.”

The screening showed footage of the many protests seeking justice for Mitchell and interviewed Clemons from the very beginning and through the years that followed.

“It’s a very, very scary situation to get pulled over and not know if you’re going to live,” Clemons said in the documentary, which ended with a note that the Sarasota Police Department refused to comment.

Rodney Mitchell was pulled over in Newtown for allegedly not wearing his seatbelt. It was found that Mitchell was – in fact – wearing a seatbelt. But instead of releasing him, officer Adam Shaw radioed officer Troy Sasse for backup and proceeded to question Mitchell and his 16-year-old cousin, Dorian Gilmer.

The traffic stop escalated when the car suddenly lurched forward and two police officers pointed two guns towards the two unarmed black men inside. Four shots were fired and Rodney Mitchell died that night.

A California-based crime scene analyst hired to investigate the scene found that Mitchell had turned the wheel to the right to avoid hitting officer Sasse, who was approaching the front of the vehicle.

Sarasota Sheriff’s policies restrict deputies from firing at fleeing cars, protocol is simply to record the vehicle’s tag number. But deputies in Sarasota are allowed to use deadly force – even against drivers – in situations they perceive to be life-threatening.

“We don’t shoot at moving vehicles, we shoot at threats,” Sheriff Tom Knight told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune shortly after the two officers were cleared to return to work. “Our policies are consistent with most other agencies’ policies.”

New York Police Department officers are entirely restricted from shooting at a moving vehicle, the only exception being if a driver or passenger has fired shots first.

Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Portland, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego and other city police departments are similarly unauthorized for deadly force towards persons in a vehicle.

“They took his life because they knew they could do it and get away with it,” Clemons said.

Rodney Mitchell loved football. He was a quarterback at New Mexico Military College and when he received a scholarship to Eastern New Mexico University he played quarterback for the Greyhounds. When he graduated with his Bachelor degree in 2012, he moved back to Manatee to start a teaching career.

After a short history of police forces in the U.S., leading up to examples of today’s mass arrests and violence, Beltran concluded that “the murder of Rodney Mitchell can not be seen as an individual issue but a systemic one.”

Greg Cruz, a Black Lives Matter Manasota leader, chimed in.

“Justice for Rodney means freedom and dignity for Newtown and for black and brown communities around the world.”

A community panel of leaders from Black Lives Matter Manasota and Answer SunCoast took the stage to discuss issues relevant to Newtown and plan how to move forward as a community. Deidra Larkin, who grew up in Newtown, facilitated the discussion.

“It’s our job to keep our kids educated,” Cruz said. “We have to teach our own history to our kids – it’s not in those books!”

The panel addressed difficult questions: what needs to be done to hold police accountable, how the black community can balance individual and communal responsibility and the multitude of different ways anyone can get involved in activism.

“All the talk we’re doing, we need to put action behind it. We can agree to disagree, as long as we’re talking. We’ll be having these discussions more,” Clemons promised.

Family and friends remember Rodney Mitchell CW: police brutality, racism The Sarasota officers that shot Rodney Mitchell five years ago are still on duty today.

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nancy-astorga · 8 years

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With ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán locked up abroad, the shift in Mexico’s cartel underworld grinds on

Sinaloa cartel chief Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán went before a US judge on Friday, his second appearance in a US court since his sudden extradition hours before Donald Trump’s inauguration.

He was taken to the Brooklyn court from a high-security lockup in Manhattan with a heavy police escort, and when his American lawyers complained about the harsh conditions faced in jail — a complaint lodged by his Mexican attorneys as well — Judge Brian Cogan was unreceptive.

“They’re taking extra security measures,” Cogan said. “I think we all know the reasons for that.”

Guzmán will likely remain confined to a cell in New York for 23 hours a day in the weeks and months ahead, as his case winds through the court system. Events in Mexico, where he leaves behind one of the most powerful and expansive cartels ever assembled, will grind on without him as well.

Even as Guzmán spent the last year languishing in Mexican jails, his cartel maintained its preeminence in the country’s criminal underworld.

During Guzmán’s first stint in jail in the 1990s, he was able to maintain close contact with his compatriots, more or less running the cartel from behind bars.

In the years since, the Sinaloa cartel has developed a reputation for organizational resiliency, often functioning like a confederation of allied factions, rather than as a traditional top-down, hierarchical cartel.

“The Sinaloa cartel operates pretty much in terms of a horizontal structure,” Mike Vigil, the former chief of international operations for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, told Business Insider late last year. “They’re pretty much like a Walmart or a global corporation like McDonalds in that the authority moves through the entire organization, the decision-making capability.”

“And ‘Chapo’ Guzmán, when he was apprehended … [it] had no impact whatsoever on the Sinaloa cartel. Plus, they have a strong bench,” said Vigil, author of “Metal Coffins: The Blood Alliance Cartel.”

That doesn’t mean the Sinaloa cartel has been without challengers, however.

The ascendant Jalisco New Generation cartel, or CJNG, formed in 2010 by a breakaway faction of the Sinaloa cartel in southwest Mexico, has only gained power and territory in recent years.

“During the course of the past three years, the New Generation cartel has been the most rapidly growing cartel in Mexico,” ranking right beside the Sinaloa cartel as the two most powerful cartels in Mexico, Vigil said.

“However, the Sinaloa cartel still remains powerful regardless of the incarceration of ‘Chapo’ Guzman in Juarez,” where the kingpin was held before his transfer to the US, Vigil told Business Insider late last year. “But now the Jalisco New Generation cartel is on the verge of becoming the most powerful cartel in Mexico.”

Throughout the CJNG’s short life, the cartel has punctuated its expansion with brutal acts of violence.

In late 2011, when the group, still reportedly aligned with Guzmán, forged east into the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, it dumped 35 seminude bodies, some with signs of torture, on a roadway in the state’s eponymous port city.

The dead were reportedly members of the Zetas cartel, and at the time, the CJNG went by the name MataZetas, or Zetas killers, as part of their campaign to force the Zetas cartel out of Veracruz.

In mid-2015, the CJNG made clear its ability and intention to challenge Mexican authorities, when members of the group set up roadblocks throughout Jalisco state and shot down an army Black Hawk helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade, killing eight Mexican soldiers and a federal police officer.

In addition to its east-west expansion, the CJNG has also demonstrated its north-south ambitions, taking on the Sinaloa cartel in Quintana Roo, a tourist mecca in Mexico’s southeast, and in Tijuana, the major border crossing linking northwest Mexico to Southern California.

“They’ve not only extended their reach from the Pacific side of Mexico to the Caribbean side, but are now operating in at least 17 of the Mexican states, if not more,” Vigil told Business Insider in January.

“And they have taken over some of the primary routes, drug routes into the United States, and I’m talking the Tijuana-San Diego corridor, which is the most important one along the 2,000-mile border.”

“They’re clearly moving into Michoacan,” David Shirk, a professor at the University of San Diego, told Business Insider.

“The question is how much control they’re establishing in Guerrero and Nayarit, and other places where the Templarios and Michoacanistas used to be,” Shirk added, referring to the Knights Templar and La Familia Michoacana, two cartels active in southwest Mexico in recent years.

The CJNG has emerged at time when criminal groups in Mexico are becoming more fragmented and more violent, and alongside the Jalisco cartel’s territorial expansion has come a similar expansion of its criminal entreprise.

“They now have the most diversified portfolio and … the most profit-generating portfolio of any cartel probably ever in Mexico,” Vigil told Business Insider, “in that they conduct extortion. They conduct kidnappings [and] theft of mineral resources, to include minerals and petroleum.”

In addition to that, Vigil said, the CJNG has expanded into human trafficking, working with coyotes, or people smugglers, to prey on migrants traversing Mexico from Central America, holding them for ransom or selling them into the sex trade.

For now, violent conflict between the Sinaloa cartel and the CJNG has remained localized, occurring mainly in parts of northwest and southeast Mexico, as well as in areas on the Pacific coast, where CJNG went so far as to kidnap at least one of Guzmán’s sons.

While the Sinaloa cartel — active in 17 Mexican states and up to 50 countries, from Asia to South America to Eastern Europe — maintains its primacy, that status is not assured going forward, as it deals with both the external challenge from the CJNG as well as potential internal conflicts — namely the apparent competition between Guzmán’s partner, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who is about the same age as Guzmán, and members of the Guzmán family — brewing in Guzmán’s absence.

“I think it’s still too soon to tell” what the balance of power is in the cartel world, Shirk said. “Clearly Zambada’s not a young man, and how power is going to be managed within Sinaloa I think is very much a mystery.”

“I think the capture of Chapo Guzman tells us a lot about how little we know about who really ran the show and how it operated as an organization,” he added.

In the near term, Vigil said, the status quo looks set to endure, as the Sinaloa cartel hasn’t “been able to expand and whereas the Jalisco New Generation cartel has already shown its propensity for violence, and they have become a truly intimidating force to government officials, to journalists, and through the power of intimidation they are gaining ground.”

“And I would say if nothing changes within the next six months,” he said, “they will be the most powerful drug cartel, without doubt.”

SEE ALSO: Pablo Escobar and ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán: How 2 of the world’s most powerful and dangerous drug lords compare

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NOW WATCH: Forget ‘El Chapo’ — this is Mexico’s most powerful drug lord

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