In memory… Freddie Gray

It looks like Baltimore police are trying to blame Freddie Gray for his own death.

Police and prosecutors are refusing to officially release information about the investigation into Freddie Gray’s death. But at the same time, someone just leaked a police document that quotes a prisoner who rode in the same van as Gray, saying that Gray “was intentionally trying to injure himself.”¹This anonymous leak almost certainly came from someone in the Baltimore police department.

It’s despicable. And it’s exactly the same type of victim-blaming we saw years ago when Baltimore police gave another Baltimore resident a “rough ride,” paralyzing him and eventually killing him in a hauntingly similar case.²

We’ve seen time and time again what happens when police are given the authority and political cover to police themselves. No transparency. No accountability. No prosecution. Unless Governor Hogan brings independent oversight to this case, we can expect the same familiar miscarriage of justice.^3,4

Will you join nearly 40,000 ColorOfChange member in urging Governor Hogan to appoint Attorney General Frosh to assist the case against Freddie Gray’s killers?

The prisoner quoted in this leak was separated from Gray by a metal barrier, so he couldn’t have seen Gray. According to the leaked document, he claims he heard Gray banging on the walls, and that he thinks Gray was trying to hurt himself. But if Gray was banging on the walls, it could be because he was desperately trying to get help.⁵We already know that he had been requesting medical attention, and those requests were ignored.

And Gray might not have been banging on the walls at all. According to other versions of the story, Gray was unresponsive by the time the second person was loaded into the van.⁶Whatever happened, what’s clear is that this leak is an attempt to shape the story in a way that absolves police of responsibility — at a time when law enforcement is refusing to release other information about the case.

Nearly 40,000 ColorOfChange members are urging Governor Hogan to send Attorney General Frosh to support the investigation and prosecution of Freddie Gray’s death. This leak makes it clear that the current investigation cannot be trusted. Baltimore police and State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby are heading down the same path of denied justice that has allowed Baltimore’s crisis of discriminatory police violence to flourish for years.

In 2014, 100% of people killed by Baltimore Police were Black. And almost none of those officers have ever been held accountable.⁷ Over the past 5 years, Baltimore police have paid millions to people injured and paralyzed by police “rough rides.”⁸ Freddie Gray was killed. And his family, Baltimore, and America have the right to an independent investigation that gets to the bottom of what happened and ensures the greatest measure of justice.

Take action to escalate pressure on Governor Hogan and build the widespread support we will need to win.

Thanks and peace,

— Rashad, Matt, Arisha, Lyla, Shani, and the rest of the ColorOfChange team

April 30th, 2015

References

1. “Prisoner in van said Freddie Gray was ‘trying to injure himself,’ document says,” Washington Post 4-29-2015
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4783?t=5&akid=4326.1174326.ll2mw6

2. “Freddie Gray not the first to come out of Baltimore police van with serious injuries,” The Baltimore Sun Post 04-23-2015
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4784?t=7&akid=4326.1174326.ll2mw6

3. “Police Kill Black Women All The Time, Too — We Just Don’t Hear About It,” Bustle 12-08-2014
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4785?t=9&akid=4326.1174326.ll2mw6

4. “Why I Don’t Trust Baltimore Prosecutors with Freddie Gray Case,” Legal Speaks 4-22-2015
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4769?t=11&akid=4326.1174326.ll2mw6

5. “Prisoner Was Wrong: Freddie Gray Didn’t Kill Himself,” Daily Beast, 4-30-2015
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4789?t=13&akid=4326.1174326.ll2mw6

6. “Baltimore Cop’s Relative Claims Freddie Gray Was Injured Before He Got In Van,” Daily Beast, 4-30-2015
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4790?t=15&akid=4326.1174326.ll2mw6

7. BaltimoreUprising.org
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4788?t=17&akid=4326.1174326.ll2mw6

8. “Baltimore’s “rough rides”: the city has paid out millions to people injured in police vans,” Vox, 04-28-2015
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4786?t=19&akid=4326.1174326.ll2mw6

Birds of America
April 26 is
Audubon day

by Slayer

John James Audubon (1785-1851) was America’s foremost ornithological illustrator. After studying drawing in Paris under the French painter Jacques Louis David, Audubon struggled for many years to make a living from his art, shuttling back and forth between Europe and the United States and supplementing his income by giving drawing lessons, turning out portraits, playing the flute or violin at local dances, and at one time running a general store.

In 1820 he began a flatboat excursion down the Mississippi River to seek out new varieties of birds to paint. Eventually he had enough bird portraits to publish in book form. Birds of America, produced with the help of engraver Robert Havell, Jr., contains 435 hand-colored plates and was published in “elephant folio” format to accommodate the life-sized portrayals of birds on which Audubon insisted.

After his death in 1851, Audubon’s wife Lucy returned to teaching to support herself. One of her students, George Bird Grinnell, became the editor of Forest and Stream magazine and in 1886 organized the Audubon Society for the study and protection of birds. Today there are many branches of this organization, known as the National Audubon Society, and it remains dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and natural resources. Its members honor Audubon on his birthday, April 26. In some states, Audubon Day and Arbor Day are celebrated together by planting trees in bird sanctuaries.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/audubon-day#ixzz1t9SHCcAV

• So, today 7/7/2017 Q13 reported that Tacoma, Wa the plastic bag ordinance starts on 7/12/2017
• Customers will be charged 5cents for paper bags
• Anyone with EBT/WIC/TANF/ benefits will not have to pay the charge on paper bags

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Reports are that Chicago is the next city to implement a ban on plastic,sort of http://go.wgntv.com/1JVU7b3 via @WGNNews

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Alameda County, California Bans Plastic Bags

As of January 1st, 2013, packaged food retailers will be prohibited from distributing single-use plastic carryout bags in Alameda County, California.

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Hawaii County, Hawaii

Adopts Plastic Bag Ban Bill

Hawaii Plastic Bag Detrimental To Environment The County Council of Hawaii County has adopted a Bill to regulate the use of plastic bags on the Big Island. After several attempts to regulate plastic bags, Bill 17 was finally passed on December 21st, 2011 by a vote of 5-3. In the Bill,…

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Australian Capital Territory

Australia, BANS Ban Effective November 1st, 2011 Australian Capital Territory (ACT) began its plastic bag ban on November 1st. All retailers, not just supermarkets, are prohibited from distributing single-use plastic shopping bags.(1) In 2009, a plastic bags community consultation was conducted by the ACT Department of the Environment, Climate Change, Energy and…

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Mukilteo, Washington

Washington Ban Effective January 1st, 2013 January 15, 2012 – On December 12th, 2011, the City Council of the City of Mukilteo approved The Solid Waste and Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance. Known as Ordinance 1294, retailers will not be permitted to provide a single-use plastic bag to a customer at checkout.…

The ban or reduction of plastic bags was implemented on July 1 of 2012 in Seattle, WA.

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Monterey, California

California At its regular meeting on November 1st, 2011, the City Council of Monterey, California passed an ordinance to print to ban the use of plastic single-use carry-out bags. Passed unanimously, the ordinance also prohibits the free distribution of recycled paper bags by retailers. The ordinance is intended to: Eliminate the…

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Rye, NY

New York The City Council of Rye, New York passed an ordinance banning retail plastic shopping bags this month. The Council assured merchants that the ordinance applied only to retail shopping bags at the point of sale. The City Council based the ordinance on Westport, Connecticut’s ban which was passed in September,…

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Las Pinas, Philippines

Philippines Plastic-Free City Las Piñas, one of the largest cities in the Philippines with a population of just over 500,000(1), will prohibit the use and distribution of plastic bags. The ‘Plastic Bag Regulation Ordinance’ was passed on September 15, 2011. The ordinance also bans the usage of polystyrene foam. Section 3…

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Aspen, Colorado

Colorado, Roaring Fork Valley The City of Aspen, Colorado, USA has banned plastic bags and placed a fee on paper bags. After three years of studying and debating the issue of regulating plastic bags, Aspen’s City Council finally took action at its regular meeting Tuesday, October 11. City Council members approved an ordinance regulating…

all of the posts  … by Ted Duboise