Greene County Democrat

Category: Crime

  • Army halts construction of Dakota Access Pipeline

    By: Chris D’AngeloAssociate Editor, HuffPost Hawaii, and

    Lydia O’ConnorReporter, The Huffington Post

    indians-celebrate-victory

    Dakota Access Pipeline protesters celebrate

     

    OCETI SAKOWIN CAMPGROUND, N.D. ― Federal authorities have halted construction of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline amid growing protests that were expected to draw some 2,000 U.S. military veterans.

    The Department of the Army has denied the final easement required for the $3.8 billion project to cross under Lake Oahe in North Dakota, it announced Sunday. Instead, it will conduct an Environmental Impact Statement to examine the impacts and explore alternative routes, it said.

    “Although we have had continuing discussion and exchanges of new information with Standing Rock Sioux and Dakota Access, it’s clear that there’s more work to do,” Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Army’s assistant secretary for civil works, said in a statement. “The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternative routes for the pipeline crossing.”

     

    Dakota Access Pipeline protesters celebrated as they march back to the Oceti Sakowin campground after they found out the Army Corps of Engineers denied the easement to drill under Lake Oahe on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016.

    The 1,172-mile pipeline is being built to carry Bakken oil from North Dakota to an existing oil terminal in Illinois. Most of it is completed, except for a 20-mile section near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. The tribe and demonstrators have raised concerns about the threat the pipeline poses to water and sacred Native American sites. The tribe has also argued, in a lawsuit to stop the pipeline’s completion, that the project violates federal laws and its environmental impact has not been fully studied.

    In a statement, Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II applauded the news. “We wholeheartedly support the decision of the administration and commend with the utmost gratitude the courage it took on the part of President Obama, the Army Corps, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior to take steps to correct the course of history and to do the right thing,” he said.

    The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and all of Indian Country “will be forever grateful to the Obama Administration for this historic decision,” Archambault added. He noted his hope that the incoming Trump administration would respect the decision.

    “My hands go up to all the water protectors who have stood up to protect tribal treaty rights and to protect Mother Earth,” National Congress of American Indians President Brian Cladoosby said in an emailed statement. “Thank you for Standing For Standing Rock.”

     

    Native American and other activists celebrate after learning an easement had been denied for the Dakota Access Pipeline at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will not grant an easement to the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation, ending a months-long standoff.

    Within hours of the announcement, Jack Gerard, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, a trade association for America’s oil and natural gas industry, called on Trump to “reject the Obama administration’s shameful actions to deny this vital energy project, restore the rule of law in the regulatory process, and make this project’s approval a top priority as he takes office in January.”

    In a joint statement release late Sunday, project developers Energy Transfer Partners LP and Sunoco Logistics Partners LP said the pipeline has “done nothing but play by the rules” for more than three years, and that the action by the Obama administration is “purely political.”

    “The White House’s directive today to the [Army Corps of Engineers] for further delay is just the latest in a series of overt and transparent political actions by an administration which has abandoned the rule of law in favor of currying favor with a narrow and extreme political constituency,” the companies said.

    They added that they remain “fully committed” to completing the pipeline, without rerouting around Lake Oahe. “Nothing this Administration has done today changes that in any way,” they said.

    Philip George, 37, from the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve in Ontario, Canada, was among the demonstrators gathered Sunday at Standing Rock. He described the victory as “bittersweet,” something “due to our people for the hundreds of years of genocide and oppression.”

    “This fight is part of what’s going on here for centuries,” he told The Huffington Post. “I’m glad they denied the easement, but I don’t know how long this victory will last with Donald Trump being elected president. I’m not sure if he will respect our people and respect our culture. Money can corrupt a man’s heart.”

    George added that he sees this as a small victory in the grand scheme of things and believes there is much more work to do regarding indigenous representation and nation-to-nation relations. “The federal government needs to respect our ability to govern ourselves, our land and who we are,” he said.

    Military veterans place a flag that says ‘one water’ on a hillside above Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota.

    Lance King, 44, of Kyle, South Dakota, located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, has traveled to Standing Rock twice to join in the demonstrations. His most recent visit has lasted two weeks.

    King said he was “excited” and “happy” about the Army’s decision, which he sees as a “victory for the American people. “Everything was up in the air. I don’t think anyone saw this coming,” he told HuffPost. “There was a high rate of excitement and worry, so we didn’t see this ― but we stuck with our prayers.”

    Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said that in light of Sunday’s decision, the Department of Justice would continue to monitor the situation.

    “The department remains committed to supporting local law enforcement, defending protestors’ constitutional right to free speech and fostering thoughtful dialogue on the matter,” she said. “We recognize the strong feelings that exist in connection with this issue, but it is imperative that all parties express their views peacefully and join us in support of a deliberate and reasonable process for de-escalation and healing.”

     

    Fireworks fill the night sky above Oceti Sakowin Camp as activists celebrate after learning an easement had been denied for the Dakota Access Pipeline near the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

    Conservation groups quickly celebrated the news. “Today, the voices of an indigenous people were heard,” Natural Resources Defense Council president Rhea Suh said. “The rights of a sovereign nation were respected.”

    Greenpeace spokeswoman Lilian Molina praised the decision, but noted that the incoming Trump administration “must respect today’s decision and recognize the will of the people to stop this disastrous pipeline. The fight doesn’t end today.”

    Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune said he looked forward to further environmental review of the pipeline. “History has taught us that it is never a question whether a pipeline will spill, but rather a question of when,” he said. “A comprehensive environmental review will show that this dirty and dangerous project will threaten the safety of every community it cuts through.”

  • We can’t survive at $7.25 ‘Fight for $15’ rallies at Birmingham McDonalds

    mcdonaldOne Hundred Fifty fast food workers and their supporters rallied last evening at a Birmingham McDonalds at 1501 Fifth Avenue South. The group holding signs and banners was chanting: “We can’t survive on $7.25”, “Put some respect in my check”, “Nothing to loose but our chains …”
    The Birmingham demonstration was one of hundreds in cities across the nation to push for living wages for fast food and other low paid workers.
    “We are not giving up our fight for better wages just because Trump was elected President.“He needs to hear our demands for living wages,” said a protest organizer.
    The group marched around the block passing a Captain D’s and stopping in at a Burger King – all places where people are working for unacceptable minimum wages.

  • Pit Bull allegedly put down after attacking two citizens on Thanksgiving Day

    On Thanksgiving Day, November 24, George Roscoe and Blondie Means were both attacked in separate incidents by Pit Bulls on Greensboro St. and on Harris Avenue in Eutaw. Both victims had to seek medical attention. Reportedly, one Pit Bull, that has attacked others before, was put down and the other is in quarantine for 10 days. No determination has been made as to what will happen to the dog after the 10 days. The incident is still under investigation. According to Eutaw Police Chief Derrick Coleman, the Pit Bulls are owned by Eutaw Police Officer Lonnie Glenn who also resides on Harris Ave.
    In an interview with the Democrat, Ms. Blondie Means explained that during the attack, one dog was shot and wounded on the scene which also drove the second dog away. “That gunshot by an unknown passerby in a truck stopped the attack and perhaps saved my life,” she stated.
    Ms. Means apparently needed stitches on her face, head, hands and breast.
    In an interview with Mr. George Roscoe, he stated that he was on his way to the store to purchase cranberry sauce when he was attached by the Pit Bulls in front of the car wash on Greensboro Street. “I didn’t hear or see them until they were on me,” he said. He explained that someone driving over the bridge saw the attack and stopped to assist him. Apparently that was the same individual who stopped the next attack on Ms. Means by the same dogs. Roscoe said that both hands were badly damaged in the attack as he tried to ward off the dogs.
    At press time today, the Democrat learned that the same Pitt Bulls had threatened Ms. Means before. She stated that she filed a report with the Eutaw Police a year ago when the dogs threatened her on her property. She said she was able to escape an attack on that occasion. “Nothing was done about the danger of these dogs in my neighborhood,” she said. Means expressed that she lives two doors down from the dog owners and does not feel safe. She was told by a police officer that both dog have been euthanized. “I don’t believe them,” she said. “I want to see the dead dogs.”
    Means said that she checked with the Greene County Health Department concerning this incident to find out if the dogs had been put down and was told they knew nothing about this attack. That office had not yet received an official report.

  • Fidel Castro, Cuban leader was ‘strong voice for social justice’ says U. N. Secretary General

    castro-and-do-santos

    President Fidel Castro of Cuba with President J. doSantos of Angola

    Nov. 28, 2016 (GIN) – U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon extended sympathies to the Cuban people on the passing on Friday, Nov. 25, of their longtime president, Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, who he called ‘a strong voice for social justice.’

    Admired by leftists and people of the developing world as a revolutionary champion of the poor, the former president died at the age of 90. On Monday, tens of thousands of Cubans, some wrapped in red, white and blue Cuban flags, lined the streets from Havana to Santiago de Cuba as a funeral cortege made its way across the country, carrying the ashes of the renowned leader.

    Speaking to reporters at a conference in Turkmenistan, Ban Ki-Moon praised Fidel Castro’s advances in the fields of education, literacy and health. “As Prime Minister, President, Commander of the Cuban Armed Forces and First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, his role at the helm of Cuba spanned nearly 50 years, during which he left a major imprint on his country and on global politics,” said the U.N. chief. “His revolutionary ideals left few indifferent. He was a strong voice for social justice in global discussions at the UN General Assembly and international and regional forums.”

    “I offer the support of the United Nations to work alongside the people of the island,” he said, adding his hope that Cuba “would continue to advance on a path of reform and greater prosperity.” Fidel Castro served as Cuba’s President from 1976 to 2008.

    The U.N.’s General Assembly president, Peter Thomson, called Mr. Castro “one of the iconic leaders of the 20th century… an inspirational figure for developing countries in particular,” adding that “his dedication to their advancement, especially in the fields of education and health, would be long remembered.”

    Bill Fletcher, founder of the Black Radical Congress and a columnist for BlackCommentator.com, recalled Fidel’s storied role in Africa’s anticolonial movements.

    After Cuba’s first venture in Algeria that ended French domination there in 1962, Cuba under Fidel “went on to support the various anticolonial movements in Africa,” said Fletcher. “These included, in particular, the anti-Portuguese movements in Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique. And (the Cubans) were unquestioning in their support for the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.”

     

    In the film “Fidel: The Untold Story” directed by Estela Bravo, the documentary highlights strong ties forged between Fidel and such national liberation leaders as such as Sékou Touré, Amílcar Cabral, Julius Nyerere, Samora Machel and Agostinho Neto. South African President Jacob Zuma is reportedly on route to Cuba for Fidel’s funeral.

     

    It was the “unwavering commitment of Fidel Castro to Namibia’s freedom that led to the destruction of apartheid in the country,” said Namibian leader Hage Geingob.

     

    The late Castro had no interest in the natural resources of a free Namibia,” recalled President Geingob, nor did Cubans come to collect gold and diamonds. Instead, Castro offered an education to more than 3,000 Namibian children; many of whom today occupy influential positions in all sectors of the economy.

     

  • Sioux Tribe leaders respond to army eviction notice of #NoDAPL camp, refuse to give up

     

    By: Whitney Webb, Nation of Change Newsreport

     

    Indians protest Dakota Access Pipeline

    Throughout the months of protests against the controversial Dakota Access pipeline project, the federal government has tried to “spin” its indirect support for the project in order to quell national outrage and prevent further growth of the resistance movement.

    In September, the Department of Justice ordered a temporary halt to all construction on the pipeline as the government “reconsidered” its approval for the project. However, construction never stopped as the injunction was voluntary and Energy Transfer Partners, the pipeline’s parent company, continued building. Then again, last month, the US Army Corps of Engineers ordered another temporary halt on construction, which was also ignored, while the Corps held “talks” with the tribes leading the resistance.

    This past Friday, the federal government finally made its intentions public when the Corps sent a letter to Sioux tribal leaders, telling them that their camps of peaceful protestors and water protectors would be evicted to protect “the general public.” To add insult to injury, the Corps’ commander told the protestors they could move to an officially sanctioned “free speech zone” away from the construction site. These hollow words are clearly more “spin” designed to distance the government from its obvious, though indirect support of the $3.8 billion pipeline project.

    Tribal leaders have now responded to what they termed the Corps’ “direct and irresponsible threat to the water protectors.” The Cheyenne River tribe, who are co-litigants in a lawsuit against the pipeline, sharply rebuked the plan, citing that the area on which the targeted camps lie are Sioux territory per the 1851 Fort Laramie treaty signed by the Sioux and the US federal government. Their leader, Harold Frazier, also pointed out that much of the Sioux’s territory had been illegally claimed by the Corps via the Pick-Sloan Flood Control Act, lamenting the US government’s habit of ignoring the numerous treaties it has signed with the indigenous tribes within its borders.

    The leader of the Standing Rock Sioux, David Archambault II also seconded this statement, saying that the news of the eviction notice was “saddening” but not surprising considering the US government’s historical treatment of indigenous people. Frazier said that, in light of the government’s failure to respect tribal land or autonomy,that his tribe and their allies “will no longer allow our rights as a Tribe or as indigenous people as a whole to continue to be eroded.”

    Frazier also argued that the Corps’ notice “appears to further empower the militarized police force that has been brutalizing and terrorizing our water protectors while imposing the blame and risk on unarmed peaceful people.” He called the Corps’ decision “a grave and dangerous mistake” and said that the protestors would not be leaving their camps regardless of the threat of removal. When the Army Corps’ enforces its eviction notice on December 5th, they will be greeted with peaceful resistance, civil disobedience, and prayer. However, groups of military veterans from around the US are set to arrive at the camps to protect protestors on December 4th, a day before the eviction notice takes effect. This could make for a truly explosive confrontation between the Americans who have chosen to fight for their beliefs and those who have chosen to back the will of the state and corporations.

  • CBC Chair G. K. Butterfield and Rep. Robin Kelly condemn discriminatory housing practices of Facebook advertising

     

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     Congressman G. K. Butterfield

           WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01), and Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02) condemn Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg for its use of “Ethnic Affinities” advertising that allows users to exclude groups based on race and ethnicity in clear violation of the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

    “We have witnessed exclusion and discriminatory practices among popular social media platforms once before,” said Chairman Butterfield. “Racism and discrimination in any form should never be tolerated. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are outraged and challenge Facebook and all social media platforms to take the issue of discrimination seriously and implement innovative solutions that aim to prevent ill-treatment of its customers and discrimination on its platform.”

    “As a representative of Chicago, the origin city of Hansberry v. Lee which helped strike down restrictive housing covenants, I feel a particular obligation to see to it that discriminatory housing practices are not allowed to endure,” said Congresswoman Kelly. “While I don’t believe that Facebook intentionally sought to promote housing discrimination, I do feel they now have a responsibility to right this wrong. Technology shouldn’t be used to divide communities, and episodes like this are preventable. This conversation isn’t limited to Facebook, and unfortunately there have been a number of recent reports about technology being misused to divide communities. Without a doubt the tech sector can benefit from having a more diverse, robust and inclusive design and vetting process as they continue innovating.”

    Reps. Butterfield, Kelly, Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-05) and Yvette Clarke (NY-09) addressed their concerns with Facebook in a letter, and has called upon the company to swiftly address and remedy the discriminatory practice in a manner that continues to allow and support innovation, as well as promotes inclusion and diversity among its workforce and throughout the tech sector.

    Since its establishment in 1971, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have joined together to empower America’s neglected citizens and address their legislative concerns. For more than 40 years, the CBC has consistently been the voice for people of color and vulnerable communities in Congress and has been committed to utilizing the full Constitutional power and statutory authority of the United States government to ensure that all U.S. citizens have an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. To learn more about the Congressional Black Caucus, visit http://cbc-butterfield.house.gov.

  • Jefferson County Alabama just elected 9 Black women to become judges

    Rahel GebreyesEditor, HuffPost Video

     

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    Three of the judges (L to R) Javan Patton, Elizabeth French and Agnes Chappell

    Black women made history in Jefferson County, Alabama.

    In a great stride for representation Tuesday, nine black women were elected to become judges in majority Democratic Jefferson County, Alabama, The Birmingham Times reported.

    The black women who came out on top in the district and circuit courts are all Democrats. Javan Patton, Debra Bennett Winston, Shera Craig Grant, Nakita “Niki” Perryman Blocton, Tamara Harris Johnson, Elisabeth French, Agnes Chappell, Brendette Brown Green and Annetta Verin are to be sworn in next January.

    French, who was re-elected to Jefferson County’s Circuit Court, told The Birmingham Times that she believes her hard work and years of experience helped to propel her to elected office.

    “I think the people don’t necessarily just support you just because of your race and gender. I think voters expect more than that. They look at our qualifications and make a decision about who they can trust with the leadership position,” she said.

    Tuesday night was a big night for women of color across the states ― not just in local politics, but in federal positions, as well. Three women of color, Catherine Cortez Masto, Tammy Duckworth and Kamala Harris, were elected to the Senate. Stephanie Murphy and Pramila Jayapal were also elected to the House. Next year, there will be 38 women of color serving in Congress, bringing us a little bit closer to shattering that glass ceiling.

     

     

     

  • Jury selection has begun in S.C. shooter Dylann Roof’s trial

    By Yvette C. Hammett, UPI

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    Dylann Roof, the man accused in a shooting spree that left nine dead at a historic Charleston, South Carolina church appears before a judge on June 19, 2015

    CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov. 6 (UPI) — Final jury selection for the Dylann Roof federal murder trial began on Monday and is expected to be a long and tedious process, authorities said.

    Picking 12 jurors at the historic courthouse in downtown Charleston won’t be quick, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty, The State reported. The federal trial is expected to take place in two phases. The first phase is to determine guilt or innocence. The second phase, if the self-proclaimed white supremacist is found guilty, is to determine whether the death penalty should apply or if he will get life in prison.

    The 22-year-old Roof faces 33 separate charges stemming from the mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston on June 17, 2015. Nine people died, including a state representative. Some of the charges are for hate crimes.

    Jury selection started in September with a pool of 3,000 potential jurors. The group was vetted and pared down to about 700. The pool will be pared further to a dozen jurors and six alternates over the coming weeks.

    “This is the most challenging jury selection in the American legal system,” said Johnny Gasser, now in private practice in Columbia but who has tried 10 death penalty cases as first a state prosecutor and then a federal prosecutor.

    “There’s nothing like it,” said Gasser, who has served on the U.S. Attorney General’s Death Penalty Review Committee. “And cases don’t get any more high profile than the Roof case.”

    Roof had agreed to plead guilty to murdering nine people, rather than going through a lengthy and expensive trial, only if the death penalty gets taken off the table, his lawyers said. Roof’s attorneys argued in court filings and in hearings that the death penalty is unconstitutional and should not be considered.

    Federal prosecutors argue that the racial motivation and depth of the crime call for the death penalty, The Wall Street Journal reported.

     

     

     

  • Venus & Serena Williams open center in Compton to fight gun violence

    Written By NewsOne Staff

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    Serena and Venus Williams

    The world is used to expecting greatness from Serena and Venus Williams on the tennis court, but the sisters are changing up their game. The Williams have opened the Yetunde Price Resource Center in their hometown of Compton, California.

    The community service center is named for their older sister who was killed by gun violence in 2003. It is the first endeavor under the Williams Sister Fund, an organization designed to support the sisters’ philanthropic efforts to fight gun violence.

                “The resource center will be able to map all of the resources in and around the Compton community while providing customized assistance that will be a vital asset to improving our ability to service our youth, adults and families,” said Mayor Aja Brown.

  • Shocking reports of rape by Government soldiers of Boko Haram victims

    nigerian-president-buhari-with-rescued-girls

     Nigerian President. M. Buhari and rescued girls

    Oct. 31, 2016 (GIN) – Dozens of young girls, rescued from Boko Haram kidnappers, were made victims again by the Nigerian soldiers and policemen assigned to protect them, according to accounts documented by investigators for Human Rights Watch.

    The New York-based rights group found forty-three cases of “sexual abuse, including rape and exploitation.” Four victims told HRW they were drugged and raped. Thirty-seven said they had been coerced into sex through false marriage promises and material and financial assistance.  “It is bad enough that these women and girls are not getting much-needed support for the horrific trauma they suffered at the hands of Boko Haram,” said Mausi Segun, senior Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch. “It is disgraceful and outrageous that people who should protect these women and girls are attacking and abusing them.”

    Victims of rape and sexual exploitation may be less likely to seek health care, including psychological counseling, due to the shame they feel, said HRW. Fewer than five of the 43 women and girls reported receiving any formal counseling after they were sexually abused.

    President Muhammadu Buhari, upon learning of the girls’ allegations, said he was “worried and shocked” and ordered police to “immediately commence investigations into the issue”.

    “The welfare of these most vulnerable of Nigerian citizens has been a priority of his government,” presidency spokesman Garba Shehu said, adding that the allegations raised by the HRW “are not being taken lightly”.

     

    Human Rights Watch said it wrote to several Nigerian authorities in August requesting comment on the research findings. The minister of women affairs, Aisha Jumai Alhassan, promised in a meeting with Human Rights Watch to investigate the allegations and then respond.   Last month, hundreds of people displaced by Boko Haram militants held a protest in Maiduguri, accusing officials of stealing food rations after photos were seen on social media showing food with aid agency logos being sold in shops. A spokesman for the governor disputed the charges, saying “it is radically difficult to divert food.”    In a separate matter, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) announced they have secured the release of 876 children held by Nigeria’s army and security forces.

     

    The army routinely detains civilians who have been living in areas once ruled by the insurgents on suspicion they might be linked to militant activities. However, rights groups say there is no proper legal process for children, since they do not get formally charged and some end up in so-called rehabilitation centers, which the groups say are like prisons.

     

    The United Nations says children should not be detained.