White vigilante justice tore through New Orleans in the wake of the storm. No official investigation has ever examined the crimes. A.C. Thompson’s reporting on New Orleans was directed and underwritten by the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute. CIR, ProPublica, and New America Media provided additional support. >> Read the complete story that ran […]
Criminal Justice
Crime and punishment, from the street to the courtroom and prisons
Posted inCriminal Justice
Delayed raid likely cost Chauncey Bailey his life
OAKLAND — The August 2007 raid on Your Black Muslim Bakery was postponed 48 hours to accommodate the vacation schedules of two senior SWAT commanders, a delay that likely cost journalist Chauncey Bailey his life, according to police sources and a lawyer representing an officer deeply involved in planning the raid. During the delay between […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Militarization of Police
Zapping Taser: The Lawsuits
While Heston plays out—the plaintiffs are fighting for attorneys’ fees—Taser International still faces about 40 lawsuits against it alleging wrongful death or personal injury. Five of those have 2009 trial dates, the first beginning in March, according to Taser’s latest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A brief summary of the upcoming cases: Bolander […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Militarization of Police
Zapping Taser
A jury determined that Taser International knew or should have known that “prolonged exposure” to its stun gun could lead to cardiac arrest.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Militarization of Police
Are Tasers Safe?
As of Nov. 4, Taser International cited 206 studies on electronic control devices, commonly known as Tasers. Most are favorable to the company. Taser devices have been used on more than 1.3 million people, according to company estimates. And while Amnesty International counts more than 340 deaths since 2001 in North America following police use […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Death By Taser?
An illustrated reenactment of Robert C. Heston’s death after he was allegedly shocked 25 times with a Taser device. The Hestons’ lawyers prepared this video for their closing argument.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Timeline: Evidence ignored in Chauncey Bailey Murder Case
The Chauncey Bailey Project reports that Sgt. Derwin Longmire, the lead detective assigned to investigate Bailey’s slaying, is a supporter of Your Black Muslim Bakery and has failed to document that he analyzed evidence of the bakery CEO’s possible involvement in the murder. The detective has also interfered for bakery CEO Yusuf Bey IV in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Secret video raises questions about journalist Chauncey Bailey’s killing
On August 2, 2007, journalist Chauncey Bailey was gunned down in Oakland, California. Bailey was investigating Your Black Muslim Bakery, a once prominent Oakland African-American organization. The next day, Bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV was arrested during a raid for a separate kidnapping case. Police placed Bey and two associates involved in the case, his […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Defining a Whistleblower: The Legal Precedents
The Whistleblower Protection Act—the modern legal shelter for federal whistleblowers—was last strengthened by Congress in 1994. Since then, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit—currently the only appeals court that can hear government whistleblower cases—has single-handedly changed the meaning of whistleblower protections. When the Federal Circuit rules on a case, it often creates […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
The Whistleblowers: Selected Case Studies
The whistleblowers below are not all protected by the current Whistleblower Protection Act, which does not cover federal employees who work at certain national security agencies, in certain scientific or research capacities, nor does it extend to private contractors. The whistleblower legislation circulating in the House and Senate aims to protect many of the whistleblowers […]