Page 24 - Florida Sentinel 7-15-16 Online Edition

National
Bahamas Issues Travel Advisory To Citizens Coming To U. S.
Baton Rouge DA Recuses Himself From Alton Sterling Investigation After Defending Officers
The investigation into the killing of Alton Sterling by two police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on July 5 will now entirely be out of local hands, after the local po- lice department and the dis- trict attorney recused themselves from the case.
During a press conference on July 11, East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore stepped down from the investigation citing a “per- sonal relationship” with the parents of Blane Salamoni, one of the officers involved in the shooting.
Both of Salamoni’s parents are high-ranking police offi- cers. Moore said his decision was “one of the hardest” in his career.
The Baton Rouge Police De- partment handed over the in- vestigation into the shooting to the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investi- gation a day after the shooting.
Baton Rouge DA, Hillar Moore is friends with police officer Blane Salamoni’s par- ents, who are high ranking po- lice officers.
In the aftermath of the inci- dent, Moore defended the of- ficers, saying that the shooting was “potentially a state au- thorized killing.” He said that “gives law enforcement offi- cers the authority and man- dates them to kill when in defense of themselves or oth- ers.”
Prior To Shooting, Dallas PD Has Become Known For Community Outreach
The Bahamian government issue the travel advisory after the police shootings of Phi- lando Castile and Alton Ster- ling followed by the sniper attack on 5 Dallas police offi- cers.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown has had the job since 2010. Being the top cop in one of Texas’ largest cities has had major im- pact.
NASSAU, BAHAMAS --- The Bahamas has issued a rare travel advisory for its citizens visiting the U.S., recommending partic- ular care for young men in cities affected by tensions over recent police shootings.
The advisory warns citizens to not get involved in protests and avoid crowds.
It comes after two black men were shot dead by police in Min- nesota and Louisiana, and five officers were killed at a protest in Dallas.
Some 90% of the Bahamas population is Black.
The advisory comes as the country, a former British colony, celebrated its Independence Day holiday, on July 10th, a time when many locals travel abroad, including to the U.S.
The police department that became the victim of the dead- liest attack on American law enforcement officers since 9/11 is known for its innova- tive, community-focused ap- proach to the job of protecting the public, and enforcing the law.
When Micah Johnson opened fire on Dallas police in an act of vengeance against white officers, he was attack- ing a department whose chief has been lauded across the country for taking bold steps to root out bad cops and repair relations with minorities.
Police Chief David Brown, has pushed through the reforms despite resistance from the rank-and-file, boasted at a news conference Monday that crime, police shootings and excessive-force complaints against the depart- ment have all dropped dra- matically on his watch..
The killing last Thursday night of five police officers in Dallas, and the police shoot- ings in Louisiana and Min- nesota last week, has renewed focus on the tensions between law enforcement and the com- munities they serve.
While the events of the past week have tainted the progress made by police departments nationwide with issues related to relationship-building, transparency about officer use of force incidents, and training in de-escalation techniques, law enforcement experts say it would be wrong to withdraw from those efforts after tragedy strikes.
Army vet, Johnson, 25, shot and killed five police officers, and injured seven others.
The issue of police violence has roiled the nation since the fatal officer shooting two years ago of Mike Brown, in Fer- guson, Mo. Brown’s death also revealed the atrocious policies adopted by that city’s government and mainly its po- lice department that led to a movement for law enforce- ment to adopt reforms to fos- ter relationships with their communities.
Mayor Mike Rawlings
told reporters on Friday morn- ing that Dallas this year has the fewest police officer-re- lated shootings of “any large city in America.”
Dallas Police Chief David Brown has credited a focus on de-escalation and commu- nity policing for leading to a drop in excessive force com- plaints against officers.
Officers who work for Brown have to participate in deadly force training every two months. Last year, meanwhile, officers were issued body cam- eras to record interactions with civilians.
The biggest backlash has come in the last six months, when Chief Brown started a community policing program in mostly Hispanic and black neighborhoods. He began re- assigning officers from desk jobs to foot patrols, a move that was praised by criminal justice experts but angered the police unions, who demanded his resignation.
In a move to be transparent, the Dallas Police Department publishes on its website the number of officer-involved shooting incidents every year since 2003. The department also identifies the locations of such incidents, the outcome, and the names of the officers.
At the same time as these reforms, according to The Washington Post, crime in Dallas has also fallen, with murders in the city hitting a 50-year low in 2014.
Chief Brown personally knows what families with po- lice conflict go through. Months after becoming chief, his 27-year-old son, was fatally shot by police after he killed 2 officers.
Ron Hosko, a former as- sistant director of the FBI, says Dallas and other reform- minded departments should double down on those efforts in the face of adversity.
Hosko said that a depart- ment that communicates with citizens, and has their trust, can better work together to combat bad actors from carry- ing out violence.
Black Lives Matter Protest Photo Says It All: Called Legendary
Gabby Douglas Debuts Her Barbie Doll
Legendary Black Lives Matter photo shot by photographer Jonathan Bachman.
Gabby Douglas is having a great week. Just hours after the 2012 Olympic all-around gold medalist made the 2016 Olympic gymnastics team, Gabby Douglas debuted her very own Barbie doll!
As a part of the company’s Shero campaign, the 20-year- old Olympian joins the likes of Ava DuVernay, Zendaya and Misty Copeland to have a Bar- bie created in their honor.
“I’m so excited,” Douglas said to People. “My older sister and I used to play with Barbies and create these dramatic fantasy stories, so it’s such a huge honor.”
In her video with Mattel, Gabby stresses how important it is for young women to love themselves, embrace them- selves, and go after what they want. She tells Mattel that she’s “speechless” and still trying to process it all.
BATON ROUGE, LA -- On Sunday, dozens of protesters were arrested in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where a black man was killed by police last Tues- day.
In an atmosphere of height- ened racial tension, and amid growing debate over the seem- ing militarization of American police, one photo has stood out.
It was taken by Jonathan Bachman, a New Orleans- based photographer who has been working for Reuters in the past few days.
The image shows Ieshia Evans, a young woman in a dress standing calmly in front of two police officers wearing layers of armour, and appear- ing to approach her in a hurry. 'I am a vessel': #BlackLives-
Matter muse
The photograph was taken
outside the Baton Rouge police headquarters, where most of Saturday's protest was focused. "The police were called out to clear Airline Highway where demonstrators had blocked the road... They managed to get most of the protesters off to the side," Bachman told the BBC via email.
"I was on the side of the road photographing protesters argu- ing with police.
"I looked over my right shoulder and saw the woman step onto the road. She was making her stand. She said nothing and was not moving. It was clear that the police were going to have to detain her."
Reuters reported that she was later detained.
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