Sunday, August 11, 2013

Hundreds mourn teen artist tasered to death by Miami cop

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Published time: August 11, 2013 05:31

Jacqueline Llach (center L), the mother of graffiti artist Israel Hernandez-Llach, who died after being shocked by a police officer's Taser, holds on to her daughter Offir Hernandez (center R), during Israel's vigil in Miami Beach, Florida August 10, 2013.(Reuters / Gaston De Cardenas)

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An emotionally-charged rally has been held at the site where 18-year-old Miami graffiti artist Israel Hernandez-Llach was shot with a Taser gun, dying shortly after.

Hundreds of friends, supporters and relatives of the teenager gathered at the spot where the teenager was spray-painting a shuttered McDonald’s restaurant before being chased by police – an incident that resulted in his death shortly after being tasered by the officers after refusing to stop running.

Around 400 people were present at the Saturday rally in Hernandez-Llach’s honor, many of them booing and whistling at police officers standing nearby. They shouted “Whose streets? Our streets!”

Chy Walton and other supporters hold posters during a vigil for graffiti artist Israel Hernandez-Llach, who died after being shocked by a police officer's Taser, in Miami Beach, Florida August 10, 2013.(Reuters / Gaston De Cardenas)

The victim’s father, Israel Hernandez-Bandera spoke to Reuters, calling Israel’s death an “act of barbarism” and an “assassination of a young artist and a photographer.”

Hernandez-Llach’s female friend and former classmate, Lucy Rynka, had touching words to say about him: “he was a genius… He showed me how powerful art can be, how you can use color and design to relay a powerful message.”

People hold up a poster during a vigil for graffiti artist Israel Hernandez-Llach, who died after being shocked by a police officer's Taser, in Miami Beach, Florida August 10, 2013.(Reuters / Gaston De Cardenas)

Another person present at the scene – Vivian Azalia, also 18 – spoke with tears in her eyes.

“The only thing I want everyone to remember is his goal was to have his art around the world… I know he’d be happy with the support that’s come from around the world and from the graffiti community,” she said.

Hernandez-Llach was not unknown – his works could be seen in some of Miami’s art galleries.

Raymond Martinez, chief of the Miami Beach Police, claims that Hernandez-Llach would not stop running after police caught him spray-painting private property and ordered him to stop.

An attendee writes on a wall during a vigil for graffiti artist Israel Hernandez-Llach, who died after being shocked by a police officer's Taser, in Miami Beach, Florida August 10, 2013.(Reuters / Gaston De Cardenas)

According to the Miami Herald, anonymous law enforcement sources say Officer Jorge Mercado was placed on administrative leave with pay on Thursday, two days after he discharged his Taser at Hernandez-Llach following a brief foot pursuit.

After the arrest, Hernandez-Llach’s medical condition quickly deteriorated and he was pronounced dead shortly after, the police chief said. The cause of death has not yet been established with the toxicology results pending.

A close up shows chalk with various words, including one with the name of graffiti artist Israel Hernandez-Llach, who died after being shocked by a police officer's Taser, during a vigil for him in Miami Beach, Florida August 10, 2013. (Reuters / Gaston De Cardenas)

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, as well as the state attorney and the medical examiner, will conduct an independent investigation of the Miami Beach Police Department’s handling of the teen’s death, officials said.

Miami Beach Police Department is no stranger to scrutiny, given its string of improper conduct and shootings in the past years, among them the death of a 22-year-old man two years ago. He was shot a total of 16 times by police officers at a Memorial Day weekend hip-hop music festival.

The family’s attorney, Jason W. Kreiss, said that the teen would likely not even have been prosecuted for the offense of spray-painting, and instead probably would have faced a few hours of community service.

Israel Hernandez (Image from Instagam user@miaskateshop)

People hold posters during a vigil with a picture of 18-year-old graffiti artist Israel Hernandez-Llach, who died after being tasered by a Miami Beach police officer on August 10, 2013 in Miami Beach, Florida.(AFP Photo / Joe Raedle)

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The last moments of Sammy's life is just too much to bear.


	News SEND YOUR NEWSWORTHY VIDEOS TO VIDEOS@NEWSTALK1010.COM WATCH: New security camera footage shows Sammy Yatim's final moments Posted By: James Moore james.moore@bellmedia.ca · 7/30/2013 3:00:00 PM New video of last week's stand-off between 18-year old Sammy Yatim and Toronto Police officers has surfaced. It shows the young man moving about the 505 Dundas streetcar, then falling to the floor as police opened fire. At the time, Yatim was holding what is reported to have been a knife. This footage was taken from a security camera nearby. * WARNING: Viewer discretion advised *

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Premiers call for inquiry into violence against aboriginal women | CP24.com

Sunday, July 21, 2013

11-Year-Old Yemeni Girl Nada Al-Ahdal Flees Home to Avoid Forced Marriag...

Friday, June 28, 2013

Galactic Federation Of Light Gaia Portal June 25 2013

Published on Jun 27, 2013

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Saturday, June 22, 2013

Police still at Northside crime scene where an 8-year-old girl's body was found

Posted: June 22, 2013 - 4:53am | Updated: June 22, 2013 - 12:10pm

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Charish Perriwinkle

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12:04 p.m.: Police are focusing a lot of attention at a creek near Highlands Baptist Church. Officers were putting down what appeared to be a sheet of plastic near the creek.

Linda Karshirsky, who lives near the church, said that at about 8:45 a.m. or 9 a.m., her husband saw a light blue truck parked on a bridge over the creek. No one was in the truck and he reported what he saw to police, his wife said. It's not clear if the truck is related to the police investigation.

A fire department ladder truck is parked in the street at the bridge, over the creek.

11:18 a.m.: Linda Kashirsky and her husband returned Saturday morning to their house near Highlands Baptist Church on Broward Road to see investigators searching for evidence.

“I’m just devastated for the parents of that child," Kashirsky said. "It’s so, so sad. I got goosebumps when I heard. I just want to cry.”

The couple had just moved a half a block from the church two weeks ago, so they said they're not very familiar with the neighborhood.

Deborah Howell, a longtime resident of the area, also lives near the church.

“We’re a very, very close-knit neighborhood," Howell said. "As soon as I saw the police, we all started calling each other. I cannot believe this has happened.”

Another neighbor, Charlotte Dupree, said she was shocked and upset to hear what might have happened in her community.

"We were all in our houses watching the Amber Alert, and she was dying up there,” Dupree said.

Neighbors describe the area near the church as including a two-story vacant house and a creek where people go crabbing. It's not clear yet exactly where police are focusing their attention since the area is blocked off.

10:56 a.m.: Police were on Broward Road near Highlands Baptist Church Saturday morning. Two women who said they are friends of the victim's family are weeping at the scene now. They declined to comment to the media or provide their names. A news conference is scheduled for 3 p.m.

10:46 a.m.: The abduction and killing are reminiscent of the 2009 abduction and slaying of 7-year-old Somer Thompson while walking home from school in her Orange Park neighborhood. Police found Somer’s body in a Georgia landfill and later arrested Jarred Mitchell, who pleaded guilty in the case in 2012 and was sentenced to life in prison.

Diena Thompson, Somer’s mother, became a national champion for children’s and victim’s rights after her daughter’s death. Thompson said she first learned about Saturday’s tragedy about 6 a.m. after turning on the news.

“I’m sickened,” Thompson told The Times-Union in a telephone interview. “Her [the mother’s] nightmare has just begun.”

10:23 a.m.: The body of an 8-year-old girl who went missing Friday night has been found at a church off Broward Road.

Charish Lilly Perriwinkle's body was found a little before 10 a.m. Saturday. Police wouldn't idenify the name of the church.

The sexual offender suspected of abducting her was taken into custody by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office a little after 9 a.m.

Perriwinkle was reported missing about 11 p.m. Friday by her mother at the Walmart Supercenter at 12100 Lem Turner Road.

Police spokesman Shannon Hartley said during a 9:30 a.m. news conference that Donald James Smith, 56, was in custody after officers surrounded a white van on southbound Interstate 95 near the Interstate 10 split. Hartley didn't know if Smith was armed when taken into custody. He has several previous arrests involving lewd behavior with children.

The Sheriff's Office released two grainy photos of a second vehicle being sought. Hartley said police want to find the vehicle and the person driving it. The quality of the photos (one of which is attached to the story) are so poor police haven't been able to give details such as the make and model.

"Obviously having Mr. Smith in custody is a huge break for us," Hartley said.

Sgt. Lonnie Mills of the Sheriff’s Office said earlier that Charish was taken by a man who had befriended the girl's mother at the store and said he was taking the girl to the store’s McDonald’s located at the front for a snack.

Police searched the area with helicopters and ground units but found no immediate trace of the man or the girl.

Smith was reportedly driving a 1998 white Dodge van, Florida plates BCBK32, Mills said. The vehicle has a 2-inch dark pinstripe down its sides, two large windows on the driver’s side, one large window and double doors on the passenger side and double doors on the back.

Smith, whose registered address is 2495 Segovia Ave., was last arrested in 2009 where he was accused of impersonating a Department of Children and Services officer and making obscene and threatening calls to a 9-year-old girl.

The arrest report said he had called a 12-year-old boy on his cellphone asking to speak to his sister, whom he knew by name. The boy gave him his mother's cellphone. The man called her saying he was with DCF conducting an investigation regarding her daughter.

The girl was visiting grandparents, so he called them and spoke with the daughter for about 20 minutes. He had asked questions about whether she wore a bra and what her privates looked like. Then he told the grandmother the child's father and grandfather were suspected of molesting her and that if she told anyone of their conversation she could go to jail.

He demanded she bring the girl to a McDonald's so he could examine her. She did so, but went inside instead of waiting in the parking lot as instructed. The man did not appear. The mother later gave police the man's phone number and traced it to Smith.

Smith also served prison time for attempted kidnapping and lewd and lascivious assault on children. The first time he attempted to lure a 13-year-old girl into his van and chased her as she ran away. The second time involved Smith trying to lure two girls into his van with pornographic magazines, according to Times-Union archives.

Anyone who has any information is asked to contact police at (904) 630-0500 or call 911.

Times-Union writer Scott Butler contributed to this report.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Massive Brazilian Protests Find Common Ground with Indigenous Resistance

June 20, 2013 | Maira Irigaray

Over the last week, and right after indigenous peoples vowed to continue resisting Amazon dams, Brazil has been flooded with a huge wave of massive street protests coinciding with the opening of the Confederation's Cup, reportedly the largest the country has seen in the last 40 years. The protests have been met with violent repression, a sign of what's to come in the next year as the country prepares to host the World Cup next June. Check out this Witness blogpost featuring photos and video footage by Han Shan summarizing the events of the last week, "As Protests Rock Brazil One Year Before World Cup, a "People's Cup" Celebrates Resistance to Forced Evictions."
Recent protests have united a diversity of citizens frustrated by billions invested in World Cup stadiums, while the people suffer. Frustrations range from increases in public transportation fees, to lack of access to a responsible healthcare system, quality education or reliable services, despite a heavy tax burden and outrageous salaries given to politicians. Brazilians claim they were pushed to the edge and can't stay quiet anymore. Indigenous peoples of Brazil agree.
"Our fight has no end. The government needs to respect our rights and our Constitution. They don't want to listen to indigenous people but we won't stop until they do," said indigenous leader Cândido Munduruku.
Among the issues presented by the masses: the irresponsible use of public resources, forced displacements and human rights violations are leading concerns. Sound familiar? These are the same issues raised when talking about mega-projects like the Belo Monte dam in the heart of Amazon north of Brazil's major cities where protests are growing.
Belo Monte represents an emblematic project that has been continuously violating indigenous rights, human rights and environmental rights. It has been financed by the Brazilian National Development Bank (BNDES) mostly with Brazilian taxpayers' money, which could have otherwise been invested in equitable and clean energy development for the country. Furthermore, the corruption and special interests behind this massive project have spent money militarizing dam sites rather than concentrate efforts on complying with environmental conditions.
With Brazil's growing global power, dissatisfaction and protests have also been growing, putting the nation's image at stake. This as an opportunity for a real change! National and international personalities like Barack Obama, Beyonce and Neimar have already joined the massive call to "#ChangeBrazil."
Such change would require a development plan that respects the rights of indigenous peoples and all Brazilian civil society, the environment, and provides institutions with sufficient resources to provide for a dignified life for all Brazilians. With its bountiful resources, and its current position in the world stage, Brazil has the opportunity to be a global leader in sustainable and equitable development by listening to the demands of its people and the global community's call for clean and alternative energy.
Please join Brazilian civil society and indigenous people in this call to #ChangeBrazil. Thank you for your support of this ongoing and growing movement for a better Brazil, a Brazil that respects human rights and the environment.
For more info, see the following stories: