Top 5 Live-WURD Wednesday June 10
1. Activists Move to Get Cops Who Shot Tamir Rice Arrested
A group of Cleveland activists announced that they will file a number of citizens’ affidavits to seek arrest warrants in the police shooting death of Tamir Rice.
The affidavits that the civil rights leaders, clergy members and activists are seeking will, in theory, call for a judge to issue arrest warrants for the two officers involved in the shooting.
The 12-year-old was fatally shot by Cleveland police officers in November. Just last week, the investigation was handed over to prosecutors, who are expected to convene a grand jury.
“I’m not happy about having to do this as an American citizen. I wish we could depend on our criminal justice system to do what is right,” Rev. R. A. Vernon, of Cleveland’s The Word Church, said at a news conference.
2. Authorities search farms, question prison employee in the escape of two murderers
Authorities scoured farms and fields around an upstate New York town on Tuesday, looking for Richard Matt and David Sweat, convicted murderers who escaped from a nearby prison days earlier, local officials said.
The search, involving numerous law enforcement agencies, began early Tuesday after a report of two suspicious individuals in the area, said Willsboro Town Supervisor Shaun Gillilland.
Two Dannemora residents said they spotted two men, whom they now believe to be Matt and Sweat, walking through their backyard shortly after midnight Friday.
“I go look at him (and) I say, ‘What the hell are you doing in my yard? Get the hell out of here,’” one resident told ABC’s “Good Morning America” of that encounter.
3. Texas pool party chaos: ‘Out of control’ police officer resigns
Just days after a video that went viral online showed him yanking a 14-year-old bikini-clad girl to the ground and kneeling on her back, Eric Casebolt has resigned from his post as a corporal for the Police Department in McKinney, Texas.
The video posted to YouTube showing the police response to reports of fighting at a pool party sparked swift allegations of racism. Critics decried the white officer for cursing at several black teenagers, slamming the girl to the ground and unholstering his gun.
Protesters marched on Monday over the incident in the Dallas suburb. Outraged parents demanded the officer’s firing.
At a press conference Tuesday announcing Casebolt’s resignation, the city’s police chief called his actions in the video indefensible.
4. Ex-House Speaker Dennis Hastert Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Charges
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon to charges he lied to the FBI about illegal bank withdrawals — money he allegedly used for payoffs to keep sexual misconduct accusations under wraps.
The 73-year-old Illinois Republican was surrounded by media as he entered a federal courthouse in Chicago ahead of his scheduled arraignment.
He answered a few questions, and his new high-powered attorney, Thomas Green, a veteran of political scandals, entered the plea on his behalf.
As part of his bond conditions, Hastert had to turn over his passport, and he must remove any firearms from his property.
5. City releases more details on police killing of Brandon Tate-Brown
Rookie officers Nicholas Carrelli and Heng Dangtold investigators that they pulled over Brandon Tate-Brown, on Dec. 15because he was driving with just daytime running lights. A struggle erupted, and Carrelli, who later said he spotted a gun in Tate-Brown’s center console, shot Tate-Brown once in the head.
Carrelli told investigators he couldn’t use his Taser because “we were involved in a hand-to-hand struggle. When he got to the back of the car, I wouldn’t have been able to make contact with the Taser.”
The city gave the documents and several surveillance videos to family attorney Brian Mildenberg as part of a wrongful death and excessive force lawsuit filed in April.
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Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com and morning host on 900 am WURD radio. Click here to learn more about Solomon
