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Thursday, February 2, 2017 at 6:11 a.m.

A surprise witness was identified in Superior Court on Tuesday in the case of theLos Angeles Police Commission president who filed a temporary restraining order againsta prominent member of Black Lives Matter L.A. The witness is fellow L.A. police commissioner Cynthia McClain-Hill, who will offer a rebuttal at a later date to key allegations made in the complaint filed by her colleague, board president Matt M. Johnson.

Johnson filed the request for a temporary restraining order in December against Trevor Gerard,a Black Lives Mattermemberidentified in court filings by his given name of Trevor Ferguson.In the complaint, Johnson accuses Gerard of stalking him at his home in Sherman Oaks and at the entertainment law firm where he works in Century City. Johnson states in the complaint that he feared for his life and the safety of his family.

Gerard, 35, denies the allegations and says that the statements and actions attributed to him in the complaint fail to mention they were part of group protests outside Johnson's home and inside his place of work.

According to to Nana Gyamfi, the attorney representing Gerard in court,McClain-Hill will testify about another allegation made in the complaint: thatGerard mouthed violent threats to Johnson from the audience at board meetings and made threatening statements, including a gratuitous reference to Johnsons children.

Gyamfi told L.A. Superior Court Judge Carol Boas Goodson at the Tuesday hearing that McClain-Hill "will testify that Mr. Ferguson has not mouthed threats, that she has not seen Mr. Ferguson mouth threats to Mr. Johnson or make any threats verbally or audibly,

Judge Boas Goodson asked if McClain-Hill, as a witness, was in a position to see any such threats.

Yes, she was at the same dais to see that. It would be like someone sitting next to you up there, Gyamfi said.

McClain-Hill did not respond to requests for comment. Johnson, who was present at the hearing on Tuesday, left the courtroom immediately after it concluded and did not take questions.

Protester Trevor Gerard at a Black Lives Matter encampment in front of Los Angeles City Hall

Sam Slovick

Frank T. Mateljan III, deputy communications director forthe L.A. City Attorney's Office,which is representing Johnson in the complaint, told L.A. Weekly in an email that Hugo S. Rossitter, the deputy city attorney on the case, was not informed until the hearing that McClain-Hill had been subpoenaed to testify. Mateljan said the unexpected development was a factor in Rossitter's request for continuance. All the protective provisions of the temporary restraining order remain in effect, he said.

McClain-Hill is one of two black police commissioners on the five-person civilian oversight board; Johnson is the other. Both were appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti Johnson as the board president in 2015, McClain-Hill as commissioner last year. The Police Commission is charged with overseeing the LAPD, setting policy and determining whether police use of force was justified.

Gerard frequently attended commission meetings and spoke during the public comment time, often addressing Johnson directly, even abrasively. Johnson ordered Gerard removed from a Police Commission meeting in October.

McClain-Hill has drawn the ire ofthe L.A. Police Protective League, the union representing police officers. TheLAPPL criticized McClain-Hill in an open letter to Mayor Garcetti and City Council president Herb Wesson in October, stating the police commissioner was not "an objective member of the Commission focused on improving the L.A. Police Department."

The police union letter refers to McClain-Hill's meeting with the publicin the aftermath of a raucous Police Commission meeting on Oct. 4. Johnson had publicly adjourned the meeting, citing repeated disruptions by members of the audience. "Rather than joining her fellow Commissioners after the public adjournment," the letter states, "Ms. McClain-Hill stayed with the group responsible for shutting down the public meeting and encouraged their anti-democratic behavior."

Los Angeles Police Commissioner Matthew M. Johnson

CBS Los Angeles

The Times described McClain-Hill's interaction with the public as follows:

McClain-Hill said that the audience needs to trust that the commission is making an effort to increase transparency. The LAPD, she said, has lost the trust of the community.

A month before that meeting, in September, McClain-Hill issued a directive to the LAPD, backed by a unanimous vote of the commissioners, for a deep analysisof how the department handles complaints that allege racial profiling.

The provisions of Johnson's temporary restraining order calls for Gerard to stay at least 100 yards away from Johnson, Johnsons wife and children, and his home and the law firm where he works. Additionally, it requires Gerard to stay at least five yards away from Johnson during public meetings, though it specifies he may still address the Board of Police Commissioners during the public comment time.

Gyamfi, Gerard's lawyer, said after the Tuesday hearing that the restraining order was part of an effort to intimidate members of Black Lives Matter L.A. and "to bully Trevor into not embarrassing and angering Matt Johnson."

The next hearing will take place at L.A. Superior Court on March 1.

Continue reading here:
A Surprise Witness Steps Forward in Case of Black Lives Matter Activist - L.A. Weekly

Black Lives Matter Plea Deal Falls Apart

An agreement reached between the Cumberland County district attorneys office and a group of Black Lives Matter protesters fell apart Wednesday in a dispute over a required restorative justice session. Now it appears prosecutors will reinstate misdemeanor charges, which had been put on hold.

Last July, police arrested 17 protesters after they blocked off a busy street in Portlands waterfront commercial district. In exchange for having criminal charges against them put on hold, the protesters agreed to participate in the restorative justice meeting with Police Chief Michael Sauschuck and other officers. It was supposed be held at a neutral location the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church.

According to prosecutors, the deal included a provision that the meeting would be split into two groups, with separate sessions held over the course of the day. If that proved a success, and the protesters each paid a fine, the charges could eventually be dropped.

Chief Sauschuck and I arrived there and it became very clear that they were not coming to the table with the conditions that we had laid out ahead of time, says Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Ackerman.

Ackerman says the 17 demanded that they all stay together in one group for the meeting. For law enforcement, that was a nonstarter.

The process of restorative justice is really about the bigger picture. And having a meaningful discussion about how can we address your concerns and understand them and how can you address ours and where we are coming from. That was not their attitude when we walked in unfortunately, Ackerman says.

None of the protesters could be reached for comment. Stacey Neumann, a lawyer for one of them, says she believes the conflict can be resolved outside of court.

Nobody, as far as I am aware of, has done a restorative program at this large of a scale before, so I think there was a lot of moving pieces how information was shared or not shared so I dont think it was about goodwill on anybodys part, I really dont, she says.

I didnt see a group that arrived with good faith, I saw a group that came in with demands and changes to a written agreement with the district attorneys office, and that just sends a poor message from the very beginning, Sauschuck says.

He drew a contrast between this particular groups style of protest and open lines of communication between police and participants in many other recent protests and rallies in Portland, including the womens march two weekends ago that drew as many as 10,000 but had no arrests or significant conflicts with police.

We do it all the time, so I am absolutely disappointed that an issue like this, which had very important messages at its core, turned into an example of how not to do a protest, how not to do a rally, how not to do an event, Sauschuck says. Because I think you lose the message and its too important of a message to have it lost that way. We just have to do a better job, and were more than happy to talk with people or work with people in any of those settings.

Ackerman says theres still a possibility that the two sides could return to the restorative justice model. But she and her boss, District Attorney Stephanie Anderson, both say they expect theyll move toward motions and a trial.

Read more:
Black Lives Matter Plea Deal Falls Apart - MainePublic.org

Minneapolis Police Department

A Minnesota man charged with felony first-degree assault and riot charges in the November 2015 shooting of five people at a Black Lives Matter protest was convicted by a jury Wednesday.

The Star-Tribune reports that the jury deliberated for seven hours before finding Allen Lance Scarsella, 24, guilty on all counts following two weeks of testimony.

Scarsella was charged with 12 counts of first-degree assault and one count of riot in connection with the shooting at a Nov. 23, 2015, Black Lives Matter protest over the police-involved death of Jamar Clark.

The verdict surprised many in the black community who expected to hear not guilty, Minneapolis NAACP President Jason Sole told the Star-Tribune.

One of those surprised by the verdict was Cameron Clark, one of Scarsellas shooting victims, and Jamar Clarks cousin. He reportedly nodded in relief as each decision was read, and a few others in the courtroom cheered.

Im so happy for the four other brothers who were shot, Cameron Clark said. Im glad we got justice, but the fight isnt over.

According to the Star-Tribune, protesters had formed an encampment at the Minneapolis Police 4th Precinct following Jamar Clarks death at the hands of police in 2015.

Scarsella and three friends went to the encampment to live-stream as they trolled the protesters. Scarsella had done so previously with another friend a few days earlier when they wore masks and drove by, hurling racial slurs at those gathered.

A video of Scarsella showed him holding up a gun and saying, Were locked and loaded. Were going to make the fire rise.

From the Star-Tribune:

That video circulated online, causing protesters to become suspicious of anyone who came to the encampment with a mask.

Scarsella and his friends covered their faces when they showed up a few days later. Protesters quickly went up to them and demanded they take off their masks, according to trial testimony. When they refused, the four went north up a street as protesters followed. The pursuit stopped, but then several protesters said they heard someone from Scarsellas group shout the n-word.

Me and a group of people started running toward them, said Wesley Martin, one of the shooting victims.

About a block from where the group of four started, Scarsella opened fire and unloaded his magazine on a group of about seven protesters.

Martin, Cameron Clark, Tevin King, Walter Hoskins and Draper Larkins were all shot that night. King suffered the most serious injuries and required emergency surgery; the bullet remains inside him because a doctor deemed it too dangerous to remove.

In addition to Scarsella being charged, Nathan Gustavsson, 22; Daniel Macey, 27; and Joseph Backman, 28, were charged with second-degree riot and aiding an offender.

Scarsella testified that he shot in self-defense because his life and Gustavssons were in danger, and that he fired when he thought he saw one of the protesters pull out a knife.

Scarsella has been jailed since the shooting in lieu of $500,000 bail and is scheduled for sentencing March 10, when he faces a maximum sentence of nearly 20 years in prison.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman lauded Wednesdays verdict.

As I said at the time we charged Mr. Scarsella and his companions, the racist language he used in the videos and on social media is just not acceptable, and the actions he took as a result of those racist beliefs were heinous, Freeman said. The jury obviously saw it the same way.

Read more at the Star-Tribune.

See the article here:
Minn. Man Found Guilty of Shooting Black Lives Matter Activists During Protest - The Root

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The financing is listed on the Foundations website. It includes a June 1, 2016 grant to the International Development Exchange, which is in a contractual relationship with Black Lives Matter to process donations for the group.

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The Associated Press reported the International Development Exchange, also known as IDEX, has been acting as a mostly unseen financial arm of Black Lives Matter, with the ability to receive grants and tax-deductible donations on the groups behalf.

More recently, the relationship evolved into a contractual partnership that will run through at least mid-2017, the AP reported.

According to the Foundations website, the purpose of the $900,000 grant was to:

Enhance local and place-specific interventions to address issues impacting the lives of Black community members, families and children by building the infrastructure and capacity of the national #BlackLivesMatter to support and strengthen their local chapters organizing capacity.

On June 1, 2015, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation provided $30,000 to the Praxis Project, Inc. to support, according to the charitys website, the inaugural BlackLivesMatter Chapter Retreat.

On Tuesday, the Kellogg Company announced its decision to pull ads from Breitbart News, explaining its 45,000,000 monthly readers are not aligned with our values as a company. In response, the news agency launched a #DumpKelloggs petition and has called for a boycott of the famous food manufacturer.

Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alexander Marlow encouraged the boycott of Kellogg products:

Breitbart News is the largest platform for pro-family content anywhere on the Internet. We are fearless advocates for traditional American values, perhaps most important among them is freedom of speech, or our motto more voices, not less. For Kelloggs, an American brand, to blacklist Breitbart News in order to placate left-wing totalitarians is a disgraceful act of cowardice. They insult our incredibly diverse staff and spit in the face of our 45,000,000 highly engaged, highly perceptive, highly loyal readers, many of whom are Kelloggs customers. Boycotting Breitbart News for presenting mainstream American ideas is an act of discrimination and intense prejudice. If you serve Kelloggs products to your family, you are serving up bigotry at your breakfast table.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, meanwhile, was founded in 1930 by breakfast cereal pioneer Will Keith Kellogg, and has gone on to become one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the U.S.

Kellogg himself set up an endowment for the foundation by donating Kellogg Company stock and other investments to fund the charity.

The stock continues to fuel the foundation.

The foundations website relates some of the strong ties between the charity and the company, both of which are based in Battle Creek, Michigan:

The foundation receives its income primarily from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Trust, which was set up by Mr. Kellogg. In addition to its diversified portfolio, the trust continues to own substantial equity in the Kellogg Company. While the company and the foundation have enjoyed a long-standing relationship, the foundation is governed by its own independent board of trustees. The foundation receives its income primarily from the trusts investments.

Aaron Klein is Breitbarts Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, Aaron Klein Investigative Radio. Follow him onTwitter @AaronKleinShow.Follow him onFacebook.

With additional research by Joshua Klein and Brenda J. Elliott.

More:
Black Lives Matter - breitbart.com

Black Lives Matter Vancouver may have only come together in 2016, but the group is eager to commemorate and celebrate the long history of the black community in Vancouver.

Cicely-Belle Blain said she started the group last summer in solidarity with the movement which originated in 2013 in the United States as a response to institutional racism experienced by black people.

"We wanted to also show that there are black people in Canada and racism is still a thing that exists here in Canada," she said.

Blain said the black community in Vancouver isn't huge, yet her group still gets comments like "this is an American problem" and "you don't belong here."

"Even though we're a very small group, there's still a lot about blackness to be celebrated ... particularly in this city there was a rich, vibrant black history."

Although her group is small, Black Lives Matter Vancouver founder Cicely-Belle Blain (centre) says she is eager to revive the spirit of Vancouver's historic black communities. (Vancouver Dyke March/Facebook)

Celebrating that community history is one of key focuses on the group in the month and year ahead.

"There used to be a very big population of black people here in Vancouver but then it was wiped out by things like the building of the Georgia [Street] viaduct which wiped out Hogan's Alley where there was a thriving black community," she explained.

"That led black people to be pushed further out into the suburbs or even east into the rest of Canada ... In Vancouver,we're kind of siloed and we don't really have much of a sense of community."

Blain said her group will be hosting some events like an art workshop which she says will be primarily for and within Vancouver's black community.

"It's going to be our focus this year to look more internally and create spaces that are safe and comfortable for black people," Blain said.

With files from The Early Edition

To listen to the interview, click on the link labelled Black Lives Matter Vancouver founder on Black History Month

Go here to see the original:
Black Lives Matter Vancouver marks Black History Month - CBC.ca