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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

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Time Magazines February 2017 cover will feature the Womens March on Washington (WMoW), with the caption, The Resistance Rises: How a March Becomes a Movement.

The WMoW has rapidly become an umbrella protest for a variety of causes, and now shows signs of becoming a movement not just for protest, but to advance womens rights and effect policy changes. But successful social movements dont effect change simply via polite organized marches in Washington; they disrupt the status quo and pressure lawmakers into making changes with real consequences. And unlike certain other movements at work in the U.S. today, the WMoW marchers are in a privileged position to make this happen.

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After the WMoW on January 21, President Trump took to Twitter to demonstrate his approval: Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I dont always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views. This is in stark contrast to Trumps statements about Black Lives Matter (BLM).

Just before the election, he singled out a BLM protester at one of his rallies and said he should be roughed up. He has called the movement divisive. His new administration has added a new page to the White House website entitled Standing Up For Our Law Enforcement Communitythat states:

The dangerous anti-police atmosphere in America is wrong. The Trump Administration will end it Our job is not to make life more comfortable for the rioter, the looter, or the violent disrupter.

Many in the BLM movement have read this as a threat to protesters. So why the apparent double standard?

One obvious explanation is that the womens marchers were, in Trumps terminology, peacefulno clashes between police and protesters, no violence, no rioting or looting. Indeed, many who supported the WMoW took to social media the next day to pat themselves on the back for executing a peaceful protest during which no-one was arrested.

But unsurprisingly, many BLM activists argued that white privilege played a major role in how the protest was perceived by the public and handled by the police. The Washington march itself was attended overwhelmingly by white women and was far less radical in tone than a BLM march despite their common goals.

Clearly, the two movements are disconnected. Two viral photos from the WMoW demonstrate the distance between them.

This image of Angela Peoples has received widespread attention. Its a fair point: 53 percentof white women in America voted for Trump, and while the estimated 500,000 women protesting in Washington most likely didnt, most of their peers did.

In this second photo, protester Amir Talai draws attention to the divisions between WMoW organizers and attendees about the role of race in the protest. As some women of color began criticizing their white allies, they started to make them feel alienated from the causeand the sometimes heated dialogue between white women and women of color on the WMoW Facebook page is testament to the tensions that persist.

While the WMoWs white protesters are willing to accept women of color in support of their cause, many arent willing to return the favor by supporting BLM: only 51 percentof white Americans aged 18-30 support BLM, and far fewer actually show up at protests.

It would be a huge wasted opportunity if these movements couldnt bridge the gap between them. We should expect more and more protests during the Trump Administration, and the time is right for action.

Clearly, WMoW has something to learn from BLM. Here are five core lessons.

The WMoW must be inclusive of all women, regardless of race, class, religion, age, political beliefs, sexuality, or their possession of a vagina (yes, trans women are part of this movement too). BLM has done this very well: spearheaded by LGBT women, many of the movements leaders are to this day young, queer, and trans women of color. If the WMoW wants to succeed as a movement, it will have to live up to that standard.

The key to mobilizing a movement beyond one march is to organize self-sustaining sub-groups across the country. This will include local organizations coming together under the banner of one name, whether the WMoW, the Resistance or something else. It also means lobbying local and state politicians. Activists can do this by asking their mayors to designate their cities as sanctuary cities for immigrants, or by calling state representatives to oppose legislation that would limit womens reproductive health options.

BLM has deliberately represented itself as revolutionary in political orientation, often supporting left-wing candidates but not aligning itself with a particular political party. That helps it push candidates harder. From before the primaries even began in early 2016, its protesters were highly visible throughout the campaign, making their demands a constant issue. If the WMoW wants to match its power, it will have to step away from partisan alignment and push policy demands across the spectrumespecially once the 2018 midterm elections start to ramp up.

A variety of nonviolent civil disobedience and peaceful protests must be used to have the greatest effect. Civil Rights campaigners in the 1960s used civil disobedience to resist Jim Crow segregation by sitting at whites-only lunch counters, resisting efforts to remove them; today, BLM protesters have taken to stopping traffic on busy highways. In short, peaceful protests are fantastic for bringing awareness to a problem, but they dont disrupt the status quo or bring pressure on lawmakers to make changes.

Angela Peoples photo speaks a very particular truth: many of these white middle-class American cisgender women are new to protest politics. That is not a bad thingbut if the WMoW is going to effectively challenge the Trump Administration and Congress on womens rights, they are going to have to keep showing up. Even when they dont feel like it. Even when its inconvenient. Even when they might get arrested for civil disobedience. Successful social movements are not all sunshine and pussyhats;much of the work is tedious, tiresome, and thankless.

BLM protesters understand this. They show up day in and day out to have their voices heard. The Resistance, or whatever were calling it, will have to do that, too.

Laura Grahamisassistant professor of sociology atTrinity College Dublin.

Originally posted here:
Five Lessons the Women's March Movement Can Learn From Black ... - Newsweek

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