A recent Mississippi police shooting has huge question marks all over it, involving three non-working body cameras, a cop’s stolen gun and an unauthorized ride-along passenger.  Everything in this story screams lies and coverup.

A handgun reported stolen from a   Columbus police officer’s home this summer was discovered “within arm’s reach” of a man fatally shot by police two weeks ago, according to the Columbus Police Department.

The  three officers involved in the shooting were wearing body cameras but they weren’t activated, according to CPD Public Information Officer Raymond Hackler.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is conducting an investigation. The release of the sequence of events that ended with the fatal shooting of 33-year-old Ricky Ball came from the Columbus Police Department.

At 10:08 p.m. on Oct. 16, a police cruiser — occupied by three officers and an unauthorized ride-along passenger — attempted to pull over a vehicle at 22nd Street North and 15th Avenue North, according to the release. The release did not cite the reason for the attempted stop.

The release identified the officers as Canyon Boykin, Johnny Branch and Yolanda Young. The three officers have been placed on leave, pending the results of MBI’s investigation.

The three officers were  “equipped with body cameras,” Hackler said, but the cameras had not yet been activated. One camera did “record events,” however, “approximately 30 seconds after the shooting.”

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Shannon Brewer. When Brewer stopped the vehicle, Ball, who was the lone passenger in the vehicle, “jumped out of the car and attempted to flee,” Hackler said in the release.

According to the release, “Officers attempted to arrest Ball which resulted in gunfire. Specifics surrounding why Ball was shot are still being investigated by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.”

After the shooting, Hackler said officers “lost sight of Mr. Ball.”

Officers called for backup and searched abandoned houses in the area in an attempt to find Ball. A K9 unit was also called to the scene.

At approximately 10:30 p.m., Ball was found by officers between two houses on 14th Avenue North, a block and a half away from the stopped vehicle, Hackler said.

Ball was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle. He was pronounced dead at 11:12 p.m., Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant has said he  was shot once in the upper body and once in the lower body.

A Taurus 9mm handgun was found “within arm’s reach” of Ball when he was discovered by officers, Hackler said. Suspected drugs were also found near Ball, the release said.

The handgun was reported stolen from a CPD officer’s home on Aug.  5 along with a Glock .40, the officer’s service weapon.

The August burglary was the second burglary in a year at the officer’s home. In September 2014, five firearms, two televisions and an Xbox were reported stolen from the home. CPD is actively searching for the suspect, Arthur Danagelo Davidson.

Ava recovering from the shooting.

An Ohio girl who was accidentally shot by a cop trying to subdue a charging dog in June continually cried out “Mommy, am I gonna die?” while medics saved her life, the girl’s mother told Inside Edition.

Ava Ellis, of Whitehall, who is now 5 years old but was 4 at the time of the incident, suffered a gunshot wound that “shattered the bone” in her right leg after a Columbus police officer, who The Columbus Dispatch identified as Jonathan Thomas, pulled the trigger on June 19.

“They had started to cut her pants off her and I just see blood everywhere,” her mom Andrea Ellis said of the aftermath.

Police told Inside Edition they are “grateful to learn that healing is under way,” but Ellis believes the incident was been wrongfully handled by police.

Andrea Ellis, Ava’s mom, says Officer Jonathan Thomas left the scene after the shooting and never asked if she was OK.

Last month on a Facebook page titled “Prayers for Ava,” which is run by one of the victim’s aunts, Ellis alleged that Thomas prematurely left the scene.

“Officer Thomas never said sorry, never said it was an accident, never said that he called for help or was going to call for help, never asked if Ava was OK, and never asked if he could check on Ava,” Ellis said.

Thomas was responding to a different call in the Ellis’ neighborhood when Andrea Ellis accidentally cut herself.

In an account of the incident of the “Prayers for Ava” Facebook page, Ellis says her sister, Brandie Kelly, first called 911.

“She’s bleeding all over the place!” Kelly told the 911 dispatcher. “I need a paramedic!”

Kelly then noticed Thomas and cried out for help. As Thomas approached the home, one of the two family dogs ran at him.

After the shot was fired, another resident of the neighborhood called 911.

“My neighbor across the street had an officer at her door and she’s screaming that he shot a child,” the neighbor told police.

Both of the animals wear shock collars, a different neighbor, Carrie Britton, told the paper.

Thomas was not injured in the incident.

The Columbus Police Department did not respond to the Daily News’ request for comment Saturday.

A Jackson, MI man has won thousands of dollars in a police brutality lawsuit. Joseph Hines was beaten while attending Ohio State University.

Hines filed a federal lawsuit in 2013 against the officers who beat him.

Hines was awarded $30,000 less than two weeks ago.

This all stems from an incident in August 2012 when Hines says he was brutally attacked and beaten by police in Columbus.

Joseph Hines is the son of well-known Jackson pastor Reverend James Hines of Lily Missionary Baptist Church.

After a successful academic and athletic career at Jackson high school, the younger Hines went on to attend OSU.

He says he was 20 years old on August 9th when he was approached by officers near campus. He admits he and some of his friends had been drinking.

Hines says he was attacked by those officers, punched in the face, handcuffed, and knocked unconscious.

Hines was then arrested and charged with five crimes, all except for a littering charge, were eventually dropped. Those records have since been expunged.

In court documents, officers claimed Hines resisted arrest throughout the incident.

Ultimately, jurors found that only one officer used excessive force, and awarded Hines $30000. He had sued for the minimum of $75,000.

After a long court battle, Joseph Hines says he’s now just trying to move forward with his life.

“I’m just thankful and appreciative for everyone that’s been there for my family,” says Hines.

Sgt. Rich Weiner with the Columbus Police Department says the internal investigation into the case is still ongoing. That investigation was opened as soon as a complaint was made.

Sgt. Weiner says from what police understand, the complainant and witnesses refused to talk on advice from an attorney. Because of that, Police had to wait until the case had ended. Now, they will review the transcript and testimony from the witnesses.

Sgt. Weiner tells News 10 the department respects the opinion of the federal jury. He points out that the jury found that two officers did not use excessive force, and that they found that one officer did use more force than was necessary.

The jury awarded Hines $30,000 for that claim, much less than was requested by Hines.

He says the Department does not want to minimize the incident, and admits there were issues on both sides.

Police wish there would have been more cooperation at the beginning of the incident. The department will move forward from here.

-By Jordan Freshour

A Cop Blocker in Kettering warns drivers of an OVI checkpoint

“Southwestern Ohio is the center for civil disobedience activism in the world right now.” – Mark Edge, Free Talk Live, April 1st, 2015.

Wait, what? Not New Hampshire with the Free State Project? Not in the Middle East, where protests and civil war are still erupting years after the Arab Spring? Not in DC, a Mecca for civil demonstrations and home to hundreds of national and global non-profit headquarters? Not in places like Los Angeles or Texas, where a new era of technological innovation is bursting forth?

While it’s difficult to accurately compare the efficacy of various methods used by groups to promote social change, Mark Edge did not speak out of context in lauding this specific region of the United States. In the radio segment mentioned above, he was interviewing Virgil Văduva about his own acts of civil disobedience. In particular, Văduva’s intentional violation of an anti-panhandling ordinance in the nearby city of Xenia. When asked if he agreed with Mark’s assessment, he said:

“I do agree. I have friends who live in California who complain that they are the lone activist in their large town and are unable to grow the liberty community. In essence they are alone in the middle of a crowd. I’m not sure what is causing this phenomenon here in SW Ohio, but I remember just a few years ago being the only Cop Blocker within 100 mile radius. Since then the number of activists and libertarians has exploded. While I would love to take credit for some of the growth, the reality is that there have been quite a few events in the area that served as catalysts for the message of freedom. Ohio Open Carry, the shooting of John Crawford and Tamir Rice have been huge factors in bringing new activists on board, and the recent shooting at the University of Cincinnati was another reminder of a growing police brutality problem. The police alone are responsible for the growth in the numbers of local activists. In essence they are the largest creators responsible for building our community.”

Văduva isn’t the only Ohio activist who believes the police have directly contributed to the local growth in activism. Micah David of Yellow Springs, Ohio – writer, editor, and designer for Counter Current News – shares similar thoughts:

“Yes, I think Ohio is ground zero in terms of police abuse, brutality and racism. A lot of times people will assume coastal cities, or a large midwestern city like Chicago would be the focal point of such police abuses. But Ohio has a unique history with regards to racism and injustice, as law enforcement and government reacted in very deliberate ways to the influx of freed-men and women who came across the Kentucky border. As such, many so-called minority communities know Ohio to be little more than an extension of the south, with some of the most segregated communities in the nation. On top of that, the middle-American nature of Ohio suburbs has lent to a particular flavor of Ohio activism, and reaction by law enforcement and the government, even going back to the Kent State Massacre during the Vietnam War.

So in a sense, activists come after the situation that is created sociologically in Ohio – they are borne from it. And at the same time, the law enforcement response to activism in Ohio is borne out of the sociological “Northern South” vibe that is Ohio. It is that vibe, or climate that leads to incidences such as the shooting of John Crawford, Tamir Rice and Sam Dubose, or even earlier, Timothy Thomas.”

To get closer to the target of racial police abuse, I spoke with Talis Gage (also from Yellow Springs), an activist and organizer with Black Lives Matter Miami Valley and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. He said everything “jumped off” after the murder of John Crawford III in Beavercreek, Ohio. Talis echoed Micah’s assessment when answering if police targeting has been a catalyst for uniting the black community:

“In Yellow Springs it definitely has, because there really isn’t a black community here. So we are now all working together collectively in different ways – on the radio, on HRC [Human Relations Commission], and I was running for village council. I would say [the shooting] made different organizations more active and much more aggressive in the black communities. The Ohio Student Association was very active in getting the Beavercreek police to release the tapes from the Wal-Mart shooting. They were also outside of the Beavercreek police station for days protesting. We tag teamed with them to shut down Wal-Mart, and then the Beavercreek Mall.”

Outcry over the murder of Crawford isn’t the only response from leaders in the nearby black community. Talis went on to explain how BLM Miami Valley has quickly become a group which works with others to feed the poor and homeless, provide clothes to those in need, clean up the neighborhood, educate their neighbors, and host potlucks for the public.  “Everyone is doing all they can within their organization to wake up the black community to stand strong as the Kings and Queens they originally were,” said Talis.

“Waking up” individuals to the reality of the classist warfare waged by the government is a major challenge for activists of all stripes. Constant mobile connectivity to one another has been the single greatest tool for the nonconformist in infiltrating the minds of others with new ideas. Heather Lucas – an Awakened Cincinnatian, and council member for Unite Ohio – has worked with more than a dozen Ohio groups, linking them to each other. The Militia, Ohio Patriot Bikers, libertarian chapters, Pin Ups for Patriots, NORML, 3% Militia, and Columbus Anonymous are but a few allies. She credited social media for the success of networking and growth among like-minded people, saying:

“Activism in my opinion has become much easier for everyone due to social media. I think for one the instant access to stories, info, and causes have caused “normal” people to have to look at things they wouldn’t have normally. So they join a group, or start their own.”

Having instant access to information is vital to spreading the word about events and ideas, but social giants such as Facebook are only one element in the Buckeye dissenter’s tool kit. The effectiveness of Heather’s endeavors to unite various Ohio efforts increases with the availability of new technology designed to facilitate counter culture. Apps such as Bambuser, Wickr, and Cell 411 can be found on the smartphones of revolutionaries statewide, the latter having been developed by Văduva specifically for the use of activism. Virgil (a cryptology professional) believes advances of this kind are precisely the silver bullet for government tyranny:

“As a crypto-anarchist, it’s evident to me that technology is making the ideas of liberty virtually impregnable to government tyrants, and that’s an empowering realization. This is why I am focusing on building even more tools to empower people to subvert the state, whether it’s through adopting currencies like Bitcoin, embracing free markets, or subverting State surveillance. We are barely toddlers in this world and we are just now learning how to use technology to be truly free.”

It should be noted these kinds of technology are available across the world, but southwest Ohio has a unique environment. It is a place where innovators are focusing their implements on freedom, and the principles of the people living there are predisposed to take advantage of inventions which empower the individual. Where similar movements in other areas fragment due to infighting between egos, those in Ohio have learned how to use ego to their advantage. Justin King, journalist, and editor for The Fifth Column opines:

“Ohio’s activists seem to have adopted an informal cellular structure. There are hundreds of small groups that are self contained. Each of these groups does a great job of making the other groups aware of their actions. This means everybody supports each other. The small group sizes allow more people to have egos. If there is one large group there are only so many top positions. People of influence end up arguing. Small groups allow people of influence to abstain from an event they don’t agree with without destroying the overall movement. It cuts down on infighting because the “cells” are free to do as they choose. Nobody is jockeying for position.”

Justin has a fitting resume for a gonzo journalist, having been a military contractor, bodyguard, a “smuggler,” a federal inmate, and so on. He offers a unique set of skills for other activists. “I’ve been waterboarded, I’ve conducted counter-surveillance for activists, I’ve investigated dirty politicians for groups, and basically anything that requires a bit of playing dirty. I [..] bring tactical experience to the movement.” Justin knows to maximize his own impact, strategically aligning with specific people and events is important. “…it boils down to choosing your battles carefully,” he said. “Let’s say somebody is done wrong by a police department, but they have a massive criminal record. Ideologically it’s still an offense, tactically don’t waste the resources on a person that isn’t relatable to the rest of America.”

That last statement might be controversial in other circles of activism. But it’s not in Ohio. When activists there see a cause they like, they support it. When activists disagree about a cause, they don’t support it. And when activists think there is a better way of doing something, instead of criticizing others, they form the solutions themselves. Such is the story of Awakened Cincinnatians. Richard Brewster, an AC member, touched on this when I inquired to how the group had formed:

“Actually I started it. I loved the idea of Anonymous: How everyone can be one. I went to a few Occupy Cincinnati events and saw how they couldn’t get along – the left stayed to the left, the right stayed to the right. There was really nothing for us Awakened People, who don’t fall for the left/right nonsense. After arguing and being kicked out of the local Occupy [Cincinnati], and all the Patriot groups, I decided we needed our own. I made the group on Facebook. […] Once numbers were decent we [began holding meetings]. Ever since we have kept the ball rolling picking up new people with every event we do.”

Events arranged and promoted by the Awakened Cincinnatians have taken the Queen City by storm, attracting mainstream media attention, and the support of the most widely-known organization to focus on police accountability: Cop Block. At a recent September 19th protest – organized by AC to call attention to the murder of Sam DuBose – several Cop Block journalists were in attendance, including Ademo Freeman, CB’s co-founder. As one of the most influential anarcho-activists in the country, I was curious to his take on the Ohio brand of activism. When asked what surprised him the most from his time spent there, Ademo articulated the volume of hard-working individuals:

“Whether it be CopBlocking a checkpoint, running websites, creating videos or smartphone apps, someone in Ohio is doing it. I would say that they’ve all energized, inspired and provided hope to me in some form. From their energy, tactics and the diversity of such, it has been most beneficial to myself – and hopefully to those who view our/their work/efforts.”

Freeman is no stranger to the work being done in Ohio. Upon leaving New Hampshire a year ago to spread the message of police accountability nationwide, he made a temporary base in Cleveland in preparation for the rest of his journey. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with and meet many, some I knew before arriving – like Valerie and DEO; while others like Virgil, Micah and some of the CB offshoots (Dayton CB, Greater Cleveland folks and so on) I’ve gotten to know while CopBlocking,” he said. During his time visiting the state, new chapters were formed in Dayton and Beavercreek. Other chapters, such as Ohio Valley, Columbus, and Zanesville were strengthened by his collaboration with Columbus activist, Valerie Petrichor, whom with I also spoke.

Valerie has been involved with Cop Block since it’s inception, forming multiple chapters in and near her suburban Columbus home. Working for police accountability before Cop Block had evened formed, her efforts are reflected (in part) by a hometown which suffers far less police misconduct than cities of comparable size. I asked her a similar question as I did the others, “Is there anything you believe makes Ohioans more receptive to the message of freedom?”

“Individual thought. People who think on any level other than unique individual thought will typically not understand the need for freedom or accountability. The exception being those who believe they are part of some “movement”. Finding like-minded individuals who want to work toward shared goals is great – necessary, even. However, believing in a “movement” is just a way to continue groupthink passively and avoid truly unique thought. In Ohio we have what is probably one of the strongest, if not the strongest, [group of] activists in the US.”

Being one of the few women planted in the trenches of the fight against police brutality, I wondered if Valerie thought her femininity was a trait she considered a strength. Oddly enough, she didn’t. “It’s just a circumstance,” She said, playing down the question. “If anything, it makes what I do easier than it would be for a man. People tend to respect me and my gender is probably part of the reason. I think being female causes me to be perceived as less of a threat.” 

Though it may be true the police underestimate the strength of a principled woman, fellow Ohio activists do not. Individuals such as Heather and Valerie are not only freedom fighters in the public arena, but also in the home raising the next generation of world-changers. In wrapping up my case for Ohio being ground zero for activists, I wished to unearth that lesser-seen side of activism. Knowing where to look, I asked Jamie Văduva (married to Virgil), if she would round out my story. She obliged.

Jamie is a member of Libertarians of Southwest Ohio, artist, caretaker of her family’s farm, mother of four, and a homeschooler. Though not as visible as other activists, her efforts to promote freedom are the most selfless of type. As principled and hard-working as any liberty-minded person, she labors to raise her children as lovers of freedom and humanity, while spreading a message of love and kindness to those around. She offered the story of Christopher McCandless as one inspiring tale which shaped her values as teacher, Mom, and wife:

“I just started reading books about survival and people living simpler lives: Christopher McCandless, Henry David Thoreau, Everett Ruess and many others. Extreme stories that challenged my thinking. We gave away most of our furniture, and sold our new cars and 5-year-old house to get an old house in the country. All because God and family were what mattered. Not things, not money and mortgages, but our time together. And to be able to experience having animals and grow food, have bees, et cetera – that lifestyle goes with living a liberty or Voluntaryist life very much.”

Referencing Thoreau’s message of simplicity, only what’s truly important matters in her home. She proudly sees herself as an activist for “the little things in every day life.”  She added, “[Our kids] get to see first hand voluntary interactions between friends and acquaintances. Helping others and they help us…we have each other’s backs or do things to help because we care. Each person has something different to offer.”

Activists are stereotyped in many ways, often in a cold manner. However, those in southwest Ohio come off as the most devoted  – and caring – humans I have encountered. This may be the secret to the robust and diverse community of liberty-lovers in the Buckeye State. In closing, Jamie speaks directly to what I believe is the essence of these people:

 “I can only be myself which is someone who is drawn toward the positive. I don’t pretend everything is perfect. But my place here is to keep reminding everyone to have good hearts, and to try to bring out the softer side in people. To make them smile, and see it’s all about being free and happy with the people you love and care about. Live…just be yourself and do the things you love. Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. And remember to be a nice person. Sometimes something as simple as a smile can change someone’s world and you don’t even realize it.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

A Columbus, Ohio cop went off on a woman who was confused by the directions he was giving in traffic during a local event. As people often do during heavy and congested traffic, she became confused, made a wrong turn and did not know what direction to go in order to reach her destination.

The cop (name not yet known), immediately ran after the car, cursing her out and screaming at her, at which point she started recording the interaction for her own safety.

A Jackson man’s nearly two-year wait for his day in court ends today.

Joseph Hines, 22, filed a lawsuit Oct. 25, 2013, against the city of Columbus and several police officers, seeking damages for an alleged “brutal unjustified physical attack” that occurred while he was a student at Ohio State University on Aug. 29, 2012.

A jury trial gets underway today in U.S. District Judge L. Graham’s courtroom.

The incident initially began when two Columbus police officers confronted Hines, then 20, about a container of alcohol on the ground near a bench in the area of North High and East 13^th streets about 11:45 p.m. across from the street from the Ohio State University student union, court documents state.

The lawsuit claims officers Debra Paxton, Thomas Dewitt and Edward Prime then handcuffed Hines, took him to the ground, sprayed him with mace, struck him in the back, shoulders, arms, stomach and head during his arrest on allegations of underage drinking and resisting arrest.

Hines, charged with six misdemeanors, ultimately pleaded guilty to a charge of littering and paid a $100 fine in January 2013. At the time, a prosecutor said Hines was found to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.07 three to four hours after the incident but added five of the charges against Hines were dropped “in light of everything that occurred that night.”

In a deposition filed with the court, Hines, the son of the Rev. James Hines of Lilly Missionary Baptist Church, said he was knocked unconscious during the incident.

“The next thing I recall and the only thing I’ve been able to recall is waking up hogtied on the ground with an eye swollen shut, covered in mace, asking for water because I could not breathe,” Hines said during the deposition.

Hines suffered injuries to the head, eyes, wrists and other parts of his body and permanent scarring during the arrest. He also has suffered mental anguish, severe emotional distress, fright and shock, humiliation or mortification and severe emotional distress, according to the lawsuit. He spent three days in the hospital after the incident.

In the initial response to the lawsuit, the city of Columbus admitted force was used during the arrest but claimed the officers were justified in doing so in “securing a lawful arrest.”

The city of Columbus filed a motion to dismiss the case in April stating the officers did not violate Hines’ constitutional rights at any time. Graham ruled in their favor in part, finding officers did not fail to intervene when police used force. He also did not find information to support an allegation officers conspired with one another to fabricate and cover up their use of force.

Graham, however, refused to dismiss allegations of excessive force, allowing a jury to hear the arguments and decide.

Hines, a 2010 graduate of Jackson High School, graduated from Ohio State University in December 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness and applied economics. He spent nine semesters at the university and had originally enrolled to study neurosurgery.

The lawsuit seeks more than $75,000 in damages.

By Danielle Salisbury for mlive.com

COLUMBUS, OH – Less than three months after the announcement of Cell 411, the version 2 of the app was just released with major improvements aimed at creating a broader, de-centralized means for world-wide users to manage and respond to all kinds of emergencies, using small trust-based networks of friends and family members. When alerted for help, the responders will receive turn by turn directions to the location where one needs help, an estimated time of arrival and distance to their location.

While the app was born out of activists’ need to maintain police accountability, track events with GPS accuracy and send out real-time alerts, the Cell 411 platform now includes other default alerts aimed at helping school kids when they are being bullied, and a “general alert” which can be customized to alert the trusted network of any particular emergency or event taking place.

In the past, various mobile applications have attempted to bridge the gap between citizens and the State when dealing with various emergency situations, but Cell 411 has now gone above and beyond any previous generation app, especially with the new Patrol Mode, a feature the developers hope to be widely adopted by activists, neighborhood watches and other groups of citizens who wish to participate in improving their communities without help from police or government employees.

“Patrol Mode allows every citizen to become a ‘private helper’ of sorts. Think ‘Uber’ for emergencies or other urgent needs,” says the creator of the Cell Platform, Virgil Vaduva. “It’s a revolutionary approach to calling out for help and reaching out to help those people when they call on you. In my mind, this is all about our society peacefully evolving to a place where the State’s monopoly on violence is no longer needed and government employees such as police and others will have competition from concerned and voluntary members of the community,” he said.

When enabled in the app, Patrol Mode allows users to respond to global alerts sent by others within a specific radius, up to 50 miles. This feature could be particularly useful in case of large civil unrests, car problems, or other situations where someone could be far from home without ability to call on immediate friends for help.

If those new features were not enough, in Version 2, the creators introduced the most striking feature, the Live Video alerting. When triggered, a live video feed will be streamed and recorded to the user’s trusted network, giving them the ability to maintain visual awareness and knowledge of the situation. Furthermore, the recorded video may not be erased by police, thieves, criminals or other malicious users if they steal or confiscate the smart phone, making the destruction of evidence impossible.

“We have volunteer firefighters using this tool as their dispatch tool, and neighborhood watch groups using it to provide self-security services to their communities. Your imagination is really the only limit to how you can use the app to improve your safety and security,” said Vaduva.

The app can currently be purchased for $0.99 in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

by Virgil Vaduva

Update (August 6, 2015):

Representatives from Ohio Students Association have contacted me and have denied any association with the individuals behind the e-mails sent to Jim Anderson. As of right now, nobody has taken any responsibility for the statements made in the e-mails sent to Jim.

Original story: 

A clear pattern of discrimination and exclusion has been emerging within the last few days regarding the organization Black Lives Matter. It started with the organization attempting to schedule an event at the same time and location as other organizations and immediately attempting to put in place rules limiting attendance, excluding members of Anonymous, members of Cop Block and members of Ohio Open Carry, all organizations which oppose police brutality and work hard to further liberty.

These actions and attempts to control the narrative and attendance to the one year anniversary demonstration of John Crawford’s shooting by Ohio police have stirred up quite a debate in various circles, prompting individuals that would otherwise work together to further the cause of liberty to take sides based on political views and other opinions.

Black Lives Matter, the George Soros funded organization, is now on full attack against Anonymous, a de-centralized organization which has been attempting to participate in exposing police brutality throughout the world for years.  The attempt on the part of BLM to limit speech and control the message at public events is not new and I have documented a number of instances where bigotry is on display by members and leader in Black Lives Matter.

Just today an activist and journalist named Jim Anderson based out of Columbus, Ohio contacted me to inform me that he was told by members of BLM that he was “too white to attend a police brutality protest.”

As early as November 2014 the leaders of Black Lives Matter Columbus have contacted Jim and demanded that he cancels his event against police brutality due to conflict (as they scheduled it after he did) and informed him that no members of Anonymous are welcome to any of their public events.  Furthermore Guy Fawkes masks were banned and white people were told not to attend and were not welcome at any planning meetings. These tactics are identical to the tactics BLM is attempting to use to intimidate white attendees in Beavercreek, Ohio planning to attend the one year anniversary protest of the John Crawford shooting on August 5, 2015.

Screenshots of e-mail exchanges between Jim and representatives from BLM and Ohio Student Association show what appear to be outright and unapologetically bigoted attitudes towards police brutality supporters simply because of their association with Anonymous or simple due to their skin color.

When Jim inquired about the confusion generated by the exclusion of Anonymous members, he was told that Anonymous members lack “revolutionary-ness” (sic) and can be threatening to people of color. The insensitivity of the language used to describe Anonymous is astounding. The BLM leaders are attempting to describe Anonymous members as violent, unaccountable individuals who show up at protests in order to intimidate people of color.

This is not the first time members of Black Lives Matter have excluded whites from their events. In an event scheduled in Dayton, Ohio early in 2015 several messages went out indicating in essence that “no whites are allowed” at their events and that white people are not welcome to participate or take part in police brutality protests. When an outraged community pointed out the bigotry of these demands the request made on Facebook were deleted and BLM leadership pretended they never happened.

In a recent video allegedly recorded in Cleveland, Ohio, another white journalist who attended a BLM meeting to support their cause was assaulted, pushed, cursed at and grabbed before he had a chance to leave the public property he was on.

When asked about the bigoted remarks, the organizers defended the behavior by claiming this was a “private” meeting, however the meeting is clearly out in public on what appears to be public property.  Not only that, but the journalist was clearly in the process of leaving, as he was asked to do, when he was assaulted and threatened. You can watch the video here.

Talis Gage, a leader in Black Lives Matter compares Anonymous members with the KKK in a Facebook post

In a more recent event, a Black Lives Matter leader did not mince words when he outright stated that “the mask is the new sheet” when criticizing Anonymous for attending some BLM events.  He stated:

“Sometimes I wonder if the mask is the new sheet and are they in cahoots with each other I know I know there is some black mask anon members but like the old days you had house negros and field negros and we are not that far from those times. I have associated in all these diff groups but I can’t say I trust them.”

Additional BLM members followed with more inflammatory comments against Anonymous:

“Both anonymous masks and guns endanger people of color…”

All these comments were removed when I warned them that I was taking screenshots, as the story would be hard to believe otherwise.

I am aghast at the idea that Anonymous is being compared with one of the most despicable and racists groups in the world, the KKK, which has lynched, burned and executed people simply because of the color of their skin. Furthermore, Anonymous has shown incredible support for the black community on the issue of police brutality. Several prominent investigations by Anonymous have led to exposing internal e-mails and comments from NYPD and Baltimore PD showing extensive racism among police officers.

When members of Anonymous contacted the BLM leaderships to inquire about the public event scheduled in Dayton Ohio in April, they were told in very clear terms, “It’s an event that’s not for anonymous members.”

The ingratitude shown by Black Lives Matter and the outright disregard for any desire to cooperate with people and groups which have supported them for the past year is very disturbing, to say the least. Exclusion, discrimination and bigotry appears to be alive and well throughout the BLM organization, and is dishonorable to police brutality causes where black Americans have been targeted by police throughout the country.

I am unsure how to encourage BLM leadership to resolve this problem, or even if they are willing to solve the problem or eliminate bigotry from their midsts, but if you want to contact BLM, you can do so by going to their website and writing them a message about the serious problem they are creating by attacking groups of people which have been supportive of the cause of police brutality well before BLM even came into existence.

Words don’t break bones, but they should certainly prompt someone to step back and reconsider their support for such organizations.

Virgil Vaduva is a Libertarian security professional, journalist, photographer and overall liberty freak. He spent most of his life in Communist Romania and participated in the 1989 street protests which led to the collapse of the Ceausescu regime. He can be reached at vvaduva at truthvoice.com.

Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman announced the decision on Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after the City Attorney’s office said the city could legally cancel the contract it had held with Redflex since 2005.

“Based upon the city’s contract authority, we will be terminating the contract with Redflex immediately,” Coleman said in a news release. “I support a photo red-light camera program because it saves lives; however, the actions of the Redflex executives have raised questions about the integrity of their program.”

City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr. said Columbus could terminate the contract because a new state law enacted this year bans cities from issuing citations from photo red-light cameras unless a police officer is at the intersection when the driver runs the red light. The city has filed a lawsuit challenging that law as an unconstitutional infringement of home rule. The city’s cameras, which Redflex owns, have been bagged since March pending the outcome of the lawsuit.

Karen Finley, Redflex’s former CEO, said in federal court documents released last month by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio that she gave bribes to Columbus elected officials over the years as the cameras were operating and the contract was renewed and expanded. The bribes, according to court records, were paid through Redflex’s lobbyist John Raphael.

Raphael is cooperating with federal investigators, his attorney has said.

The court documents refer to Redflex donations solicited by an elected Columbus official in 2009 through Raphael. When Redflex executive Aaron Rosenberg confirmed to Raphael that he had sent a check for $5,000, Raphael emailed back that he was with the official and the official said “THANKS.”

The Dispatch has confirmed through three independent sources that that elected official in 2009 was then-City Council President Michael C. Mentel. Mentel has been subpoenaed for records as part of the investigation, sources at City Hall and close to the investigation have said.

Mentel’s attorney, Sam Shamansky, said his client is innocent.

“If Raphael is cooperating with the feds, it means one of two things: Either he is innocent and has nothing to hide, or he has a great criminal liability and is trying to save his own ass,” Shamansky said. “If it is the latter, I think what he says is going to be viewed with grave suspicion.”

Shamansky said he’d be “more concerned if my client had accepted a $20,000 contribution.”

Mentel, a lawyer, announced in late 2010 that he would resign from the council in January 2011 because he wanted to spend more time with his family. Since then, he has worked in the private sector as a lawyer and served as lead counsel for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio from 2011 to 2013.

A $20,000 contribution that Finley said was a bribe was traced to current Columbus City Council President Andrew J. Ginther. Several sources have confirmed and campaign finance records show that Raphael received $20,000 from Redflex, then gave $20,000 to the Ohio Democratic Party, and then the party gave $21,000 to Ginther’s campaign in 2011.

Raphael gave Coleman’s campaign $5,000 in 2007 at a time when federal court records say Raphael was distributing $30,000 from Redflex to officials in Cincinnati and Columbus. Coleman has said he did not know whether the money came from Redflex and wouldn’t have accepted it if Raphael was acting inappropriately.

Coleman and Ginther have both denied any wrongdoing and said they have responded to subpoenas from federal investigators seeking records.

Ginther is now running for mayor of Columbus. His campaign issued a statement on Wednesday in which Ginther said he supports Coleman’s decision to end the contract.

“While the city attorney found that the law was followed in awarding the contract, we now know that Redflex clearly had a culture of doing things that were inappropriate; improper; and, in some cases, illegal,” Ginther said.

Finley, the former Redflex CEO, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. U.S. Attorney Carter M. Stewart has said in court documents that she and others “known and unknown” conspired to bribe Columbus city officials.

In June, after news broke of Finley’s plea, Ginther asked City Attorney Pfeiffer to review the process that led to the city’s contract with Redflex and to determine if that contract could be severed. Pfeiffer’s office sent Coleman a memo on Tuesday that his office had determined that the contract could be voided, according to records obtained by The Dispatch.

Pfeiffer plans to have a conversation with George Speaks, the city’s public-safety director, about whether the city will move forward with its lawsuit against the state even as it removes Redflex’s cameras.

Speaks said in an email that he wants to continue the lawsuit.

“There is a higher principle at issue with the lawsuit above and beyond photo red-light cameras,” Speaks wrote. “Specifically at stake here is the constitutional principal that municipalities have ‘home rule’ power which the state should not infringe upon.”

WHITEHALL, Ohio — A young child is in the hospital after being shot by a police officer that was aiming for a dog.

Police spokeswoman Denise Alex-Bouzounis says a Columbus police officer was following up on a hit-and-skip report when a woman approached him and asked for medical assistance. She then says a dog “charged” at the officer, who has not been named, and that the officer then decided to shoot at the dog, but missed and shot a four-year-old girl.

The Columbus Police Department has not named the officer who shot the child. Police say they are investigating the incident themselves. They have not charged the officer with a crime.

A witness to the shooting, Gary Parsley, was the man who had initially filed the complaint about the hit-and-skip. Parsley says he had gone back inside his house when he heard a gunshot just seconds later.

“I did hear the gunshot, it was very loud,” Parsley said. “At first I thought maybe he’d shot the dog, because she was saying something about ‘Why would you try to shoot the dog?’ and he said something like the dog was attacking him, or something like that. Then she started saying ‘You shot my kid!'”

Parsley says he doesn’t understand why the officer shot his gun to begin with.

“[The police officer] was a big guy, and they have tasers and clubs and stuff. I don’t know why you would raise a gun. I really don’t agree with him just pulling his gun out and trying to shoot the dog.”

The young child received treatment at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and is expected to recover from her gunshot wound.

The Columbus Dispatch interviewed the police spokeswoman, and video of that interview is available below: