In August 2014, a man named John Crawford was shot and killed in a Beavercreek, Ohio Walmart by a local police officer. What was his crime? Walking around the store with a BB gun. For months, both Walmart and the Beavercreek police refused to release surveillance footage showing the shooting. When the footage was finally released, it showed nothing to support the narrative established by police and their supporters.

Beavercreek cop mocked the killing of Eric Garner

The video showed Crawford standing in the pet aisle, holding his cell phone to his left ear while holding the BB gun in his right hand, pointed into the floor. Officer Sean Williams suddenly came from around the corner, and shot Crawford twice with his automatic AR 15, giving Crawford less than one second to comply with command to drop the gun. An initial police report of the shooting was virtually blank. It only included three words: “Shooting at Walmart.” A full report was not written and filed until seemingly all the officers involved had a chance to get together and get their stories straight.

There have been numerous protests since the shooting, including a die-in at Walmart and I have covered most of them very closely as an independent journalist. This was until the most recent one when I was arrested by the Beavercreek Police and charged with trespassing and obstruction of official business. This particular protest took place on Christmas Eve, inside the Fairfield Commons mall, a local shopping mall located across the street from the Walmart where the shooting took place.

While I disagreed with using the Mall as a venue to protest events that did not take place there, I observed officers escalating an otherwise very peaceful situation.  Their officers trapped over a hundred people, including protesters, journalists and shoppers with small children (unrelated to the protest) into a small area.  Those of us who informed them that we wanted to get out of the area and leave were told “we don’t care” and were pushed into the North East entrance doors of the Mall.  Worse, as protesters were leaving, BCPD again started assaulting them and arresting those who were vocally calling out for justice.  One officer purposefully stomped on an Eric Garner banned made by the protesters, then posed for a picture doing it.

Beavercreek cop orders a crowd to leave a local shopping mall

An older woman, who is a retired law professor from the University of Dayton was pushed down and then ordered to stand up so she could be handcuffed.  Because of her age she could not, and BCPD officers were attempting to drag her on the pavement.  Another man was being dragged on the pavement by his arms and a fourteen year old who was taking pictures was in the process of being arrested for crossing some undefined imaginary line in the pavement, however his father intervened and helped BCPD save face.

While I was clearly present as a journalist (and not a protester) and was displaying my press badge, I was also arrested and while I cooperated with the officers at every step, they still attempted to break my left wrist and put on plastic cuffs very tightly around my wrists, searching my backpack without my consent and without a warrant.  Worse, most of the BCPD officers involved in these activities removed their nametags so it was difficult to identify them.  The one cuffing me was pulling on my cuffs while I was standing still and not resisting, causing the sharp edges to cut into my wrists.

At the time of my arrest I was recording everything using a mobile app called Bambuser. Police took my phone away immediately and I mistakenly believed that they powered the phone off, wishing that the phone could have recorded some of the interaction that took place in the arrest processing area. Unbeknownst both to me and to the police, my phone continued to record audio for at least another 25 minutes or more, recording some very disgraceful comments made by Beavercreek officers.

Beavercreek cop walked and stomped on a banner made to protest the killing of Eric Garner

As I have been writing critical pieces about this department for several years, they all know me very well and they appeared quite happy to finally find a reason to handcuff me.  Several years ago this same department detained me for open carrying. Ohio is an open carry state, and at the time their officers were not aware that it is legal. So this time was understandably upset for being arrested. When asked about an ID, I informed them that my ID is in my pocket, and asked them not to touch my genitals. The response was, “You would like that too much!”

Even worse, when I was pointing out how police officers often get away with killing innocent people, including shooting John Crawford, officer Majercak mockingly apologized while smirking at me, saying, “I’m soooory, I’m soooory.” When I pointed out the killing of Eric Garner in New York, he again responded with a mocking, “Awwwww.”

You can listen to the entire audio clip below.

The callousness put on display, especially when police believe that nobody is recording, is disturbing. One can only imagine what they really discuss in the privacy of their homes and offices. It’s an outright disdain for the general public, for journalists and those who want to keep police accountable for their actions.  To add insult to injury, the arrest reports filed by the three officers who arrested me are full of inaccuracies and outright lies.  It is only by sheer luck that the audio saved by my phone will prove me innocent of many of the lies written by the arresting officers.

For now, Sean Williams is back at work and still employed by the Beavercreek PD. Nobody has been held accountable for the shooting of John Crawford. The department appears bent to continue arresting protesters, journalists and others who may be willing to question the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Crawford, never even offering a small apology for what happened.  This man left behind a baby boy who will never know his father. And to add even more to this tragedy, Crawford’s girlfriend passed away in a car accident on New Year day, wrapping up what has been a tragic year for this family.

by Virgil Vaduva

XENIA, OHIO — A few days ago I chose to violate a local Xenia City ordinance which I consider to be immoral, unethical and unconstitutional.  I was not aware that Xenia passed an ordinance banning panhandling until I met a woman who was released from the local jail.  When she was released she had no cash, no phone, no car and nobody to help her out.  As a result she did what would come natural to most human beings: she asked another person for help.

Virgil Vaduva was ticketed for panhandling, which is a 4th degree misdemeanor and carries a 30 day jail sentence under the current Xenia, OH ordinance

Her verbalizing the need for help to another person instantly caused her to become a criminal.  Under Xenia ordinance 13-31, one may not ask another person for financial assistance within 20 feet of a public sidewalk or a business or public building doorway.  This more or less includes over 90% of the area of the city, putting those in need in an impossible situation.  Worse, this ordinance criminalized speech; the action of uttering certain words in a public space is now a 4^th degree misdemeanor and can land someone in jail for up to 30 days.

This woman was literally cornered in a local store by two Xenia police officers who were peppering her with questions and threatening her with arrest.  She was desperate and frustrated (as anyone in that situation would be) and was about to get arrested.  Fortunately I gave her a ride to the bus hub in Dayton.  I offered her cash and food and she turned both down because someone else already gave her a few dollars for a bus ride.  Her honesty broke my heart.  She could have easily taken $20 from me but she still refused.  She could have easily ended up back in a jail cell simply because she uttered some words to a stranger who instead of saying “no, I don’t want to help you” chose to call armed men to deal with her.

Once I was made aware of the existence of this ordinance I made the decision to put my actions where my words are.  I wired myself with a camera, a sign stating “Help the Poor, Need $ and Food” and spent about an hour and a half in front of the Xenia City Hall asking random stranger walking by for cash.  Most people were very kind and helpful.  Many stopped to talk to me and pointed me to Joshua Tree and a local Red Cross shelter.  A social worked stopped by to offer me popcorn and kindly offered me a list of resources that would help; she was not aware that panhandling was illegal either.  One Xenia city employee walked by and responded to my question for cash with a rude “Please leave me alone!”   Another employee came out and gave me cash.  There was a wide range of responses from all kinds of people.

Panhandling in Xenia, Ohio from Greene County Herald on Vimeo.

It was a humbling experience to stand in the cold wind with a cardboard sign and beg people for money.  I never harassed anyone, assaulted anyone or otherwise aggressively approached another person.  All I did was utter words to others who walked by.  Because of this, a Xenia Police captain came out and gave me a citation for violating ordinance 13-31.  In essence I received a ticket for a 4^th degree misdemeanor simply for speaking certain words in a public space.  To demonstrate the absurdity of this ordinance I even clarified to both police and those who gave me cash that it would all be donated to charity.  Incredibly, it did not matter and this immoral law was still enforced.

The hidden video I put together of the panhandling went viral; it has been seen by thousands and thousands of people all over the world.  Xenia is yet again the butt of jokes, and not because city bureaucrats are telling citizens what colors to paint their homes, or because a local teenager decided to take a bath in the Burger King sink.  Xenia is now the butt of jokes because they are indirectly making a claim of ownership over anyone who stands or walks on a public sidewalk.

How else could one explain the insistence of the city council to dictate what words one can speak in public?  Or how else could they dictate what words to write on a sign that one holds in his hands in a public space?  Public servants do not have the authority to do such things; masters however do.  And that is exactly how these Xenia politicians behave, like masters who have made a claim of ownership over one’s body.

By dictating the nature of speech in a public space, the City of Xenia has directly violated the first amendment of the United States Constitution.  Of course, they deny this.  They are now in full damage control mode.  Less than twenty-four hours after I challenged their ordinance, they created a website where they are trying to address poverty in town by explaining why panhandling should be illegal.  Their bureaucrats are desperately trying to control the narrative by saying that they only banned “aggressive panhandling” and not all panhandling.  Of course they never explained why their police still ticketed me for very peaceful panhandling if the ordinance only bans aggressive action.

If all this is not bad enough, the Xenia prosecutor, Ronald C. Lewis, was charged with tax fraud less just a few months ago.  He claimed that he simply forgot to pay taxes on income he made on the side; he called it “an honest mistake.”  No worries though, the municipal judge let him off the hook.  In a lame attempt to erase history and obvious criminal activity he even ordered that all documentation of the charges be stricken from the record.  This will be the guy prosecuting me for peacefully standing on a public sidewalk; yes, a criminal prosecuting a peaceful activist.

You see how easy it is for those in power to get away with serious crimes?  It is almost like magic.  Those of us who do not wear black robes and blue uniforms are often looked at as property by those in power.  Judges, politicians and police are in essence running this new plantation where the poor and the disenfranchised are barely allowed to exist.

Our only role is to provide funds through taxation so that these highly corrupt machinations of governments can continue to provide salaries and retirement funds for those who have careers in government.  Little else matters.

Regardless of what your role in government is, it is time for you to realize that in essence you are simply just a parasite on the back of those of us who actually produce tangible value in a real marketplace.  Government bureaucrats do not produce anything.  They accept tax dollars with their left hand, take a certain amount off the top to pay their own salaries and retirement funds and then pass what remains to corporations that build roads, take out the trash and bring electricity to our homes.  They call this “public servitude.”  It is much like panhandling.  Just a lot more dishonest; a panhandler is honest about why he is asking for cash.  Government employees mostly lie about why the money is needed.

If you want to voice your opinion, contact the Xenia prosecutor and law director Ronald Lewis and ask him to stop enforcing his unconstitutional ordinance and drop the charges against me: 1-937-376-7303

There may be “thousands” of black and Latino officers facing retaliation from the New York City Police Department for opposing its illegal quota system, a new federal class action claims.

According to the class action suit filed by a group of Black and Hispanic officers, “promotion or job security in the New York City Police Department depends on the number of arrests made or tickets issued.”

The lawsuit revealed that the officers claim they are routinely denied overtime and vacation, demoted to menial posts and even threatened with firing if they don’t meet quotas such as making one arrest and issuing 20 summonses per month.

“At this point, you either come up with the numbers or there is hell to pay,’’ Bronx Officer  told The Post.

Polanco has been a courageous voice speaking out against wrongdoing in the department. He became known to the public a few years ago when he informed the department’s Internal Affairs bureau that his supervisors in the Bronx were forcing him to meet ticket quotas and fudge numbers to make the precinct look better — and was rewarded for his efforts by being suspended by the department. He also testified against the department in the stop-and-frisk trial in federal court last year, which resulted in the policy being declared an unconstitutional violation of the rights of Black and Hispanic New Yorkers.

During an interview on Democracy Now, Polanco asked in December how his NYPD colleagues could find fault with Mayor Bill de Blasio for expressing his fears for his biracial son, Dante.

In this lawsuit, Polanco and the other officers say the punishment is racially based.

Officer Pedro Serrano, who also testified against the department in the stop-and-frisk case, says in the suit that he protested to a superior that the Puerto Ricans he was targeting for summonses in his South Bronx precinct couldn’t afford the fines, but was told it was OK because they were “animals.” Serrano was particularly offended because he’s Puerto Rican.

According to Polanco, after he complained about the quotas, he was warned, “If you think one and 20 is breaking your balls, guess what you’ll be doing. You’ll be doing a lot more.”

“Next week, [it’ll be] 25 and one, 35 and one, and until you decide to quit this job and go to work at Pizza Hut, this is what you are going to do until then,” the second supervisor said, according to court papers.

The Post says seven more NYPD traffic cops are about to file a separate class-action federal lawsuit claiming they were denied promotions and punished with no overtime and lost vacation in retaliation for balking at quotas as well.

Douglas Dendinger’s two-year nightmare began on Aug. 20, 2012, when he was paid $50 to serve a court summons on behalf of his nephew against Bogalusa police officer Chad Cassard in a police brutality lawsuit.

The 47-year-old disabled veteran would be in prison if it was not for cell phone video exposing what can be described as a coordinated and conspiratorial effort by Washington Parish, La. cops and prosecutors who falsely accused him of battery and witness intimidation.

Dendinger handed Cassard a white envelope containing the documents and says he went on his way.  Twenty minutes later, the cops showed up to Dendinger’s house and arrested him. He was put in jail on charges of simple battery, obstruction of justice and intimidating a witness.

Because of a prior conviction and two of the felony charges, Dendinger could have landed in prison for a very long time.

A year after the incident, then-District Attorney Walter Reed brought charges against Dendinger. His case was backed by two prosecutors who asserted that Dendinger had assaulted Cassard. Seven witness statements also supported the case and backed Cassard’s claimg that that Dendinger “slapped him in the chest” when he served the summons.

A staff attorney named Pamela Legendre who witnessed the hand-off said she thought Dendinger had punched Cassard while Bogalusa police chief Joe Culpepper said that Dendinger had used “violence” and “force.” Another witness said in a deposition that Dendinger used such force when he served the summons that “Cassard flew back several feet.”

“It wasn’t fun and games, they had a plan, the plan was really to go after him and put him away. That is scary,” Philip Kaplan, the attorney representing Dendinger in his civil rights said.

Fortunately for Dendinger, his wife and nephew had recorded him handing off the summons as evidence that it was delivered.

The video of the meeting shows Dendinger handing Cassard the summons in the white envelope and the former police officer walking away in the opposite direction. The video recording never shows Cassard being slapped, punched or pushed.  There was no evidence to indicate that an assault took place or there was violence present in the encounter.

One of the witnesses claiming Cassard was pushed back is shown with his back to the two men.

Once the video went public, the charges against Dendinger were immediately dropped.

Rafael Goyeneche, president of the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission said, “I didn’t see a battery, certainly a battery committed that would warrant criminal charges being preferred.”  He also pointed out that the officers, attorneys and prosecutors involved in the conspiracy to convict Dendinger could face ethics charges.

“It’s a felony to falsify a police report,” Goyeneche continued. “So this is a police report, and this police report was the basis for charging this individual.”

It is unknown what the punishment, if any, will be for those involved in the plan to charge and convict Douglas Dendinger, but it is unlikely that anything will come out of it.

This man circled around a reporter and photographer for the Guardian twice while waiting for a local politician to show up at the Chicago Police Department’s Homan Square ‘black site’ to be interviewed.

This man circled around a reporter and photographer for the Guardian twice while waiting for a local politician to show up at the Chicago Police Department’s Homan Square ‘black site’ to be interviewed.