Saturday, June 18, 2016

City Council Threatens to Pull the 'Tooth' of Citizen Police Oversight in Memphis

Paul Garner of Mid-South Peace and Justice Center shows CLERB members almost 200 citizen complaints of officer misconduct that were blocked from being heard.  Click to see clips from CLERB meeting. 
The ink is barely dry on a Memphis City Council ordinance that refreshed the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB), and the board's already limited subpoena power is being challenged by its own city council rep.  New councilman Worth Morgan questions the value and legality of seeking a subpoena to compel evidence and testimony, and he has produced a new ordinance that eliminates subpoena power entirely. 

"Without subpoena power, I don't understand the point or purpose of CLERB besides being a show," says CLERB member John Marek. "Subpoena power is the one 'tooth' that we have."

(At the bottom of this story is a link to a history of CLERB ordinances, passed and proposed.  There is also a timeline of CLERB milestones.  Click here to see Video Clips from the June 14 meeting.  )

Friday, June 17, 2016

Court Upholds Net Neutrality in Latest Battle of Giant Telecoms vs. People

The People of the United States won the latest round in the battle to keep the Internet open and not the lock-stock-and-barrel property of the giant U.S. telecoms, such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon.

Do you want the corporate profit motives in charge of the Internet?  Or, the First Amendment and what's best for the American people?

The U.S. government developed the Internet, first as a military project, and then UCLA scientists working from a government grant helped round the Internet into what we use and enjoy today.

We the People paid for the Internet.  We are not about to give it up.