Since Alabama is dragging its feet on passing a combo of a lottery and casino bill, they should just pass a lottery for now. Use the lottery revenue to expand Medicaid.

https://www.dailyitem.com/news/milton-man-charged-with-lying-on-gun-permit/article_3555d8d6-e2ca-11ee-b94b-0b71d84c868c.html

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Justin Strawser

March 16

LEWISBURG,PA — A Milton man who is prohibited from acquiring a firearm allegedly lied on his gun permit application on Dec. 30, according to state police in Milton.

Michael Vaughn Benner, 52, of Wilson Circle, Milton, was charged with a felony count of false written statement during the transaction of a firearm; and a misdemeanor false statement under penalty. The charges were filed by state Trooper Kyle Drick, of the Milton State Police Barracks, in the Lewisburg office of District Judge Jeffrey Rowe.

The alleged offense took place at 2:43 p.m. Dc. 30 at Walmart, 120 AJK Blvd., Lewisburg. Benner allegedly checked "no" when answering a question on the form about whether he had a criminal history, police said.

Benner is listed as being prohibited from purchasing a firearm due to having been convicted of a crime that could have carried an imprisonment of more than a year. Benner previously pleaded guilty in 1990 to misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats and receiving stolen property, police said.

 

Benner said he intended to purchase the rifle to use for small game hunting with his son. He was seeking a Savage Arms G4 .22-caliber rifle, police said.

Benner allegedly said he must have misread the question, thinking it only pertained to felony charges. He allegedly said he did not receive a jail sentence as punishment for the previous charges, police said.

Benner was arraigned on Thursday and released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. April 18 in front of Rowe.

 

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/surge-illegal-homemade-machine-guns-helped-fuel-gun-107960210

https://www.wsfa.com/2024/03/06/former-elmore-county-deputy-pleads-guilty-violating-arrestees-civil-rights/?tbref=hp

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Former Elmore County deputy pleads guilty to violating arrestee’s civil rights

By Jonathan Grass

Published: Mar. 6, 2024 at 4:30 PM CST

 

ELMORE COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) - A former Elmore County sheriff’s deputy now faces sentencing over a civil rights violation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Justice Department says Blake Hicks, 33, pleaded guilty this week to depriving an arrestee of his civil rights under color of law.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 24. The announcement says Hicks faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

According to evidence presented in court, Hicks used excessive force against a person he arrested on March 5, 2022. Prosecutors say Hicks, without legal justification, punched and kicked the arrestee in or around the head while that person was handcuffed and laying on the ground. The arrestee suffered a broken cheekbone, concussion and lacerations.

Following the federal indictment unsealed in November 2023, Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin confirmed Hicks was put on administrative leave without pay shortly after the incident. Hicks later resigned. He had been with the sheriff’s office for about five years..

“Communities entrust law enforcement officers with upholding the rule of law,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “By physically assaulting a defenseless member of the community, Hicks violated both the victim’s fundamental constitutional rights and the community’s trust. The Justice Department will continue to ensure that law enforcement officials who abuse their powers are held accountable.”

“Maintaining law and order in a civil society requires trust in law enforcement,” said Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross for the Middle District of Alabama. “Breaching that trust has consequences. Civil rights violations, such as this one, makes the job of every law enforcement officer in America more challenging, and more dangerous.”

The case was investigated by the FBI Mobile Field Office.

 

https://www.mediaite.com/uk/jk-rowling-reported-to-police-for-misgendering-transgender-broadcaster-author-fires-back-with-harassment-claims/

https://abc3340.com/news/local/inmates-body-returned-to-family-missing-organs-third-case-revealed-adoc-uab-autopsy-alabama-prison

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Brother retrieves inmate's organs missing after autopsy at UAB

 

by Cynthia Gould

Tue, January 30th 2024

 

MOBILE, Ala. (WBMA) — Simone Moore traveled four hours home to Mobile from UAB Hospital in Birmingham carrying his brother's organs in a container wrapped in a plastic red biohazard bag. Moore says when he arrived at the funeral home he collapsed under the weight of it all. "I felt the weight of the world," he explained.

His brother Kelvin had died from a fentanyl overdose according to Limestone Correctional Facility officials. An autopsy was performed the weekend of July 22nd, 2023. The family was told they could have his body picked up the following Monday. But when Kelvin's body arrived at a Mobile funeral home, staff told the family there were no organs in his body.

"Posthumously they robbed his organs without our permission. They didn't ask," remarked Moore. He explained his father was heartbroken and passed away after Kelvin died. The elder Moore asked his son to find out what happened with Kelvin's organs. "That is the most vile action to do to someone," said Simone Moore.

We asked Moore whether he knew for certain he was given Kelvin's organs at UAB. He admitted he didn't know what was in the container, they did not crack the seal. The bag was buried with Kelvin.

"He meant the world to us. We doted on him; loved him," said Moore of his baby brother. Moore says he felt so bad he was not there to protect Kelvin.

Moore recalled the night family was notified of Kelvin's death. Someone called from the prison asking, "Y'all got somebody there named Kelvin? He died." Moore says his mother hit the floor. She had just talked to Kelvin recently on the phone.

Moore described his family as deeply religious. He said Kelvin was the tenth child in a strong, two parent household. Moore explained Kelvin got in with a bad crowd and drugs. He was serving time for attempted murder, burglary and assault. But he was working to turn his life around earning multiple certificates while in prison and teaching GED classes.

The family was in regular contact with him. But they were worried about Kelvin's safety in Alabama's notoriously violent prisons. Last year ADOC set a record for deaths at 325. When Kelvin was assaulted and forced legal action, Moore believes his brother became a target. He was transferred to Limestone.

The family has indicated it plans to file a lawsuit. "It must stop. We don't want this to happen to another family," said Moore. He said a call from a prison official to the funeral home about the family retrieving the organs from UAB raised further suspicion about the motives. It seemed they were trying to persuade the family not to pick up the organs according to Moore.

This is the third case in the past two months where families have reported organs missing from their loved ones' bodies while in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections. One has resulted in a federal lawsuit filed by the family of Brandon Dotson who was missing his heart when his body arrived at a funeral home.

UAB was named in that lawsuit. Testimony revealed its pathology department was not involved in that autopsy. University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital is contracted to perform autopsies for the Alabama Department of Corrections. According to a spokesperson, no criminal cases are sent to UAB. Those go to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

In 2021 Governor Kay Ivey signed a law making it illegal for doctors or forensic researchers to take an organ without notifying next of kin. A Baldwin County mother whose 17 year old son died of a brain aneurysm pushed the legislation. She learned her son's heart was taken without her permission. He was not a state inmate.

Several experts have told ABC 33/40 News it is extremely rare for organs to be kept after an autopsy. They are usually put in a biohazard bag and returned to the body. There would have to be a clear reason to keep them such as for a criminal investigation and it should be explained to the family.

"It is an ethical duty of the prison system, of the correctional system to be in constant contact with family members on this point. This is an important matter of trust. It's important for families to begin the process of healing and have the rituals they would want," explained Dominic Sisti, Associate Professor of Medical Ethics, University of Pennsylvania.

Sisti said he did not want to speculate on why the organs were not being returned to the body. He reviewed two ABC 33/40 News reports on the issue. Some have suggested the organs maybe used for research or teaching. "They should not be using organs to teach without the consent of the patient or family; that's just a no brainer from an ethics perspective," said Sisti.

Sisti explains there are some religious groups that believe the body must be fully intact for burial. Moore says his family's beliefs would not allow all organs to be removed. "Some families would donate, just ask," remarked Moore.

 

Family of deceased inmate retrieves organs from UAB Hospital. (Courtesy Simone Moore)

 

 

Sisti says the body of an incarcerated person must be treated with the same sensitivity and respect as any other person. "It's indifference and bad incompetence maybe; this shouldn't be happening," remarked Sisti.

We also asked about the condition of inmate bodies reported to be decomposing on arrival at funeral homes. "The systems should be in place where these things (autopsies) do not drag on so long that their only options are cremation or a closed casket," explained Sisti. He said whatever is happening is not happening expeditiously and transparently and those two things are problematic.

A UAB spokesperson released the following statement earlier this month:

We do not comment on pending litigation. We only conduct autopsies with consent or authorization and follow standard procedures equitably for anyone consented to or authorized for an autopsy. The autopsy practice is accredited by the College of American Pathologists and staffed by credentialed physicians who are certified by the American Board of Pathology.

In an autopsy, organs and tissues are removed to best determine the cause of death. Autopsy consent includes consent for final disposition of the organs and tissues; unless specifically requested, organs are not returned to the body.

UAB is among providers that – consistent with Alabama law – conduct autopsies of incarcerated persons at the direction of the State of Alabama. A panel of medical ethicists reviewed and endorsed our protocols regarding autopsies conducted for incarcerated persons.

 

https://www.al.com/news/2024/01/leflore-high-school-shooting-juvenile-male-victim-expected-to-survive-mobile-police-say.html

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Updated: Jan. 30, 2024

 

By

• John Sharp | jsharp@al.com

A 16-year-old girl was arrested for allegedly shooting two students inside LeFlore High School on Tuesday, neither of whom suffered life-threatening injuries.

 

The shooting occurred at approximately 12:03 p.m. at 700 Donald Street. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 16-year-old girl had engaged in a verbal altercation with a 15-year-old male victim. During the argument, the girl produced a handgun and shot the 15-year-old, causing a superficial wound, according to Mobile police.

 

 

The bullet also struck a 17-year-old male student who was subsequently transported to the hospital for treatment of a non-life-threatening injury.

Mobile County School Superintendent Chresall Threadgill, in a statement, said the two students are in stable condition.

 

 

With the assistance of her parents, the girl surrendered to the police, according to police. No other students or faculty members were injured during this incident.

 

 

Mobile Police Corporal Katrina Frazier, in a news release, said the girl was charged with two counts of assault 1st degree, possession of a deadly weapon on school grounds and discharging a firearm into a school building. She has been taken to Mobile Metro Jail.

 

 

Frazier, earlier in the day, said the shooting was not considered an active shooter incident and that “none of the kids in school are in danger.”

 

 

The shooting did spark chaos outside the school.

 

 

“It was crazy, and it was crowded and people were worried about their children with kids hanging outside the window trying to communicate with them,” said Racquel Murphy, who lives next to the high school. “It was a whole bizarre thing.”

 

 

Threadgill, in a statement, said the school system continues to work with police “to ensure the matter is fully investigated.”

 

 

“Incidents such as this are not tolerated, and as superintendent, I want to assure our parents and community that this matter will be handled to the fullest extent as allowed by law,” Threadgill said in a statement. “Both school personnel and law enforcement responded quickly to the incident and worked collaboratively to secure the school and to keep the other students, faculty and staff safe.

 

He said the school system will be reviewing “all safety protocols and procedures” and will made adjustments as needed to prevent “something like this from happening again.”

 

 

“This was a very unfortunate event,” he said. “The injured students are in stable condition and currently communicating with the school administration. We will continue to keep the students and their families in our thoughts and prayers.”

 

 

The shooting also resonated across the Mobile Bay, where Baldwin County Superintendent Eddie Tyler released the following statement, “Our hearts are broken today over the shooting in Mobile. I have sent messages to Mobile County offering our services and support. School violence is an issue we deal with every day and, in fact, all educators are dealing with it across Alabama and across the country. Schools must be a safe place for children and we will do anything we can to support Mobile County in this difficult time and mission.”

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/nearly-30-gen-z-adults-identify-lgbtq-national-survey-finds-rcna135510

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Jan. 24, 2024, 4:25 PM CST

By Matt Lavietes

More than 1 in 4 Gen Z adults in the U.S. identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, dwarfing the percentages of LGBTQ Americans in older age groups, a new survey has found.

Twenty-eight percent of Gen Z adults — which the survey’s researchers specify as those ages 18 to 25 — identify as LGBTQ, according to a report released this week by the Public Religion Research Institute, or PRRI. That compares with 10% of all adults, 16% of millennials, 7% of Generation X, 4% of baby boomers and 4% of the Silent Generation, the institute found. 

 

“With respect to LGBTQ identity, it’s very clear that Gen Z adults look different than older Americans,” said Melissa Deckman, PRRI’s chief executive.

In its LGBTQ identity breakdown, the report found 72% of Gen Z adults identified as straight, 15% as bisexual, 5% as gay or lesbian and 8% as something else. 

Researchers also found that Gen Z adults were more ethnically and racially diverse than older generations and less likely to affiliate with established religions. Gen Z adults, along with millennials, were also more likely to identify as LGBTQ than Republican, the survey found.

PRRI’s new survey, which included more than 6,600 participants, was conducted in August and September.

The findings are in line with those of other major surveys, including Gallup’s, that show Gen Z is the queerest adult generation to date. In its most recent poll, released in February of last year, Gallup found 7.2% of adults in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ, including nearly 20% of those in Gen Z, which that survey defined as those ages 19 to 26.

 

PRRI’s findings, which were published Monday, come as LGBTQ rights face increasing challenges in the U.S. 

Last year, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in state legislatures around the country, a record, including 75 that were signed into law, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU projects that more than 320 bills were prefiled for or introduced during this year’s state legislative sessions. 

“Whether it’s at the polls, in marches and rallies, or online, LGBTQ+ visibility matters and Gen Z is a force for change,” Kelley Robinson, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, said in a statement. “Thousands of LGBTQ+ young people turn 18 each day — and lawmakers should understand there will be repercussions in November for anti-LGBTQ+ political attacks.”

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ann-arbor-school-board-approves-mideast-cease-fire-resolution-stoked-c-rcna134454

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Jan. 18, 2024, 7:38 AM CST / Source: The Associated Press

By The Associated Press

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A public school district in Michigan approved a resolution calling for a bilateral cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war while also encouraging its teachers to discuss the conflict in its classrooms following an emotionally charged meeting Wednesday.

The resolution approved by the Ann Arbor Public Schools board appears to be among the first times that a public school system in the United States has made such a statement on the international conflict.

 

It followed an over five-hour meeting that stretched into the early hours of Thursday after 120 people gave public comments in both support and opposition of the resolution.

Tensions remained high throughout the meeting in Ann Arbor, a community close to 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Detroit and home to the University of Michigan. Similar tensions have been seen across the nation in response to the war in Gaza, which is now entering its fourth month following a deadly Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants.

The conflict has divided college campuses, where long-simmering tensions are occasionally erupting in violence and shattering the sense of safety that makes colleges hubs of free discourse. Dozens of U.S. cities, including Ann Arbor, have approved cease-fire resolutions that have no legal authority but reflect the pressure on local governments to speak up on the Israel-Hamas war.

The resolution passed in Ann Arbor was one of the first times that a public school system in Michigan had considered such a statement, said Don Wotruba, executive director at Michigan Association of School Boards, prior to the scheduled vote.

“What they’re thinking about doing would be pretty rare, if not the first time. Particularly as it’s related to a more international situation,” Wotruba said.

The district “expresses support for a bilateral ceasefire in Gaza and Israel,” according to the resolution, and “encourages educators within the Ann Arbor School District to facilitate informed and respectful dialogue about the conflict.”

Four of the seven board members voted in favor of the resolution, with two abstaining from the vote. Rima Mohammad, who is Palestinian, had been one of the most outspoken members in support of it.

“This resolution says that kids who have names like mine are seen, heard and valued,” Mohammad said just prior to the vote.

Some parents in the district, which holds nearly 17,000 students, had expressed outrage about the resolution, and a petition opposing it collected nearly 2,000 signatures. The petition said that the issue has taken resources away from other important matters such as hiring a new superintendent, which the district is without.

“This resolution does not help advance the quality of life of one single child in this district,” said Daniel Sorkin, a parent of two students in the district who spoke out against the resolution Wednesday.

Tasneem Madani, a student teacher in the district, supported the resolution and stressed its importance, saying that “our students are watching us.”

“It is my responsibility, particularly as an English teacher, to help students develop the skills to engage in informed academic dialogue in safe spaces,” Madani said at Wednesday’s meeting.

Other schools across the country have contemplated similar resolutions. In California, the Oakland Unified School District has considered a resolution calling for a cease-fire and release of hostages in Israel and Palestine, but has yet to pass it.

Ann Arbor has long been known for its progressive politics, but the city and its university has found itself divided over the Gaza conflict beyond the confines of its public schools.

Nearly 6,500 Jewish students attend the University of Michigan, a total of 15% of its entire student population, according to the University of Michigan Hillel. A significant number of Arab American students also attend the university, which is near one of the largest Muslim populations in the nation.

In December, University of Michigan President Santa Ono barred students from voting on two resolutions related to the Israel-Hamas war, calling them “controversial and divisive.” The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations accused the university of suppressing free speech at the time.

“The proposed resolutions have done more to stoke fear, anger and animosity on our campus than they would ever accomplish as recommendations to the university,” Ono said in an online post at the time.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/taxes/irs-back-taxes-collected-delinquent-millionaires-how-much-rcna133653

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Jan. 12, 2024, 10:14 AM CST / Source: NBC News

By Rob Wile

The IRS announced Friday that it has recently collected more than half a billion dollars from millionaire Americans who owed tax debt.

The agency credited the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act for its stepped-up ability to pursue "high-income, high-wealth individuals," as well as complex partnerships and large corporations, who are not paying overdue tax bills.

 

The IRA, pushed by President Joe Biden and approved in 2022, earmarked $80 billion over 10 years to step up the IRS’ enforcement capabilities. While $20 billion was ultimately clawed back in 2023 as part of the deal to head off a debt-ceiling crisis, the agency indicated it had already made use of its initial allotment.

 

Over the past year, the IRS said, enforcement officers had recouped approximately $520 million from the most well-off segments of society.

“The IRS continues to increase scrutiny on high-income taxpayers as we work to reverse the historic low audit rates and limited focus that the wealthiest individuals and organizations faced in the years that predated the Inflation Reduction Act," said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel in a release. "We are adding staff and technology to ensure that the taxpayers with the highest income, including partnerships, large corporations and millionaires and billionaires, pay what is legally owed under federal law."

The Biden administration previously pledged to freeze audit rates for filers with $400,000 or less.

In its announcement, the IRS said its latest efforts have been concentrated on taxpayers with more than $1 million in income and more than $250,000 in tax debt. After an initial round of audits of 175 high-income earners yielded $38 million, it expanded last fall to 1,600 new taxpayers in this category that owe hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes, ultimately collecting $482 million. 

The agency said it has also zeroed in on 76 of the largest corporate partnerships in the U.S., with more than $10 billion in assets, whose structure may indicate a compliance risk. The partnerships represent a cross-section of industries including hedge funds, real estate investment partnerships, publicly traded partnerships, large law firms and other industries, the agency said.

 

https://wpde.com/news/nation-world/-brain-missing-autopsy-decomposing-body-2nd-case-revealed-alabama-inmate-body-found-missing-organs-charles-edward-singleton-brandon-dotson-department-corrections-pathology

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2nd such case: Inmate's organs, including brain, missing from decomposing body

 

by CYNTHIA GOULD | WBMA Staff

Wed, January 10th 2024

 

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ala. (WBMA) — Court documents reveal a second case of a deceased Alabama inmate's body found missing organs. The body of Charles Edward Singleton was returned to his family, missing all organs including his brain.

Singleton died on Nov. 2, 2021, in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections. He had been housed at the Hamilton Aged and Infirmed before he was sent to an outside hospital for care prior to his death.

According to the statement by a family member, the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s Department of Pathology performed the autopsy. The family requested the body then be sent to a funeral home in Pell City. The funeral director told the family it "would be difficult to prepare his body for viewing" since it was already in a "noticeable state of decomposition." The funeral home characterized it as "advanced skin slippage."

The family, according to the court filing, was then informed there were no organs in the body. It was explained to them, post-autopsy, the organs are usually placed in a bag and put back in the body. The family was also informed Singleton's brain had been removed.

Singleton's family requested UAB return the organs, but they reported they never received the organs. We have been unable to reach Singleton's family for comment.

UAB provided this statement:

We do not comment on pending litigation. We only conduct autopsies with consent or authorization and follow standard procedures equitably for anyone consented to or authorized for an autopsy. The autopsy practice is accredited by the College of American Pathologists and staffed by credentialed physicians who are certified by the American Board of Pathology.

In an autopsy, organs and tissues are removed to best determine the cause of death. Autopsy consent includes consent for final disposition of the organs and tissues; unless specifically requested, organs are not returned to the body.

UAB is among providers that – consistent with Alabama law – conduct autopsies of incarcerated persons at the direction of the State of Alabama. A panel of medical ethicists reviewed and endorsed our protocols regarding autopsies conducted for incarcerated persons.

 

 

The issue of deceased inmates missing organs was first reported by WBMA concerning the case of Brandon Dotson. His family learned his heart was missing during a second autopsy the family had commissioned in Birmingham. The pathologist reported the heart was not in the chest cavity so he could not complete an exam.

The Dotson family has filed a federal lawsuit. The information about Charles Singleton's missing organs was part of the court filings in the Dotson case.

 

Last week, a federal judge ordered ADOC and Department of Forensic Sciences to turn over documents concerning Dotson's state autopsy by Monday so she could review them. No state official could answer the question of what happened to Brandon Dotson's heart during a hearing in Birmingham on Friday.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/memphis-groups-support-chief-davis-220728383.html

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Memphis groups support Chief Davis ahead of final reappointment vote

 

April Thompson

Thu, January 11, 2024 at 4:07 PM CST

 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A lot still hangs in the balance when it comes to the future of Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis after she failed to get approval for reappointment earlier this week.

But the embattled chief does have supporters who are hoping for a different outcome when the issue goes back before the City Council in a few weeks.

C.J. Davis reappointment fails in Memphis City Council committee vote

When Davis made her appeal to the City Council Tuesday, there was a mixed review: signs of disapproval but also signs of support. Among those was the Afro-American Police Association with signs saying, “Keep the Chief,” who they recently named Officer of the Year.

Executive Director Tyrone Currie says from record promotions to higher raises, Davis has been behind officers.

“The officers received probably one of the highest raises they ever received on the Memphis Police Department to take care of their families, to meet inflation, and to motivate other law enforcement officers to come to Memphis, and she led the charge on that,” Currie said.

But for some, the Tyre Nichols beating death was a breaking point. While the Chief acted quickly to fire the officers involved, she also put in place the SCORPION Unit they were a part of.

How Tyre Nichols’ death a year ago changed law enforcement nationwide

Currie says Davis’ handling of the tragedy spoke volumes.

“We thought she was honest and forthright,” Currie said, “and she met the challenges at hand and gave the public the truth without hesitation, and we just thought it took a lot of courage. And it took a lot of soul searching in this political arena to give the public the truth, and we believe that she was a true servant.”

The Memphis NAACP agrees. The NAACP put out a letter in support of Davis this week, saying she hasn’t been given enough time to make a dent in crime.

Councilwoman says MPD homicide solve rate below 50%

“Chief Davis did everything in her power to move swiftly and remove those officers from our police force,” Memphis NAACP President Kermit Moore said. “She is the person in the job and she has been doing a good job.”

WREG reached out to Davis for an interview. We were told our request is being passed along to her team.

 

 

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/the-tax-credit-that-could-do-more-for-american-pocketbooks-than-any-new-years-resolution-152031312.html

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Janna Herron

·Senior Columnist

Updated Sun, January 7, 2024

 

Many Americans are making promises to do better in 2024 with New Year’s resolutions to save money and spend it wisely.

Some, buoyed by the lingering holiday spirit, may vow to give some of that money to charity in the upcoming year — like those who helped a high school teacher in Las Vegas fulfill 600 Christmas wishes for her students by Venmoing money or dropping off gifts.

Those heart-breaking wishes included a bag of Taki chips "so I won’t feel hungry" or slippers "to protect me from the cold," according to a TikTok the teacher posted that went viral. Americans responded by gifting those items.

But those individual actions — as well meaning as they are — gloss over the reality that to help financially vulnerable Americans requires systemic change that often meets more resistance.

"We're not going to GoFundMe our way to a just economy," Bob Farrace, the national director of public affairs at the Children’s Defense Fund, told Yahoo Finance, referring to the crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money.

One policy change that could do just as much good as any of these New Year's resolutions is for Congress to restore the enhanced child tax credit, a pandemic measure that temporarily raised the credit to a maximum of $3,600 per child from $2,000.

Additionally, the credit in 2021 was fully refundable, meaning if the credit exceeded the tax a family owed, they were entitled to the full amount anyway.

That allowed the very poorest families who have no income to receive the full credit. And half of the credit was distributed in advance in monthly installments, providing families with a reliable source of income throughout the last half of 2021.

The result? The credit helped to cut child poverty in half, with only 5.2% of US children in poverty in 2021 from 9.7% in 2020 and 12.6% in 2019. That goes much further than a one-time donation.

"If you're donating to a holiday wish list that will help a parent afford toys and clothes for their kids through the holiday season, those costs don't magically disappear," Ashley Burnside, senior policy analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy, told Yahoo Finance.

"Once the holidays end, that family may very well still struggle to meet their bills each month," she added. "But when you implement a policy solution like expanding the child tax credit, that policy can support that same family throughout the year."

Since the credit’s expiration at the end of 2021, the child poverty rate has soared, hitting 12.4% in 2022. Food insecurity has also risen. But it’s been difficult to get lawmakers to reinstate the credit since then, though negotiations for a pared-down version are ongoing now.

The resistance is rooted in what Farrace calls the self-made narrative that still dominates American culture.

"We maintain this bizarre notion that poverty is a personal choice and that if we get poor people to work harder or acquire better money habits, they will stop being poor. And in the meantime, we will support them with food banks and other charity," he said.

"I certainly don't want to diminish that in any way, but we have to see charity as a supplement and not a solution," he added. "The fact is poverty is a choice, but it's not the choice that poor people make. It's a policy choice that the rest of us make."

Folks may also gravitate toward charity rather than supporting policy changes because it feels good to make a donation, and there’s an immediate impact that people don’t see with their tax dollars or their vote.

"That's gratifying for us," Farrace said.

And online donation campaigns are more personal. There’s an explanation of why someone needs money. Often the posting comes with a picture of whom you’re helping. And you can see in real time other people responding, making it feel like a community effort.

"I think it's harder for people to see how a policy would impact somebody day to day or how it would change their lives," Burnside said. "It's not as black and white as the description on a fundraiser."

But you can have both. Donating to those fundraising campaigns fulfills a family’s short-term need right now and that’s needed, Burnside said.

Policy action that you can support through voting will also provide that same family with more security down the line, so they won’t need to turn to strangers for help. That’s good, too.

"All those things need to happen at the same time," Burnside said, "but one can't come in place of the other."

 

https://www.al.com/news/2024/01/former-decatur-police-officer-charged-in-stephen-perkins-death.html

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Updated: Jan. 05, 2024

 

By

• Kayode Crown | kcrown@al.com

Following months of protest and civic unrest, authorities in north Alabama charged a Decatur police officer in the shooting and killing Stephen Perkins in his front yard.

 

Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson announced on Friday that Bailey Marquette was indicted on a murder charge. Marquette was fired from the Decatur police force in early December, a little over two months after the fatal shooting.

Marquette, 23 of Hartselle, was taken into custody Thursday by Sheriff Ron Puckett at the Morgan County Jail, the sheriff’s office announced. He was booked on $30,000 bond and he bonded out soon after his booking this morning.

 

 

“This was not an easy thing to do. It was not easy for the grand jury and it was not easy for me,” Anderson said.

 

Anderson said the 18 member grand jury was a “good representation of Morgan County, consisting of eight men, 10 women, 15 of them white, and three Black, and ranging in age from 30 to 78.

 

 

“They come from all walks of life. There’s retirees, professionals, plant workers, there was a stay-at-home mom, members of the clergy, nurses and teachers,” Anderson said.

 

 

“They were from all over Morgan County...and they were charged with a very tough task and they rose to that occasion. They all took an oath to seek the truth and do justice and to show no partiality or favor between the powerful and the weak, the rich and the poor,” Anderson said.

Anderson said he is not releasing body camera footage because of its importance in the trial but would grant the family to see it.

 

 

“Our community as a whole has suffered,” Anderson said. The shooting has prompted multiple protests.

 

 

Three other officers fired or suspended by Decatur and named in a federal lawsuit, Christopher Mukkadam, Joey Williams, and Vance Summers, were not indicted. The officers have appealed those actions by the city, as has Marquette.

Anderson said the grand jury found the other three officers did not violate the law. “I agree completely,” Anderson said.

 

 

“I understand fully that there are some of our community that think there should have been more than one officer charged in this situation. There’s also some who think that no one who should have been charged,” Anderson said.

 

 

Only the grand jury know all the facts of the case, Anderson said.

 

 

On the night of his Sept. 29 death, police have said, Perkins had a gun and threatened a tow truck driver who was trying to repossess his vehicle. The tow truck driver left but returned later with police, who shot and killed Perkins, a 39-year-old husband, father, and gym enthusiast.

 

 

Perkins’ family has continued to demand justice and sued the city, the officer involved in his death, the tow truck company, and the vehicle finance company.

The federal lawsuit alleges excessive force, wrongful death, civil rights violations, and unfair debt collection practices.

Catrela Perkins, who is Stephen Perkins’ widow, said that the $30,000 bond for Marquette was too low.

“I mean, a 30, 000 bond for murder? Come on. That’s ridiculous,” she told AL.com after the announcement of the indictment. “I see other people who have gotten murder charges, bonds are like $300,000. You are talking about a $30,000 bond for murder. I’m not happy about that.”

 

 

Catrela Perkins was at the press conference this morning at the Morgan County DA’s office for the indictment’s announcement.

 

 

Perkins died after being shot in his front yard. Security camera footage released by the Perkins family showed that it was dark outside when Perkins walked out into his yard while shining a light and shouted for the tow truck driver to put his vehicle down. Police appeared and an officer shouted for Perkins to get on the ground. A split second later, 18 gunshots rang out.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/california-boy-used-stolen-gun-035406776.html

Quote

 

Dennis Romero and Lindsay Good

Updated Mon, January 1, 2024

 

A 53-year-old man and his child were in custody Sunday after the boy took a stolen gun from his father's car and killed a fellow 10-year-old, authorities in Sacramento County, California, said.

The attack unfolded Saturday afternoon in the Foothill Farms community when the man sent his son to retrieve cigarettes from his car, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said.

The boy then "took a gun from inside the vehicle and bragged that his father had a gun," the sheriff's office said in a statement released Sunday. "He then proceeded to shoot the victim once and ran into a nearby apartment."

 

Deputies found the victim bleeding from the head and neck, the sheriff's office said, and administered CPR and other "life-saving efforts" until Sacramento Metro Fire Department first responders arrived. The child was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators believe the suspected shooter's father, identified as Arkete Davis, 53, tried to get rid of the gun by placing it in a trash can, the sheriff's office said. Authorities allege the firearm was stolen.

Family members identified the victim as Keith “KJ” Frierson, NBC affiliate KCRA of Sacramento reported.

The name of the suspected shooter was withheld because he is a juvenile. He was booked on suspicion of murder, the sheriff's office said.

His father was arrested and booked on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a felon, criminal storage of a firearm, carrying a stolen loaded firearm in a vehicle, child endangerment and acting as an accessory to a crime after the fact, according to inmate records.

It was not clear whether the suspects have legal counsel for the case. The Sacramento County Public Defender's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Davis was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail, inmate records indicate. Sheriff's officials said he was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

The boy was detained at the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility, the sheriff's office said, with coming court appearances unavailable.

Juveniles in Sacramento County must be charged within 48 business hours of arrest or detention. Bail is not used, but minors can be released to parents or legal guardians.