Taser Death: Anastasio Hernández Rojas (San Ysidro, CA)

Taser-happy law enforcement meets illegal immigration. The result is another taser-related death in America. Anastasio Hernandez came across the Mexico-US border in 1984. He lived in the shadows ... got married ... raised five children in small town of Encanto, CA.

His life was thrown in an uproar last week when he was detained by police and deported to Mexico.

Of course, it is unreasonable to think that a man would who spent 26 of his 42 years on earth in southern California raising five children is going to stay away. Mr. Hernandez and his brother made an effort last Friday to rejoin his wife.

It was a decision that cost him his life.

Hernandez (the Mexican newspapers are calling him Anastasio Hernández Rojas) didn't make it across the border. He was caught by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. CBP officers took him to the Border Patrol station gate leading to Mexico where they removed his handcuffs in preparation to complete the deportation to Tijuana. Police say that he became violent.

"The agents and the subject all fell to the ground during the fight and the agents radioed for assistance," San Diego homicide police said in a prepared statement. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents joined the struggle and one CBP agent fired a Taser at the man to subdue him.

A short time later the man stopped breathing. Agents began CPR and called paramedics. He was brain-dead when they took him to Scripps Memorial in Chula Vista after the taser electrocution. He died on Monday, May 31.

The family of Mr. Hernandez is devastated. They are convinced the Border Patrol is lying. Witnesses, who said they saw the altercation Friday at San Ysidro, said agents also kicked Anastasio while he was on the ground ... which would explain why he became brain-dead.   There may even be video evidence of the taser electrocution.

Please let us know if you have any new information on this taser-related killing.

GOP Senators Are the Only Obstacle to Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy

The effort to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy made some positive movement this week. The full House of Representatives and the Armed Services Committee in the Senate voted to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Villagers may recall that President Obama promised in his State of the Union address to end the law that denies gays and lesbians the right to serve their country. Now, the Obama administration is closer than ever to making good on that promise.

The full Senate will soon start its debate on repeal. But some Republicans are digging in their heels. John McCain continued to flip-flop on the DADT issue when he said, "I'll do everything in my power" to block a vote. And Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker called the repeal bill "a major mistake" -- announcing that the GOP plans to filibuster.

The 'just say No' policy of the Republican Party continues. The GOP never seems to have anything positive to offer on any national issue. They simply say 'No' to anything that the Obama administration is trying to do.

I encourage all villagers to sign an online petition indicating your interest in defeating those who'd stand in the way of history. Show the US Senate that villagers -- in every state -- overwhelmingly support repeal.

Weekly Address: Honoring the Fallen

Ahead of Memorial Day, the President asks all Americans to join him in remembering and honoring those who have died in service to the country.

Taser Death: Carl Johnson (Baltimore, MD)

It's happened again. Another unarmed citizen killed by taser-happy police. Carl D'Andre Johnson, 48, got into a fight with a state trooper and two Baltimore County police officers after he crashed his Toyota pickup truck. A Maryland state trooper was the first on the scene. Police say that Johnson did not cooperate with the trooper's commands. Evidently, he tried to escape and when he couldn't escape in his car he began to yell obscenities and quarrel with the state trooper. [see VIDEO]

Two Baltimore County police officers entered into the fray. The three law enforcement officials then began a series of events that included pepper spray and two 50,000 volt changes of taser gun electricity into Johnson.

Shortly after he was electrocuted a second time, county police say Johnson lost consciousness and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Johnson was an accomplished architect and religious man, his brother said, not the type of person who would challenge police and wind up dead after receiving a shock from a taser gun.

For Carl Johnson's brother, the circumstances don't add up.

"The way this is being described is completely out of character ... unprecedented," said Gene Johnson, 42, as he traveled to a Georgia airport to come to Baltimore. "He never had an ounce of trouble."

Am I Not Human? BP Oil Spill

We support the 'Am I Not Human?' blogging campaign that lights up the 27th of each month. I encourage all villagers to find a way to support this effort to shine a light on human rights abuses taking place all over the world.

The BP Oil Spill is the major human rights abuse on my mind this month. I watched the president's press conference today. The vast majority of the questions were about the oil spill. It has been more than five weeks since an oil rig leased by BP exploded and sank in the Gulf, and only now does there appear to be progress in plugging the massive leak. Speaking in a more than hour-long press conference in the East Room, President Obama defended his administration’s performance and said he was “angry and frustrated” by the spill.

“This notion that somehow the federal government is sitting on the sidelines and for the last three or four or five weeks we've just been letting BP make a whole bunch of decisions is simply not true,” Obama said.

President Obama doesn't usually get very personal when he speaks to the American people. However, this BP Oil Spill is personal for many villagers in the Gulf Coast ... and it was good to see that it got personal for President Obama as well:

"My job right now is just to make sure that everybody in the Gulf understands this is what I wake up to in the morning and this is what I go to bed at night thinking about – the spill," he said.

On Thursday morning, he said, when he was shaving, his daughter Malia peeked her head into the bathroom and said, "Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?"

"I think everybody understands that, you know, when we are fouling the earth like this, it has concrete complications not just for this generation but for future generations.

"I grew up in Hawaii, where the ocean is sacred. And when you see birds flying around with – with oil all over their feathers and turtles dying and – ... that doesn't just speak to the immediate economic consequences of this. This speaks to, you know, how are we caring for this incredible bounty that we have?"

ABC News went underwater off the Gulf Coast to see first-hand what the Deepwater Oil Disaster looks and feels like. It looks like a nightmare.




We’ve seen the oil start to wash up on shore, and we’ve seen satellite images of the slick. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg: You need to take a look at the underwater impact of the oil geyser and the dangerous chemicals BP is using to “disperse” it — effects that could last for decades, even if the risky “Top Kill” maneuver to plug the well works.

This is some nasty shyt. I hope that we can see some positive movement in a few weeks. What are your thoughts on the BP Oil Spill?

OURstory: Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784)

I respect the public schools that are educating my three children. I know that the teachers and curriculum will provide them with a strong basis for their future. However, there are gaps in the education provided by public schools that I'm going to need to fill with my children. I realized that the public schools don't do a good job of teaching the impact of African Americans in US history. The teachers are good at HIS-story ... but, it is up to us to tell OUR-story.

I plan to provide some OURstory blog posts over the coming weeks. They will be here for posterity and I'll use them to fill the gaps in the education of my young Nubian.

For example, I wonder if the public schools mention the name of Phillis Wheatley in their history lessons? Phillis Wheatley was born in Gambia, Africa. She was a was a slave child sold to John and Susanna Wheatley in Boston on July 11, 1761. Her first name was apparently derived from the ship that carried her to America, The Phillis.

Phillis was taught to read and write by her slave-owners and their daughter, Mary. Phillis had a gift for writing poetry -- her first poem was published at the age of twelve. There were a number of benefactors in Phillis' life -- Selina Hastings financed the publication of her book of poetry; former slave Obour Tanner, who made the Middle Passage journey with Phillis, was a lifelong supporter.

I wonder how many villagers are well-versed in Latin? Would you be surprised to learn that Phillis used Latin to write her "Niobe in Distress" publication? It's the truth (or 'veritas', as they say in Latin)!

Phillis' popularity as a poet both in the United States and England ultimately brought her freedom from slavery on October 18, 1773. She even appeared before General Washington in March, 1776 for her poetry and was a strong supporter of independence during the Revolutionary War. She felt slavery to be the issue which separated whites from true heroism: whites can not "hope to find/Deivine acceptance with th' Almighty mind" when "they disgrace/And hold in bondage Afric's blameless race."

Phyllis is remembered for many first time accomplishments from a woman of her day:

• First African American to publish a book
• An accomplished African American woman of letters
• First African American woman to earn a living from her writing
• First woman writer encouraged and financed by a group of women (Mrs. Wheatley, Mary Wheatly, and Selina Hastings.)

Phillis Wheatley died in Boston, Massachusetts while giving birth.

I understand that the Cincinnati Historical Society is loaning one of Wheatley's 1st edition (1773) books to the America I AM: The African American Imprint exhibit coming to the Cincinnati Museum Center on June 19th. This book will be displayed with Phillis Wheatley's table, which is on loan from the Massachusetts Historical Society in the 'enslavement display'.

What are your insights, thoughts or comments on Phillis Wheatley?  Personally, I think that every little Black girl in America should learn about Phillis Wheatley!

Important Development in the Oscar Grant Case

Soulclap to the brothers and sisters of ColorOfChange for bringing us this important news:

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There’s been an important new development in the Oscar Grant case, and you helped make it possible.

Last year, we told you the story of Oscar Grant, the young man who was shot in the back by a police officer while laying face-down on a subway platform in Oakland, CA.





The officer who shot Grant, Johannes Mehserle, was subsequently charged with murder and is currently awaiting trial — a rare moment for police accountability. But in the moments before Grant’s murder he was also brutalized by another officer on the scene named Tony Pirone.

Now, more than a year after Grant’s tragic murder, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police Department has fired Pirone for his conduct that night. With Pirone’s dismissal, three officers at the scene of Grant’s murder have now been fired for their actions, which clearly set the stage for Grant’s death that night.

While the fate of the officer who killed Grant is not yet certain, it is important to recognize the significance of this moment. It is definitely a victory for all who believe that those who enforce the law can never be above it. And it couldn’t have happened without the participation of tens of thousands of ColorOfChange members who spoke up for justice for Oscar Grant, signing petitions, making phone calls, writing letters and attending rallies.

Last year, ColorOfChange members in the Bay Area confronted the Alameda County District Attorney with stacks of more than 20,000 petitions demanding that he explain why he hadn’t arrested Pirone. Most of the local media covered our event, feeding a public conversation about the D.A’s handling of the case and shining a spotlight on Pirone’s actions.

Our action was a major catalyst in Pirone’s ultimate dismissal. The intense media spotlight ColorOfChange members shone on Pirone and the pressure you generated both locally and nationally contributed significantly to a measure of accountability: a rogue cop was kicked off the police force, losing his ability to shield himself with his badge while terrorizing and brutalizing innocent civilians. It also sends a clear signal to other officers who might be inclined to abuse their power.

We still believe that Pirone should have been brought up on charges for assaulting Grant. But we shouldn’t let this distract us from the ultimate goal: seeing that Grant’s murderer gets the full measure of justice for what he’s done. With his trial for murder pending, we’re already part of the way there — a position we might not be in today were it not for ColorOfChange members like you speaking up, keeping pressure on the District Attorney, and forcing him to act swiftly to pursue justice.

These are achievements we can all be proud of. Thank you for standing with us.

Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Milton and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team

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I have to admit that this blog didn't provide as much coverage of the Oscar Grant case as we should have done at the time. I'm grateful to James and his crew from ColorOfChange for their tireless online activism. I hope that justice is finally done in memory of Oscar Grant and for the family that he left behind.

Taser Death: Efrain Carrion (Middleton, CT)

The family of Michael Jacobs called on police in their area to help their son when he was experiencing mental anxiety at home. The police responded by using their taser guns to electrocute the 24-year old man.

The same thing happened in Middltown, CT on May 24. Efrain Carrion was having an anxiety attack Monday night when his family called 9-1-1 to summon an ambulance, a family member said.

The 35-year-old, screaming and breathing heavy, hid under his bed. His wife, Rhode Carrion, said she and her brother-in-law had almost coaxed him out when Middletown police officers arrived at the family's apartment.

The police agree that they arrived based on a report of a despondant male in need of medical assistance. They also agree that they placed Efrain Carrion in handcuffs to allow EMS personnel to examine him.

Carrion's relatives and authorities have differing versions of what happened next. But one thing is clear: Carrion became unresponsive while struggling with police and was pronounced dead at Middlesex Hospital.

Authorities say Carrion became violent after officers put him in handcuffs. He fought with police officers, refused orders and at one point choked a police dog, using his handcuffs as weapons, police said.

Of course, the police neglect to mention that Carrion was being held in double handcuffs. The police want us to believe that this despondent man was able to bring his hands to the front and start choking a police dog which was also used to try to bring him under control as he attempted to flee.

Four out of the five officers who responded were treated for injuries. Acting Police Chief Patrick McMahon said the officers are home, recovering with their families. The police officers treated for injuries were: Sgt. James Prokop, Officer William Hertler, Officer Elias Martz and the dog handler, Officer Douglas Clark.

"If nothing leads me to believe that wrongdoing occurred, we'll get them back on the streets as soon as we can," he said.

Chief McMahon isn't fazed by the fact that an unarmed man was electrocuted in his own home by his own police force. Nope, McMahson indicated that he hasn't heard or seen anything indicating that the officers did anything wrong.

For those that are interested, the dog, Niko, was treated by a veterinarian and released.

But Rhode Carrion said the official police version of the story is a lie. Her husband didn't hit the officers or choke the police dog, she said.

"They're making him seem like he was crazy, like he's a bad man, and he's not," she said. "He never hit them, he never kicked them. He was trying to get away from them because they were Tasing him."

After her husband came out from under the bed, he sat on the floor and allowed officers to cuff him, Rhode Carrion said. He was brought to a chair in the living room. The physical violence started after Efrain Carrion slipped off the chair, she said.

The officers ordered him to get up. Her husband had trouble complying because his hands were cuffed behind his back, Carrion said. Two of the officers shot him repeatedly with taser guns and then deployed the dog, she said.

She said Efrain Carrion did not grab the dog and tumble down the stairs with it, as police have said. [SOURCE]

As Middletown police officers tried to calm him in a wooded area behind his apartment complex, Carrion became unconscious. Emergency medical personnel were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead after being transported to Middlesex Hospital.

Eunice Barrientos told reporters she called police to calm down her brother, Efrain Carrion who was acting irrational, but she never expected them to taser him to death.

“The just tasered him and tasered him and let the dog chew him up,” the Middletown woman said.

She said after the officers were finished tasering her brother, the kicked him down the stairs as they were taking him out of the apartment.

Police admit to tasering Efrain multiple times until he lost consciousness.

State police are investigating the incident and will present their findings to the Middlesex state's attorney. The investigation should take several weeks.

An autopsy is planned to try to determine what caused his death.

Please let us know if you have any additional insights or information to add to this taser-related killing.

How Do We Forgive Our Fathers?

A movie that I watched ended with this monologue from the lead character.   It hit a chord with me for a number of reasons ... none of which have to do with my father ... most of which have to do with my imperfections as a father.

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How do we forgive our fathers?
Maybe in a dream?

Do we forgive our fathers for leaving us too often,
or forever, when we were little?

Maybe for scaring us with unexpected rage,
or making us nervous, because there never seemed to be any rage there at all.

Do we forgive our fathers for marrying ... or not marrying ... our mothers,
or divorcing ... or not divorcing ... our mothers?

And shall we forgive them for their excesses of warmth, or coldness?
Shall we forgive them for pushing or leaning?

For shutting doors?
or speaking through walls?
or never speaking?
or never being silent?

Do we forgive our fathers in our age?
or in theirs?
or in their deaths, saying it to them?
or not saying it?

If we forgive our fathers, what is left?

I learned afterwards that this poem was adapted from a Dick Laurie poem.

Kentucky Fried Nutcase Rand Paul on BP Oil Spill - 'Sometimes Accidents Happen'

It appears that Kentucky's GOP candidate for the US Senate is adopting the Sarah Palin playbook. First, get nominated for high political office. Second, start flapping your mouth to the point that the electorate realizes that you are not to be trusted with the job for which you've been nominated. Third, write a book and make millions of dollars.

Rand Paul is on Step #2. Did you hear him absolve BP of all accountability for the recent oil spill by saying, "sometimes accidents happen"?

Check out this video!








What do you think of this Rand Paul character?

BP Oil Spill Ticker; President Obama Appoints Independent Commission

BP has considered or tried dispersants, skimmers, booms, a containment dome, a smaller "top hat," a "hot tap," a giant pipe to siphon off the oil and a "junk shot." Still oil continues gushing from the Deepwater Horizon site. Meanwhile, nobody knows how much. Estimates from the government, outside experts and oil companies differ. PBS has published this tracker.






The President announces that the independent commission he created for the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling will be chaired by former Florida Governor and Senator Bob Graham and former EPA Administrator Bill Reilly. He promises accountability not just for BP, but for those in government who bore responsibility.






This is a terrible environmental disaster that will be in our minds for decades to come. How do you see this playing out over the coming weeks and months?

Wordless Wednesday: Rima Fakih is Miss USA 2010 and 'Stripper 101' Pole-Dancing Champion

Tune In Tuesday: Eels

Villagers who have followed this blog for awhile know that I'm a science fiction fan. As such, I've been watching the first season of a SyFy television series called, 'Stargate Universe'. The episode last week ended with a song that I had to look up. The song is Agony by a group simply known as Eels. I invite you to listen to the song and share your own thoughts if you have time or inclination.





Womanist Musings created a weekly meme today called Tune In Tuesday. She noted that our blogs often deal with serious issues and it might be nice to lighten the atmosphere every once in awhile. Music has the ability to trigger happy memories and much of our lives are marked by song. To that end each Tuesday this blog intends to offer a song and tell you about what it triggers for me and in return you are welcome to share any memories that you have associated with it.

Taser Lawsuit: Yuceff Young II (Brooklyn, OH)

Perhaps it is time to admit that the taser guns are simply not as safe as advertised by Taser International. The police have gotten much to comfortable relying on this weapon ... to the point that it is used to subdue minor suspects such as Yuseff Young II.

The police killed Young by using their taser guns. Young was a danger to no one. His actions did not warrant such force.

As such, this blog is glad to see that Young's family has filed a lawsuit against Linndale and Brooklyn police. They are seeking an unspecified amount of damages maintaining that Young would not have died if he had not been Tasered by a Linndale police officer and chased by police from Linndale and Brooklyn. [SOURCE]

Police stopped the car of the 21-year-old man because his car appeared to be unsafe, Linndale police said at the time. Police said Young's front bumper was hanging off and the windshield was shattered.

The police officer smelled alcohol and ordered Young to get out of the car. He did not. That is when the police officer decided to draw his taser gun and pump 50,000 volts of electricity into a young unarmed man who was sitting behind the wheel of his car. Young began to flee the scene once he was shot on by the police officer.

Young's car went a short distance and crashed into a utility pole.

"We believe the actions of the police were reckless," said Terry Gilbert, attorney for the family. "He was a good kid, a college student, and he was drunk. We don't know why, or if, his car was banged up. But we know he was not giving the officer a hard time. But he was Tasered while sitting behind the wheel, which is very dangerous."

Personally, I think that a suspect's flight should not be the sole justification for using a Taser. Perhaps this lawsuit will help get that point across to local law enforcement agencies around the nation so that they can modify their policies. At the rate of a taser-death every week, perhaps we can all agree that the Taser may not be as safe as originally billed.

Taser Autopsy: Jaesun Ingles (Midlothian, IL)

Three unidentified Midlothian police officers chased down 31-year old Jaesun Ingles and killed him with one or more taser blasts on March 10. The police tried to cover-up the use of the taser in their police report. The Cook County medical examiner continues the cover-up by failing to mention anything about the officers' use of a taser and its contribution to Ingles' death.

The Cook County medical examiner's office has ruled the March 10 death of Ingles was an accident, the result of choking on a plastic bag he was trying to swallow as he struggled with Midlothian police. [SOURCE]

Neither the police nor the medical examiner comment on the use of the Taser in their report of the incident. Ingles' family for weeks has tried to get information about his death, to no avail.

"It's like they're trying to hide something. They think if they wait long enough, people will just let it go and move on," Ingles' cousin, Leon Jones, of Joliet. "We just want to know what happened."

Dr. Ponni Arunkumar, of the medical examiner's office, conducted Ingles' autopsy and ruled the death an accident. Her report states Ingles died from "aspiration of plastic bag during arrest."

The autopsy report makes no mention of any drugs found in Ingles' system at the time of his death.

Police had said the Taser use was left off the official police report because the investigation was being turned over to the Illinois State Police's public integrity unit, which would provide a more detailed report upon completion of its investigation.

The cover-up is always worse than the crime. I suspect that we haven't heard the last on this case. The small town mentality of the police and the medical examiner won't survive the glare of public scrutiny.

Jaesun Ingles should not have had marijuana on his person ... however the penalty for having marijuana or for resisting arrest should never be DEATH. The police used their tasers to kill this man. That should be unacceptable in our nation.

Taser Death: Sukeba "Sassy" Jackson-Olawunmi (Atlanta, GA)

DeKalb County police electrocuted a second person within 5 days using their taser guns. This time the taser-killing was done to a woman. 39-year old Sukeba Olawunmi was pumped with 50,000 volts of electricity twice after she crashed a stolen car, refused to comply with police commands and became combative.

Police were called into the situation after Olawunmi was accused of attempting to carjack several people. The woman, who was 5-foot-3 and 350 pounds, became unresponsive shortly after the second jolt of taser juice.

We don't have much more information on this taser-killing right now. Please let us know if you learn anything new.

Rep. Maxine Waters Issues Lakeesha Alert for Mitrice Richardson

Mitrice Richardson has been missing for over a year. The mainstream media doesn't appear to care. The Amber Alert system isn't working for this nubian sister ... so it is good to see that a Lakeesha Alert is being sent by U.S. Rep Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles). Rep. Waters asked the Department of Justice to investigate the disappearance of Mitrice, who was released in September from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station. [SOURCE]

Mitrice Richardson was arrested at Geoffrey's, a Malibu restaurant, for not paying an $89 dinner bill. Deputies who took the Cal State Fullerton graduate into custody described her as "coherent and rational," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca told the Board of Supervisors in a letter.

Waters asked the Justice Department in a May 5 letter to investigate alleged civil rights violations by the deputies.

"I believe that Mitrice's civil rights were violated when she was arrested and then let go in the middle of the night without money, a phone or transportation," Waters said.

Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the department, said that the deputies followed policy.

"We believe that everything was done right," he said, adding that Baca "obviously believes that nobody's civil rights have been violated."

Waters previously had asked the FBI to investigate the disappearance, but she said she was told by the agency that it does not probe adult missing persons.

Mitrice's 25th birthday was April 30th. Let's hope that she is found sooner rather than later. I encourage other bloggers to share the Lakeesha Alert for Mitrice Richardson with their blog readers!

Taser Autopsy: Joe Spruill (Goldsboro, NC)

It amazes me that people shot by taser guns never seem to have the taser gun listed as their 'cause of death'. Joe Spruill was talking with a neighbor early on the morning of January 27. Wayne County Sheriff Deputies Martin McAlduff and Zachary Kinlaw rolled into the neighborhood and asked Spruill to go home (two doors down).

Something happened during the walk.

Police say that Spruill became combative and started throwing things from his pockets at them, so they told him they were putting him under arrest for disorderly conduct.

Something happened during the arrest.

McAlduff and Kinlaw pumped this family man with 50,000 volts of electricity from their taser gun. Joe Spruill died.

One would think that the taser had something to do with his death. But, that is not what the medical examiner is saying. The medical examiner claims that Spruill died of a cocaine overdose. A torn plastic bag was found in his esophagus, and tests showed a lethal amount of cocaine in his system. [SOURCE]

The two officers are back on the job. Joe Spruill is dead. The 'powers-that-be' are comfortable that life is good. Me? I think that a man shouldn't be killed in his front yard for resisting arrest. Spruill should have been given medical attention ... not a lethal dose of taser juice.

What say u?

Wordless Wednesday: Jazz Singer Lena Horne

Tune In Tuesday: The Foreign Exchange

I'm opening my mind and ears to some folks that I hadn't heard before. One of my colleagues suggested that I take a moment to listen to The Foreign Exchange.

Here are two songs from them:




I'm enjoying the flow from this group ... and I love that there ain't any booty-shakin' or other misogyny nonsense in these lyrics or videos. Were you already aware of The Foreign Exchange before this blog post?

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Womanist Musings created a weekly meme today called Tune In Tuesday. She noted that our blogs often deal with serious issues and it might be nice to lighten the atmosphere every once in awhile. Music has the ability to trigger happy memories and much of our lives are marked by song. To that end each Tuesday this blog intends to offer a song and tell you about what it triggers for me and in return you are welcome to share any memories that you have associated with it.

Taser Autopsy: Daniel Joseph Barga (Cornelius, OR)

The 'powers-that-be' in Oregon would have us believe that being zapped with 50,000 volts of electricity from multiple taser shots had nothing to do with the death of 24-year old Daniel Joseph Barga on April 10.

Instead, the state Medical Examiner's office says that the young man died from "excited delirium" due to the toxic effects of psilocybin, or hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Dr. Karen Gunson, state medical examiner, said generally people experiencing excited delirium constantly demonstrate purposeless violent activity; have incoherent speech; don't respond to stimuli, such as pain, in a normal way; experience hallucinations; and die from a misbeat of their heart. [SOURCE]

Gunson said Barga would not have died if he hadn't used the mushrooms. [NOTE: Personally, I think that Barga wouldn't have died if the police didn't overreact and shoot him up with taser guns over and over and over again ... but, that's just me!]

Excited delirium cases are generally seen in people who are schizophrenic, experience manic phases or who have used cocaine, methamphetamine or mushrooms, Gunson said. People who are experiencing excited delirium become stimulated, Gunson said, and often become extremely warm with increased sweating.

Gunson said excited delirium can be part of a restraint death, such as when officers restrain suspects on the ground to handcuff them. But, Gunson said, there was no evidence of a restraint death in Barga's case. Gunson said the medical examiner's office carefully reviews what witnesses, police and medics say to determine whether a person died from restraint because there often isn't evidence on the body.

Barga died after being taken into custody following a disturbance in the backyard of a upper-income home in Cornelius. Cornelius police officer Mark Jansen found Barga in the backyard covered with blood and refusing to cooperate, police said. Jansen used a Taser, which delivers a 50,000-volt shock, in an effort to subdue Barga, police said. Barga died while in Jansen's custody.

We still await final word from the county prosecutor about whether or not criminal charges will be filed agains the police officers involved in this case.

Taser Autopsy: Hatchel Pate Adams III (Hampton VA)

36-year old Hatchel Pate Adams III was killed by taser-happy police in Hampton, Virginia last year. The state medical examiner blames his death on everything accept the 50,000 volts of electricity that were shot into his body by an unidentified police officer.

About 11 p.m. on Dec. 10, police went to Adams' home to serve an emergency custody order to determine if Adams was a threat to himself or others.

He refused to open the door, but a family member came to the scene and let police in. After Adams swung a samurai-style sword at the officers and the officers used the Taser. Police used the Taser a second time and Adams stopped breathing.

Assistant chief medical exampiner Wendy Gunther completed the autopsy on Mr. Adams. The cause of death is listed as: "Excited delirium in addition to mental illness in addition to methamphetamine use in addition to obesity in addition to subdual by police."




"...subdual by police... ?" 
Where do they get these terms?

Anyhow, Adams' death was the first involving a Taser since Hampton police began using them in 2003. Police spokeswoman Paula Scheck said the four officers placed on administrative leave after the incident are back to work.

She said the incident didn't violate any department policies and was ruled justified. "They were defending themselves from someone wielding a samurai sword at them," she said.

I keep thinking to myself that the family member who opened up the door for the four unidentified police officers is feeling terrible ... I can't imagine that he thought that his fam (Hatchel Pate Adams) was going to be killed that day.

36 years on earth ... and killed by taser-happy police. Something simply isn't right!

GOP Wingnuts Applaud a Guy for Calling President Obama a 'Domestic Enemy'

Eric Cantor (R-VA) gave a speech earlier this week to a group at the Heritage Foundation. He got the audience so foamed at the mouth that one unidentified attendee stood up at the event to ask Cantor why Obama should not be considered a “domestic enemy”:

QUESTION: My question is – and this is something I personally don’t understand – if it’s a naïve question then I apologize: in light of what Obama has done to leave us vulnerable, to cut defense spending, to make us vulnerable to outside enemies, and to slight our allies, how (pause) – what would he have to do differently to be defined as a domestic enemy? (applause and laughter)


CANTOR: Listen, let me respond very forthright to that: you know, no one thinks the President is a domestic enemy. (boos)

I wanted to give Cantor credit for his clear answer ... however, I noticed that Cantor smiled before responding to the question. And I suspect that the content from Cantor's speech gave the courage to this person to ask the question in the first place.

What kind of country are we living in that our nation's leader can be called a 'domestic enemy' by our own citizens?

Three's Company Game Plan Ain't Working for Dwyane Wade, Siohvaughn Wade and Gabrielle Union

Some folks are wondering where will NBA star Dwyane Wade be playing next year as he tests the free agent market. Movie star Gabrielle Union and Wade's wife, Siohvaughn, are going to be watching closely as well.

Villagers may recall that we noted that Wade and his wife were getting a divorce almost three years ago. Now his wife is suing his woman-on-the-side (Gabrielle Union), claiming the star’s conduct around their young children has inflicted emotional distress.

Siohvaughn Wade and the boys are seeking more than $50,000 from Union at a trial.

Siohvaughn claims the actress “engaged in sexual foreplay with Dwyane Wade” in front of Wade’s 8-year-old and 2-year-old sons while on an unsupervised visitation to the basketball star’s Miami home, according to a suit filed this week in Cook County Circuit Court.

The suit also claims Wade’s oldest son was allowed to play unsupervised in or around the Miami home’s pool at night. Wade and Union ignored the boy, whose “screams and cries” eventually got the attention of Wade’s mother, Jolinda Wade, who took the boy inside, according to the suit.

The 8-year-old later told court-appointed child representative Lester Barelay what happened and asked him “to put his father in jail...” so he would not have to return to the home, which he calls “the house where the woman kissing daddy lives,” the suit said.

The suit also claims the younger child nearly drowned while in his father’s care and Union drove the boys to the park with his oldest son in the front seat.

On one visitation, Wade allegedly orchestrated a meeting between Union and the boys, where he introduced the actress as his “girlfriend” and said “that is why your mom and I are going to divorce,” according to the suit.

Dwyane and Siohvaughn Wade have been “sweethearts” since they were 15 years old and currently are still married but are involved in a divorce proceeding.

The boy’s mother claims the sexual foreplay in front of the boys and the orchestrated meeting to introduce the children to their future stepmother caused emotional distress. The older child has sought medical treatment for stress and anxiety, has developed nervous habits, experiences headaches, and is generally anxious to the point of “significant” hair loss causing bald spots, according to the suit. The boy is currently seeking court-mandated mental evaluations at the University of Chicago, the suit said.

Taser Death: Daniel Joseph Barga (Cornelius, OR)

Our blog missed this taser-related killing when it first occurred last month. We now have 72 people dead as a result of being shot by taser guns in America over the past 16 months. That is an average of a death per week. Despite the taser-incident at the Philadelphia Phillies baseball field the other day ... this ain't no joking matter. People are dying!

Daniel Joseph Barga died on April 10, after being taken into custody by Oregon police officers from Cornelius and nearby Forest Grove. [SOURCE]

Cornelius Officer Mark Jansen, a 14-year law enforcement veteran and Taser instructor with the department, Forest Grove Police Sgt. Dean Foster, a 25-year law enforcement veteran, and Officer Scott King, a nine-year law enforcement veteran, were suspended from duty while the investigation into the death of Barga took place.

Police were called to a house at about 3 a.m. April 10, after a report of a disturbance in the backyard. The homeowner told Jansen that a partially clothed man had confronted him, and was behaving erratically and threatening violence.

Jansen found Barga in the backyard covered with blood and refusing to cooperate. Jansen used a Taser, which delivers a 50,000-volt shock, in an effort to subdue Barga, police said.

Barga reportedly resisted as Jansen tried to wrestle him to the ground, according to police. Barga then bolted and ran, not following Jansen's commands to stop, police said.

Foster and King were called to assist and joined the chase after Barga, police said. The officers continued attempts to stop Barga, using Tasers and pepper spray, but he resisted, police said. He then stopped breathing while being taken into custody.

Medics transported Barga to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Human life doesn't mean much in Washington County, Oregon. The County District Attorney, Bob Hermann, doesn't feel that there was any criminal conduct on the officers' part. Hermann and his investigators determined that there was no reason for the officers to remain on suspension, especially because they are from small agencies with a high need for officers. Cornelius has 13 sworn officers; and Forest Grove has 17 sworn officers.

"I can't wait to get an officer back," said Cornelius Police Chief Paul Rubenstein. "There's no indication of wrongdoing on any of the officers' sides. We want to know why someone died just like everyone else."

Police say they believe Barga was under the influence of psilocybin mushrooms at the time of his death, but the results from the toxicology test still may not be available for weeks, authorities said.

Tasers are killing Americans all over the nation ... and all we do is laugh. Very sad...

Sam 'Joe the Plumber' Wurzelbacher Extends His 15 Minutes of Fame in Toledo OH

The ebb and flow of Republican politics. John McCain may be out of politics this year ... while the man he made famous, Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher, is now an active member of Republican politics in Toledo OH. Wurzelbacher will be one of nearly 400 committee members who oversee the Republican Party in northwest Ohio's Lucas County. The group elects the county chairman and sets the party agenda.

Of course the man we call 'plumber' who isn't a plumber is now a weak 'politician'. The group he'll serve on meets only a few times a year to elect the county chairman and sets the party agenda. Wurzelbacher won the seat by a 38-24 vote.

He continues to milk his 15 minutes of fame. Villagers may not know ... but, Wurzelbacher wrote a book, speaks at conservative 'tea parties' and spent a few weeks as a war correspondent in the Gaza Strip.







Wurzelbacher is the kind of redneck white guy that conservatives and tea party loyalist love. This is the clown who once said,

"Illegal immigration? Put a fence up and start shooting."

I pity the fools in Toledo who elected this guy to be their leader!

Racist Politicians Target People of Indian Descent in Ohio and Arkansas

Have you ever seen that 'whack-a-mole' game in arcades?   Your kid puts 50 cents in the machine and he gets a hammer.  There are a bunch of moles who pop out of holes ... and your kid scores points for whacking the mole on his head and driving him back into the hole. The racist mole-like efforts of our politicians showed itself this week.

First, I voted yesterday in the Democratic primary for Ohio's 2nd District. The seat is currently held by Jean Schmidt (R-OH). One of the Democratic hopefuls challenging for the job is David Krikorian. Krikorian showed his racism with disparaging remarks he’s made recently about his chief primary opponent, Surya Yalamanchili.

Krikorian has appeared at campaign events to ridicule Yalamanchili, an American of Indian descent, by dramatically pronouncing his name to emphasize its foreign nature.

“Now do you really think that a guy with a name like that has a chance of ever being elected?” Krikorian allegedly said to members of Veterans of Foreign Wars in Clermont County.

The comments — which Krikorian denies - drew a quick response from Jean Schmidt and local Democratic leaders, who shot off a letter to Krikorian calling his behavior “deeply disturbing.”

“Your comments on Surya’s name are are best insensitive and worse appear racist,” wrote Timothy M. Burke and David Lane, the Democratic chairmen in Hamilton and Clermont counties, respectively. “It is deeply disturbing to us that you would use his name, which is obviously derived from his ethnic heritage, against him in a denigrating manner, especially considering how strongly you value and celebrate your own heritage.”

Krikorian thought he was being subtle.  He thought that he could ridicule his opponent's name as a racist code for reminding voters that Yalamanchili is too dark-skinned to represent them in Congress.

You have to watch these closet-racists closely.  As soon as you whack one of them back in their hole ... another one pops up.   A second racist mole popped up in the Arkansas race for US Senate. In this case, we see a group called the Americans for Job Security running an ad against Bill Halter, who's challenging Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) in this month's Democratic primary.

Some shyt is so obvious that it can't be denied ... even when the racist moles try to do so. Is there any non-racist motive for a pro-business group to portray colorful Indian characters thanking Halter -- who served on a corporate board that voted to send some jobs to India?

You be the judge:


The racism in this ad was called to task by others on Daily Kos, Sepia Mutiny, Angry Asian Man, and Reappropriate.

The Electronic Village is proud to join their ranks! We'll whack-a-(racist) mole any day of the week and twice on Tuesdays!

Tune In Tuesday: Eric Roberson

I have only become aware of Eric Roberson in the past few weeks. I'm working behind the scenes to see if he'll perform at a benefit concert later this summer.

Check out these two tunes from the young brother.



I enjoy the mellow vibe from this brother. Had you heard of him before?



Womanist Musings created a weekly meme today called Tune In Tuesday. She noted that our blogs often deal with serious issues and it might be nice to lighten the atmosphere every once in awhile. Music has the ability to trigger happy memories and much of our lives are marked by song. To that end each Tuesday this blog intends to offer a song and tell you about what it triggers for me and in return you are welcome to share any memories that you have associated with it.

Good News Tuesday: Andrea Grimes is the Future Face of Technology

Soulclap to Noire Digerati for pointing us to Andrea Grimes ... the Future Face of Technology! Andrea is a Ph.D. candidate in Human-Centered Computing at the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech University. Her research lies within the fields of human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW).

A member of Associate Professor Beki Grinter's Work2Play Lab, Andrea's research involves studying aspects of human life to design technology that resonates with existing sociocultural landscapes. Much of her work has focused on designing technology to address diet-related health disparities in the African American population.

To this end, she studies how culture shapes health behaviors and attitudes, and how health technologies can account for this relationship. Her work has involved designing and evaluating a nutrition-oriented mobile game and community-based information sharing applications. Her other research includes examining the future of human-food interaction research in HCI and designing technologies to support family health.

Andrea earned her bachelor's in computer science from Northeastern University.

Some of Andrea's awards and honors include the following:

• Microsoft Research Graduate Fellowship, 2008-2010
• Yahoo! Key Technical Challenge Grant, 2008

This blog plans to share some good news about people of African descent each and every Tuesday. You can help ... let me know if you see a good news story that you think would inspire our Villagers!

Family Wants to Know Why Taser-Happy Arlington Police Electrocuted Unarmed Man to Death

The friends and family of Adil Jouamai say he needed medical attention ... not a taser shock. The 32 year old husband, father and embassy security guard died early Friday morning after being tasered by Arlington Police. [SOURCE]

Adil learned that his father had been hospitalized back home in Morocco. This news upset Adil ... so, his family took him to the hospital to get medication to lower his blood pressure and calm him down.

Just after midnight ... he became agitated again. The family says they called for an ambulance ... but police showed up and asked the family to leave the apartment.

On Friday ... police said they found Jouamai naked, and uncooperative. Officers had to taser him to get him under control. Moments later he stopped breathing and died.

The penalty for being naked and uncooperative should not be death. Especially if there are multiple officers with an unarmed and unclothed victim. This is the second person killed by taser-happy police in Arlington VA.





Jouamai's family is asking why it was necessary to taser him. He was naked, unarmed and they claim there were as many as ten police officers in the room with him.