Taser Autopsy: Coroner Rules that Death of Edmund Gutierrez is 'Homicide'

Edmund Gutierrez will never celebrate his 23rd birthday.  He died on July 5th after a violent struggle with Imperial (CA) police officers.  The autopsy report labels Gutierrez's death as a homicide.  The question that needs to be answered by the local district attorney is whether this homicide will lead to criminal charges against the unidentified Imperial police officer who pulled the trigger.

The autopsy report says the cause of death was “agitated behavior associated with alcohol and marijuana intake needing restraint and other unknown factors.”  The report also details significant blunt force trauma to Gutierrez. It mentions multiple abrasions and contusions to Gutierrez’s face, mouth, abdomen, back, arms and legs.

The report also reveals that there were eleven marks consistent with police baton marks on Gutierrez’s legs.

The police are quick to point out that had a blood alcohol level of 0.16, which is twice the legal limit. The toxicology report also showed that Gutierrez had marijuana in his system.

Friends and family continue to seek justice for Gutierrez. They are upset about the lack of journalistic reporting on his death.   They hope that the release of this autopsy report will bring them closer to justice and truth.   You can learn more on the Justice for Gutierrez Facebook page.

Lakeesha Alert: Kiarra Robinson (Columbus OH)

Villagers, we need your help. We know that the Amber Alert system only works for the Ambers of the world. For people of African descent we need to let the drums ring out with our own Lakeesha Alert! This blog is putting the call out for a Lakeesha Alert on a young woman who has been missing for a week in Columbus OH.

Reggie Hillery is a colleague of mine in Columbus OH. He shared the following message on Facebook tonight:

Hey Columbus- Help me find my niece Kiarra Robinson. She has been missing since Sat. Oct 30th. She is 17 yrs old and was last seen possibly on the North side or Hilliard area. She was wearing sweat pants, tank top and a blue hoodie.

My family would appreciate all your help in locating her. Thanks for your help and prayers. Her picture is my profile picture.

That is picture of Kiarra shown above.  Any support you can provide in helping Reggie and his family locate Kiarra would be very much appreciated!  Reggie can be reached via his email address or his Facebook page.

Keith Olbermann Suspended Without Pay by MSNBC

NBC president Phil Griffin indefinitely suspended Keith Olbermann.  Griffin wrote,

“Became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay.”

Olbermann acknowledged to NBC that he donated $2,400 apiece to the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway and Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords.  He didn't think it was a big deal because he never told others, either privately or publicly, to make donations.

However, Olbermann didn't get prior approval for the donation.  NBC News prohibits its employees from working on, or donating to, political campaigns unless a special exception is granted by the news division president -- effectively a ban. Olbermann's bosses did not find out about the donations until after they were made.

The policy seems stupid.  There is nothing illegal about making a donation ... so why should an employee be penalized for doing so.

On another level, it seems hypocritical because one of the major news networks (Fox) gave $1 million dollars to the Republican Governors Association without any consequence.   Yet, a major news network is suspending, without pay, one of their commentators for giving $2,400 to three candidates?

Progressives took a shellacking during the mid-term elections on Tuesday.   Now it appears that some progressives are being eaten alive in the aftermath.

If this isn't resolved quickly then I don't see how or why Keith Olbermann comes back to the network.   Like Conan or Juan Williams ... it seems likely that another network may make a lucrative offer to Olbermann.

In the meantime, the call for a boycott of MSNBC has already been made by at least one progressive organization.

Taser Death: Eugene Lamott Allen (Wilmington, DE)

Delaware State Police say they are investigating the death of 40-year old Eugene Lamott Allen after he was electrocuted with taser gun wielded by an unidentified police officer. [SOURCE]

Police say they were called to the 1000 block of South Market Street in Wilmington early Thursday morning for a report of a possible domestic altercation in the middle of the roadway.

Police say that the first trooper arrived to find Allen and a woman fighting in the middle of the street. As the trooper attempted to escort the two subjects out of the roadway, Allen allegedly refused to comply.

Allen then became combative and actively resisted arrest. A struggle then took place between the trooper and Allen. The trooper then deployed his Taser, however the trooper was unable to successfully take the suspect into custody.

At this point, two additional troopers arrived at the scene and attempted to assist in taking the subject into custody. Allen allegedly continued to actively resist arrest. It was at this time that a 15 year veteran of the state police deployed his Taser.  Allen quit resisting arrest and was placed in handcuffs. It was at this point that the troopers realized that he had gone into cardiac arrest and immediately began administering CPR and additional life saving efforts until paramedics arrived.

Allen's girlfriend, 42-year-old Lisa Badur of the New Castle, Del., area, told a different story.

Badur said Allen left her motel room acting strangely and walked onto U.S. 13 and then into the sports bar parking lot, where he started flapping his arms and calling out for his mother.

"He just lost his mind," she said, adding he had only been drinking beer. Badur said she was calming him down as they walked in the middle of the highway when the first trooper arrived, ordered him to the ground and fired his Taser.

But he got up again as other officers arrived and pulled out their Tasers and fired, said Badur, who claimed she counted at least 10 Taser firings.

Allen was then transported to the Christiana Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:13 a.m. His body was turned over to the Delaware State Medical Examiner’s Office where an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

The 15-year veteran of the state police was not injured. A three year veteran trooper sustained a minor injury to his knee and refused treatment. The third trooper, a six-year member, who had responded to the incident, was transported from the scene to the Christiana Hospital where he was treated and released with a hand injury. All three Troopers involved in this incident have been placed on administrative leave, as per department policy, pending the outcome of this investigation by the State Police and the Attorney General’s Office.

Sen. McConnell: Obama Needs to Move Towards Our Policies If He Wants Our Cooperation

Sen. McConnell doesn't sound much like a person looking to find a way to work hand-in-hand with the President. Rather he seems like a person bent on making President Obama a 1-term president. Here is a snippet from his speech given after the mid-term elections on Tuesday.






It should be interesting to see how this plays out. What are your thoughts about Sen. McConnell's attitude?

Old School Friday * Yarbrough and Peoples

Calvin Yarbrough and Alise Peoples grew up together in Dallas, Texas. I remember Yarbrough & Peoples for a song they put out in 1981 called, Don't Stop the Music. Do any of y'all remember this one?




I don't think that they qualify as a 'one-hit wonder' because they did have another hit that made it to #1 in 1984.






Did y'all notice a very young Ice-T in the second video? I guess this was gig that he got before he began the gangsta rap portion of his career.

Taser Autopsy: Coroner Says Freddie Lee Lockett Died from Drugs (Not Six Taser Shots?)

Freddie Lee Lockett, 30, was killed on September 12 after being electrocuted ... not once ... not twice ... but on six separate occasions by unidentified police officers. Seems simple enough. It seems that pumping 300,000 volts of electricity into a person who dies 21 minutes later is a simple 'cause and effect'.

Not so fast my friends!


The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office says toxic levels of cocaine, PCP and Ecstasy caused the death of Lockett after Dallas police electrocuted him with a Taser.

Lockett's family sees it differently. They feel that the police murdered him.

Black Bloggers Get Played by White House

One of my AfroSpear colleagues is Bruce Dixon. I'm re-posting one of his recent Black Agenda Radio commentaries.

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When the White House wanted to get its latest message out to Black communities, it didn't call a press conference. Its spokespeople didn't turn to BET or Black radio. They called in Black bloggers, most of them not even remotely political, and few if any working journalists. What the White House hoped to accomplish was crystal clear --- to use them the manner corrupt and lazy reporters are used, to seduce them with the illusion of “privileged access” in return for the ability to plant anonymous stories and gossip as “news” items.

“Real journalists would have laughed those anonymous spokesperson and “off the record” requirements right out of the room. Ethical journalists only grant anonymity to sources like whistle blowers with well-founded fears of retaliation.”

In the words of I.F. Stone, one of the 20th century's great investigative journalists, “Governments lie. All governments lie.” Stone's words are as true now as they were when he uttered them more than half a century ago.

When the White House invited black bloggers in for a Columbus Day meeting, they were told they could print anything they heard in the first half of the meeting, but that they could attribute none of it to any White House spokesperson by name, while the second half of their meeting would be completely “off the record.” Fortunately, or perhaps by design, none of the invited bloggers were actually journalists. They hailed mostly from celebrity gossip sites like ConcreteLoop, and Young, Black and Fabulous, from BET, Essence magazine, from BlackSingles.Com.

Real journalists would have laughed those anonymous spokesperson and “off the record” requirements right out of the room. Ethical journalists only grant anonymity to sources like whistle blowers with well-founded fears of retaliation, not to police to mayors or to prosecutors, not to military or civilian government officials. The only reason for representatives of these powerful institutions to speak to reporters, or bloggers “off the record” is to lie to them with the expectation that they will pass untraceable falsehoods on to the public as news, or in the case of Young, Black and Fabulous, celebrity gossip.

Sure enough, cell phone video of the president dropping in to briefly address the bloggers hit the internet the very next day, prompting the Atlantic's token Black commentator Ta Nehisi Coates to grouse about colored folks who didn't understand what “off the record” meant, as if being the covert mouthpieces of the powerful were something they really should strive to be.

“Black Agenda Report was not invited to the White House briefing, and that's perfectly OK with us.“

One of the invitees was a friend and colleague of ours, Ms. Leutisha Stills, now at Jack and Jill Politics. Observing that the White House hadn't called Black bloggers in since the 2008 presidential campaign, she opined that the bloggers were being, as she put it, “pimped.” We think Ms. Stills was correct, but for the wrong reasons. To be “pimped” is to be manipulated for some underhanded and shameful purpose. Whether bloggers, or journalists are shamefully used once every couple years, or three times every week is a difference only in the frequency of the act, not in the roles of the players or of the played.

Thus when Keli Goff, a Huffington Post and theLoop21.com blogger, called the White House briefing “a good first date,” she was publicly signaling her willingness to be used any way, any time by the powerful. There's a word for people who play that role, and that word is not “journalist.”

In his long career, the great investigative reporter I.F. Stone broke scores of original stories about war, peace and corruption. He never asked for, and he never got the privileged and “off the record” access to the powerful, which Ta Nehisi Coates imagines Black reporters should aspire to, the private interviews with mayors, admirals and presidents, who would have been much too afraid of his direct and probing questions anyway. Stone got his stories the old fashioned way, with diligent research.

Black Agenda Report was not invited to the White House briefing, and that's perfectly OK with us. We understand that reporters and bloggers too, who subsist on privileged access to the powerful in return for passing their anonymous tidbits to the public as news, that such people are being pimped. Which makes them.... well.... you know....

For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Bruce Dixon. Find us on the web every Wednesday at www.blackagendareport.com.

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Bruce makes some great points in his commentary. There are just two points that I'd like to make.

1. First, the White House wanted to get their message out to a wide audience in the Black community. As we know from the Villager's Black Blog Rankings that I maintained for a couple of years ... gossip blogs have remarkably large audiences. That factoid seems to be the most important metric in the equation for the White House peeps.
2. Second, bloggers are (for the most part) not journalists. We don't have journalistic training ... we don't have the budgets that many journalists have to travel ... we are simply bloggers. As such, to hold bloggers (for the most part) to the same standards as journalists isn't realistic.

On the whole, I think that it is a good thing that Black bloggers are being included in more of the political discussions. Perhaps more of us need to get some journalistic training or learn what the standards are for things like "off-the-record" discussions. But, until then, I think that the African American online community needs to continue to seek out and accept these opportunities when they are available to us.

What say u?

Good News Tuesday: Matthew Clark - Future Face of Technology

BDPA Detroit is a historically strong chapter when it comes to the national high school computer competition (HSCC) championships. In fact, there is only one chapter (Southern Minnesota) with more championships than Detroit. One reason for the success in Motor City is the strong coaches and students in the program. One of the strong students over the past three years (2008-2010) has been Matthew Clark.

Matthew shared his thoughts on his HSCC career with us:

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My name is Matthew Clark. I was born in December 1991. I have been participating in BDPA for three years. Before my dad introduced me to this program I had no idea about how web sites worked, let alone how to build them myself. When I first came to the program I was kind of shy and did not talk much. After a couple of weeks and the teaching of my instructors (Tonji, “Coach G” and Ms. Glynis) I began to open up and become more confident in myself.

As I began to get better and better it made me feel great about myself, and influenced me to do other things. One of my most memorable moments was in my first year when we traveled to the national BDPA HSCC championships in Atlanta. I wasn’t feeling really well, but my teammates cheered me up by dancing around to music. I really enjoyed myself and couldn’t wait to come back.

After three years, we experienced the ‘highs’ (2nd place in 2009), the ‘lows’ (10th place in 2008) and the ‘mediums’ (4th place in 2010). Throughout it all I had fun and learned things I could take with me for the rest of my life. I won $3,000 in Jesse Bemley Scholarships, plus other gifts our instructors gave us (iPods, gift cards, etc.). I hope that people will read this and be inspired to join the BDPA program, because it is truly a great experience.

My career goal is to be the world’s greatest architect. I am currently enrolled in Lawrence Technological University, and will be studying Architecture as my major.

For the last couple of years I have been working with my church. Our duties were to clean and maintain the building and its surroundings. Whenever I was not working with my church I would go to work with my dad. He owns his own construction/remodeling business. These jobs and BDPA have taught me responsibility and perseverance, things I will be able to use for the rest of my life.

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My first exposure to BDPA came when I lived in Detroit. As such, I am very proud of Matthew Clark. Often Detroit is only shown in a negative light by the national media. It is a pleasure to share this 'good news' story about a young African American man in Detroit. We wish Matthew nothing but success at Lawrence Tech University!

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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!

Today is the Day: Vote!

Today is the day. You can't control the projections or the negative ads or the despair ... you can only control one thing today.


You can VOTE!




Please reply to this post. Let me know if you VOTED in this election! What say u?

The BDPA Insider - October 31, 2010

BDPA Outside Director Milt Haynes publishes this weekly compilation of articles that are relevant for anyone African American who seeks to advance her career in the information technology industry 'from the classroom to the boardroom'.

1. BDPAtoday  [USA Edition]
2. Diversity in Tech: Be the Change You Want to See
3. Why can’t the FCC “just make a decision”
4. Detroitnet.org Updates and Jobs for October 28, 2010
5. How to Choose a Laptop or Notebook Computer
6. Do You Know the Most Important Part of a Résumé?
7. Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart Will Keynote 2010 BDPA New York Scholarship Awards  Dinner
8. Become a BDPA Lifetime Member and Be Part of the Founder’s Club
9. The Power of Communicating Your Vision

Click here for the  latest issue of “The BDPA Insider”:
http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2010/10/bdpa-insider-october-31-2010.html

Click here for “The  BDPA Insider” Archives:
http://blacksgonegeek.org/TheBDPAInsider.aspx

Raise Your Vote: We Are STILL The Ones

Our president came into office with remarkable challenges. In my view he has been a president focused on getting things done. He didn't take easy choices. He didn't go for popular choices. He looked at the issues and problems that were given to him by the former president ... and President Obama worked the issues in a professional way.

He's only been in office for less than two years ... and his accomplishments are beyond comparison to most, if not all, of the presidents that have been in the White House during my lifetime.

Yet, there are many who decided that they didn't want our president to succeed.

I can't control them. I can only control myself. I choose to remember the vibe that ran through our country when Obama was elected as our president. I choose to remind myself and other 'villagers' reading this blog to raise our vote and shout it out -- We are STILL the ones!







Are you with me on this one? Are you going to vote tomorrow? Are you going to ensure that those in your sphere of influence are also going to vote? We are STILL the ones!

Russell Simmons Shares His Insights on November 2 Election with Black Bloggers

Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons and DNC National Political Director Clyde Williams met last week with the African American online community ... including the Electronic Village. Simmons noted that he has been traveling around the country in support of President Obama and the Democratic Party. He was in Chicago yesterday ... Detroit today ... and he'll be joining with the President in Connecticut tomorrow.

Simmons' message to the Black bloggers, and through us to our readers, was simple -- The African American community needs to stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong (Cor. 16:13). The faith that we have placed in President Obama is useless without our works. Simmons says that our work in this case is simple:

1. Vote
2. Get those that are in our sphere of influence to vote

He acknowledged that there are a plethora of issues that face the African American community including implementation of the health care reform, prison reform, gay rights, poverty initiatives, unemployment and so on. Simmons understands that many in our community feel that the changes we wanted when President Obama took office in January 2009 have not happened fast enough.

The remedy is not to become apathetic. The remedy is not to let our nation go backwards to failed policies and leadership of the past. Rather we need to push forward and harder for the change that we want and need.

Simmons was quick to point out that the Tea Party movement can turn nation backwards in a heartbeat.

"Reaction to our president (by the Tea Party) is violent and scary and it could split our country. We need to stand up. We need to prioritize voting (on November 2) by our people."

DNC Political Director Clyde Williams noted that it is important for the DNC to stay connected with the African American online community as demonstrated by recent meetings with DNC Chairman Tim Kaine and President Barack Obama.

Williams pointed out that there is a clear choice to made on November 2nd when we enter the voting booth. We either want to make our President successful or we want him to fail. He noted the remarkable accomplishments of President Obama in the first 2 years of his administration. However, he also noted that the Republican Party is poised to turn our nation backwards in a number of ways.

Simmons did note that a number of hip-hop and R&B celebrities were also engaged in the work of turning out the vote. He noted that he has been encouraged by his recent visits around the country. Simmons has a sense that the so-called 'enthusiasm gap' is not as wide as it was earlier in the year.

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Villagers, I was disappointed that the DNC didn't allow sufficient time for questions from the Black bloggers who were in attendance. I had two questions that I wanted to ask:

1. African Americans voters remain committed to President Obama and the DNC in a very tangible way. Why was an effort allowed by forces in the Democratic Party to get Florida senatorial candidate Kendrick Meek to step down?
2. The problem with the November 2 election isn't apathy of Black voters, it is the desertion of white middle class voters who stood with Obama in 2008 ... and now are fleeing to the GOP or Tea Party. What is the game plan to stop the bleeding of white middle class voters?

Those were two questions that I had on my mind. However, the forum didn't allow enough time for me or the other Black bloggers to ask questions.

What question(s) would you want to ask Russell Simmons or Clyde Williams if you had the opportunity?

Raise Your Vote: Yes We Can!

We are 48 hours away from the November 2 elections. Each and every person who is reading this blog post needs to make a personal commitment to do two things:

1. Vote!
2. Get those in your sphere of influence to VOTE!

That's it. That's all there is to it. Either you are in favor of seeing our president succeed OR you are rallying with those who want to see him destroyed.

I choose to believe that Proud Black Voters like you and me can make the difference. As we told ourselves two years ago -- YES WE CAN!





What say u?

Old School Friday * The Manhattans

The Manhattans were a remarkable R&B group that I remember listening to during my college days. I suspect that many villagers have their own personal take on Let's Just Kiss and Say Goodbye. I know that the lyrics for this song apply to some periods of my life. How about you?





On the flip side, the lyrics of this next song by The Manhattans also resonate with many villagers.





Are there any groups making this type of music nowadays?

Am I Not Human? Afraid and Forgotten in Côte d’Ivoire

Soulclap to Human Rights Watch for providing a comprehensive report on the human rights abuses taking place in western Côte d’Ivoire.

Well-armed criminal gangs in western Côte d’Ivoire subject local residents to a relentless stream of abuses, including assault, robbery, and sexual violence.

The recommendations in the report fall mainly to the Ivorian authorities, who have failed to prevent or respond to the violence. These leaders should undertake patrols in hard-hit areas, investigate and prosecute crimes, and punish members of security forces who have failed to protect the population. My hope is the current Ivorian presidential elections may provide an opportunity for hope and change that impacts on the people.





Like many villagers, I have never been to the continent of Africa or the country of Côte d’Ivoire. However, I do own this blog ... and I can use this blog at least once a month to raise awareness of human rights abuses taking place around the world, including Côte d’Ivoire. My hope is that the power of public opinion will weigh down on the Côte d’Ivoire government, the United Nations and anyone else that can make a difference for the victims of this abuse. These victims are surely asking the universal question, "Am I Not Human?"

Roots of Humanity feels that each of us can fight against human rights abuses in the world. We simply need to do something. Protest. Meditate. Pray. In the case of bloggers ... we want you to blog on the 27th of each month. Just share information on behalf of our human siblings in all suffering areas who are either barred from communication by their governments, or lacking in technology to ask: Am I Not Human?

Raise Your Vote: Don't Let HATE Overcome HOPE!

Soulclap to the folks at Presente.org for putting this video together. If you had any doubts about voting, this video should help get rid of them.





Tuesday, November 2nd, is Election Day. One factor will determine the outcome: Who votes. Stand up to the bigotry, hatred, and divisiveness that's permeating today's political climate. Vote Tuesday, and urge everyone you know to get to the polls.

Undercovers, Starring Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Cancelled After 7 Episodes

I'm sorry to hear that Undercovers will have the same fate as Day Break -- both are network television shows cancelled before their initial 13 episodes aired.  One main difference is that I missed Taye Diggs and Day Break and so I was very happy when the network decided to run the rest of the full episodes from its first season on the Internet.  I doubt that I will miss Undercovers at all.  In fact, I doubt that I will watch the remaining episodes now that its been cancelled.

Co-stars Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw headlined the show, about two spectacular-looking undercover agents who also happened to be a married couple running a high-end catering business.  The show never got good ratings ... last night's episode only had about 5.8 million viewers.

I suspect that most of the 5.8 million viewers last night were women.  Every Black woman that I've talked with about the show loved it ... or rather loved seeing Boris Kodjoe in it!   He may not want to be viewed as a sex symbol ... but, women still see him that way.

I think that Kodjoe and Mbatha-Raw both did fine jobs.  The premise of the show was just a wee bit too much for me ... and I guess most of y'all as well.   I hope that both actors are able to rebound with other projects.

What is your favorite TV show nowadays?

Broke-A$$ Brotha Tip #2: Go Mobile Young Man!

I'm not proud of being a Broke-A$$ Brotha. My plan is to take steps necessary to get rich over the next few years. I'll share some tips with y'all as I go through the process. I would love to hear from you on some Broke-A$$ Brotha (or Sista) tips that you have learned over the few months and years as well.

Villagers will recall that my first tip was simply entitled, Ignorance is Not Bliss. I suggested that it was important to be fully aware of the money that flows in and out of your hands each month. You can do this by tracking your expenses and income as part of a budgeting process.

In my case, I discovered that I need to do two things. First, I need to cut my monthly expenses wherever possible. Second, I need to increase my income with either more clients or some other revenue-generating idea.

I started with looking at my telephone expense. That is where I discovered Broke A$$ Brotha Tip #2:

Go Mobile Young Man!

I pay my local telephone company a monthly bill. Over the years I've let them convince me to BUNDLE a number of services. I have my Internet, cable and land-line phone service all bundled with Cincinnati Bell. It dawned on me that I *NEVER* (like in NOT EVER!) use my land-line phone. I use my cell-phone for all communication. I called Cincinnati Bell and found out that I could save $41 per month (or $492 per year) if I simply discontinued my land-line phone service. So I discontinued the service. 

Go Mobile Young Man!

Do you really need your land-line phone at your crib? If not, consider the monthly cost-savings you can get from having it disconnected.

After I finished the call to Cincinnati Bell (which I made on my cell-phone while driving home from an appointment) it occurred to me that I'm probably late on learning this particular Broke A$$ Brotha tip. Are you already fully mobile when it comes to your phone service?

Tune In Tuesday: Queen Latifah featuring Rev. Al Green

Queen Latifah is one of the most versatile and talented entertainers of our generation. A few years ago she created an album under her birth name, Dana Owens, in which she demonstrated the depth of her singing voice.

Here is a track from that album that I find to be simply beautiful!