Crime
Harrison to Meet With Mosby About Marijuana Policy
THE AFRO — Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby recently announced her office will not prosecute marijuana possession cases/
By Sean Yoes
This morning (Feb. 11) during the official introduction press conference of Michael Harrison, the man selected by Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh to be the city’s next police commissioner, the acting commissioner made some news concerning the State’s Attorney’s policy on marijuana possession prosecutions.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby recently announced her office will not prosecute marijuana possession cases, some argue neutralizing laws that disproportionately impact Black, Brown and poor communities.
During his press conference this morning attended by Mayor Pugh, former Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle, Comptroller Joan Pratt and several members of the Baltimore City Council, Harrison announced he was headed to a meeting with Mosby to discuss how the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) can coordinate with the State’s Attorney’s Office on Mosby’s marijuana prosecution policy.
“We’ll enter into discussions about how we can approach that dynamic,” said Harrison the former Chief of the New Orleans Police Department. “That’s a policy change from the State’s Attorney, not a law change from the state legislature or in the city code. So, that’s an internal State’s Attorney policy change. I’m on my way to have that meeting so we can have that discussion and together we can figure out how we can…best approach this that satisfies everybody. But, make sure that citizens and residents of Baltimore are safe and that the department is following the law and its policies.”
This article originally appeared in The Afro.
Activism
‘Donald Trump Is Not a God:’ Rep. Bennie Thompson Blasts Trump’s Call to Jail Him
“Donald Trump is not a god,” U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.
By Post Staff
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he not intimidated by President-elect Donald Trump, who, during an interview on “Meet the Press,” called for the congressman to be jailed for his role as chairman of the special congressional committee investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Donald Trump is not a god,” Thompson told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.
“He can’t prove it, nor has there been any other proof offered, which tells me that he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” said the 76-year-old lawmaker, who maintained that he and the bipartisan Jan. 6 Select Committee – which referred Trump for criminal prosecution – were exercising their constitutional and legislative duties.
“When someone disagrees with you, that doesn’t make it illegal; that doesn’t even make it wrong,” Thompson said, “The greatness of this country is that everyone can have their own opinion about any subject, and so for an incoming president who disagrees with the work of Congress to say ‘because I disagree, I want them jailed,’ is absolutely unbelievable.”
When asked by The Grio if he is concerned about his physical safety amid continued public ridicule from Trump, whose supporters have already proven to be violent, Thompson said, “I think every member of Congress here has to have some degree of concern, because you just never know.”
This story is based on a report from The Grio.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of December 11 – 17, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 11 – 17, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Outgoing D.A. Pamela Price Releases Report on County Gun Violence Epidemic
The 84-page report is divided into two parts: the Public Health Impact of Violence and the Contribution of Structural Inequalities; and the Public Safety Impact of Gun Violence and the Regulation of Firearms. Each section documents trends in rising gun violence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention to the rise in gun-related deaths of women and children in Alameda County. Each section advises innovative approaches for the County to address gun violence and build safe communities.
By Post Staff
Criminal Justice Reformer District Attorney Pamela Price, who is leaving office this week after losing a recall election, released a comprehensive report on the gun violence epidemic and public health emergency in Alameda County: “Tackling Gun Violence Epidemic in Alameda County: A Public Health Emergency (2019-2023).”
This report represents an unprecedented collaboration between public safety and public health partners and provides data and recommendations to guide the County’s continued work to reduce violence while advancing justice reform.
The 84-page report is divided into two parts: the Public Health Impact of Violence and the Contribution of Structural Inequalities; and the Public Safety Impact of Gun Violence and the Regulation of Firearms.
Each section documents trends in rising gun violence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention to the rise in gun-related deaths of women and children in Alameda County. Each section advises innovative approaches for the County to address gun violence and build safe communities.
“Between 2019 to 2023, an average of three residents were killed by firearms each week in Alameda County, and behind every statistic is a shattered family and community,” said Price.
“Under my administration, the DA’s office has taken bold steps to combat gun violence while promoting equity and healing for survivors,” she said.
The report highlights strategies for keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people. Last month, the DA’s office secured a $5.5 million grant from the California Judicial Council to help improve compliance and case management for gun cases and gun relinquishment orders —the removal of guns from people prohibited from possessing a firearm – with law enforcement and court partners.
This effort builds on Price’s work in 2023 and 2024 in attacking the gun violence epidemic.
“We launched an innovative Gun Violence Restraining Order Outreach Project to educate communities about the availability of tools to remove guns and ammunition from people who are a danger to themselves and others and the intersectionality of domestic violence and gun violence and convened gun violence roundtable conversations with our law enforcement partners and collaborated with the Alameda County Public Health Department to produce this comprehensive report,” she said.
“We supported Oakland’s CEASEFIRE program through its transition and implemented a pilot Mentor Gun Diversion Program with our collaborative court partners, offering non-violent youth in possession of a gun pathways to interrupt the potential for escalating harm.” added Price.
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