Free Republic

Federal investigators, El Monte police and Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrested alleged members of the Quiet Village gang Wednesday, naming the group in a series of indictments that accuse them of conspiring to commit murder, other violent crimes and drug trafficking. The cases stem from the killing of two El Monte police officers last June during a confrontation at a motel with a member of the gang. Officers Michael Paredes and Joseph Santana were responding to a domestic violence report when Justin Flores — a documented member of the Quiet Village gang with multiple prior convictions — shot them...

San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin, the son of Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert -- both convicted for their roles in the deadly Brink's robbery in Rockland County, was removed from office overnight after a heated recall. Many felt he was inexperienced and avoided charging criminals, siding with offenders over victims. But his supporters say his platform is in line with voters who approved measures to reduce sentences. Recalls are increasingly being used in California. You likely remember Gov. Gavin Newsom easily survived one in September. Many political pundits are saying this is a signal to Democrats nationwide to fine-tune their...

They call her Assata Shakur but, no matter the name by which she’s known, Chesimard is a homegrown – and unrepentant -- American terrorist. JoAnne Chesimard: BLM unashamedly embraces her and, recently, the New York City school system decided to incorporate her so-called wisdom into its curriculum. Therefore, it is more imperative than ever to shine a bright light upon the life, times, and accomplishments of one JoAnne Deborah Chesimard, a.k.a., Assata Olugbala Shakur. If you are, like me, of a certain age and grew up or lived in New Jersey during the 1970s and 1980’s, the name JoAnne Chesimard...

DEVELOPING STORY: One Chicago police officer is dead and another is fighting for his life after being shot during a traffic stop. Both officers were rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center. A number of Chicago police officers gathered outside the hospital as they waited for information late Saturday. The Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge #7, tweeted “Lord, please look over these two Officers, keep them and every Officer out in the 8th District safe tonight. This career of service we all chose is one of sacrifice, but please Lord, not tonight. Not tonight.” The officer was identified...

Convicted double cop killer Anthony Bottom is being paroled in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) New York. WCBS 880 reports that Bottom and two other members of the Black Liberation Army ambushed NYPD Officers Joe Piagentini and Waverly Jones by using a fake 911 call to get them to come “to a Harlem housing complex,” where they were shot dead. Jones was killed with a single shot to the back of the head while Piagentini was shot 22 times, begging for his life during the attack. Piagentini’s widow, Dianne Piagentini, said that when she learned of Bottoms’ parole it hit her “like a punch...

The New York state parole board, nearly all appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), is readying the release of two more felons convicted of murdering police officers, police union officials say. Officials with the New York City Police Benevolent Association (NYCPBA) say the families of slain New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers Michael Russell and Robert Sorrentino have been notified by state officials that the convicted killers charged with their loved ones’ murders are “being freed in the coming weeks.” The two convicts are Russell Carroll and Sergio Voii.

One police officer was murdered and his partner was shot and injured Monday night following a pursuit of a vehicle that ended in a pedestrian being stuck. But the driver of the vehicle didn’t surrender, choosing instead to fire a weapon at the police SUV pursuing him. Black Lives Matter activist Henry Eugene Washington, 37, was arrested early the next morning after getting stuck between two buildings as he tried to climb down from his hiding place not far from the scene of the crime. Bothell police officer Jonathan Shoop, 32, was pronounced dead at the scene. His partner was...

A new Gallup poll shines a spotlight on the deep political divide in America and surely points to what the upcoming presidential election will be about. Gallup asked, "How proud are you to be an American?" Seventy-six percent of Republicans said "extremely proud" compared with 22 percent of Democrats. Broken down by age, 63% of those over 65 said "extremely proud," and only 24% of those 18 to 29. This tells us something about Nike's recent move to pull its Betsy Ross flag sneakers from the marketplace, having taken guidance from its ex-football star anti-hero, now-Nike corporate spokesman, Colin Kaepernick....

Colin Kaepernick’s history teachers should be ashamed of themselves. They either failed to teach him real history, or they succeeded in indoctrinating him into a false political narrative. Either way, he was short-changed and missed out on one of history’s greatest stories. To associate the 1776 American flag with slavery is to miss the purpose and genius of the American Revolution. The former football player turned well-paid corporate activist put the kibosh on a special edition Nike shoe because it sported the Betsy Ross flag on the heel. I’m sure you’ve heard that much. Kaepernick’s reason, which I’m sure you’ve...

“Jussie [Smollett] will NOT be returning to ‘Empire,'” series co-creator Lee Daniels said Tuesday. Daniels was responding to a Variety report in which multiple production sources said that “Empire’s” writing staff was breaking ideas for the show’s sixth and final season with the expectation that Smollett would appear in the back half of the 18-episode season. This is the first public acknowledgment that Smollett will not return for the final season of the Fox drama series. He was written out of the final episodes of the show’s fifth season following severe backlash stemming from accusations the actor and musician faked...

From Screen to Scorn: For Jussie Smollett, a Life of Arts and Activism Is Upended [New York Slimes] New York Times ^ | Feb 23, 2019 | Jack Healy, Michael Cooper and Serge F. Kovaleski CHICAGO — Ever since he was a child actor growing up in a show-business family, Jussie Smollett’s life blended activism with the make-believe worlds of television and movies. ..." He spoke of his mother’s closeness with the Black Panthers and prominent civil-rights leaders, and how she had encouraged Mr. Smollett and his brothers and sisters to create art and live out their beliefs. ..."...

Chicago's top prosecutor, Kim Foxx, has been subpoenaed to appear in court in relation to her handling of the Jussie Smollett case. The Cook County State's Attorney has been summoned by retired appellate judge Sheila O’Brien, who is pushing for a special prosecutor to investigate the case against the Empire actor, reported The Chicago-Sun Times. The Times reports that O'Brien has also requested that Foxx’s top deputy, Joseph Magats, appear at the hearing and produce documents from the original case to assure that they have not been “altered or destroyed and will not be destroyed throughout this case,” according to...

From the “life imitates art imitates life imitates art” ad nauseam file, I thought this headline was satire, but noooo: “Jussie Smollett is nominated for an NAACP Award.” Of course, Smollett just walked free on 16 felony counts after his hoax hate crime in January. If you ever needed evidence that the NAACP is a race-bait organization run by hoax and scam hustlers, this would be it. Six-time host of Saturday’s festivities, “Black-ish” star Anthony Anderson, said, “I hope he wins. I’m happy for him that the system worked in his favor because the system isn’t always fair, especially for...

The Campaign Update Week in Review (Because The Campaign Never Ends) The Week in Review, courtesy of the @GDBlackmon Twitter Feed… The week started with a really bad poll for the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez/Bernie Sanders Democrats, and went downhill from there.:

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Cook County grand jury has returned a 16-count indictment against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett, according to court records. The Cook county State's Attorney's Office confirmed the indictment, which they said was returned by a grand jury on Thursday. Smollett was originally charged with one felony count of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office on Feb. 20...

CHICAGO — Ever since he was a child actor growing up in a show-business family, Jussie Smollett’s life blended activism with the make-believe worlds of television and movies. ..." He spoke of his mother’s closeness with the Black Panthers and prominent civil-rights leaders, and how she had encouraged Mr. Smollett and his brothers and sisters to create art and live out their beliefs. ..." For Mr. Smollett, arts and activism were intertwined throughout his childhood. His parents met while campaigning for civil rights in the Bay Area of California, and his mother had worked with the founders of the Black...

[Feb 2nd] Smollett Siblings & Their Ex Black Panther Mom Finally Speak On Jussie’s Racist Attack iloveoldschoolmusic.com ^ | Feb 2, 2019 The past three days have been deeply trying for Empire actor, Jussie Smollett, to say the least. After being brutally attacked by racists early Tuesday (January 29, 2019) morning, an ongoing investigation has resulted in several discoveries, but still no suspects apprehended. Now, Jussie’s five siblings and Moms have decided to address the violent attack, as well as what they plan on doing about it going forward. FYI: Their Mom was an activist and a member of The...

The past three days have been deeply trying for Empire actor, Jussie Smollett, to say the least. After being brutally attacked by racists early Tuesday (January 29, 2019) morning, an ongoing investigation has resulted in several discoveries, but still no suspects apprehended. Now, Jussie’s five siblings and Moms have decided to address the violent attack, as well as what they plan on doing about it going forward. FYI: Their Mom was an activist and a member of The Black Panther Party back in the day. So neither she, nor her kids, will simply take this violent racist/homophobic attack against her...