Free Republic

Baltimore is burning because community organizers and various thugs are tearing the city apart in the aftermath of the strange death of a young black man who was in the custody of police — and President Obama is trying to make things worse.In an incredible non-coincidence the rioting follows a weekend rally by the Occupy Wall Street-like Baltimore Peoples Assembly. There also was a first wave of rioting over the weekend. Outside activists have been flooding into Baltimore, according to reports. Police and civilians have been injured. A CVS store was looted and set on fire. Rioters chopped up fire...

In moments of social unrest featuring violence and crime, one would expect the only proper role of the taxpayer-funded federal government is to quash the disturbance. However, a unit of progressive attorneys within the Department of Justice has been at the center of every significant riot during the Obama administration, and this unit -- the Community Relations Service, or CRS -- was not at those scenes to protect the safety of all citizens. In fact, the CRS was caught encouraging the chaos. Not only did CRS side only with the protesters and not with law enforcement, they actively facilitated...

The Justice Department’s chief peacekeeper is on his way to embattled Ferguson, Mo. Usually, Grande H. Lum flies under the radar. As head of the department’s Community Relations Service, the Harvard Law School graduate is an experienced mediator, more diplomat than prosecutor. The agency he heads was established under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, with the stated mission to aid communities “in resolving disputes, disagreements, or difficulties relating to discriminatory practices based on race, color, or national origin which impair the rights of persons in such communities.” “These officials will continue to convene stakeholders whose cooperation is critical to keeping...

PALM BEACH, Fla. – As the murder trial of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin heads toward a conclusion, radio powerhouse Rush Limbaugh says the case should never have been prosecuted. “This is a trial that should not even be occurring,” Limbaugh declared on his national radio program Wednesday. “This is a trial occurring because the [Obama] administration wants to promote racial division in this country. I don’t know how else to describe this. There’s no case here.” Zimmerman, 29, is accused of second-degree murder in the February 26, 2012, death of Martin, a 17-year-old from Miami...

Judicial Watch announced today that it has obtained documents proving that the Department of Justice played a major behind-the-scenes role in organizing protests against George Zimmerman. Zimmerman is on trial for second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in February 2012. Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the DOJ on April 24, 2012. According to the documents JW received, a little-known DOJ unit called the Community Relations Service deployed to Sanford, FL to organize and manage rallies against Zimmerman. Among JW’s findings: •March 25 – 27, 2012, CRS spent $674.14 upon being “deployed to...

When racial tensions flared in Sanford, a league of secretive peacemakers reached out to the city's spiritual and civic leaders to help cool heated emotions after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in February. When civil-rights organizers wanted to demonstrate, these federal workers taught them how to peacefully manage crowds. They even arranged a police escort for college students to ensure safe passage for their 40-mile march from Daytona Beach to Sanford to demand justice. As national figures and sign-waving protesters grabbed the spotlight after Trayvon's death, federal workers from a little-known branch of the Department of Justice labored...

City manager responds by not buying tickets for other city officials By Tony Plohetski AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Friday, December 5, 2003 When board members with the local NAACP chapter drafted the guest list for their annual banquet Saturday, Police Chief Stan Knee didn't make the cut. Neither did anyone else from his department. Board members have decided to break a long tradition of inviting Knee and other police officials to attend the event, saying the Police Department has failed to mend strained relations with members of Austin's minority communities. "This banquet is about social justice, and we aren't receiving social justice...