A.C.A.B. Another Portland Protest

“A.C.A.B.,” shouted a protest leader on a bullhorn in front of Portland city hall on Election Day. “All cops are bastards!” responded the crowd of about 60 demonstrators. A coalition of far-left activist groups were demanding the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but they also used the occasion to rail against Oregon’s Measure 105, on the ballot that day, which would repeal the state’s “sanctuary state” measure prohibiting local authorities from enforcing immigration laws. Other targets included law enforcement in general, Donald Trump, and “fascism.”

The crowd was made up of members from Occupy ICE PDX, the Queer Liberation Front, Antifa, and other leftist movements. Occupy ICE was previously involved in leading a five-week siege outside the local ICE office. Police disbanded the gathering after 38 days, but the cleanup cost the city nearly $25,000. Portland mayor Ted Wheeler, attracted national attention for his refusal to order police to help the federal officers trapped inside by the protesters’ barricades.

After about an hour outside city hall, the protesters began a march through the streets of downtown. The groups involved in organizing the event did not have a permit, and they rebuffed police attempts for dialogue. For the most part, though, demonstrators remained on sidewalks, in contrast with past episodes, when they have occupied the streets and blocked traffic. Holding signs such as “Smash fascism,” “Cops beat their wives,” and “Deport the racists."

Some businesses rushed to lock their front doors; protesters have targeted commercial entities for vandalism and destruction in recent incidents. After the 2016 election, Antifa rioting in Portland caused damage estimated at more than $1 million. No protest groups were held accountable. (City Journal (November 12, 2018))
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OK, so you don't like government policy? You want to make your voice heard, to stand up for your beliefs and support efforts for change in your community? Excellent, you have an absolute right to do that, and I support your efforts to exercise your 1st Amendment Rights - BUT, what you can't do is block streets, threaten other residents of the community, and cause a million dollars in property damage while advocating for a better community and a more responsible government.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

You can't declare war on the police and advocate for the death of police officers who protect our communities. The police officer on the street is seldom your enemy. If you don't like police policy, advocate for change, pass an initiative and change the law. But, do so peaceably and legally.

You have rights, and you can and should exercise everyone of them. But when exercising your rights, remember that you cannot infringe on the rights of another.

Operating in Hostile and Non-Permissive Environments:
A Survival and Resource Guide for Those Who Go in Harm’s Way

 

Military personnel deployed to a combat area, their supporting contractors overseas, government civilian employees overseas, non-government organizations (NGOs), journalists working on international stories, businesses attempting to establish a foothold in developing countries, and individual travelers to remote areas of the world can all find themselves in hostile and non-permissive environments. This guide covers a broad range of subjects that are intended to aid individuals, living and working in dangerous areas, in being safer in their daily lives and in being better able to protect themselves and survive in case of an emergency, disaster, or hostile action.



Police Around the Country Are Acquiring More and More Surveillance Technologies

The East Bay Times (October 5, 2018) reports that “Police around the country are acquiring more and more surveillance technologies each year, especially license plate readers and similar mass surveillance technologies. This growth is occurring even when there isn’t a commensurate rise in crime or other public safety threat that needs to be addressed.”

“Law enforcement needs to explain to the public exactly what specific goal they are seeking to achieve with these technologies,” said Matt Cagle, a technology attorney with the Northern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

“Public safety in the digital era requires transparency and oversight,” Cagle added. “And the sort of ‘just trust us’ approach to conducting surveillance of communities is not something that residents buy these days.”
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Operating in Hostile and Non-Permissive Environments:
A Survival and Resource Guide for Those Who Go in Harm’s Way Paperback

 

Military personnel deployed to a combat area, their supporting contractors overseas, government civilian employees overseas, non-government organizations (NGOs), journalists working on international stories, businesses attempting to establish a foothold in developing countries, and individual travelers to remote areas of the world can all find themselves in hostile and non-permissive environments. This guide covers a broad range of subjects that are intended to aid individuals, living and working in dangerous areas, in being safer in their daily lives and in being better able to protect themselves and survive in case of an emergency, disaster, or hostile action.

Police Kill Security Guard Who Just Stopped Mass Shooting

Fox 32 News Chicago (November 12, 2018) is reporting that a security guard told a group of "drunk men" to leave a Robbins bar around 4 a.m. An armed suspect later came back inside the bar and opened fire.  One the guards -- Jemel Roberson, 26 -- apprehended the suspect outside, witnesses said. Roberson then requested help from Midlothian Police.

A witness reported that Roberson was holding the suspect on the ground;  had his knee on him the whole time, just waiting on the police to get there.  when the police arrived one of two responding officers fatally shot the security guard, Jemel Roberson. ‘They basically saw a black man with a gun’, so they killed him, said the Washington Post.
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So, did the police just see a black man with a gun and open fire? No, we seriously doubt that is the case, but there is certainly more to this incident than is being reported in the news.

Do we give the responding police officers a pass on this one? Should there be a trial? Would it make a difference if a non-police officer had shot Mr. Roberson believing him to be the active shooter from the bar? Should an armed citizen who kills an innocent person get a pass if there was no malice in their actions?

Operating in Hostile and Non-Permissive Environments:
A Survival and Resource Guide for Those Who Go in Harm’s Way

 

 



What Is Brady Material?

Brady material law is a technical term for a specific type of prosecutorial misconduct. It is derived from the United States Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963). In that case, the Supreme Court held the prosecution must turn over any evidence favorable to the defendant. Thus, Brady material is evidence discovered – but suppressed – by the prosecution that would have helped the defendant in some way, by proving his or her innocence, impeaching the credibility of a witness, or reducing his or her sentence.

When a prosecutor withholds favorable evidence from the defense, Brady material is implicated, and a defendant’s rights to due process under the U.S. Constitution are violated. The prosecution’s job is not merely to “win” by getting a conviction, but to seek justice. Defendants are entitled to all evidence that would help their case.

Now in most cases this is not an issue, however on rare occasion corrupt police officials may instruct officers to do or avoid doing a certain thing to "avoid creating Brady material." Or, information that would serve to support a claim of innocence just won't make it into the investigation file ('I see to have lost that folder!')

If you are a police officer be very concerned if a supervisor expresses concern over creating Brady material. Remember, Brady material is something that would help the accused prove his or her innocence. Why would any police official be concerned about someone proving that they are innocent of the charges brought against them? As with the prosecutor, police officials should seek justice, not just seek a conviction.

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Operating in Hostile and Non-Permissive Environments:
A Survival and Resource Guide for Those Who Go in Harm’s Way

 

Military personnel deployed to a combat area, their supporting contractors overseas, government civilian employees overseas, non-government organizations (NGOs), journalists working on international stories, businesses attempting to establish a foothold in developing countries, and individual travelers to remote areas of the world can all find themselves in hostile and non-permissive environments. This guide covers a broad range of subjects that are intended to aid individuals, living and working in dangerous areas, in being safer in their daily lives and in being better able to protect themselves and survive in case of an emergency, disaster, or hostile action.

 

 

Do Background Checks Keep Guns Away from Dangerous People?

 

 

Do background checks keep dangerous people from gaining access to firearms? Are these checks preventing criminals and mentally unstable individuals from buying a firearm and doing harm to themselves or harming someone else?

 

According to the FBI, in the past 20 years (from November 1998 when the National Instant Check System (NICS) was established, until October 31, 2018) there have been 299,697,888 checks run for on people wanting to purchase a firearm from a licensed (FFL) dealer. 

 

 

During the last 20 years the NICS has denied the sale of 1,577,913 firearms to individuals who attempted to purchase them through a licensed dealer.

 

Thus we find that the NICS has denied about 1/2 of 1-percent (0.52%) of the total checks that have been submitted between 1998 and 2018.

 

A small number of denials (4.77%) were successfully appealed and the sale of the firearm was eventually permitted.

 

With only 0.52% of firearms purchases denied by NICS over a 20 year period, it would seem that most criminals are not getting their guns by purchasing them from their local FFL dealer.

 

But, didn't background checks stop 1,577,913 new gun crimes over the last 20 years? Well, No! While that number of sales were denied, for the various reasons shown above, not everyone of these guns had they been sold would have been used in a crime. For example, the Brennan Center for Justice wrote in December 2016 that approximately 40% of the nationwide prison population (576,000 people) is behind bars with little public safety rationale. If we accept this as a good estimate, then 40% of the background check denials for criminal convictions would have created no new gun crime if it had been approved. Do we assume that the 25,485 sales denied because the person attempting the purchase was an "Illegal/Unlawful Alien" would all be used in a crime had the sale been approved?

 

A very small percentage of sales (0.52%) have been denied by the NICS over the past 20 years. Of those denials, some number would result in no new gun crime if the sale was approved, and some small number would of course be used to commit a crime. The question we are left with is whether the massive NICS bureaucracy and the repeated checks into the lives of honest Americans and infringement of their rights are worth whatever value we gain from background checks on gun sales. 

 

 

 

 



Operating in Hostile and Non-Permissive Environments:
A Survival and Resource Guide for Those Who Go in Harm’s Way

Military personnel deployed to a combat area, their supporting contractors overseas, government civilian employees overseas, non-government organizations (NGOs), journalists working on international stories, businesses attempting to establish a foothold in developing countries, and individual travelers to remote areas of the world can all find themselves in hostile and non-permissive environments. This guide covers a broad range of subjects that are intended to aid individuals, living and working in dangerous areas, in being safer in their daily lives and in being better able to protect themselves and survive in case of an emergency, disaster, or hostile action.

University of Washington Public Posting of Sexual Assault and Harassment Claims

According to the Tacoma News Tribune (November 10, 2018) the University of Washington student-run website called “Make Them Scared” allows for the public posting of the names of individuals who have committed [are alleged to have committed] sexual assault or harassment.

But websites like this cross a dangerous line. Online shaming platforms are a cheap substitute for fair, thorough criminal proceedings.

Initially, the naming of names was done anonymously, so victims would feel more comfortable coming forward. After some backlash, all accusers now give the website moderators some form of identifying information. But all that’s made public is the name of the alleged assailant and as much description of the incident as the accuser wants to share.

There’s no question the list gives women a way to fight back, but any shortcut to justice should make us all scared. Hiding behind the cover of anonymity minus hard evidence and due process erodes the rule of law and is an invitation to libel.
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It is easy to make false claims against someone, especially when those claims can be posted anonymously (or semi-anonymously). It is just as easy for an investigation to be structured to point to or cover-up for whatever person the investigator opposes or supports. An assistant chief of police once joked, "just get the victim to say she enjoyed it, just for a minute, and there goes her case".

Of course, not every claim of sexual assault or harassment has merit or is supported by evidence, as we recently saw in the claims against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. “Following the separate and extensive investigations by both the [Senate] Committee and the FBI, there was no evidence to substantiate any of the claims of sexual assault made against Justice Kavanaugh.”

The government posts the names of dangerous sex offenders in the community, but on sex offender registry lists, everyone has been convicted of a crime in a court of law. Are sites like the UW Make Them Scared site a way to warn others in the community, or are such site too great a risk of false accusations and revenge? The website has had more than 75,000 views and a little over 300 submissions, according to the site’s moderators. (Many of those were "troll submissions" after the site was posted on Reddit and 4chan threads Friday, Oct. 4, and experienced a large spike in exposure.)

UW administration spokesperson Victor Balta said, “We do not know who is behind the site, and it is in no way affiliated with the UW. We continue to encourage individuals to file a report directly to the university if they experienced sexual harassment or assault.”

 

 

 

 

Operating in Hostile and Non-Permissive Environments:
A Survival and Resource Guide for Those Who Go in Harm’s Way

 

Military personnel deployed to a combat area, their supporting contractors overseas, government civilian employees overseas, non-government organizations (NGOs), journalists working on international stories, businesses attempting to establish a foothold in developing countries, and individual travelers to remote areas of the world can all find themselves in hostile and non-permissive environments. This guide covers a broad range of subjects that are intended to aid individuals, living and working in dangerous areas, in being safer in their daily lives and in being better able to protect themselves and survive in case of an emergency, disaster, or hostile action.



Afghan Citizen Living in University Place, WA Threatens Suicide Bombing

Sayed Hashimi, an Afghan citizen livinging in University Place, WA, was charged with a hate crime after prosecutors said he targeted two men working at a 7-Eleven, assaulting them and threatening to kill them because they are from India.

When University Place police arrived, officers said Hashimi continued to threaten the men before asking the officers to shoot him so he could receive the blessings of Allah.

Charges state Hashimi then threatened the men in the Afghan language, saying, “This time, I punch you in the head. Next time, I’m putting a bullet in your head,” and, “I’m going back to Afghanistan to learn to be a suicide bomber.”  (KIRO 7 News, November 10, 2018)
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