Dothan Alabama Justice

This all started when a friend asked me to look into the taser death of a family member in Dothan, Alabama. I know that taser death cases are hard to make. Generally, taser deaths arise from some alleged misconduct on behalf of the decedent. But I could not begin to suspect how little cooperation local authorities would provide in merely attempting to discover how Johnnie Warren met his death in February, 2012. I am dismayed that eight months after his death we still don't have the toxicology report, autopsy records, witness statements or police dispatch reports. The Alabama Bureau of Investigation completed its report more than two months ago and advised us that we needed to check with the District Attorney to review the records. Despite numerous calls, emails and letters, we still don't have the information. A similar case in Atlanta resulted in a meeting with the GBI within weeks and a massive stack of documents from the medical examiner. After all these years of practicing law in the South, I thought I had seen it all. Today, I started browsing the Internet and learned that on Monday of this week, a woman and her friends led a protest on the steps of the Houston County Courthouse, seeking basically the same information for her son who was shot and killed by Dothan police. Then, I discovered that Houston County's DA, Doug Valeska, is being sued for striking 82% of blacks from criminal juries - a possible constitutional violation of the Batson case. A similar taser case was dismissed about a year ago, without it ever going before a jury. Now that I have a better understanding, I am seeking out media coverage and church involvement, just to find out how Johnnie Warren died.

Supplier Diversity Experts At Creating Opportunity Conference

Charlotte

Perhaps the most poignant moment of the Democratic celebration in Charlotte was former Congresswoman Gabriel Gifford’s recitation of the pledge of allegiance. Slow and halting, at first it sounded like a child. “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible…” And then it was obvious that the slight slurring of the words and the deliberate pace were the result of her painstaking, herculean effort to overcome the brain damage done by the deranged gunman who shot her at point blank range and killed 6 others. All wrapped up in the few seconds of her presentation were all of our hopes and fears – the courage, the will to overcome adversity, the senselessness of violence, the eternal triumph of the human spirit. Every morning by 8:00 a.m. each state held delegate meetings. D.J. Johnson, the former basketball player and now Mayor of Sacramento came by to share his hilarious trepidation at leaving his ID behind when invited to visit the White House. Our own Atlanta Mayor and Meet the Press Super Star Kasim Reed and Rev. Jesse Jackson and Dr. Joseph Lowery also came by to cheer us on. Given the late adjournment time of the official sessions, the early morning meetings and the late night parties, sleep was in short supply. On our first night the Congressional Black Caucus held a nice party at Charlotte’s Epicentre and served barbecue. I was forced to explain to culturally deprived Georgians that the only proper way to eat barbecue is with Cole slaw. I kept looking for Leader Clyburn, but never saw him come it. I did get to dance the Wobble with a bunch of people, including a few members of Congress and their wives. The Georgia delegation sat in front of Vermont. When Senator Patrick Leahy came down to greet his constituents, none of them was any more ecstatic than I was to see the hero of the Senate Judiciary Committee – the man who did more than any other to reduce the crack/powder sentencing disparity. Joe Biden oversimplified what’s at stake – “GM is alive and Bin Laden is dead.” Rev. Jackson reminded me at breakfast that the U.S. has not traditionally supported assassination of foreign leaders, e.g. Castro. And for anyone who thinks Janet Granholm acted like a crazy lady on stage, she has a right to exuberant enthusiasm. I can remember how she seemed near tears begging Congress to send aid to Michigan at the beginning of the recession when she was still Governor of Michigan. If anyone has the right to be over-the-top glad that President Obama bailed out the auto industry, it is she. I don’t know if the TV audiences got to see all the musical entertainment. It was as eclectic as the delegation. From James Taylor, to Mary J Blige, to the Foo Fighters, there was something for everyone. And that is just like the Democratic Party. President for Life Bill Clinton put it best, “Do you want a country where we are all in it together, or do you want to go it on your own?” Food for thought and inspiration to vote. Words cannot adequately describe the excitement, anticipation, pride and unmitigated joy that pervaded the hall when President Obama took the stage. There was so much cheering and flag-waving that it felt that the whole world was rooting for the President’s re-election. I was so happy that a friend was able to wrangle a couple of press passes for my sister, Davida and my cousin Ann. Looking at the crowd every night in the Time Warner Arena you could see America. Not just on the stage, but in the seats. Democrats are old, young, able, disabled, black, white, Latino, Asian, male, female, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, agnostic, straight and gay. They made me proud to be a Democrat. For those few days in Charlotte, we were one nation, tied together, not by race, ethnicity, religion or gender, but all loyal to a Republic based upon an idea, as ephemeral and substantial as they come – liberty and justice for all. Based on today’s news and polls, the President looks like a shoo-in. But supporters of President Obama should not be lured into complacency. The President is enjoying a nice post-convention bounce. It will wear off in the weeks ahead and the polls will tighten. Use these last few days of the campaign to call, text and email your friends and neighbors in North Carolina and Florida. Visit those states if you can. Vote early in your own elections, because all the races are important. Take the time to help someone get their ID in order. Do more than cheer - vote. Remember, we get the kind of government we deserve. Janice L. Mathis, Esq. Vice President, Rainbow PUSH Coalition

Augusta National Finally Admits Women

Augusta National Protest Nets Results

For more information, call 404 525 5663 Statement of Janice L. Mathis for The Rainbow PUSH Coalition We are gratified that Augusta National has agreed to finally invite women to join the club. Darla Moore and Condoleeza Rice are both stellar examples of the character, talent, drive and accomplishment that will only enhance the club’s membership. Having come out of UGA athletics and the Olympics, we believed that Billy Payne is the type of leader who understands the role of women in sport. It is only right that during the 40th year since the enactment of Title IX that a significant barrier to women’s equality would fall. The Masters may be owned and produced by Augusta National, but it is a quintessentially American sports landmark. That fact, together with the public support provided by the citizens of Augusta-Richmond County made the tournament and its sponsor the business of all Americans. It is also important to note that part of the great American tradition is the right to protest injustice. This year, and many years before, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Martha Burke, NOW and others engaged in peaceful direct action and protest to bring this matter to light. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition celebrates this important victory with Augusta National and our movement allies. In photo below, we are picketing Augusta National once again in April, 2012. Finally, the time for change had come. Pictured are Janice L. Mathis and Sintonio Hobbs.

Augusta National Statement

For Immediate Release: Contact Sherry Mallory gme880@yahoo.com Rob Woods Spin1woods@yahoo.com (773) 256-2714 pressdepartment@rainbowpush.org Rainbow PUSH Challenges Augusta National to Include Women, Again Get Informed, Get Inspired, Get Involved ATLANTA (April 5, 2012) Nearly a decade after RPC VP Janice L. Mathis, Martha Burk and other activists protested the exclusion of women from Augusta National, some things have changed, and some have not. There are a few more female heads of Fortune 500 Companies now than there were in 2003, but Augusta National (home of the Masters) has still not opened its doors to women. Mathis and others will picket the tournament on Saturday from noon, until 2:00 p.m. “It surprises me a little that Billy Payne (given his Olympics background) has not nudged the traditionalists into accepting female members, especially in time for IBM’s CEO to receive her green sponsor’s jacket. Why bring this misery onto itself?” Georgia Power and other Atlanta-based firms ended their sponsorship of the tournament, but with tickets priced at Super Bowl levels and platinum-plated members like Bill Gates, Augusta National doesn’t need the money. “Why bother making an issue of it?” some may ask. It matters because the Masters is more than a private game of golf. It takes over the City of Augusta every Spring. School closes, the Chronicle is saturated with tournament coverage, police officers and city garbage collectors earn extra pay for overtime work, the azaleas bloom and the world comes to Augusta. It matters because after Tiger’s first win, the course was Tigerized in an effort to make it harder for him to win again. Gender and race discrimination are each made of equal parts fear and loathing. They are indistinguishable. I think of America’s image abroad. We lag the world in women leaders. Places like India and Pakistan accept female leadership easier than we do. A woman’s worth is still too often calculated based on what she looks like than what she does. If you think I exaggerate, ask Baylor’s superstar hoopster, Brittney Griner. Wouldn’t it be nice to tell our enemies everywhere that all Americans count and that we are pursuing a more perfect union and playing by one set of rules? Pretty soon the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the issue of affirmative action, again. Before she left the Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote persuasively about the “paths to leadership” that wind through America’s most elite institutions. I encourage Augusta National to enter a new era and permit highly qualified women to join the ranks of the club’s elite membership. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition is a progressive organization protecting, defending and expanding civil rights to improve economic and educational opportunity. The organization is headquartered at 930 E. 50th St. in Chicago. To learn more about the RainbowPUSH Coalition, please visit www.rainbowpush.org, or telephone (773) 373-3366. For more information, please call (404) 525-5663 or 404 394 1500.

GOP Witchhunt for the Zombie Voter

• By Eugene Robinson, Published: April 30 The Washington Post Republicans are waging the most concerted campaign to prevent or discourage citizens from exercising their legitimate voting rights since the Jim Crow days of poll taxes and literacy tests. Four years ago, Democrats expanded American democracy by registering millions of new voters — mostly young people and minorities — and persuading them to show up at the polls. Apparently, the GOP is determined not to let any such thing happen again. According to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, which keeps track of changes in voting laws, 22 statutes and two executive actions aimed at restricting the franchise have been approved in 17 states since the beginning of 2011. By the center’s count, an additional 74 such bills are pending. The most popular means of discouraging those young and minority voters — who, coincidentally, tend to vote for Democrats — is legislation requiring citizens to show government-issued photo identification before they are allowed to cast a ballot. Photo ID bills have been approved by Republican-controlled legislatures in Alabama, Kansas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin, and by referendum in Mississippi. Only one state with a Democratic-controlled legislature — Rhode Island — passed a law requiring voters to produce identification, and it does not mandate a government ID with a photo. In Virginia, Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell has not decided whether to sign a voter ID bill the legislature sent to his desk. In theory, what could be wrong with demanding proof of identity? In the real world, plenty. As Republican strategists are fully aware, minorities are overrepresented among the estimated 11 percent of citizens who do not have a government-issued photo ID. They are also painfully aware that, in 2008, President Obama won 95 percent of the African American vote and 67 percent of the Hispanic vote. It doesn’t take a genius to do the math: If you can reduce the number of black and Latino voters, you improve the Republican candidate’s chances. If photo ID laws were going to be the solution, though, Republicans had to invent a problem. The best they could come up with was The Menace of Widespread Voter Fraud. It’s a stretch. Actually, it’s a lie. There is no Widespread Voter Fraud. All available evidence indicates that fraudulent voting of the kind that photo ID laws would presumably prevent — someone shows up at the polls and votes in someone else’s name — just doesn’t happen. For a while, the GOP pointed to South Carolina, where Republican Gov. Nikki Haley said that “dead people” had somehow cast ballots in recent elections. But then the state’s election commission investigated claims of 953 zombie voters and, um, well, never mind. The number of voters came from a crude comparison of records done by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. The elections commission actually found 207 contested votes. Of that total, 106 reflected clerical errors by poll workers, 56 reflected errors by the motor vehicles department, 32 involved people who were mistakenly listed as having voted, and three involved people who had cast absentee ballots and then died before Election Day. That left 10 contested votes — count ’em, 10 — that could not be immediately resolved. However, the commission found no evidence of fraud. Or of zombies. Of course, there are other potential kinds of electoral fraud; crooked poll workers, for example, could record votes in the names of citizens who actually stayed home. Election officials could design ballots in a way that worked to a specific candidate’s advantage or disadvantage (see Florida, 2000). But none of this would be prevented by photo ID, which still hasn’t found a problem to solve — except, perhaps, an excess of Democratic voters. Even more sinister are new laws, such as in Florida, that make it much more difficult for campaigns — or anyone else — to conduct voter-registration drives. If you thought Republicans and Democrats agreed that more Americans should register to vote, you were sadly mistaken. Florida requires that groups conducting registration drives be vetted and that registration forms be submitted within 48 hours of when they are signed — an onerous and unnecessary burden that only serves to hamper anyone seeking to expand the electorate. Let’s see, who might try to do such a thing? The Democratic Party, maybe? The Obama campaign? In the name of safeguarding the sanctity of the ballot, Republicans are trying to exclude citizens they consider likely to vote for Democrats — the young, the poor, the black and brown. Those who love democracy cannot allow this foul subterfuge to succeed.