Georgia Incarcerates Death Row Inmate Wilburn Wiley Dobbs for Fifteen Years Without a Sentence

A few months ago, in late September of 2011, the Georgia criminal justice system shocked the world when it executed a self-proclaimed innocent man by the name of Troy Davis.  Troy was able to capture the attention of civil rights groups, human rights activists, and innocence projects around the world with his story, but in the end all the media support would not budge the Governor of Georgia or the U.S. Supreme Court to stay his execution.  Despite Troy’s passing, his strength of character has been an example to many, including a fellow inmate at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison, Wiley Dobbs.

Relax, Stay Home: Election Fraud Goes Unenforced

 
Take a moment and imagine the following.  It is Election Day 2010 in your state of Maryland, and on your way home you plan to stop by your assigned polling place to exercise your right to vote.  Two hours before the polls close, though, you receive a robocall telling you to “relax” and that there was no need to vote because Governor Martin O’Malley has won re-election.  If you think this sounds like an underhanded method to discourage you from voting, then you would be right and it is precisely what happened last year in Prince George’s and Baltimore County, Maryland.

Racial Discrimination By Any Other Name: Connecticut vs. Arizona

Connecticut state legislature passed a bill on Monday, May 7^th, providing a system for citizen complaints regarding possible racially motivated traffic stops.  “The Act Concerning Traffic Stop Information,” SB 364 mandates that local and state agencies develop their own policies prohibiting the stopping and detention of persons motivated solely by race, color, ethnicity, age, gender or sexual orientation.  The bill is expected to be signed by Gov. Dannel Malloy and go into effect January 1, 2013, after which those pulled over will get a copy of a standardized form filled out by the police and which can be used to file a complaint for prompt review by the police department and a state agency.  The bill comes months after four East Haven police officers were arrested for allegedly targeting and harassing Latinos during traffic stops.

First Criminal Charges in Gulf Oil Spill Provide Little Solace

 Last Tuesday, April 24, the first criminal charges were quietly filed in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.  Kurt Mix, a former engineer for British Petroleum (BP), was arrested and charged with two counts of obstruction of justice.  On Thursday, May 3^rd, Mix pleaded not guilty to the crimes.  Unfortunately, this arrest does little to help those whose lives and businesses were forever changed after the catastrophe.

Secret Service Prostitution Scandal

Cartagena, Columbia

Secret Service agents involved in the prostitution scandal in Cartagena, Columbia in April 2012 before President Obama’s visit to the Summit of the Americas have recently been investigated.  Agents have been accused of bringing prostitutes back to their hotel rooms in Hotel El Caribe.  The Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan has cooperated with congressional investigators for the prostitution scandal.