Mayor: St. Louis 'on edge' awaiting police shooting verdict

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The mayor of St. Louis says the city is "on edge" as it awaits a verdict in the first-degree murder trial of former police officer Jason Stockley, in part because of a troubled history of justice in St. Louis and nationwide.

Stockley is accused of fatally shooting Anthony Lamar Smith in 2011. The case was heard last month, but it's unclear when Judge Timothy Wilson will issue a verdict.

Activists have threatened civil disobedience if Stockley, who is white, is acquitted in the death of Smith, who was black.

"We're all on edge because we have watched, in this country and in our region, that legal decisions can and do result in families and sometimes entire communities being left without a sense of justice," Mayor Lyda Krewson said in a statement and video. "That can and has resulted in protests and demonstrations."

The St. Louis region was in the spotlight in 2014 when 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed, was fatally shot by white officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting and a grand jury's decision not to indict Wilson led to months of racially charged protests.

"The worry and anxiety we are feeling today is not without cause, and it did not start with Ferguson," Krewson said. "It has its roots in the story of our country. I hope we will all learn more about the laws and policies that closed the doors for some, while leaving them open for others."

Stockley and his partner saw Smith involved in what they thought was a drug transaction at a fast-food parking lot in December 2011. Smith sped away, nearly striking the officers. After a chase, Stockley shot Smith while Smith was still in his car.

Stockley testified that Smith had a gun, but prosecutors alleged that Stockley planted the weapon found in the car. They also cited dashboard camera video in which Stockley threatened to kill Smith less than a minute before doing so.

Krewson, 64, who is white, was elected earlier this year in part because three black Democratic rivals split the African-American vote. She has pledged to help ease the racial divide in St. Louis. The city has a nearly evenly split population of blacks and whites among its 316,000 residents.

Shortly after her election, Krewson created a position of director of racial equity and priority initiatives. She hired Nicole Hudson, who was previously active in reform efforts in Ferguson.

LEXINGTON, S.C.-- An elementary school teacher is on administrative leave after giving fifth grade students an assignment that asked them to imagine being a member of the KKK in the period after the Civil War.

The assignment was given to students in a class at Oak Pointe Elementary in Lexington-Richland School District Five. Tremain Cooper, who identified himself as the uncle of a student in the class, posted a picture of the assignment on Facebook Thursday.

"This is my little 10-year-old nephew's homework assignment today," Cooper wrote. "He's home crying right now."

The homework assignment includes the following question: "You are there...You are a member of the KKK. Why do you think your treatment of African-Americans is justified?"

School District Five told WLTX-TC that officials are taking the matter "very seriously" and the teacher was placed on administrative leave while the investigation unfolds.

"We have been in communication and will continue to be in communication with families to let them know our actions and next steps," the statement said. "South Carolina standards for 5th grade require lessons on Reconstruction and discriminatory groups including the KKK. We must teach the standard, but we are taking steps to ensure this particular assignment will never be used again in District Five schools."

Protesters disrupt ex-FBI director’s speech at Howard University

Former FBI director James B. Comey was heckled and jeered throughout a speech Friday at Howard University by a group of protesters chanting “No justice, no peace” in a loud, contentious standoff that didn’t end until he finished his remarks.

The scene made for a difficult reappearance for the man fired by President Trump in May. It was Comey’s first public speech since he testified before Congress in June about his firing, and few in the crowd of over 1,000 could hear much of what he said.

“Get out James Comey! You’re not our homie!” the group of about 20 protesters chanted.

Comey repeatedly asked to be permitted to speak, but the protesters continued chanting.

“No justice, no peace, no f---ing police!” they shouted.

Eventually, the larger audience began cheering “Let him speak!” But the protesters were not deterred or quieted. ​

University officials also repeatedly and unsuccessfully sought to persuade the protesters to let Comey speak, telling them to “be better than this’’ and allow for an open debate of ideas. In response, the protesters chanted, “White supremacy is not a debate!”

Comey, wearing black academic robes, sought to get the attention of the crowd, to no avail.

“I’m only going to speak for 12 minutes,” he said of his convocation address, joking that if the protesters kept it up they were all going to be late for lunch.

“I love the enthusiasm of the young folks. I just wish they would understand what a conversation is,’’ said Comey, trying to speak above the interruptions of the protesters.

At one point, university professor Bernard Richardson sought to quell the protest, saying, “That’s not the Howard University way.”

Comey remained quiet for about 10 minutes but then decided to deliver his speech over the shouting. Delivering his prepared remarks, Comey spoke of the importance of young people finding and expressing their voice but urged them to also seek understanding of their parents and the generations that came before them. Much of his remarks were drowned out by the protesters’ shouting.

“Our country is going through one of those periods where we’re trying to figure out who are we really and what do we stand for. It’s painful,” Comey said.

The former FBI director has agreed to take part in a lecture series at Howard this year. He ended his remarks to the crowd by saying: “Welcome to Howard. I’m honored to be here with you, and I look forward to adult conversation about what is right and what is true.’’

The crowd gave him a standing ovation.

“That was really crazy,” said Howard freshmen Taylor Davis. “Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like that before. I grew up in the suburbs.”

Davis said that she agreed with the protesters’ message but added: “I do think Comey deserved to speak. There was a lot of people, the majority in there, did want to hear him out and were ready to have a serious conversation.”

After the ceremony, a larger crowd of protesters outside the hall yelled more anti-Comey chants.

The protesting students issued a statement saying Comey “represents an institution diametrically opposed to the interests of black people domestically and abroad. While his tenure at the FBI has finished, his impact on our community remains.”

In particular, they faulted him with propagating what some officials have called “the Ferguson effect” — a theory that the rise in violent crime is due to police being fearful of facing public criticism for being too violent, and therefore avoiding confrontations with criminals.

One student, 17-year-old Dave Cassell, said he agreed with the message of the protesters.

“It makes sense due to the racial history between the FBI and black people,” Cassell said.

The chanting continued as Comey went on with his boilerplate address about why colleges like Howard should be considered an important part of the “real world.” He did manage to work in another dig at the protestors, too.

“The rest of the real world is a place where it is hard sometimes to find people who will listen with an attitude that they might actually be convinced of something,” Comey said. “Instead what happens in most of the real world — and in about four rows of this auditorium — is that people don’t listen at all. They just try to figure out what rebuttal they’re going offer when you’re done speaking.”

MLive wrote:

SAGINAW, MI -- A 17-year-old Saginaw woman could face life in prison on charges she raped a 19-year-old man at knife point.

Lestina Marie Smith was arraigned Tuesday morning, Jan. 17, on two felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Each charge carries a maximum punishment of life in prison.

The charges stem from a Jan. 11 incident in Saginaw Township where Smith allegedly held another Saginaw teen at knife point and engaged in oral and vaginal sex with him.

Smith was denied bond and is being held in the Saginaw County Jail.

Mlive wrote:

The victim, who was 19 at the time and said he has autism, was soft-spoken throughout the proceedings.

He said he wasn't sure why Smith wanted to meet with him early Jan. 11, the date of the alleged incident, but did say he had called her "whore" on Facebook about four days before and she had recently deleted a video he had of the pair having sex.

The victim drove to Smith's step-sister's Saginaw Township home around 1 or 2 a.m. Jan. 11 and was met by Smith, who hopped into his car, he testified.

Smith then began berating the victim and calling him names, while recording with her cellphone, he testified.

She began punching him and, eventually, pulled a steak knife from her sleeve and stabbed him in the arm and poked him under the eye with it, he testified.

The stab to the arm did not pierce skin but did put a hole in his leather jacket, he stated.

The victim said he was locked in the car and couldn't call for help, as his phone and keys were taken by Smith, he testified.

He tried to take the knife from Smith, but only succeeded in suffering defensive wounds on his hands, he said.

Smith then told him to get into the back seat, he said.

The victim described Smith holding him at knife-point and forcing him to perform oral sex on her as she took a cell phone video.

Saginaw Township Police Officer David West testified he responded to the incident that night and saw the video.

Smith told him she used the knife to scare the victim, West testified.

The victim testified that Smith forced him to perform sexual intercourse at knifepoint.

After that, she began to stab his car seats and dashboard and cut up his high school graduation tassel, he testified.

Smith returned his keys and the victim drove to a nearby gas station, where he called police, he testified.

The Independent wrote:

Smith, now 18, who had faced up to life in prison if convicted on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, pleaded no contest last week to second-degree criminal sexual conduct, court records show. Prosecutors, in turn, agreed to drop the most serious charges when she’s sentenced on Oct. 5.

Smith now faces up to 15 years in prison, but could instead receive probation and jail time, court records show.

Videos posted on Twitter Friday morning show a Huntington Beach police officer struggling with and then firing multiple times on a man who collapses in front of a 7-Eleven. Police say the man was hospitalized and later died.

A 17-second video of the incident was initially posted to Twitter just after 9:30 a.m. It shows an officer firing multiple times at a man, who falls to the sidewalk.

A Huntington Beach Police Department spokeswoman said the officer contacted a male individual outside the 7-Eleven at 6012 Edinger Ave. and they "got into an altercation." Then an officer-involved shooting occurred and the male was taken to a hospital with unknown injuries, police spokeswoman Officer Angie Bennett said.

Police weren't immediately releasing any other details, but just after noon Bennett confirmed the man had died. His identity has not been released.

A few additional seconds of video captured by the same photographer who tweeted the shooting footage appear to show the officer struggling with the man, whose back is on the pavement. The man appears to take something off the officer's duty belt before the officer pulls away and shots are fired.

The additional video was distributed to local television news stations by a freelance news photographer, who also tweeted the footage.

Two witnesses who were separately going to the 7-Eleven described the events. Both witnesses, who each did not want to be identified, said the officer approached the man, who then swung a punch toward the officer. One of the witnesses said the man "hit" the officer, while the other said the man "tried to throw a punch."

Then the man and the officer were on the ground wrestling when the man grabbed what appeared to be the officer's "magazine clip," both witnesses said.

In the video showing the gunfire, the man, clad in dark pants and sweatshirt, is clearly holding something in his right hand before the shots are fired, causing him to convulse and stumble.

It was not immediately clear if the officer fired live ammunition or nonlethal rounds. When asked about this, Bennett repeatedly responded that the shooting was "an OIS."

In the video, six shots are fired and then someone yells something that sounds like "Get down, get down." Then a seventh shot is fired and the man stumbles backward and collapses on his side.

The officer picks up a radio and speaks into it, but it's not clear what he says.

A female employee inside the store was grazed by a bullet, one of the witnesses said.


Marina High School, at 15871 Springdale St. and diagonally across Edinger Avenue from the 7-Eleven, was placed on lockdown. The school tweeted that there were many police patrol cars on scene and that students were safe.

Some students said they left school after the lockdown was lifted, too disturbed by the shooting to return to class.

"That was actually basically seeing a person die. It's not like the movies," said student Carmella Marshall. "It's really real."

Colin Kaepernick explains protest of national anthem

SANTA CLARA, Ca. -- Forty Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick has willingly and knowingly immersed himself into controversy by refusing to stand for the playing of the national anthem in protest of what he deems are wrongdoings against African Americans and minorities in the United States.

His latest refusal to stand for the anthem -- he has done this in at least one other preseason game -- came before the 49ers preseason loss to Green Bay at Levi's Stadium.

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game against Green Bay. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

The 49ers issued this statement: "The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem."

By taking a stand for civil rights, Kaepernick, 28, joins other athletes, like the NBA's Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and several WNBA players in using their platform and status to raise awareness to issues affecting minorities in the U.S.

However, refusal to support the American flag as a means to take a stand has brought incredible backlash before and likely will in this instance. The NBA's Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf of the Denver Nuggets, formerly Chris Jackson before converting to Islam, refused to acknowledge the flag in protest, citing similar reasons as Kaepernick and saying that it conflicted with some of his Islamic beliefs.

Abdul-Rauf drew the ire of fans and was briefly suspended by the NBA before a compromise was worked out between the league and player, who eventually stood with his teammates and coaches at the playing of the national anthem.

Kaepernick said that he is aware of what he is doing and that he knows it will not sit well with a lot of people, including the 49ers. He said that he did not inform the club or anyone affiliated with the team of his intentions to protest the national anthem.

"This is not something that I am going to run by anybody," he said. "I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. ... If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right."

Kaepernick said that he has thought about going public with his feelings for a while but that "I felt that I needed to understand the situation better."

He said that he has discussed his feelings with his family and, after months of witnessing some of the civil unrest in the U.S., decided to be more active and involved in rights for black people. Kaepernick, who is biracial, was adopted and raised by white parents and siblings.

Kaepernick's Twitter feed is filled with civil rights Tweets and messages.

The former Super Bowl starting quarterback's decision to go public comes while he is fighting for his football life with the 49ers, who drafted him in the second round in 2011. He lost his starting job last season after being one of the most promising players in the NFL during his run under former coach Jim Harbaugh.

Over the past few months, his relationship with management has turned sour. He requested a trade last spring, which never came to fruition. He also has spent most of the offseason rehabilitating from operations to his left (non-throwing) shoulder, his hand and knee. That left him unable to fully compete with Blaine Gabbert for months and now, just weeks before the regular season starts, has him seemingly in a bind to regain his starting job.

He made his preseason debut against the Packers and played for the second quarter, completing two of six passes for 14 yards. He looked as rusty as you'd expect from someone who has not played since last November.

Following the game and without any knowledge of Kaepernick's non-football behavior, coach Chip Kelly said that there has never been any discussion about cutting Kaepernick.