By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Six deputies for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department were sentenced Wednesday to up to 41 months in prison for interfering with a federal civil rights investigation at a jail. The federal judge told the defendants that they lacked “courage to do what is right” and showed no remorse. The sentencing follows…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A flood has wiped out a good portion of the FBI’s documents on the civil rights era. IO9 reports the discovery was made recently after a professor had requested documents related to the Ku Klux Klan. Those documents – and many more – were destroyed when the FBI’s archives in Alexandria, Va.,…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The rash of shootings of unarmed black teens has prompted Attorney General Eric Holder to launch an investigation of law enforcement bias in five not-yet-named cities, the USA Today reports. Holder said the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO., underscored the importance of an investigation. To head the…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Civil rights lawyers are suing federal government to force the disclosure of the name of the Border Patrol agent who shot and killed a 16-year-old teen in the back. “This is an extraordinary request by the government and just one more example of how the Border Patrol attempts to shield its…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A senior Justice Department lawyer who has been a key proponent of President Obama’s initiatives has been named to the department’s No. 3 post, becoming the highest-ranking openly gay official to ever serve the department, the New York Times reports. Stuart F. Delery is replacing Tony West, who announced his departure…
By St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial Board A few numbers indicate a civil rights investigation of the Ferguson Police Department is long overdue. On Thursday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the Department of Justice will begin such an inquiry. This is an important and positive step forward, but we suspect when he gets into the numbers,…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The Justice Department is launching a broad civil rights investigation into the Ferguson Police Department after an unarmed black teen was shot, leading to protests, unrest and more abuse from local cops. The Washington Post reports that the investigation is expected to be announced as early as today by Attorney…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com What are the chances of the Justice Department landing a criminal prosecution in the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson? It won’t be easy, the Associated Press reports. Dozens of FBI agents are in Ferguson, interviewing potential witnesses. The Justice Department must meet a difficult standard of proof. To…
