In the wake of the latest mass shooting at a school, President Biden called for tougher gun controls and for Americans to stand up to powerful gun lobbyists. Florida’s GOP leaders maintained opposition to gun restrictions and offered prayers.
Violence
Buffalo Mass Shooter Threatened a Shooting While in High School. Could More Have Been Done?
Accused mass-shooter Payton S. Gendron’s story is not unlike the dozens of stories that typify one of the biggest challenges that schools face when it comes to averting school shootings – and in the case of Buffalo, mass shootings in general. And that challenge is recognizing and acting upon warning signs that mass shooters almost always give well before they open fire.
Mass Shootings Are Increasing, Becoming Deadlier, and 13% Are Targeting Minorities
Mass public shootings in which four or more people are killed have become more frequent, and deadly, in the last decade. And the tragedy in Buffalo is the latest in a recent trend of mass public shootings taking place in retail establishments, similar to an August 2019 shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. On that occasion, the 21-year-old white suspect posted a racist rant on social media before allegedly driving some distance to intentionally target racial and ethnic minority shoppers.
Weaponizing Children in Domestic Conflicts
There are approximately 5.7 million cases of domestic abuse in the U.S. each year, and in some of those, mothers and fathers use children to manipulate and harm the other parent. This behavior can include directly pressuring the child to spy on the abused parent or threatening the abused parent that they will never see the child again if they leave the relationship.
Mondex Father with History of Domestic Violence Arrested on 2 Felony Counts of Child Abuse
William Ziegler, 37, allegedly turned violent toward his oldest of three sons when the boy, scared of heights, got anxious washing the top of a camper, and when his youngest, who is 11, would not tell him a joke the boy was not comfortable to tell.
Couple’s Self-Destruction Replays Scenario Familiar to Cops, Only for Charges to Be Dropped Again and Again
Amber Bruder, 30, and Jacob Baer, 29, who have two young children, have been on a self-destructive pattern of arrests and release for charges stemming from confrontations between them for several years. The charges are dropped when the victim chooses not to pursue them, making it difficult for prosecutors to end the cycle.
Mother Faces Felony Charge Over Repeated Beatings of Her Son, Captured on Video at Babysitter’s
Nikki Alicia Warner, 29, of Spruce Street in Bunnell, was charged with a count of felony child abuse after allegedly repeatedly striking her son inside and outside the P-Section house where he was being babysat with his sister.
Man Accused of Terrorism Embroils Palm Coast Organization in Controversy Over Ukrainian Orphans
A Palm Coast non-profit called Loving Families and Homes for Orphans, caring for Ukrainian children, is being unfairly tarnished by the involvement with the non-profit of Matt Shea, a Spokane, Wash., man accused of domestic terrorism and tied to hate groups, the husband of the non-profit’s leader says.
He Beats His 7 Year Old Then Has Her Cover the Welts so She Doesn’t Get in Trouble at School
Joshua Rodriguez, 33, a resident of Palm Coast’s P Section, is accused of whipping his 7-year-old daughter with a belt because she was screaming. Authorities uncovered evidence of additional alleged abuse. He faces a felony charge.
Mother Faces Felony Charge for Allegedly Whipping Child Who Had Peed Himself
P.H., a 45-year-old Palm Coast resident of Whirlway Drive, a teacher at a Middle School in St. Augustine, and the mother of an elementary-age son, was arrested on a felony charge of child abuse Monday following a Department of Children and Families investigation that found P.H. allegedly whipped the boy eight or 10 times with a belt for peeing himself.
15 Year Old Charged With Hate Crime for Brutalizing Palm Coast Boy for Being Gay, at a Shelter
A 15-year-old Orange City boy was charged with a felony battery count after allegedly assaulting and brutalizing a 16-year-old Palm Coast boy while calling him a “faggot.” The incident, captured by surveillance cameras, took place at a secure SMA Healthcare facility in Daytona Beach. The victim was so severely beaten that his right eye was partially shut and he may have suffered a broken wrist.
33-Year-Old Father Faces Felony Child Abuse Charge for Throwing and Bruising Boy, 9
A week after a 33-year-old Palm Coast parent was arrested on a felony charge of abusing his high school son over the boy’s sexual orientation, another 33-year-old Palm Coast father with a history of violence was arrested on a similar charge after allegedly attacking his 9-year-old son over a purchase he made on an iPad.
Palm Coast Boy’s Father Brutalizes His Son for Wearing Make-Up; 2 Felony Counts, But No Hate Crime Charge
Lomack J. Bennett, 33, was allegedly angered by his high school son wearing make-up and proceeded to slap him repeatedly, choke him, throw him to the ground and bust his lip, according to the boy’s account. He faces a child abuse “without great bodily harm” charge and a battery charge, but no hate crime charge.
Not All Polarization Is Bad, But the US Could Be in Trouble
For the first time, the United States has been classified as a “backsliding democracy” in a global assessment of democratic societies by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an intergovernmental research group. One key reason the report cites is the continuing popularity among Republicans of false allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Sondheim’s ‘Assassins’ and the Bizarre Role of Guns in American Culture
Stephen Sondheim, who died on Nov. 26, 2021, had a knack for using stage and song to explore America’s dark, violent underbelly. “Assassins” is a collective biography of the historical figures who attempted to assassinate U.S. presidents, four of them successfully.
Four More Children Dead, and a Nation Shrugs. Again.
After every one of these shootings, we ask ourselves: How could this happen again? It is our national shame that we have become as accepting of it as we have. Lawmakers who refuse to act should be required to personally explain their inaction to the families of the dead. It is hard to see any other way for that cold-hearted resistance to crumble.
School Shootings Are At a Record High This Year. They Can Be Prevented.
The shooting at Oxford High School was one of 222 school shootings in 2021, an all-time high, according to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s K-12 School Shooting Database.
Judge All Instances of Hatred and Bias Equally
Time after time, if the aggressor is white and the victim is not, it automatically becomes a narrative about bigotry and white supremacy. The “Through the Looking Glass” moment came when Rittenhouse, who is white, shot three men, who were also white, and he’s still attacked as an example of white privilege. This is madness, and we are in societal quicksand.
Rittenhouse Verdict Flies in the Face of Legal Standards for Self-Defense
In delivering its verdict, a Wisconsin jury decided that Rittenhouse’s conduct was justified, even though the prosecution argued that he provoked the violent encounter and, therefore, should not be able to find refuge in the self-defense doctrine.
11 White Jurors and One Black Juror: Ahmaud Arbery and the Limits of Justice
Jogging while Black. Driving while Black. Walking while Black. Sitting in a public space while Black. Asking for help while Black. Eating while Black. Merely existing while Black. The cold, agonizing, disturbing truth is that to be Black in America is to regularly endure an ongoing onslaught of assaults and insults. These incidents are a stark reminder that to be Black in America means to live in a constant state of uncertainty.
When Even the Victim of Domestic Violence Wants a No-Contact Order Lifted, and the Judge Says No
Joel Buzzard, 49, of Bunnell, is on bail awaiting trial on a felony domestic violence charge involving a woman with two young children who, today, wanted his no-contact order lifted so they could see each other again. A judge said no, and Buzzard’s own attorney ordered him out of the courtroom when he had an outburst.
Corporal Punishment Is Child Abuse. Florida Law Must Stop Protecting It.
Under Florida law, child abuse is legal as long as the violence doesn’t amount to intentional, malicious harm. There is no age cut off. There are no limits on what means are used to brutalize a child. The law is a leftover from barbaric days.
Father of 20-Month-Old Boy Found Guilty of Brutalizing and Burning Him, and Faces 80 Years in Prison
A jury this evening found Deviaun Toler, 29, formerly of Palm Coast, guilty on all charges of aggravated child abuse, felony abuse and neglect at the end of a five-day trial. The victim was his 20-month-old son, who was near death when hospitalized, but survived.
‘This Is Not a Jury of My Peers,’ Man on Trial Over Child Abuse Charges Objects Moments Before Jurors Are Seated
Deviaun Toler, 29, is on trial on four charges of child abuse, two of them first-degree felony aggravated child abuse charges, and faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted. He objected to the make-up of a jury of four men and four women, all white but one.
When Students Attack Teachers
Interviews with 50 teachers from urban and suburban high schools who were threatened or attacked by a student suggest that in light of the constant threat of violence against schoolteachers, the adequacy of current security measures – or lack thereof – are ripe for review.
Flagler’s 1st Domestic Violence Conference Confronts Myths and Silences Often Complicit With Abusers
Panels at the conference, called Rise Up 2021, was organized by Daytona State College and the Flagler County Domestic Violence Task Force, delved into religious organizations’ silence toward or complicit enabling of domestic violence, the mechanics of stalking, trauma on children and other prevalent but rarely discussed fallout from a widespread problem.
Sex Trafficking Isn’t What You Think: 4 Myths Debunked
Law enforcement, medical providers, case managers, victim advocates and immigration lawyers inconsistently define and apply the label “trafficking victim” – especially when it comes to sex trafficking. That makes it harder for these professionals to get trafficked people the help they request.
The Sharpest Murder Spike in 61 Years of Record-Keeping: What Happened?
Homicides in the U.S. spiked by almost 30% in 2020. The fact that big cities, small cities, suburbs and rural areas – in both blue and red states – experienced similar increases in homicides suggests that nationwide events or trends were behind the rise. what happened in 2020 was a confluence of events that created the perfect conditions for a spike in murders.
Richard Dunn, Who Killed His Father in 2006, Back in Jail as ‘Bizarre’ Behavior Raises Concerns of More Violence
Richard Dunn, 60, was found not guilty by reason of insanity following the 2006 killing of his 87-year-old father, the famed Dr. Jack Dunn, in Palm Coast. Dunn had been inching his way back to full freedom without court supervision–until a series of weird and at times disturbing behavior in the last few months, including a probation violation, put a pause on all possibilities of full freedom.
Palm Coast’s Brittany Myers, a NICU Nurse, Arrested for Aggravated Child Abuse; 4 Children Describe Chronic Beatings
Brittany Myers, a 38-year-old mother of five and a nurse at an AdventHealth newborn intensive care unit, was arrested on a charge of aggravated child abuse after her 16-year-old daughter took video of her mother brutalizing her 14-year-old brother on Tuesday evening at their P-Section home in Palm Coast.
Florida Is Among World Leaders in Mass Incarceration
Florida and a dozen other states imprison people at the highest rates in the world, without demonstrating that incarceration reduces crime, says the Prison Policy Initiative, a non-partisan research and policy advocacy organization.
The Story of the Women Behind the First Domestic Violence Shelters
The women who set up the first women’s refuges in the UK in the 1970s changed the world. They saved the lives of many women. And the projects and political actions they began have grown into an international movement which campaigns for justice and supports all survivors and victims of domestic violence.
Family Life Center’s Trish Giaccone Sternly Rejects Flagler Beach Mayor’s ‘Rogue’ Attack, But Fences Aren’t Mended
Family Life Center Executive Director Trish Giaccone responded bluntly Thursday to criticism from Flagler Beach mayor Suzie Johnston that Giaccone had gone “rogue” by appearing on a radio commercial hosted by an incendiary county commissioner. But it does not appear as if relations between the city and the Life Center will improve.
Changing Crime Reporting Practices to Do Less Harm
Acknowledging that journalism can inflict wounds unnecessarily, AP will no longer name those arrested for minor crimes when the news service is unlikely to cover the story’s subsequent developments. Often, such stories’ publication hinges on an odd or entertaining quirk, and the names are irrelevant. Yet, the ramifications can loom large and be long-lasting for the persons named.
Domestic Violence 911 Calls Increased During Lockdown, but Police Reports and Arrests Declined
Stay-at-home orders disrupted traditional abuse-detection processes and support systems. A real increase in domestic violence indicates that this disruption occurred at a particularly damaging time. Better measures need to be put in place in order to protect victims during future outbreaks and keep everyone safe during lockdowns.
George Floyd-Inspired Bill Requiring Use-of-Force Training for Police, Termed a ‘Good Start,’ Clears Legislature
The measure seeks to address aspects of policing that came under scrutiny after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin nearly a year ago. Chauvin, who was captured on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck, was found guilty by a jury last week of murdering Floyd.
Bill Clears Way for Guns on School Campuses Co-Located With Churches and Other Religious Institutions
Schools co-located with churches, synagogues and other religious institutions may soon see firearms on school campuses – despite the gun-free school laws Florida created in 2018.
Are Mass Shootings an American Epidemic?
The most recent research on frequency of mass shootings indicates that, while still rare, they are becoming more common, though the exact number each year can vary widely, while the number of Americans who are victims of crimes involving a firearm approaches half a million a year.
Two Palm Coast Teens Arrested in ‘Prank’ Bomb Threat at KFC and BB-Gun Shooting Spree
Christian Boyd, 18, and Kyle Sanderson, 16, thought they were just pranking as they called in a bomb threat at a KFC and went on a BB shooting spree the next day that injured a teen and damaged two cars in Palm Coast.
Appeals Court Hears Challenge to Schools Using Non-Cops as Armed Security on Campuses
A controversial state program that allows school “guardians” to carry guns on campus came under scrutiny Tuesday, as an appeals court heard arguments in a legal challenge to Duval County’s “school safety assistants.”
A Perfectly Legal Lynching in Georgia?
Killings of black men by whites are 8.5 times more likely to be ruled “justified.” That’s the reality behind a South Georgia prosecutor who’d said there was insufficient evidence to arrest two white men involved in the fatal shooting of black runner Ahmaud Arbery.
In Flagler, Life-Saving Policing You Can Be Proud Of
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is entering its eighth year without a single officer-initiated shooting of a civilian, a heroic achievement that contrasts tragically with jurisdictions across the country where 900 to 1,000 civilians lose their lives annually.
In Major Shift, Federal Spending Bill Contains Money for Gun-Related Research
The spending bill allocates $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to study gun violence. If the bill becomes law, it would be the first time in more than 20 years that Congress has allocated money for such studies.
The Price of America’s Inability to Track Child Deaths from Abuse and Neglect? Sometimes, More Lives.
Reliable statistics on deaths and near-deaths from abuse and neglect can help shape better policies to protect children. A new report shows the breadth of government failures to collect and report this information.
Calling It Terrorism, Judge Finds FPC Girl Guilty of Threatening to Kill Teacher; She’s Appealing
Circuit Court Judge Chris France, applying an extremely broad definition of terrorism, today found a 17-year-old former Flagler Palm Coast High School student guilty of threatening to kill her teacher through written messages to a fellow-student a year ago.
13 Florida Cities and Gun-Control Groups Counter NRA Claims and Push for Assault-Weapons Ban
The political committee Ban Assault Weapons NOW, the gun-control group Brady and a coalition of 13 cities filed briefs Friday saying that the proposal meets legal tests to go before voters.
Parent Who Allegedly Threatened to Burn Down Bunnell Elementary Over Racism Faces Felony Charge–and Potential Hate Crime
A 23-year-old parent of two children at Bunnell Elementary accused school staff of being racist and was heard allegedly threatening to burn down the school. The sheriff’s office forwarded a felony charge to the State Attorney’s Office and recommended a more serious charge under the state’s hate-crime law.
NRA and Attorney General Moody File Briefs Attacking Proposed Assault Weapons Ban in Florida
Three briefs were filed Friday in opposition to the proposed amendment, which the political committee Ban Assault Weapons NOW is trying to place on the November 2020 ballot.
Sheriff’s Domestic Violence Initiative Points to Some Gains as Offenders Are More Closely Tracked
Domestic violence arrests have edged down this year and 40 GPS monitors have been issued to offenders, who are violating their release conditions less–or ending up in jail again when they do.
Case of Student Arrested and Released After Allegedly Planning School Shooting Worries Safety Commission
In early September, law enforcement officers arrested a 15-year-old student who they say scribbled in a notebook six pages of specific and well-researched strategies to carry out a mass shooting at Baker County High School.