“In the past 20 years, not a single officer in Florida has been charged with using deadly force,” The New York Times reported last week, a startling prevalence of de-facto immunity in a state where police violence is not rare.
police state
Sheriff’s Deputies Never Wrote an Incident Report After Fatally Shooting Palm Coast Man
Details of the December 2012 fatal shooting of 32-year-old Troy Gordon on Brownstone Lane in Palm Coast, at a time when Don Fleming was still sheriff, emerged in a court case today that revealed how a union could trump sheriff’s policy even in grave shooting incidents.
Every Town a Ferguson:
Reflections of a Scary Black Kid from Brooklyn
Next time you feel intimidated by a black man, try to understand that it’s not about you, writes Jon Hardison, as much as it reflects remnants of a fear of what the average black American grew up with.
On Medical Pot, Palm Coast and Flagler Beach Governments Are Smoking the Wrong Stuff
Flagler Beach’s actual and Palm Coast’s planned zoning restrictions on medical marijuana are wrong-headed, needlessly antagonistic toward medical pot users, and based on more misinformation than public expectations on medical marijuana.
Flagler Schools’ Latest Student Code of Conduct: Zero Tolerance Endures, More Infractions Added, But Also More Vagueness
The proposed 2015 Student Code of Conduct in Flagler County Schools adds a series of infractions, including cussing, slurs, harassment,and use of social media, but despite Superintendent Jacob Oliva’s stated opposition to zero-tolerance policies, those remain unchanged, and many of the changes exhibit alarming vagueness.
All Flagler Elementary Schools Will Have School Cops This Year, Even as SRD Total Won’t Change
The Flagler School district approved a plan that spreads its five full-time School Resource Deputies between 11 schools, reducing FPC’s cops to one full-timer, with the other dividing time between three elementary schools, and cops at two middle schools covering an elementary school each.
Birth Control Coverage: Hobby Lobby Decision May Not Be The Last Word
The Supreme Court’s decision Monday saying that “closely held corporations” do not have to abide by the contraceptive coverage mandate in the Affordable Care Act may not give those firms the ability to stop providing that coverage after all.
As Florida Eases Harsh Approach, Study Shows Locking Up Juveniles Makes Them Likelier Adult Criminals
Between fiscal year 2010-11 and fiscal year 2012-13, juvenile arrests in Florida declined 23 percent and felony juvenile arrests declined 17 percent, while transfers to adult court declined 36 percent.
Domestic Spying: How Marketers’ Tracking of Your Web History Is Getting Creepier–Offline
Online marketers are increasingly seeking to track users offline, as well, by collecting data about people’s offline habits—such as recent purchases, where you live, how many kids you have, and what kind of car you drive.
ACLU Sues Sarasota Police For Access To Records On Cell Phone “Stingray” Tracking Program
The ACLU of Florida has been seeking public records for several months now from about 30 police departments and sheriffs’ offices all over Florida in an effort to access whether or not police are not trampling on privacy rights.