by Casey Bastian
Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz were arrested on minor charges in 2017 by the New York Police Department (“NYPD”) – Clark in Manhattan and Aziz in Brooklyn. Clark and Aziz are devout Muslims who wear the appropriate head scarves or hijabs. Muslim women wear the hijab when ...
by Casey Bastian
When a criminal defendant enters a court of law, he or she is aware that the prosecutor intends to hold them accountable for any of their conduct alleged to have violated a law. The public implicitly trusts that prosecutors will likewise follow the law and act in ...
by Casey J. Bastian
For human beings suffering from mental illness, living a safe and productive life can be extraordinarily difficult. Far too often, and all across America, thousands end up in prison as a result of their conditions. Beginning in the 1950s, psychiatric institutions were criticized as inhumane and ...
by Casey J. Bastian
In 1966, the official Officer Friendly program was first instituted by the Chicago Police Department. Shortly after inception, the program became sponsored by the Sears-Roebuck Foundation. This educational program was designed for elementary schools, focusing on kids ages 5-8. The Department of Education notes that by ...
by Casey Bastian
Jamarcus Glover was offered a plea agreement on July 13, 2020, by Commonwealth attorney Tom Wine. Glover is a convicted felon with a history of drug trafficking. The plea would reduce the likely 10-year prison sentence on charges of criminal syndication, drug trafficking, and gun charges to ...
by Casey Bastian
All across America, mostly peaceful protests have advanced cries to defund the police. This increasing demand is in response to too many recent examples of law enforcement abusing its authority. Often, these acts result in seemingly avoidable injuries or deaths. So some of the more liberal cities ...
by Casey Bastian
In 2018, Florida electors passed an amendment to the state constitution allowing the restoration of voting rights to residents convicted of felonies. The amendment, which does not apply to those convicted of murder or sexual offenses, restored the right to any resident who completed “all terms of ...
by Casey Bastian
Most Americans are not aware that Vigilant Solutions has a product called “Law Enforcement Archival Reporting.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) knows about it and reportedly uses its database to conduct warrantless surveillance. CBP admitted that it uses the database in CBP’s updated Privacy Impact Assessment ...
by Casey Bastian
Protests against excessive force by police continue across the country. Demonstrations escalated after George Floyd was killed on a Minneapolis street in May. Portland, Oregon, received significant attention when violent acts began overshadowing the mostly peaceful protests. In response to attempts by protesters to vandalize a federal ...
by Casey Bastian
Once again, a video of an interaction between a police officer and a citizen has gone viral. Thankfully, the citizen survived this encounter. Alexis Wilkins, a 20-year-old diabetic, was returning from a George Floyd protest in Cincinnati when the car she was in was stopped. Wilkins was ...
