Caught on Camera: Man Beaten, Arrested

Arkansas Police Accountability Project




FOX16 (PULASKI COUNTY, AR) - "Yeah I thought I was going to get shot, is what I thought." 

Martin Mcclain Jr. says he was at a gas station trying to get money for a job he did for a friend when several undercover sheriff's deputies showed up. That's when this happened.

"They got out and they started hollering my name, and they had guns and I took off running, next thing I know I was getting hit in the head," says Mcclain.

According to a sheriff's office report Mcclain was arrested for drugs after deputies found marijuana, meth, and ecstasy. 

He says he didn't have any drugs on him.

Arkansas Libertarian Candidate Steals the Show

Frank Gilbert, Libertarian candidate for Governor of Arkansas 'cracked up the audience at the recent debate hosted by the Arkansas Press Association in Hot Springs, Arkansas.



Who wouldn't vote for Frank Gilbert for Governor? He's intelligent, responsible, down to earth and funny!

As reported by Independent Arkansas' Steve Brawner:

It’s still a tossup as to who will be the next governor, but we know who it won’t be: neither Frank Gilbert nor Josh Drake, the Libertarian and Green Party nominees.

Gilbert, the Libertarian, and Drake also know neither of them will be the next governor – not in a system dominated by Republicans and Democrats. Nevertheless, they’ve put their names on the ballot.

Here’s the shorthand for what their parties stand for. Greens are pro-environment and pro-government health care. Libertarians are for less government in both economic and social issues.

Drake and Gilbert presented their cases during an Arkansas Press Association debate July 11 – and, by the way, kudos to the APA for giving them that opportunity. Here’s what they said … Read More

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Officer Involved Domestic Violence: Little Rock Cop Arrested for Assaulting His Own Son

Mark Daniels

Donald Woods, 51

Arkansas Police Accountability Project

(Little Rock, AR)  As reported by local news affiliates, a fistfight with his 16 year old son led to the arrest of Little Rock Police Officer, Donald Woods.  According to the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, Woods was arrested after deputies witnessed his son with a ripped t-shirt, an abrasion on his elbow that was bleeding, a cut on his finger, and a red mark on the side of his neck. Details were released this morning about the incident that happened at the home of officer Donald Woods, 51, Sunday morning near Cabot. Woods was charged with domestic battery, third degree.

According to Advocates for Human Rights, officer involved domestic violence is a serious problem.

Individuals who are the victims of domestic violence at the hands of police officer-batterers are often in a unique and particularly vulnerable situation. Unlike most victims of domestic violence, where the success of protective efforts depends on the cooperation of law enforcement, those subject to abuse from a member of the law enforcement community may, for a variety of reasons, be unable to secure the assistance they seek. And, studies indicate that police families are 2-4 times more likely than the general population to experience domestic violence, making the potential for disparities in protective success particularly troubling. 

Unfortunately, the alleged abuse inflicted by Donald Woods against his own teenage son is not uncommon. Just imagine what someone who would do this to his own child would do to someone else. The increase in police brutality in America is a frightening reality.  In the last decade alone the number of people murdered by police in America has reached 5,000. According to the CATO Institute, you are now 8 times more likely to be killed by a law enforcement officer than a terrorist.  What can we do about it?  Educate ourselves and get involved.

Arkansas Police Accountability Project is seeking volunteers who care about the victims of police violence. We do not "hate" cops.  We want to help improve the current system to hold police accountable and restore confidence in those who are charged with the tremendous responsibility of keeping us safe.  We highlight the achievements of police officers who engage in positive policing activities, who do not violate our rights, who are willing to break the Blue Code of Silence, and who only use violence as a last resort  in accordance with the principle of non aggression.  We also highlight abuses of power and police brutality to shine a light in the darkness in an effort to promote transparency and accountability.  That which is hidden in the darkness can be revealed only when light shines on it.  We value life and the principle of non-aggression.  We do not tolerate anyone who wishes harm to the men and women who serve in law enforcement.  Many of them are victims of a flawed system.  We are interested in volunteers who want make the world a better place for everyone. If interested, please send us a private message on Facebook.

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Little Rock Implements Orwellian Police State: Operation Ceasefire

"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."

--George Orwell

by Mark Daniels

Arkansas Police Accountability Project

(Little Rock, AR) Little Rock Police Department's Operation Ceasefire:  Necessary Police Action or A Slippery Slope Spiraling Downward Toward an Orwellian Nightmare?  

As reported by local news, this year is being called one of the deadliest in Little Rock history with a total of 29 homicides so far.  To fight back, the Little Rock Police Department has implemented Operation Ceasefire to saturate neighborhoods notorious for crime.  Fox16's Melissa Schroeder recently did a ride along with SWAT officers and reported that "Little Rock SWAT officers are out in full force--seven days a week from 3-11 p.m.--working to stop crimes before it starts".

"SWAT officers are out in full force...working to stop crime before it starts"?  

Some people may say that police actions such as this are necessary to fight violent crime while others will counter that we are already on a slippery slope spiraling downward toward a truly Orwellian nightmare with increased militarization of the local police departments, increased reports of police brutality and the largest per capita prison population in the world.  Arkansas jails and prisons are vastly overcrowded and while the establishment politicians are willing to concede the fact that we need reform to address the problem, neither the Democrat or Republican candidate for Governor is willing to acknowledge the empirical data that proves drug policy is a major contributing factor.  Fortunately, the Libertarian Party candidate, Frank Gilbert, is not only willing to acknowledge the empirical data, he has stated that he will pardon all persons imprisoned in Arkansas for non violent drug offenses.  Mr. Gilbert also supports legalizing marijuana.

The Stated Goal  and Alternative Solutions

The stated goal of the Operation Ceasefire program is to decrease violent crime, most of which is related to the drug trade. However, the violence of the drug war is a direct result of prohibition, and the best way to stop that violence is to end prohibition; not to implement an Orwellian Police State * (see description at the end of this article).

As explained in this article, 8 reasons to end prohibition of all drugs immediately:

The steady increase in violent crime over the past few decades is directly correlated with the escalation of the drug war. As we saw during the times of alcohol prohibition, when you ban any inanimate object, you create an incentive for people to get involved in the black market distribution of that object. Since there is no accountability, or means of peaceful dispute resolution within the black market, buyers and sellers are forced to resort to violence as their sole means of handling disagreements.

Eventually, this violence spills over into the everyday world and effects everyone’s lives. No one could imagine Budweiser and Miller Lite in a back alley gunfight, but less than a century ago during alcohol prohibition, distributors of the drug were involved in shootouts on a regular basis, just as drug gangs are today. Of course, all of this violence came to an immediate end when alcohol was legalized, however, it was not long before the establishment found a new crusade in the drug war, which allowed them to continue the same policy just with different substances.

There is significant evidence that legalizing or decriminalizing drugs actually does reduce violent crime. The murder rate in Denver was actually cut in half following marijuana legalization.

As reported by Glenn Greenwald in Drug Decriminalization in Portugal:  Lessons for Creating Fair and Successful Drug Policies, since Portugal decriminalized all drugs, including cocaine and heroin, on July 1, 2001, none of the nightmare scenarios touted by pre-enactment decriminalization opponents--from rampant increases in drug usage among the young to the transformation of Lisbon into a haven for "drug tourists"--has occurred.  In fact, the empirical data indicates that decriminalization has had no adverse effect on drug usage rates in Portugal.  Although drug usage rates have remained roughly the same or even decreased slightly, drug-related pathologies--such as sexually transmitted diseases and deaths due to drug usage--have decreased dramatically. Furthermore, the data show that, judged by virtually every metric, the Portuguese decriminalization framework has been a resounding success. Within this success lie self-evident lessons that should guide drug policy debates around the world. Read the Full White Paper Here 

A Nationwide Campaign

Little Rock's Operation Ceasefire is most likely part of a Nationwide Campaign which began in the mid-1990's in the City of Boston.  As reported by Melanie W. Rambaud in Behind the Guns: The Failure of Boston’s Operation Ceasefire Intervention to Address the Root Causes of Youth Homicide: 

Operation Ceasefire was an ineffective long-term youth violence reduction intervention because it was limited to a deterrence strategy. As a public health intervention, deterrence is ineffective to change behavior, particularly gun violence, because it does not address the root causes of behavior. Violence is multi-factorial with both individual and societal causes, it requires multi-faceted efforts. In order to effectively intervene it is important to understand that violence emerges from multiple and complex environmental, economical, and cultural factors. An effective violence reduction intervention must then be a comprehensive, community-oriented approach that focuses on the circumstances that put people at high risk of engaging in or being victimized by violence. What is essential is a long-term community mobilization strategy focused on prevention that promotes youth development in the context of their community and does not emphasize punishment as a deterrent to reduce youth gun violence. 

In sum, we are provided a false choice by the Little Rock Police Department:  tolerate increased violence from "criminals" or tolerate an increased level of police action which often leads to violence. The real choice is between an Orwellian nightmare or effective and efficient police and drug policy. What are your thoughts? Are the human and financial costs of these type of police actions justified or do you think it would be better to end the war on drugs?

For more information and to get involved, please visit Arkansas Police Accountability Project's Facebook page.

*Orwellian Police State

Eric Arthur Blair, known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic.  His work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition totalitarianism, and commitment to democratic socialism.

He is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) and the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945).  

Nineteen Eighty-Four popularised the adjective Orwellian, which describes official deception, secret surveillance, and manipulation of the past by a totalitarian or authoritarian state.

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Clean up begins for Mayflower, Arkansas Oil Spill

Amy Hancock
KTHV

It was a rough start to the Easter holiday weekend after an oil spill struck in Mayflower. Authorities said as many as 40 homes had to be evacuated Friday afternoon. 

Mayflower Police Chief Robert Satkowski said that the evacuations will remain in effect over-night. The chief also stated that it's too early to say how much oil spilled, but crews have prevented it from getting into Lake Conway. That was a big concern all day; the work ahead will focus on clean-up around the affected areas in town. 

"So that is a pipeline that has busted and has flooded the neighborhood," said THViewer Drew Barnes, who gave THV 11 video of the Northwoods subdivision in Mayflower Friday. 

Authorities said it's a mess triggered by an Exxon Mobile crude oil pipeline that ruptured, spewing out oil Friday afternoon. 

"The smell is unbelievable. I mean, look!" Barnes said as he shot the video of his neighborhood. 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has been on scene with air monitors, going through the neighborhoods to determine if the air quality has been effected. 

"A lot is all that I can estimate," Chief Satkowski said of the spilled oil. "It flowed from approximately 2:45p.m. when it was discovered by a homeowner to after 3 p.m. I want to say almost 3:30." 

Chief Satkowski said it's not clear why the pipeline ruptured, but it was later shut off by Exxon. 

The spill prompted evacuations as clean-up crews tackled some drainage areas in town where the oil flowed to. Along Highway 89 across from Lake Conway, crews sealed off two pipes under the road to keep oil from flowing from a city drainage pond into the lake. 

"I'm just over here trying to make sure that we get it stopped before it gets into the lake because we'll have a real problem," Mayor Randy Holland said. 

Mayor Randy Holland was also on the scene Friday where authorities did manage to keep the lake from any contamination, but it still turned the start of the holiday weekend upside down in Mayflower. 

"Incredible and that is oil," Barnes said, as his camera rolled. 

As for the residents who had to leave their homes, the police chief said he's not aware of any that requested shelter assistance, but he did say that Exxon Mobil has said the company will put folks up in a hotel if need be. 

There's no official word yet on how long it will take to clean up the mess and when residents can return home. 

THV 11 spoke via phone to Satkowski early Saturday morning for an update. He says that while cleanup continues, the rain is causing problems. 

"It complicates from a manpower standpoint and it causes some of the cleanup material not to absorb as well," he says. 

ExxonMobil said it's investigating the cause and working with local authorities in clean-up efforts. The company added that the breach was in a pipeline that originates in Illinois and carries crude oil to the Texas Gulf Coast. 

Representatives with Conway Corporation posted a Facebook status that read, "Lake Conway is not Conway's water source. We get our water from Lake Brewer, located north of Plumerville in Conway County. The oil spill being reported does not impact Conway's water supply."

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We Need More Drones!

Actually We Don’t

• We don’t need more DRONES!
• We don’t need the PATRIOT ACT!
• We don’t need the NDAA!
• We don’t need more WARS!
• We don’t need more BANKER BAILOUTS!
• We don’t need to be TOLD what to EAT, DRINK, or THINK!

ALL this is happening today using your tax dollars and it will get worse unless we peacefully and positively come together to reform our electoral process NOW.

Free & Equal’s 2012 Presidential debates (remember the real debate moderated by Larry King) rocked the political establishment and we want to do it again in June with the United We Stand Festival!

The United We Stand Festival in Little Rock Arkansas this summer will bring together honest people just like you who have had enough.

Our line-up is building daily.

Honest speakers and musicians expected to confirm:

• Jesse Ventura on running for office and how he became governor.
• G Edward Griffin on the Federal Reserve.
• Medea Benjamin of CODEPINK on Drones.

Not to mention “A’ list musical talent like “Golden State Band”, “Jordan Page”, ”Lupe Fiasco”, “Ziggy Marley”, “David Grohl”, and more!  

With a successful United We Stand Festival we will be able to move forward immediately on projects such as:

• Free & Equal National Database
• Free & Equal Honest Network
• Free & Equal Nationwide State Leadership Caucuses
• Free & Equal 10-City University Bus Tour

If you agree with what we are doing and want more FREEDOM and a brighter future for our country, then help us start NOW.

CONTRIBUTE, Volunteer, or Share on Facebook, tweet on Twitter! 

We must raise $15,000 by Monday March 25th to reserve the Verizon Arena.  As of now we are ALMOST there!  BUT LET’S DOUBLE OUR GOAL!
Even if it’s $1.00, $5.00, or $10.00.  ANY AMOUNT will make a HUGE difference.   

Thank you for your support and to all who have donated so far.  All donations are tax deductible.  

The time is now to turn up the volume of the revolution peacefully and positively so our youth and everyone else can become Free & Equal always and forever with the United We Stand Festival.

If you donate $25 or more, we’ll send you a Commemorative DVD of the 2012 Free & Equal Elections Presidential Debates personally autographed by Christina Tobin and you’ll also be sponsoring a local student whom we’ll invite for free!

PS:  Get even more inspired by listening to our
Free & Equal theme song by Jordan Page HERE!

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Free & Equal Challenges Two Party Duopoly Again

Free & Equal Elections to advocate free and open elections at "Voice of the People" Valentine's Day Meet & Greet at Arkansas State Capital Rotunda

Little Rock, Arkansas (PRWEB) February 13, 2013

Free & Equal's Arkansas State Leadership Caucus, a non-partisan group working for fair and open elections in Arkansas, will meet with Arkansas citizens, legislators, and the local media at the “Voice of the People” Valentine’s Day meet and greet at the Capitol Rotunda on Thursday, Feb 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"The Voice of the People event is the perfect venue to inform Arkansas citizens, State Legislators, local activists and over 30 independent grassroots organizations about the benefits of an electoral process that promotes more voices and more choices for Arkansas,” said Mark Daniels of Little Rock, Free & Equal's State Leadership Coordinator.

"The two-party system offers little in the way of new solutions to the problems of crushing national debit, endless wars, unemployment and more," said Daniels. "The time has come to give independent and 3rd party candidates, whose voices have been mostly muffled by the political establishment wider exposure and the opportunity to share their solutions without prior political restraint."

Free & Equal Arkansas invites anyone who wants to be a part of this movement to join and meet the Free Equal team at the "Voice of the People" Valentine's Day Meet & Greet and the upcoming United We Stand Free & Equal Festival in the Spring of 2013 which will feature honest leaders, musicians, celebrities, comedians, and authors of the movement to return power to the individual voter, find new solutions, and introduce a new era in American politics.

About Free & Equal

The State Leadership Caucus is a local point of contact for Arkansans. Nationally, the Free & Equal Elections Foundation is the non-profit foundation responsible for the 2012 Third Party Presidential Debate moderated by Larry King. Free & Equal’s mission is to ensure free, open and fair elections by empowering third parties, activists and independents. We work to break the stranglehold of the two-party system and add other voices—and solutions—to the debate as well as reform federal, state and local elections by making it easier for candidates to get on ballots and ensure all ballot-qualified candidates are included. By bringing together Independents, activists, and honest media, Free & Equal is the beginning of a true grassroots movement to return power to the individual voters.

For more information contact:

Jessica Paxton
jesspaxton(at)gmail(dot)com
901-488-0740

Greg Deckelman
gdeckelman(at)yahoo(dot)com
501-218-5869

National Media Contact:
Kate Davidson, Director of Communications
kate(at)freeandequal(dot)org
248-227-0727

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Arkansas gets radioactive sleet and snow but no warnings

Related Article:  

Update: Geoengineered Snow Storms Wreaking Havoc around the Globe

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Arkansas Sheriff Barricades Town To Conduct "Safety" Checkpoints

"Papers Please"

"There are good people with bad papers; and bad people with good papers." - Bertolt Brecht

There is a new Sheriff in town and he is pulling out the back log of warrants and knocking on doors. The Grant County Sheriff has also kicked off the year with plans for safety check points.

Normally you hear about a warrant sweep or a safety check point. But imagine in a town of 500, having both in one day. That was Friday, January 11 and it's still the talk of the town.

Like the saying goes, if you blink you missed it. Leola is a small town where everyone knows one another. Gas station manager, Nancy Cooper says, "I was at the register and I just seen cop after cop and they went to both ends of the store." 

Seven law enforcement agencies (Arkansas State Police, Dallas County, Hot Spring County, Group Six Narcotics, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, Grant County and the Highway police) worked together to barricade roads, in and out of Leola to conduct safety check points.

Sheriff Ray Vance says, "We wrote over 25 citations just in our check points that range from anything from DWI to suspended license to expired tags."

In the meantime, deputies went knocking on doors, looking for 17 people with outstanding warrants. "The success rate of this proves it is an effective way to do what we want to do."

Sheriff Vance says the county has more than $1 million dollars worth of fines and fees that need to be collected. "In that one night we collected about $5,000 dollars."

Sheriff Vance says this was just the first of many sweeps planned this year. "We may go back to Leola. Right now we don't know where we're going to go and neither does everybody else and that's a good thing and that's what we're hoping."

This was a large operation and took several weeks to plan.  (Source)

Fear and Loathing in Paragould Arkansas

Mark Daniels
Global Political Awakening

The novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is based on two trips to Las Vegas, Nevada, that Hunter S. Thompson took with attorney and Chicano activist Oscar Zeta Acosta in March and April 1971. The first trip spawned from an exposé Thompson was writing for Rolling Stone magazine about the Mexican-American television journalist Rubén Salazar, whom officers of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department had shot and killed with a tear gas grenade fired at close range during the National Chicano Moratorium March against the Vietnam War in 1970. Thompson was using Acosta—a prominent Mexican-American political activist and attorney—as a central source for the story, and the two found it difficult for a brown-skinned Mexican to talk openly with a white reporter in the racially tense atmosphere of Los Angeles, California. The two needed a more comfortable place to discuss the story and decided to take advantage of a Sports Illustrated magazine offer to write photograph captions for the annual Mint 400 desert race being held in Las Vegas from 21–23 March. (Source)

Recent reports of plans by the City of Paragould (Arkansas) Police Chief and Mayor to deploy heavily armed SWAT TEAMS on the streets of Paragould, Arkansas in an effort to combat a recent increase in crime is similarly disturbing and has been met with both local and international outrage from the public.

Rita Sklar, executive director of ACLU-Arkansas, said that aspects of Paragould Police Chief Todd Stovall's plan to have officers dressed in SWAT gear and armed with AR-15 assault rifles demanding ID from citizens in high crime areas shows that he has "zero understanding of Constitutional rights, period." Meanwhile, the Paragould PD issued a statement cancelling further town hall meetings on the proposal, citing "public safety" concerns after a growing backlash about the proposal. (Source)

I recently interviewed several local residents who are deeply concerned about the potential for abuse (violation of rights) by local law enforcement and the refusal of the Mayor to listen to their repeated requests for answers.  The local residents have requested anonymity due to the fear of retribution for speaking out.

Update: Armed SWAT Teams To Patrol Streets In Arkansas City

Update: Rita Sklar, executive director of ACLU-Arkansas, said that aspects of Paragould Police Chief Todd Stovall's plan to have officers dressed in SWAT gear and armed with AR-15 assault rifles demanding ID from citizens in high crime areas shows that he has "zero understanding of Constitutional rights, period." Meanwhile, the Paragould PD issued a statement yesterday cancelling further town hall meetings on the proposal, citing "public safety" concerns after a growing backlash about the proposal. Read Full Article

Donna Anderson
Infowars.com
December 17, 2012

Paragould, Arkansas Mayor Mike Gaskill and Police Chief Todd Stovall announced at a December 14 Town Hall meeting that beginning in 2013 the streets of their city were going to be patrolled by police officers bearing SWAT gear and AR-15s. “If you’re out walking, we’re going to stop you, ask why you’re out walking, and check for your ID.”

The move comes in response to a recent increase in violent crime. In a city with a population of only 26,113, Paragould had 86 rapes, robberies and assaults in 2010 and those numbers are expected to nearly double for 2012. Paragould currently has a City-Data crime index rating of 465.0, well above the national average of 309.3.

Property crime statistics in Paragould are even more alarming. While the national average for burglary, theft and auto theft is at 7 for every 1,000 people, the Paragould average is 20.14.

Police Chief Stovall told citizens attending the Town Hall meeting that he did not consult an attorney before making plans to institute what he considers martial law. He also announced that task force members could stop anyone they wanted to and didn’t even need to be looking for a specific suspect on the streets.

According to Stovall, any individual who does not produce identification could be charged with obstructing a governmental operation.