Will stiff sentences stop body parts sales?
NEW YORK (FinalCall.com) - The mastermind behind a multi-million dollar illegal body parts scheme, Michael Mastromarino, was finally sentenced in late July. He received 54 years behind bars on June 27. His two partners in crime will go to jail for 27 and 20 years, but there is a question on whether these stiff sentences will deter others. Shawn Stradford,...
Police checkpoints return to D.C. neighborhood
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - While police checkpoints went back up in the Trinidad area of the city, community groups are eagerly seeking alternatives to help stem violence used to justify the law enforcement crackdown. Police Chief Cathy Lanier reinstituted the Neighborhood Safety Zones. “Extending the checkpoints sends a clear message my officers will saturate the Trinidad neighborhood to keep the residents...
Muslims condemn Post’s ‘Jihad Train’ smear
NEW YORK (FinalCall.com) - The New York Post on July 21 ran a front page headline claiming that a popular Brooklyn imam was a supporter of terrorism. The story was related to an ad campaign which is slated to begin in September to coincide with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. However, the newspaper ran a photo of Imam Siraj Wahhaj...
Police shooting raises questions on review process
CHARLENEM INGLEWOOD, Calif. (FinalCall.com) - Officer Brian Ragan of the Inglewood Police Department was already under investigation for the shooting death of an unarmed man in May when he fatally shot a 38-year-old postal employee at his home on July 21. Family members and friends told The Final Call that at about 12:30 a.m., Kevin Wicks was in his home, minding...
Non-profit ‘blacklist’ unfair, arbitrary, groups say
NEW YORK (IPS/GIN) - In the name of “global war on terror,” the U.S. government is waging war on non-governmental organizations by applying “shortsighted, undemocratic policies” that are “constraining the critical activities of the charitable and philanthropic sectors, stifling free speech, and ultimately impeding the fight against terrorism.” This is the conclusion of a new white paper prepared...
ACLU leads legal challenge against new spying law
NEW YORK - Civil liberties advocates have already asked a federal court to stop the government from conducting surveillance under the new wiretapping law passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush. The American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of other groups declared that the new law “gives the Bush administration virtually unchecked power to intercept...
Prank or police intimidation?
Doll head on police car angers Harlem residents who see sign of hatred, racism NEW YORK (FinalCall.com) - The head of a Black doll displayed on the antenna of an unmarked police car driven by two White officers while on patrol sparked accusations of racial insensitivity by police in Harlem. Residents, politicians and the NAACP held a July 24 rally...
CNN’s faulty portrait of Black in America
ASKIAM-Senior Correspondent- (FinalCall.com) - As I watched the well-told, well-produced CNN report “Black in America,” I wondered if I wasn’t living in some alternative universe and I wished for its speedy conclusion. But then I thought, maybe I’m just getting older, and don’t understand the modern American racial dynamic. -COMMENTARY- The photography, the special effects, were all reminiscent of the...
Hip Hop Lives: FCN Interview with Nas
(FinalCall.com) - Though a young man (age 34) Nas has a long list of accomplishments. He is considered by most to be a legendary Hip Hop lyricist. Many of his lyrical appearances are considered some of the most memorable moments in Hip Hop and many of his albums are considered Hip Hop classics. Nas recently released his 9th...
Race, religion and racial profiling
Civil liberties groups denounce new government plans to investigate without a cause or clue LOS ANGELES (FinalCall.com) - The American Civil Liberties Union has called for federal inquiries into news reports that by the end of summer, the Department of Justice will issue new guidelines unleashing the Federal Bureau of Investigations to investigate Americans based on racial...