Jared Kushner Is A Slumlord

Now, in addition to being under investigation by the FBI, Jared Kushner is also a slum lord. It seems that he has bought quite a few apartment complexes in the Baltimore, Md. area that serve mainly lower income tenants. When their leases expire, he sues them, claiming that they "abandoned" the properties! He does this under the name of "JK2". This has happened even two or three years after a tenant has lived in one of his apartments. A former tenant apparently must have all paperwork in order to avoid being found in violation of a lease that no longer exists!

Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, built Kushner Companies. He also went to prison for about two years for tax evasion; is it a coincidence that he has a familial connection to Donald Trump? Jared apparently does not think twice before taking advantage of anyone who is too poor to afford a lawyer and unsure of where to look up landlord/tenant laws in the states that harbor Kushner Companies. Kushner Companies also has a reputation for not taking good care of its rental properties. Water leaks, black mold, and maggots abound in some of those properties, and according to Alec MacGillis, of the New York Times, residents are scolded by management of the properties for speaking about these things to reporters or the health department.

Donald Trump could not ask for a better son in law, could he?

The Six Million Dollar Man

Some new case law is now setting a precedent in the United States. Prior to the disposition of any of the cases filed against the officers charged with the murder of Freddie Gray, of Baltimore, Maryland, the government has agreed to settle with Freddie Gray's family to the tune of 6.4 million for wrongful death. It appears that immunity has been replaced by accountability. While not as much as might be won by going to court, rather than settling, it still looks to be a suggestion of culpability on the part of the state.

Marilyn Mosby Has Made A Solid Decision

In discussions about Baltimore, Maryland, and the errant policemen charged in Freddie Gray's untimely death because of false arrest, there has been a lot of speculation in other parts of the country about Maryland State's Attorney, Marilyn Mosby, and her decision to file criminal charges. This is curious, because other cases involving prosecutors and their day to day decisions are generally not that interesting to the general public. This case; however, has drawn almost every disgruntled, racist, armchair critic out of the woodwork, to pretend that he or she not only has an intimate knowledge of Baltimore without ever having visited the city, but also knows the law better than Baltimore's top law enforcement official: Marilyn Mosby!

The real point of interest can probably be found in the recurring theme of police officers harassing, falsely arresting, and occasionally killing black men and not having to account for it. Freddie Gray was merely existing while black, doing nothing that should have been a problem for police officers, when he made "eye contact" with one. This was the reason given for his arrest, and police in Baltimore actually expected that explanation for the harassment and subsequent arrest of Mr. Gray to satisfy everyone. Eye contact. Next, he was dragged and slammed into a police van, his asthma ignored, and no one bothered with a seat belt. Apparently, he sustained an injury during the arrest and asked for help. All anyone did was slam his head against metal, while forcing him into the van. This created an injury that damaged eighty percent of Gray's spine, and he was not taken to the hospital for hours. About a week later, he died of those injuries. But.......white Americans in the Midwest, Kansas in particular, many of whom have never been to Baltimore, do not empathize with Freddie Gray at all, but use this as an opportunity to encourage more racism.

Maryland has over 5 million people in it. about 620,000 or so of them live in Baltimore. By contrast, Kansas has about 2 million people, and many of it's counties have populations smaller than 10 thousand people. Marilyn Mosby is not a "county attorney" but a "state's attorney", and she has many more constituents and much more responsibility than any county prosecutor in Kansas ever imagined. In the matter of Freddie Gray's death, she immediately got to work gathering evidence and testimony, and within day of receipt of the coroner's report, which clearly states that Gray's death was a homicide, she made a determination that those involved should be charged. There were some riots prior to this, but she faced her constituents and communicated with them, and Baltimore was not "on fire", as white midwesterners seem to enjoy saying.....in fact, there were not many ugly reactions at all. Ferguson, Missouri played around with it's citizens for months in a sickening game, it's goal to keep a white police officer from answering for the murder of black teenager. Mosby has not played those games. She looked at the facts, and charged the appropriate suspects with appropriate crimes.

Why is White America having so many problems with law enforcement being held accountable for criminal behavior? Baltimore, white and black, elected Marilyn Mosby to do exactly what she is doing, and Baltimore is also very happy with her.

Believe It Or Not, Murder Is Against The Law

After waiting over two weeks to finally divulge why they arrested Freddie Gray, the six police officers in Baltimore, Maryland, who ended up killing him, have been charged with various crimes, ranging from false imprisonment to second degree murder. One of the officers finally explained that Gray was arrested for "making eye contact" with a police officer, and since that is not a crime, it was determined that police had no probable cause to arrest Gray in the first place. Imagine that!

Marilyn Mosby, the state's attorney in Baltimore, acted immediately when she received the report from the medical examiner, stating that the cause of death was homicide. The fact that the homicide was committed by a police officer was not important, and with no provocation of any kind, it should not be important. She decided that accountability is important, however; and is insisting that the six officers answer in court for their conduct. This is very significant, because nationwide, police tend to get away with false arrest, perjury, intimidation of witnesses, violence of all kinds, and murder on a regular basis. The advent of cell phone cameras and video has finally had an effect on the accountability of police officers.

There are those who are not in favor of this sudden non-selective application of the law. After all, police officers, particularly white police officers arresting black defendants, have enjoyed privilege and carte` blanch to behave as violently as they please since the Revolutionary War. How can a cop adjust to the sudden demand for justice and fair practice? And it WILL be an adjustment, too, just like being subject to impromptu professional and amateur photography is proving to be an adjustment for police officers. But here's the thing: it should not be an adjustment. There should not even be a discussion about it, or a court case. Police officers should never do anything in the line of duty that they would not want seen on camera by everyone on the internet, and police officers should never falsely arrest or imprison anyone and they should certainly never commit murder.

Many thanks to Marilyn Mosby for setting a new precedent of accountability in this country for law enforcement. It makes yours truly very proud of her connections to the East Coast. She is a brave and brilliant attorney.

Rest In Peace, Freddie Gray

There is a reason why many police officers do not like to be photographed and recorded while on duty. It has a lot to do with evidence, proof, irrefutable statements to community, and with accountability. Police officers often are not fond of answering to the communities they serve when they abuse others, and in some communities, racism and bigotry replace the law. Freddy Gray's spine was crushed during an arrest in Baltimore, Maryland. He later died, and police in Baltimore have admitted that there wasn't actually a reason to arrest Mr. Gray. There are statements from five of his assailants, but one of them refused to cooperate, citing his fifth amendment rights against self incrimination. Fortunately, one of Mr. Gray's friends turned on his cell phone camera and began filming.

And, for your reading pleasure, here's a list of the names of the officers who were involved in Gray's untimely death. Rest in peace, Freddie Gray.

Amber Alerts And How Tips Help

Earlier today, in Baltimore, Maryland, eight year old Derrick Charles Brown was kidnapped by two men, thrown into the trunk of a car, and hustled away from his friends. An Amber Alert was issued for him, since the kidnapping involved a motor vehicle, and someone actually saw the vehicle described as having been inovolved in this crime, then the person recognized Derrick, as he was being taken from the trunk. Derrick is very lucky, because this person did not mind getting involved, and called the cops and got Derrick rescued. The two men, one of whom is in custody now, thought they were going to lock Derrick in an empty house.

So why am I posting about this? Just to remind everyone that if an Amber Alert has been issued for a child, and you think you have seen a child whose picture and description are the subject of the alert, and possibly the description the a vehicle that may have been used, you have nothing to lose by calling it in. Derrick Brown is safe now, because someone did that for him.

Here's the story about Derrick.

Please do not forget about Kyron Horman, missing from Oregon since June, 2010.

And don't forget about Timothy Pitzen, who has been missing from Illinois since May, 2011.