BLACK CRIME IN AMERICA - Khalid Kamau, a vocal Democratic Socialist and cofounder of the Atlanta chapter of Black Lives Matter, is charged with first-degree trespass and burglary after a homeowner caught him entering his home

 

Socialist Mayor Charged With Burglary Returns to Office Days After Arrest

South Fulton mayor Khalid Kamau

Ben Wilson

July 13, 2023

The socialist mayor of South Fulton, Ga., returned to work this week, days after police arrested him for entering a resident's lake house.

Khalid Kamau, a vocal Democratic Socialist and cofounder of the Atlanta chapter of Black Lives Matter, is charged with first-degree trespass and burglary after a homeowner caught him entering his home on Saturday.

"We have never backed down from courageous conversations, but now is not the time for those discussions," Kamau said upon his return Tuesday during a city council session. "We have city business to get to."

He noted that "a lot has happened in the past few days" and he will "announce a time and place for those conversations to happen."

Homeowner Jack Lecroy confronted Kamau on July 8 with his gun after he saw a security alert that someone was on his property. Kamau began to walk away from the house and Lecroy shouted for him to stop and wait for police.

"I don’t have to listen to you, and you can’t give me orders," the socialist mayor yelled in response, according to police reports. He then screamed profanities at the homeowner. He later said that he wanted to see the home because he'd like to live there and was aware that he was criminally trespassing.

Fellow Democrat Roger Bruce, a state representative, said, "If he's sincere about that, he would resign."

"He would resign and allow the city to do the work that needs to be done," Bruce said.

Kamau has served as the leader of the Atlanta chapter of Democratic Socialists of America and advocates for socialism.

"Democratic Socialists believe our country should be run by real, working people—not big corporations & billionaires," Kamau says on his website. He further calls for defunding police and cutting military spending.

Detroit Police Commissioner Resigns After Claiming Prostitute Jumped into His Truck

AMY FURR

14 Jul 20230

2:26

Detroit Police Commissioner Bryan Ferguson resigned Thursday after being accused of having sex with a prostitute in his vehicle.

At the scene, Ferguson allegedly asked a Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy “Can you help me out?” the Detroit News reported Thursday.

In Ferguson’s statement, he said “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the residents of Detroit in police oversight.”

“After further consideration of the best interests of my family and the board, I am choosing to resign. Again, I admonish the board and the public to remain focused on the important work of oversight, transparency and accountability,” he concluded.

The initial incident occurred Wednesday morning when undercover narcotics and morality squad officers noticed Ferguson in his truck in the city’s northwest area.

Black Lives Matter Movement Marks 10-Year Anniversary with ‘Defund the Police Week of Action’

155

David Ryder/Getty Images

BREITBART NEWS

13 Jul 20230

5:30

(AP) The Black Lives Matter movement hits a milestone on Thursday, marking 10 years since its 2013 founding in response to the acquittal of the man who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Gunned down in a Florida gated community where his father lived in 2012, Martin was one of the earliest symbols of a movement that now wields influence in politics, law enforcement and broader conversations about racial progress in and outside the U.S.

BLM activists and organizations plan to mark a decade of the movement with in-person and virtual events. Calls to action include a renewed push to defund police departments and reinvest in Black communities that have suffered disproportionately from police brutality, unequal treatment in criminal justice systems and mass incarceration.

In the wake of Supreme Court decisions that stymied relief from student loan debt held disproportionately by Black borrowers and banned affirmative action in higher education, the need for BLM’s existence couldn’t be more clear, said prominent movement activist Melina Abdullah.

“What this movement moment means is that we have to absolutely redouble our efforts and redouble our commitment to making Black lives matter,” said Abdullah, who is a director of BLM Grassroots Inc, a collective of organizers across the country.

“Ten years in, we’re getting a glimpse at what would happen if there were no Black Lives Matter,” she said. “We’re not just going to fight when it’s popular, but we’re going to fight because we need to fight.”

In Los Angeles on Saturday, the “#BLMTurns10 People’s Justice Festival” will be held in Leimert Park, a historic neighborhood and cultural hub for Black Los Angelenos. The festival is designed to feel like a village and will include a pop-up garden dedicated to families of people killed by police and white supremacist violence.

Festival organizers have invited Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, to speak. Scholar and activist Dr. Cornel West, who is running for U.S. president as a third-party candidate in 2024, has been invited to give the festival’s keynote address.

The BLM movement first emerged in 2013, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer of mixed white and Hispanic heritage who killed Martin a year earlier. Zimmerman claimed to authorities that he acted in self-defense when he shot Martin. He also acknowledged to an emergency dispatcher that he had followed and profiled the Black teen as a potential burglar in the Sanford, Florida, gated community.

Martin’s encounter with Zimmerman, as well as the delay in arresting and charging the gunman in the killing, raised questions about how police handle suspected acts of vigilantism against Black victims. In 2012, former President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black commander-in-chief, underscored public concerns over fairness in the case when he said: “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”

On July 13, 2013, a Florida jury of six women, all but one of them white, found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter. The immediate response to the verdict reverberated in Florida and across the U.S., energizing a new generation of Black racial justice groups including the Dream Defenders and BYP100.

BLM co-founders Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Ayo Tometi — the three activists are credited with using the phrase as an affirmation and an organizing strategy — initially pledged to build a decentralized organization governed by the consensus. The August 2014 shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown at the hands of police in Ferguson, Missouri, helped the phrase “Black lives matter” become a potent rallying cry for progressives and a favorite target of derision for law enforcement unions and political conservatives.

But just three years into its existence, all but one of the founders remained involved in the movement’s burgeoning organization. And in 2020, an unprecedented wave of donations to the movement following protests over George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police meant that BLM needed more infrastructure.

Amid disputes with grassroots activists about the direction of the movement organization, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation Inc. has been steward over a charitable endowment worth tens of millions of dollars. BLM Grassroots Inc. operates separately.

The foundation is marking the 10-year BLM anniversary with the launch of the campaign it’s calling Defund the Police Week of Action. On Monday, it released a digital ad renewing 2020 rallying cries for defunding police departments. The organization is also encouraging supporters to ask local and national elected officials to introduce a draft proclamation that establishes July 13 as “Black Lives Matter Day.”

“As we continue our push to defund the police, invest in Black communities and reimagine safety in our communities, we need our elected officials to focus on the people, not police,” BLM foundation board member D’Zhane Parker said in a statement.

“The safest places around the world don’t have more police, more jails, more prisons, or harsher sentences,” she said. “They have better access to economic opportunities, quality education, stable housing, and health care.”

Eric Adams Blames Media for New Yorkers' Worries About Crime

New York City mayor Eric Adams (D.) / Getty Images

Ben Wilson

July 12, 2023

New York City mayor Eric Adams (D.) downplayed residents' fears about crime in the city, blaming the media for its coverage.

"They start their day picking up the news, the morning papers … and they see some of the most horrific events that may happen throughout the previous day," Adams told Fox 5 New York on Wednesday. He added that the coverage "plays on your psyche."

Adams was responding to a Siena College poll that found 41 percent of New York State residents have never felt as concerned about their safety as they do now. The vast majority, 87 percent, said crime is a very or somewhat serious problem in the city and state.

"We know it’s going to take time," Adams said. "But if you lead off every day with some of the horrific incidents that take place in the city with 8.5 million people, there’s a feeling that you have."

Even Alvin Bragg, the city's progressive district attorney, admitted this week he is fearful of crime on the subway. "I know the statistics that transit crime is down, but when one of my family members gets on the train, I, too, get a knot in my stomach," he said.

Amid the crime worries, the New York Police Department is struggling. A report from March showed New York City police officers are resigning in record numbers. The NYPD at the same time lowered its fitness requirements to bring more women on the force.

Adams caught negative press last week when the New York Times reported that he lied about a photograph of a fallen police officer. Adams has frequently shown the photo and says he has kept it with him for decades in his wallet. In reality, his office printed the photo from Google and altered it to make it appear faded.

Adams isn't the only official under fire. City Council digital press aide Ember Ollom was called out by the city's police union after a tweet from 2020 resurfaced. "I would like it on the record that I would like you all to throw more bottles at cops and torch more vans," Ollom said in the May 2020 tweet, the New York Post reported. The call for violence against police came amid the George Floyd riots.

Published under: Eric Adams

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The disgruntled patient who shot and killed a top hand surgeon in the exam room in Memphis yesterday after threatening him for a week has been identified as Larry Pickens. 

Pickens, 29, shot and killed Dr. Benjamin Mauck at the Campbell Clinic in Collierville, Memphis, at 2pm. 

It remains unclear what the shooter's motive was. Until yesterday, he had no criminal record. 

Collierville Police Department is refusing to discuss the details of the shooting, citing the ongoing criminal investigation. 

Pickens is being held on a $1.2million bond and will appear in court tomorrow. He was arrested outside the clinic yesterday after fleeing with his pistol. His last known address is around 10 miles from the clinic. 

Larry Pickens, 29, has been named as the suspect who shot surgeon Benjamin Mauck 

Surgeon Benjamin Mauck with his wife Rhiannon. The pair shared two young children 

Police inside the Campbell Clinic, hunting the gunman who was later found outside the building 

Police search for suspect after deadly shooting at Campbell Clinic

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Dr Mauck, 43, was remembered as a phenomenal doctor. 

Many of his patients, who lauded him as 'kind, funny, and smart,' said he saved their lives with his vital work. 

He leaves behind a wife and two young children.  

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Benjamin Mauck was killed in his examination room at the Campbell Clinic in Collierville

Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane said: 'It's bad. It's horrific. It's terrible.

'So, this appears to be a one-on-one interaction that occurred within an exam room. This was not a mass shooting situation.'

In an update, the police department wrote: 'The suspect in this incident is in custody as we continue to investigate.

'This was a single shooting, not an active shooting incident.'

'Tragedies like this underscore the urgent need for common sense – like reinstating background checks and gun licenses, and establishing new reforms like an order of protection so police can remove firearms from a person who is threatening others,' Akbari said in a statement.

'Whether you’re at school, a grocery store or on the job, you deserve to live and work free from gun violence.' 

Dr Mauck leaves behind his wife, Rhiannon Mauck, and their two young children. 

Just five days ago, Dr Mauck was heralded in the Memphis Magazine and by the national medical group Castle Connolly as one of the city's top doctors in a gushing feature. 

Patients hold their hands up as police search the Campbell Clinic for the gunman on Tuesday 

Mauck leaves behind a wife and two young children  

The hand surgeon with his wife, Rhiannon Mauck

Officers rushed to the scene and found the suspect on Poplar Avenue near the entrance of the clinic with a gun. The shooter was taken into custody

Dr Mauck told the magazine just last month: 'It's never boring.

'This work involves treating sports injuries, trauma, cancer, and soft-tissue defects. It's a field of orthopedics that crosses over into other specialties like plastic surgery and neurology.' 

He warned before the Fourth of July: 'Keep your kids away from fireworks.'

He worked as a hand surgeon at Campbell Clinic Orthopedics and was also the head of the Congenital Hand Clinic at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. According to the clinic's website, Mauck specialized in elbow, hand, and wrist surgery.

Dr Mauck graduated from Lambuth University in 2002, before attending med school at the University of Tennessee-Memphis. He then completed his residency at UT-Campbell Clinic.

Irina Ollar, director of marketing and PR at Campbell Clinic, said in a statement: 'Earlier today, we experienced a single shooter event inside our Collierville clinic.

'We are shocked and heartbroken to confirm the incident resulted in the tragic loss of one of our highly respected and beloved physicians, Dr. Ben Mauck. We ask that you please lift his family in prayer.

'During this difficult time, we will be working through many details and will keep you updated as we are able.

Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane said: 'It's bad. It's horrific. It's terrible'

'We have decided to close all Campbell Clinic locations tomorrow, July 12 and will communicate the reopening of all facilities at a later time.

'We appreciate our local law enforcement officers who responded within minutes. We will continue to work closely with authorities as this remains an active investigation.

'Our priorities remain Faith, Family and Patient Care. At this time, we ask for your prayers for the entire Campbell Clinic family, as well as for the privacy of Dr. Mauck's family.'

Dr. Trey Eubanks, interim president, surgeon-in-chief at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, said: 'We were shocked to learn that Campbell Clinic and Le Bonheur surgeon Ben Mauck tragically was killed today at his clinic in Collierville.

'Ben was a friend to so many of us – a respected member of our Le Bonheur family, a beloved colleague and a dedicated physician to so many patients.

'We already miss him.

'His death is an unthinkable tragedy, and I am at loss at what to say. I am so sorry to those who loved and knew him, for those who worked alongside him every day.

'I am also grateful to this team, all of you. And I encourage each of you to be gentle with each other during this time. Ask for support and offer it when needed. We will all be affected by this loss in some way.

Just five days ago, Dr Mauck was heralded in the Memphis Magazine and by the national medical group Castle Connolly as one of the city's top doctors in a gushing feature

Dr Mauck is pictured with his younger sister, Amanda Mauck, who posted a touching picture to celebrate her brother's birthday two years ago 

'We will schedule debriefings and offering spiritual care and EAP sessions.

'Please keep the entire Campbell Clinic family and especially Ben's family in your thoughts and prayers.'

All Campbell Clinic locations will remain closed.

Dozens of tributes to the stellar doctor flooded social media on Tuesday.

Kristina Austin, who studied at school with the doctor, wrote: 'Everyday we are bombarded with senseless loss of lives, then one day it's someone you know, someone that you grew up with, cheered for on the basketball court, sat at a lunch table with in the cafeteria, stood next to in the commencement line, graduated with. 

'Someone who was always a genuinely kind person. Someone who spent years studying medicine to become a surgeon & help others. Today that someone was Ben Mauck.

'Only 5 days ago he was featured as a top doctor spotlight in Memphis Magazine, little could anyone imagine how quickly things would change.

'The ridiculousness of the tragedies we endure as a society now will always be beyond our comprehension because there is no reason for them. There was no reason for Ben Mauck to lose his life today. 

'Enough has got to be enough. It is my greatest prayer that our world regains some sort of moral compass. 

'It is my prayer tonight though that Mrs. Ann Mauck, the family and all those touched by Ben will be comforted by God's unfailing love. 

'We will never understand why, and our hearts definitely ache, but we can take comfort knowing that Ben is in the arms of the greatest physician tonight.'

Pamela Griffin, one of Mauck's patients, said: 'I am saddened by this news. I broke my fingertip in October and Dr. Benjamin Mauck performed my surgery on my hand. 

'I've been visiting him every six weeks. He was really trying to help me gain full motion back in my right ring finger. 

'I would've been seeing him next Tuesday in Collierville. He was a gentle giant with a very humble spirit. Prayers go out to your family and your assistant Ms. Candice. Rest in Love .'

Jackie Kelley, whose family were also treated by the doctor, added: 'So senseless and sad. He was such a nice person and a phenomenal surgeon. He did my husband's hand twice.'

His former colleague Calissa Kneip said: 'Oh my goodness, I used to work with Dr Mauck all the time for 8 years. This is so horrifying. He was shot & killed by a disgruntled patient in an exam room today. I'm in complete shock. 

'We loved you, Dr Mauck, and you helped so many people. RIP and prayers for his precious young family & my Campbell Clinic family.'

Josh Jacobs, who said that Dr Mauck saved his life by performing his amputation, wrote online: 'Praying for Dr. Benjamin Mauck's friends, family, and coworkers. Wishing them all peace.

'He was the hand surgeon who found my cancer and performed my amputation. I give him partial credit for possibly saving my life.

'The work he did for me was amazing. This is very sad news to hear.'

Mauck's former patient Tori Petrus Eads wrote: 'I'm heartbroken that Dr. Benjamin Mauck was killed today! He has been my doctor for years. He was kind, smart, funny and a great teacher. 

'He always used me to teach his residents how to inject joints. We joked that the only thing more painful was listening to me talk the whole time. Pray for him and his family.'

Marcie Taylor Stewart also remembered the doctor: 'Dr. Benjamin Mauck…the sweetest, most thorough hand specialist around. Thank you for saving my husband's hand and his ability to practice dentistry. 

'Thank you for giving him hope with his Dupuytrens syndrome in his hands. What a loss your gifts as an orthopedic surgeon will be. What a loss to the hands that need your care. 

'Prayers for your family, friends, patients and all that love you. The loss of this wonderful man and medical professional is just senseless!!! 

'Thank you for treating your patients so well Dr. Mauck. You will be missed. Shame on the person that took you from this world, your family and your profession that blessed so many.' 

Six Men Arrested for Robbing a Man in His Driveway in Texas

41

Houston Police Department

ELAINE MALLON

11 Jul 2023441

1:49

Four adults and two teenagers were arrested in Houston, Texas, after following a man home and robbing him in his driveway.

The six men followed Cipriano Cazares Sandoval home after he finished cashing a check at a business for his daughter living in Mexico, ABC 13 reported.

Surveillance footage shows Sandova’s truck blocked in his driveway, as two of the men approached him pointing guns.

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Police have called this jugging, meaning when a “suspect follows a victim from a bank to their next location,” according to the Austin Police Department.

Police said more than $1.3 million was stolen from jugging in just Austin, Texas, last year, CBS Austin reported.

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Sandoval, who does not speak English, said the two suspects took his phone. Another two suspects got out of the car and surrounded Sandoval’s truck, and he noticed two more were still in the vehicle.. He said he memorized the car’s license plate and made notes of the suspects’ appearances.

Within an hour of reporting the incident, authorities tracked down the vehicle and suspects.

Sandoval said he was grateful he wasn’t injured as suspects had two guns pointed at his stomach.

The six men facing charges are Jakaleb Lee Washington, 19, Kavion Deshawn Butler, 17, Davion Deshawn Butler, 17, Reginald Eugene Harris, 21, Deandrick Jefferson-Stewart, 19, and Jamarcus Devon Wilmore, 20.

 

NYPD Searching for Attacker Who Hit Man in Head with Baseball Bat in Broad Daylight

16

Twitter/@NYPDnews

JORDAN DIXON-HAMILTON

11 Jul 2023245

1:15

The New York Police Department (NYPD) is searching for an attacker who randomly struck a man in the head with a baseball bat multiple times in broad daylight, the department announced on Tuesday.

The attack occurred on Thursday around 2:50 p.m., according to authorities. The 37-year-old victim was walking at Aqueduct Avenue and West 183rd Street in the Bronx when the attacker approached him, pulled out a bat, and repeatedly struck him in the head. 

The assailant immediately fled the scene and is still on the loose as of Tuesday.

NYPD put out a wanted notice for the attacker and urged residents to “ DM @NYPDTips, or call 800-577-TIPS” if they have any info on the attack.

The victim “sustained a laceration to his head, as well as bruising,” according to law enforcement. He was rushed to a local hospital where he remains in serious but stable condition.

Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.