Prosecuting the Kelly Thomas beating trial. West Hollywood is almost fur free. Good for animals…bad for business? The evolution of American counterterrorism. Is the millennial generation America’s newest civic generation?
Prosecuting the Kelly Thomas beating trial
Yesterday Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced the filing of felony charges against two Fullerton Police Officers, Manuel Ramos and Jay Cicinelli, in the beating death of 37-year-old Kelly Thomas.
The officers claim that Thomas, a mentally ill homeless man, resisted arrest during the altercation on July 5th, leading to the use of force by the officers.
In his press conference, Rackauckas described in detail how Thomas was beaten, kicked and tasered so badly that in photos taken at the hospital his face is virtually unrecognizable. He died five days later.
Ramos, Cicinelli and four other officers, who were not charged, remain on paid administrative leave pending a decision in the case. The incident has prompted an FBI civil rights investigation into the department, as well as an internal investigation to be conducted by an independent outside review board.
Community response to the officers’ actions has ranged from shock to outrage, and their trial is certain to be at the forefront of the news.
WEIGH IN:
What will be the defense’s strategy? Given the extensive media coverage and fired-up public sentiment, is it possible to assemble an impartial jury in Orange County? Police brutality cases are historically difficult to prosecute - how will the D.A. approach this case? Do you feel the charges are merited? How does the Thomas killing affect your feelings about the men in blue in your community?
Guests:
Laurie Levenson, Professor of Law, Loyola Law School
John Burton, civil rights attorney, represents plaintiffs in civil police misconduct cases, Law Offices of John Burton in Pasadena
Tony Rackauckas, Orange County District Attorney
West Hollywood’s fur ban angers local businesses
The West Hollywood City Council voted unanimously late Monday night to ban the sale of fur apparel within city limits. This is the first fur-free ordinance in any city in the United States. Critics claim the city ignored an economic impact study indicating the ordinance would strongly affect local businesses.
City resident Keith Kaplan, who represents the Fur Information Council of America and is a resident of West Hollywood, told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that retailers are already on the move. “Yesterday three primary fashion houses contacted their attorneys to terminate their leases within the City of West Hollywood. Two more who are on buildout put a stop to their buildouts.”
Ed Buck with Fur Free West Hollywood said the city did the right thing. “We declared in 1989 that West Hollywood was an animal-cruelty-free zone. And I think it’s very clear, we had a unanimous vote, this is the direction of the City of West Hollywood — we are expressing our humane values.”
Kaplan said the city council ignored an independent economic impact study that FICA put together that shows the ban will have a wide-reaching negative impact on local businesses. According to Kaplan, the economic impact will have multiple layers. A major impact, he predicts, will be that West Hollywood will have difficulty attracting new high-end retailers and keeping its status as a fashionable city.
"West Hollywood has a tradition of expressing our values in the laws we pass," said Buck, citing examples of past citywide efforts to become a "cruelty-free zone." The city has also banned the use of some metal animal traps, declawing cats, cosmetic testing on animals and the sale of dogs and cats in pet shops.
"Not only is it positive for West Hollywood, it's positive for the entire country," said Buck. Proponents of the fur ban hope that like some past ordinances passed in West Hollywood, this will become a national trend. "It is largely symbolic," Buck said.
Kaplan said that the ban will have little effect on the fur industry, but a big effect on West Hollywood. "This ordinance is so limited and so arbitrary," Kaplan said. The bill covers fur clothing but not much else; because it doesn't cover furniture or leather products and does not extend beyond the reaches of West Hollywood, "it will barely even be symbolic."
Buck argued that the economic impact will be minute since fur represents only a tiny fraction of revenue generated in the city. Some retailers, he said, have already voluntarily begun to remove fur from their stores.
The ordinance still has a few steps before it will become a law in West Hollywood — the language of the law must be finalized and it has to be given a final public reading — but with an already unanimous reception from the city council, it is likely to pass.
WEIGH IN:
Is the fur ban purely political? Will it negatively affect local businesses? Will other cities follow suit and force fashion designers and manufacturers stand up and take notice of anti-fur sentiment?
Guests:
Ed Buck, lead organizer, Fur Free West Hollywood
Keith Kaplan, Executive Director, Fur Information Council of America (FICA)
The evolution of American counterterrorism
The attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 not only changed the daily lives of United States citizens, it also dramatically altered the way in which the government and military officials conduct counterterrorism. In the wake of the towers falling, the U.S. declared a war on Al Qaeda which relied on the traditional American tactic of using an abundance of brute force against the enemy. However, due to the decentralized nature of the terrorist network, as well as the fact that it spanned multiple countries, this approach proved inadequate.
In Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda, veteran New York Times correspondents Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker outline the ways in which military, espionage and law agencies have evolved over the past decade to more effectively deal with the threat of terrorism.
For instance, the authors learned it is not enough simply to fight Al Qaeda on the ground, but the military has to wage an “information campaign” via the Internet to combat terrorist efforts to communicate and spread propaganda.
WEIGH IN:
In what other ways is the U.S. adapting to the new terrain of this type of war? What exact aspects of counterterrorism contributed to the ambush of Osama bin Laden? How will his death affect Al Qaeda and the way it is engaged by American forces? Is this a war that can ever be definitely won?
Guest:
Eric Schmitt, co-author of Counterstrike: The Untold Story of American’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda
The millennial generation (born 1982–2003) is America’s newest civic generation
In their 2008 book, Millennial Makeover, Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais argued that the Millennial Generation would change American politics for good. Later that year, a huge surge of participation from young voters helped to launch Barack Obama into the White House.
Now, in Millennial Momentum, Winograd and Hais investigate how the beliefs and practices of the Millennials are transforming other areas of American culture, from education to entertainment, from the workplace to the home, and from business to politics and government.
The Millennials’ cooperative ethic and can-do spirit have only just begun to make their mark, and are likely to continue to reshape American values for decades to come.
WEIGH IN:
Is the Milennial Generation as influential as Winograd and Hais say? Why or why not? How else have Millennials forged new paths?
Guests:
Morley Winograd, co-author of Millennial Momentum: How a New Generation is Remaking America and Senior Fellow at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for Communication and Leadership Policy
Michael Hais, co-author of Millennial Momentum: How a New Generation is Remaking America and retired vice president of entertainments research at the communications research firm Frank T. Magid Associates