Indonesians caught without a mask forced to dig graves for Covid-19 victims
(CNN) — Villagers who refuse to wear masks are being forced to dig graves for victims of Covid-19 by local authorities in one part of rural Indonesia, in the hopes that a little bit of manual labor and empathy will convince others to do their part to help stop the pandemic.
Three middle-aged men and five minors in Cerme district of Gresik Regency, East Java, were given the unique punishment on September 9, authorities said.
Though mask-wearing is mandatory in public throughout Indonesia, there has been a vocal segment of the population that has been reluctant to wear masks and practice social distancing.
Experts say the lack of public vigilance has made it more difficult for Indonesian authorities to stymie the spread of the virus, which to date has infected nearly 230,000 people in the country. More than 160,000 of those patients have recovered, while at least 9,100 have died, according to the Indonesian Health Ministry.
As cases spiked in recent months, Indonesia’s government passed a law in July requiring people to wear masks in public, but left it to local officials to determine punishments for noncompliance. A joint team called the “three pillars” — which consists of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, Indonesian National Police and local law enforcement — are in charge of enforcing mask restrictions across the country.
In Cerme, the “three pillars” gives those caught not wearing a mask the option of accepting a fine of 150,000 rupiah ($10) or accepting what the government calls “social punishment,” according to the district’s leader, Suyono.
Suyono, who goes by one name, told CNN most people have accepted the social punishment, which often involves push-ups or cleaning. But he hopes options like grave-digging would be educational and show “firsthand the real and serious effect of Covid-19.” None of those punished were present when the dead were buried, Suyono said.
Authorities in the capital of Jakarta adopted a similar idea earlier this month. A man there was required to sit in a coffin in public after being caught not wearing a mask.
However, it’s not clear if these types of penalties have increased mask-wearing in Indonesia. The country has failed to flatten the curve for months and infections are still on the rise — only the Philippines has recorded more cases in Southeast Asia.
Large-scale social restrictions were put in place in Jakarta on Sunday, the second time authorities have been forced to do so since the pandemic began.
With cases still climbing, the city’s health infrastructure may be nearing a breaking point. The emergency units in all 20 Jakarta hospitals approved to treat Covid-19 patients are full, officials said Monday.
CNN’s Joshua Berlinger and journalist Nadira Arnindya contributed to this report
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/indonesians-caught-without-a-mask-forced-to-dig-graves-for-covid-19-victims/article_acc5b098-2f0f-527e-982b-61702dbc017f.html
Photo Credit: Fahmi Dolli/AFP
Student claims roach-infested college gave one roll of toilet paper to quarantiners
University of Michigan students say the school’s testing and quarantine protocols are seriously lacking — and they’re taking to TikTok to prove it.
“I’m making a video to share with you what it’s like up here,” junior Sam Burnstein, 20, says in a video he filmed after testing positive for COVID-19 and moving into one of the empty apartments the university has designated for those who contract the coronavirus. “We were given almost no supplies. We were given no food, no masks, no gloves, no microwave, no bed sheets, no soap, no cleaning supplies, nothing — except we were given one roll of toilet paper, single-ply. Oh, and did I mention there’s a roach infestation as well?”
He concludes the video by challenging the university’s president to spend a single night in one of the apartments and “let us know what you think.”
Throughout the ordeal, he says in the video, the students of the Graduate Employees’ Organization have been “saviors” for those in the university’s quarantine, as they’ve been donating their leftover food and supplies for the past few days.
The organization has also been striking since Sept. 8 in the name of the school “failing to keep students safe from COVID,” says Burnstein.
“We’re striking over the university’s totally inadequate reopening plans and just the series of policies they put in place over the summer that’s making students and workers on campus unsafe,” GEO Secretary Amir Fleischmann told the Michigan Daily.
Burnstein is not the only student who has gone public with his complaints.
“Is anyone else who goes to the University of Michigan just like what the f–k is happening right now and, like, terrified of like what’s going to happen?” says another University of Michigan student named Ruby in one of many videos documenting the goings-on at the school.
The University did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment but told Insider that students aren’t required to use the school’s housing to quarantine — although Burnstein told the outlet that this was not made clear to him — and that it hasn’t received any complaints about roaches or other pests.
“Each single-occupancy apartment includes a furnished bedroom, including sheets, blankets and pillowcases. Each kitchen has a refrigerator and oven. Microwaves are being procured for each apartment,” the University of Michigan spokesperson told Insider in a statement.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/16/quarantined-university-of-michigan-student-rips-schools-protocol/
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Man takes 5-hour bus ride carrying suitcases stuffed with body parts
A Kentucky man was arrested after taking a five-hour bus ride to visit his parents in Illinois — with suitcases stuffed with body parts of a woman believed to be his girlfriend, police said.
Melvin Martin Jr. recently hopped on a Greyhound bus in Louisville, Kentucky, with the luggage and headed to downtown Chicago, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Martin Jr.’s parents then took him — and, unwittingly, the bags concealing the dismembered body — to their home in Markham.
“That’s even more crazy — traveling body parts,” David Scott, who lives across the street, told CBS Chicago. “You see stuff like this on TV.”
The kin soon grew suspicious because Martin Jr. never unpacked the heavy bags after several days — and kept guarding them.
“There were some early reports of a foul odor coming from the bags,” Markham Police Chief Terry White told the network.
The family made the grisly discovery on Monday morning when Martin Jr.went out to the library.
“A human body part was discovered,” said White. “They immediately backed away and called police.”
White said the body part’s appeared to be those of Martin Jr.’s 31-year-old girlfriend, according to the Sun-Times. The couple lived together in Kentucky, where other body parts were found, according to White.
“With the remains we have here, we have the advantage of dental records, and then of course there is DNA,” White said.
“Of course her upper torso remains in Kentucky, so the level of their forensics, I’m sure, mirrors ours, so I’m quite sure that there’s going to be a positive identification about this victim.”
Authorities from the FBI, Markham and Louisville were investigating.
Martin Jr. was charged with a felony count of being a fugitive from justice. Additional charges are pending, police said.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/16/man-takes-5-hour-bus-ride-carrying-suitcases-stuffed-with-body-parts-cops-say/
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Dentist who extracted tooth on hoverboard sentenced to 12 years in prison
An Alaska dentist who extracted a patient’s tooth while riding on a hoverboard has been sentenced to 12 years behind bars for that stunt and other wheel-y bad crimes.
Seth Lookhart was sentenced Monday in Anchorage Superior Court on dozens of charges that stemmed from actions that ranged from his scooting antics to Medicaid fraud and removing a patient’s teeth without their permission, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
He was convicted back in January on charges of reckless endangerment, illegally practicing dentistry and medical assistance fraud.
“In reviewing all this over and over again, I have this visceral response — you darn near killed some people,” Judge Michael Wolverton said in handing down the sentence.
The court heard testimony at his trial from patient Veronica Wilhelm, who was sedated when he was recorded performing her tooth extraction on a hoverboard in July 2016.
In the cellphone video, Lookhart could be seen riding away from the procedure with his hands triumphantly in the air.
He allegedly texted a video of the stunt to at least eight people, joking that it was a “new standard of care,” NBC News reported.
Lookhart — whose dental license was suspended in 2017 — was also ordered by the judge not to practice medicine during his 10-year probation once he’s released from prison, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/16/dentist-who-extracted-tooth-on-hoverboard-gets-12-years/
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Utah police officer was charged with aggravated assault after ordering a dog to attack a Black man who had put his hands in the air and saying “good boy”
Jeffery Ryans was in his backyard on April 24 when police responded to a domestic dispute call. The Salt Lake County district attorney’s office said Ryans complied with officers’ orders to raise his hands and remain in the backyard.
K9 officer Nickolas Pearce then told Ryans to get on the ground before kicking him in the leg, forcing him to his knees, and ordering the dog to bite Ryans, prosecutors said.
On body camera footage, Pearce can be heard repeatedly praising the animal and saying “good boy” while it latched onto Ryans’ left leg for about 20 seconds as he was being put in handcuffs.
After he was bitten, Ryans underwent surgery and later experienced “prolonged loss of the use” of his leg, prosecutors said. His attorneys have said the officer caused an avoidable injury that resulted in Ryans suffering nerve and tendon damage and infections that could lead to amputation.
It’s rare for police officers to be charged with crimes amid excessive-force allegations. During his decade in office, District Attorney Sim Gill has charged three officers accused of wrongly using deadly force. None were convicted. In two of those cases, charges were later dropped. The third was thrown out by a judge.
“Officers in their interactions with everyday citizens by virtue of who they are and the institution they represent does not absolve them from the responsibility to make sure that whatever force they use is being used in a lawful manner,” Gill, a Democrat, said Wednesday.
After Ryans went public with his story in an article in The Salt Lake Tribune last month, the police department said it was opening an investigation and suspending the use of police dogs in apprehensions.
The department said Wednesday that it takes the district attorney’s decision “very seriously” and that it will be considered as part of its internal affairs investigation.
It was unknown if Pearce has an attorney. A phone call to a number listed for him wasn’t answered and no voicemail was set up.
Ryans’ attorneys, Daniel Garner and Gabriel White, didn’t immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/utah-officer-charged-assault-dog-205431053.html
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18-year-old honored after pulling a mother, 3 children from burning car in Connecticut
(Meredith/CNN) — A Connecticut teenager was walking down the street when he saw something that made his heart sink. A small SUV covered in flames drove past him — he could see a little girl out the car window.
The Waterbury Police Department received multiple calls on Sept. 9, describing a woman trapped inside a burning vehicle, WFSB-TV reported.
Justin Gavin, 18, was on a walk to a local Walgreens when he first realized there was a car on fire. Drivers honked their horns and got out their cars to notify the mother driving the burning vehicle that it was in flames, Gavin said.
“I’m yelling stop the car! Your car is on fire! Your car is on fire!” Gavin told CNN.
But the mother couldn’t stop. That’s when, Gavin says he didn’t have time to think and fell into action. He chased down the burning car to help the family escape.
“I just felt like if I was in that situation, I would want somebody to help me out,” Gavin said. “I guess my instincts took over.”
When Gavin finally reached the vehicle it had come to a stop. He opened the car door and helped the mother out of the driver’s seat first, officials said. As the flames grew larger, he pulled the three children in the back seat to safety, including a 4, 9, and 1-year-old, who was in a car seat.
According to Gavin, the car was engulfed by flames moments later.
“It kind of got scary because I didn’t know whether I was going to be able to get everyone out in time. And luckily, I did,” Gavin said.
The mother credits the teen with saving her family’s life, officials said.
The police department honored Gavin as a hero. Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo awarded the teenager with a “challenge coin” to acknowledge his courageous act. Gavin smiled big as the chief shook his hand and offered him the token of appreciation.
“I hope that when you have that coin it just reminds you of this day and you can reflect back on all the good that came out of this for you and that family that you saved,” said Spagnolo.
Gavin told CNN the experience was inspiring and changed his perspective of the police.
“It made me realize life is short,” Gavin said.
Written By Kelsie Smith, CNN
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/18-year-old-honored-after-pulling-a-mother-3-children-from-burning-car-in-connecticut/article_f4199a21-9f44-56c3-b52d-b5a782988323.html
Photo Credit: Waterbury Police Dept.
Woman yells “Get out of here, n—r, go back to Africa!” at Queens jogger, chucks bottle at her, video shows
A woman hurled a racial slur — and a bottle — at a Queens jogger, new video released by cops Wednesday shows.
A 37-year-old woman was jogging at 53rd Place and Broadway in Woodside around noon August 17 when a stranger — shown in the clip finishing the last drop of her beverage — suddenly threw it at her.
“Get out of here, n—r, go back to Africa!” the attacker seethed, according to cops.
The victim was not injured and continued to jog away.
Cops describe the suspect as a woman in her 40s with a light complexion, about 5-foot-5, weighing around 160 pounds, with blue eyes and long blonde hair.
She was last seen wearing dark sunglasses, a black tank-top and white shorts.
The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/16/woman-hurls-racial-slur-at-nyc-jogger-chucks-bottle-at-her-video/
Photo Credit: DCPI
Fitness centers sue California, L.A. County over coronavirus closures
California fitness centers have filed a lawsuit alleging Gov. Gavin Newsom’s measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus unfairly target the industry and demanding they be allowed to reopen.
Scott Street, a lawyer for the California Fitness Alliance, said Tuesday that the suit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
It accuses state and Los Angeles County officials of requiring gyms to close without providing evidence they contribute to virus outbreaks and at a time when staying healthy is critical for residents.
Messages seeking comment were sent to state and county public health officials.
via: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/fitness-centers-sue-california-l-a-county-over-coronavirus-closures/
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Police leaders pressed Rochester to keep Daniel Prude video secret
ROCHESTER, NY — Newly released emails show Rochester police commanders urged city officials to hold off on publicly releasing body camera footage of Daniel Prude’s suffocation death because they feared violent blowback if the video came out during nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd.
Deputy Chief Mark Simmons cited the “current climate” in the city and the nation in a June 4 email to then-Chief La’ron Singletary calling for city lawyers to deny a Prude family lawyer’s public records request for the footage of the March 23 encounter that led to his death.
The video, finally made public by Prude’s family on Sept. 4, shows an officer pushing a naked Prude’s head against the ground for two minutes until he stopped breathing.
He was taken off life support a week later.
via: https://www.pix11.com/news/america-in-crisis/police-leaders-pressed-rochester-to-keep-daniel-prude-video-secret
Photo Credit: AP
A 9-year-old has been battling coronavirus for 6 months
(CNN) — Eli Lipman, 9, and his father have been battling the impact of COVID-19 since March, and he said life as a “long hauler” isn’t easy.
“Kids, I’m sorry to say this, but it is a big deal. It will hurt,” Eli told CNN’s Chris Cuomo Monday. “You just got to face the truth: Sometimes you’re not OK.”
Eli and his father, Jonathan Lipman, are among a growing population of people who have been deemed “long haulers” — people who are diagnosed with coronavirus and experience symptoms for months. Though research has found children face a small risk of severe illness from coronavirus, Eli said he felt like he “got smashed into a wall.”
Eli described being achy, sore and tired. But as fatigued as he is and as much as he wants to, he told Cuomo he can’t sleep.
“My body is just like ‘nope,'” Eli said.
Lipman said doctors initially brushed Eli and his illnesses off many times. First in their diagnosis, then when their symptoms persisted and even when Eli’s temperature stayed at a low-grade fever for months.
“No one would really believe us that we were still sick, and when you keep being not believed you stop believing yourself,” Lipman said.
Lipman is still fighting the symptoms too. He said most mornings he wakes up with aches similar to when he broke his shoulder, he can’t go up the stairs without gasping and he can’t even cook dinner for his family like he so enjoys doing because he falls asleep.
Dr. William Li is researching long-hauler patients and said that while there is still so much more to learn, the problem likely involves the blood vessels.
“One of the important things is to keep talking to your doctor, and doctors need to keep listening to your patients,” Li said. “There is really something unfolding before our eyes that we need before our eyes that we need to actually come together with our patients and with ourselves as researchers and as doctors to try to help heal.”
Li recommended that, in addition to regular conversation with doctors, long haulers need to get as much sleep, movement and leafy greens as possible.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/a-9-year-old-has-been-battling-coronavirus-for-6-months/article_4ff54ead-8422-525f-8e12-194d93d7a6b0.html
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