Tag: maryland
Students in blackface in two states prompt walkout
Blackface is causing outrage in Maryland and Illinois, where 1,000 students walked out of class to protest offensive images posted on social media by classmates.
The walkout Tuesday at Homewood-Flossmoor High School outside Chicago took place days after four unidentified male students posted a photo and video of themselves on social media wearing blackface while going through a fast-food drive-through window, WLS-TV reports.
Most students involved in the protest returned to class after a few minutes, but several dozen stayed outside to voice their disapproval of the response by school administrators, the station reports.
“The administration is honestly making it to be not a big thing and it really is,” student Karina Duncan said.
Another student, Kaila Chambliss, said she was pleased by the “big turnout” but wants school officials to respond appropriately to the controversy.
“I’m very happy with the results because this something that systematically is happening in America now and we need to see a change take place,” Chambliss told the station.
District officials, meanwhile, said in a letter to parents that administrators met with the students and their families Sunday, but did not indicate what disciplinary measures — if any — were taken.
“However, we can share that the social media postings that were seen and heard were not representative of the high expectations we have for all students that attend our school,” the statement read. “This type of behavior is contrary to our expectations, is being addressed quickly and appropriately and will not be tolerated.”
Students were allowed to take part in the walkout or stay inside, district officials said in a separate statement Tuesday.
Nearly 600 miles away, politicians in Maryland said they were troubled by two ninth-graders at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda who posted an image of themselves in blackface on social media over the weekend, the Baltimore Sun reports.
“It is unfortunate for us to be in 2019 and these types of incidents are still happening,” Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro told the newspaper. “In light of this, it is imperative that we continue our work to engage in education and outreach to sensitize our residents on the harmful effects of racism on the residents of our communities.”
A Montgomery County police spokesman said an officer at the nationally ranked public school characterized the incident as a “bias-related incident” and the student’s actions were determined not to be criminal.
Byron Johns of the Montgomery County branch of the NAACP said the incident was indeed offensive, but has become “more normalized” amid rising political and racial tensions throughout the country.
“It’s part of the ether now,” Johns told the Baltimore Sun.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/01/students-in-blackface-in-two-states-prompt-walkout-unrest/
Photo Credit: LOGAN CYRUS/AFP/Getty Images
Attorney claims he was detained in case of ‘lawyering while black’
A Maryland attorney claims he was mistaken for a suspect and briefly detained by a sheriff’s deputy during a court proceeding earlier this month — a case of “lawyering while black,” according to his attorneys.
Rashad James, a staff attorney for Maryland Legal Aid’s community lawyering initiative, alleged in a complaint obtained by the Baltimore Sun that he was mistaken for his client, who is also black, during his court appearance representing defendants in Harford County District Court on March 6.
“This is actually the first time this has occurred to me, and I do not know of any colleagues who have had a similar experience,” James told the newspaper. “In the moment, it was sort of surreal in the sense that I guess it was just one of those unexpected things that I just did not anticipate.”
James, the only black attorney in the courtroom at the time, said the deputy briefly detained and questioned him on the basis of his race. James’ client, who did not attend the proceeding, had an open warrant out for his arrest, according to the attorney’s complaint.
James provided the deputy with his driver’s license, but the officer didn’t think it was valid. He was released about 10 minutes later, the complaint alleged.
Maryland Legal Aid staffers said in a statement that they were troubled by the “deeply disturbing incident,” which they characterized as an instance of “lawyering while black.”
“If Mr. James were white, the officer would not have doubted that Mr. James was an attorney, would not have questioned his identity, and certainly would not have detained Mr. James after seeing his driver’s license,” said Andrew Freeman, an attorney who is representing James. “There is no plausible explanation other than racial bias.”
Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler confirmed in a statement obtained by The Post that his office is investigating James’ claims.
“As with all complaints, the complaints filed on behalf of Mr. James was promptly assigned to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office-Office of Professional Standards for a complete and thorough investigation,” Gahler said. “We take all complaints seriously.”
Gahler also criticized James’ attorneys for releasing the name of the deputy before the investigation has been completed.
“Releasing it without cause, and on speculative accusations alone, can destroy a law enforcement officer’s reputation and threaten their safety,” Gahler’s statement continued. “Noting the need for a thorough investigation and the often incorrectness of premature rushing to judgment that is all too common in our society today, it is disappointing that anyone associated with our legal process would intentionally work to malign the character of another person.”
James, who was not available for an interview early Wednesday, said he’ll now carry business cards with him in the courtroom to prevent a repeat occurrence.
“At no time did I feel in danger,” he told WBAL. “I knew, regardless, that I wasn’t in the wrong.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/03/27/attorney-claims-he-was-detained-in-case-of-lawyering-while-black/
Mom walked around son’s university trying to get him a date
Well, at least you get to have already met his mother.
Police at a university in Maryland responded to reports of a woman in her 50s who approached students with a picture of her son and asked if they might be interested in a date.
It is unclear how many students at Towson University — located in Townson, Md. — were approached by the mom, but it was enough for the school’s police department to put out an alert to identify the woman, the Baltimore Sun reported. She is not facing any criminal charges, but she is going to be asked to stop.
The school said it is attempting to alert students about the woman, since her presence affects their “safety and security.”
The Towson University Police sent an email to the student body saying: “The Towson University Police Department is investigating three related incidents occurring in the Cook Library and Center for the Arts buildings on February 6 and 7, 2019. Students have reported being approached by an older female who attempted to show them a picture on her cell phone and ask if [they] were interested in dating her son. The subject of interest is described as a female, appearing to be in her 50s, with glasses, wearing blue jeans and a striped long sleeve shirt with red trim along the bottom, a multi colored scarf, brown shoes and carrying a dark colored coat.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/02/11/mom-walked-around-sons-university-trying-to-get-him-a-date/
Maryland women locked up kids, made them eat dog feces
SALISBURY, Md. — Three children in Maryland were beaten and reportedly locked up and fed on bread and water, oatmeal and sometimes dog feces, authorities said Wednesday.
Amanda R. Wright, 29, and Besline Joseph, 25, both of Mardela Springs, were arrested Wednesday and charged with multiple counts of child abuse involving the children in their custody.
Investigators determined the three victims, ages 8, 9 and 10, lived with Wright and her live-in girlfriend, Joseph.
The investigation has revealed that since late spring or early summer of 2017, the three children endured physical beatings on a number of occasions from both suspects, according to police, and the beatings are believed to have been inflicted with hands, extension cords, belts, sticks and other objects.
The children sustained bloody noses, bruises and cuts, police said. The investigation also revealed Wright and Joseph assaulted the children multiple times with an electronic control device.
Wright and Joseph are charged with three counts each of first-degree child abuse, second-degree child abuse, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, neglect of a minor, stalking, use of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure, false imprisonment and one count each of causing ingestion of a bodily fluid, preventing/interfering with report of suspected child abuse or neglect, and conspiracy to commit first degree child abuse.
On Friday, Maryland State Police got information on allegations of child abuse involving the suspects.
The Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division immediately started an investigation, in cooperation with Child Protective Services personnel assigned to the Wicomico Child Advocacy Center, police said.
Based on the allegations, Child Protective Services officials removed the three children from the home the night the investigation began and have asked state police not to release additional details that may identify the children.
Earlier this month, authorities in California discovered 13 siblings being raised in appalling conditions. In that case, officials said David and Louise Turpin, of Perris, Calif., kept their children in filth, chained to furniture and denied them food.
One of the children, age 17, managed to escape and call 911.
In July, authorities removed five children from a home in Accomack County on the Virginia Shore, saying Malista Ness-Hopkins, 39, of Mears was keeping two toddlers in makeshift cages.
All the children were living in filth, with dirty diapers, lice and insect bites, according to social workers and an investigator.
A social worker said one of the children hissed at her and made “animal sounds” as she worked to get the girl out of her cage.
Ness-Hopkins was indicted in October on five counts of child abuse.
HIV-Positive School Aide in Maryland Accused of Abusing 42 Boys Pleads Guilty
An HIV-positive former Maryland school aide and track coach pleaded guilty Friday to sexually abusing students and filming child pornography, prosecutors said.
“You really can’t imagine what had to be gone through when investigating this case,” he said, alluding to the hours of video in the case that “nobody ever wants to see.”Carlos Deangelo Bell, 30, of Waldorf, signed a plea agreement admitting guilt on 27 counts, including sexual abuse of a minor, porn charges and attempted transmission of HIV, the state’s attorney for Charles County, Tony Covington, said.
Covington said one of his goals was maintaining the privacy and anonymity of the victims in the case, something made easier by avoiding a trial that would have been open to the public.
The charges cover conduct that spanned from May 2015 to June 2017, and the 42 victims range from 11 to 17 years old, Covington said.
Bell, who was originally facing 206 counts, will be sentenced March 28. Prosecutors said they will recommend up to 190 years in prison. Covington said another of his goals was to make sure that Bell spends the rest of his life in prison.
Bell also faces federal charges and is due in court again later this month.
“Based upon the evidence that the state presented it was is in his best interest to enter into this negotiated guilty plea,” defense attorney James Crawford said, adding Bell would also plead guilty in federal court.
Covington said investigators are not aware of any victim testing positive for HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is a virus that can destroy the immune system if left untreated.
After a six-month investigation, Bell was arrested June 30 on charges of assaulting at least seven boys, mostly of middle school age, Charles County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Diane Richardson said at the time.
He was removed from his jobs as an instructional assistant at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School and as a track coach at La Plata High School late in 2016 when the investigation began. He began working for the school system in 2014.
Charles County Schools Superintendent Kimberly A. Hill applauded the plea deal and said, “Since learning of the charges against Mr. Bell we have focused on supporting the students affected.”
She said school district staff members were also getting additional training.
“We are taking every precaution that we can to make sure our employees are aware of the signs” of sexual abuse, she said.
Decapitated MS-13 victim stabbed 100 times, heart ripped out of chest
A man murdered earlier this year by the MS-13 street gang was stabbed more than 100 times, decapitated and had his heart torn out of his chest and buried with him, Maryland authorities said Wednesday.
Montgomery County Police said one of the alleged killers, 19-year-old Miguel Angel Lopez-Abrego, was arrested Nov. 11 in North Carolina. Lopez-Abrego, known as “Timido,” has been charged with first-degree murder and was ordered held without bond after his first court appearance.
According to court documents, which cited interviews with a gang informant, up to ten MS-13 members planned to lure the victim to the Silver Spring park where he was killed sometime this past spring.
The documents allege that Lopez-Abrego helped dig the grave where the victim was found, and also used a walkie-talkie to alert the other gang members to the victim’s arrival. The informant also claimed Lopez-Abrego was the first to attack the victim, stabbing him with a 15-inch knife.
The informant led police to the grave on Sept. 5 and “detailed the choking, stabbing, decapitating and dismembering [of] the Victim’s body,” according to a police affidavit.
The documents do not give a motive for the killing.
The victim has yet to be conclusively identified. Police describe him as a Hispanic male standing approximately 5 feet, 2 inches high and weighing approximately 126 pounds. He had short, dark brown hair and a missing lower tooth that may have been noticeable when he was speaking or smiling.
After the victim’s body was found in September, police released photos of the clothes and rosary he was wearing when he was killed. They included a sweatshirt with the words “First United Methodist Church Laurel, Maryland” written on the left chest.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Montgomery County Police Department’s Major Crimes Division at (240) 773-5070.
via: https://nypost.com/2017/11/22/decapitated-ms-13-victim-stabbed-100-times-heart-ripped-out-of-chest/
Pregnant woman forced to deliver baby after being set on fire by boyfriend
A Maryland woman who was seven months pregnant was forced to deliver her baby after she was set on fire by her boyfriend, according to reports.
Andrea Grinage, 31, was critically burned Friday when she was doused with gasoline on Friday in the bathtub of her apartment in Capitol Heights, outside Washington, Fox 5 DC reported. She was taken to the hospital where she delivered a baby girl. Both were in critical condition.
Despite suffering burns over a large part of her body, Grinage told police what happened and who was responsible. She also warned her mother that the boyfriend was on his way to her apartment to harm her, the station reported. He was arrested before he got there.
“She was very brave,” Prince George’s County police spokesperson Jennifer Donelan said, according to the station. “We want her family to know how brave she was, suffering as badly as she was, critically burned, worried about her unborn child, dealing with those injuries and was able to share that information with us so that we could get moving with our investigation and locate this person.”
Police haven’t identified the boyfriend.
Grinage was still on fire as she banged on neighbor’s doors, according to the station.
Neighbors told WRC-TV they heard Grinage and her boyfriend arguing Thursday night.
Grinage’s father told the station the baby was born seven weeks premature and was doing okay.
“She’s hanging in there,” Arthur Grinage said. “She’s doing fine. She’s beautiful.”
Cop accused of paying teen for sex, taking back money at gun point
GLEN BURNIE, Md. — A Washington police officer is facing a string of charges in Maryland after authorities say he paid a 15-year-old girl for sex and then took back the money at gunpoint.
Anne Arundel County police said 27-year-old Chukwuemeka Ekwonna of Glenn Dale was arrested Thursday and charged with armed robbery, assault, third-degree sex offense, reckless endangerment, prostitution and a weapon offense.
Court documents show the teen recently told officials that she was robbed by a man she met through social media and offered her $80 for sex. They met in January and after they had sex, she says the man, later identified as Ekwonna, pointed a gun at her and demanded his money back.
Police in Washington say Ekwonna was fired Friday. No attorney is listed in online court records.
via: http://nypost.com/2017/04/07/cop-accused-of-paying-teen-for-sex-taking-back-money-at-gun-point/
Maryland teen planned a mass shooting and suicide at her school
THURMONT, Md. (AP) — An 18-year-old student meticulously planned a mass shooting at her high school in which she intended to die, authorities in Maryland said Monday.
A shotgun, ammunition and bomb-making materials including nails and fireworks were found at Nichole Cevario’s home in Thurmont on Thursday, Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins said at a news conference.
There is no evidence that anyone else was involved, Jenkins said.
One of the teen’s parents notified Catoctin High School officials Thursday of a potential threat of violence and Cevario was removed from the classroom and turned over to investigators, the Frederick County sheriff’s office said in a statement. Cevario was later taken from the school to a hospital for an emergency evaluation and remains hospitalized, officials said.
“This attack was prevented by the parents, who stepped forward,” Jenkins said.
Cevario’s journal “clearly spelled out” detailed plans for an attack she had been working on for some time, including a timeline of the attack with her expectations for each stage, officials said. She had set April 5 as the day of the attack, the sheriff said. She was acquiring the materials and compiling details about school emergency procedures associated with drills conducted by school staff and on the school resource deputy.
Cevario’s diary showed “evidence of mental health issues, emotional issues,” Jenkins said. There was no indication that bullying was an issue, but the diary showed “a lot of frustration in her personal life,” Jenkins said.
Investigators don’t believe anyone was working with Cevario and they think they’ve eliminated any threat to the school and community, officials said. While explosive materials were located during the investigation, they weren’t combined in any form that created an explosive device.
Investigators have obtained an arrest warrant charging Cevario with possession of explosive material with intent to create a destructive device and possession of incendiary material with the intent to create a destructive device. They say the warrants will be served when she is released from the hospital.
A man who answered the phone at Cevario’s home and her attorney, Alan Winik, declined to comment.
via: https://www.yahoo.com/news/sheriffs-office-teen-planned-shooting-attack-school-172122253.html