CBSTV Videos
Baltimore man's death in police custody sparks protests and investigation

BALTIMORE (AP) — Relatives, activists and even Baltimore city officials have more questions than answers about what happened to Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old man who died one week after he was rushed to the hospital with spinal injuries following an encounter with four Baltimore police officers.

Gray, who died Sunday morning at a University of Maryland trauma center, was stopped by Baltimore police officers on bike patrol April 12. Police have said Gray was running away from the officers when he was arrested and placed in a transport van. About 30 minutes later, Gray was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, according to police.

Billy Murphy, an attorney for Gray's family, said Sunday that 80 percent of the man's spinal cord had been severed near his neck.

On Monday morning, about 50 protesters gathered outside City Hall and later marched to police headquarters, about two blocks away. They carried signs reading "Black lives matter" and "Jobs, not police killings." They also unfurled a yellow banner reading "Stop police terror."

"This is just one of the most egregious cases I've ever seen," said Colleen Davidson of the Baltimore People's Power Assembly, which she said organized the rally at the request of Gray's family. "We felt the need to be out here and make it known that we will not stand and watch things like this happen."

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and top police officials promised accountability and transparency Sunday at a news conference at City Hall.

View gallery

Citizens and groups such as the Justice League of NYC protest against the police following the death …

"How was Mr. Gray injured? Were the proper protocols and procedures actually followed? What are the next steps to take from here?" Rawlings-Blake said.

She promised a thorough investigation and "real answers" for the community.

"I will ensure we will hold the right people accountable," Rawlings-Blake said.

Gray's family has declined, so far, to interact with police, said Police Commissioner Anthony Batts. He said the department would try again this week to share information with them.

"A mother has lost her son," Batts said. "Freddie Gray passed. My greatest hope and wish and desire is that any time we have an interaction as a police department or a contact, that everyone goes home safe."

View gallery

Citizens and groups such as the Justice League of NYC protest following the death of Freddie Gray, S …

Batts said he is assembling a "hybrid task force" that will include homicide investigators and the force investigation team.

Officers and other witnesses have been interviewed, according to Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez. However, not everyone has been interviewed, Rodriguez noted, saying the officers who are subjects of the criminal investigation have a right not to potentially incriminate themselves.

But Murphy said he has interviewed 11 witnesses as part of an investigation on behalf of the Gray family, and has asked the department for video footage, which it has declined to release to the public. Murphy said he disputes the department's timeline of events, and believes Gray was in police custody for longer than they say.

"We are tired of the words. We want to see action," Murphy said Sunday. "We want to see fair compensation for victims of police brutality, we want to see a fair response and an impartial investigation not cops investigating themselves.

"We have no confidence that the city or the police department is going to fairly and objectively investigate this case," Murphy added. "We have no confidence the investigation will reveal the truth."

View gallery

Citizens and groups such as the Justice League of NYC protest following the death of Freddie Gray, S …

Meanwhile, Baltimore's activist community on Sunday called for increased transparency and accountability of the city's police department, which last year volunteered for a Justice Department review of its policies and procedures.

Outside of the Western District station house, where Gray was brought after his arrest and before officers called for medical assistance, Cortly "C.D." Witherspoon, president of the Baltimore chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, called Baltimore a "police state" where criminalization of African American men is a pervasive problem. Witherspoon called for action, and an independent investigation into Gray's death.

"They want the citizenry to be patient. They want the citizenry to let the investigation play out," Witherspoon said. "We can't do that. There has never been honest and genuine conversation with the police department and the people on the ground. We want an independent investigation. We want the officers fired, we want them stripped of their pension and we want them charged."

___

Associated Press Writer David Dishneau contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a stepped-up response to Iranian backing of Shiite rebels in Yemen, the Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is steaming toward the waters off Yemen to beef up security and join other American ships that are prepared to intercept any Iranian vessels carrying weapons to the Houthi rebels.

The deployment comes after a U.N. Security Council resolution approved last week imposed an arms embargo on leaders of the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels. The resolution passed in a 14-0 vote with Russia abstaining.

Navy officials said Monday that the Roosevelt was moving through the Arabian Sea. A massive ship that carries F/A-18 fighter jets, the Roosevelt is seen more of a deterrent and show of force in the region.

The U.S. Navy has been beefing up its presence in the Gulf of Aden and the southern Arabian Sea in response to reports that a convoy of about eight Iranian ships is heading toward Yemen and possibly carrying arms for the Houthis. Navy officials said there are about nine U.S. warships in the region, including cruisers and destroyers carrying teams that can board and search other vessels.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ship movement on the record.

Saudi Arabia and several of its allies, mainly Gulf Arab countries, have been trying to drive back the rebels, who seized the capital of Sanaa in September and have overrun many other northern provinces with the help of security forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The U.S. supports the Saudi campaign.

Massive explosion as air strike hits Scud missile factory in Yemen (video)

The U.S. has been providing logistical and intelligence support to the Saudi coalition launching airstrikes against the Houthis. That air campaign is now in its fourth week, and the U.S. has also begun refueling coalition aircraft involved in the conflict.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest would not comment specifically on any Navy movements in Yemeni waters, but said the U.S. has concerns about Iran's "continued support for the Houthis.

"We have seen evidence that the Iranians are supplying weapons and other armed support to the Houthis in Yemen. That support will only contribute to greater violence in that country. These are exactly the kind of destabilizing activities that we have in mind when we raise concerns about Iran's destabilizing activities in the Middle East."

He said, "The Iranians are acutely aware of our concerns for their continued support of the Houthis by sending them large shipments of weapons."

The expanded U.S. Navy activity in the region comes at a sensitive time, as the U.S. and six world powers have reached a framework deal with Iran to control its nuclear program. Since the preliminary deal with reached on April 2, Iran and the U.S. have been disputing the details of the deal. And on Monday, a lawyer for Tehran-based Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian said Tehran had charged Rezaian with espionage and three other crimes. The Obama administration dismisses the charges as "absurd."

The U.S. Navy generally conducts consensual boardings of ships when needed, including to combat piracy around Africa and the region. So far, however, U.S. naval personnel have not boarded any Iranian vessels since the Yemen conflict began.

Officials said it's too soon to speculate on what the Navy ships may do as the Iranian convoy approaches, including whether Iran would consent to a boarding request, and what actions the Navy would take if its request was refused.

Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, has been pushed to the brink of collapse by ground fighting and the Saudi-led airstrikes in support of current President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia. Observers say the fighting in the strategic Mideast nation is taking on the appearance of a proxy war between Iran, the Shiite powerhouse backing the Houthis, and Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia.

___

Associated Press writers Jim Kuhnhenn in Washington and Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen, contributed to this report.

Monsanto is forcing its GMOs on Africans who don’t want them

(Health Secrets) U.S. usurpers of power worldwide such as Monsanto, are now trying to force expensive and unproven genetically modified crops and foods to African nations that don’t want them. A report released recently last by Friends of the Earth International, said the world’s top producer of GM crops is actively looking for new markets to peddle its tainted wares. And there appears little in place to protect Africans from becoming fodder for the chemical giant.

“The US administration’s strategy consists of assisting African nations to produce biosafety laws that promote agribusiness interests instead of protecting Africans from the potential threats of GM crops,” said Haidee Swanby from the African Centre for Biosafety, the group authoring the report.

Consistent with historical precedent showing Monsanto will stop at nothing to get what it wants, the report reveals how the company influences biosafety legislation in African countries to gain regulatory approval for it its genetically altered products, the most widely used being GM maize (corn).

So far, only four African counties have accepted GM crops commercially, but the issuance of those crops is highly charged and contentious, particularly regarding maize, because it is the staple food of millions there. The dangers of large corporate domination of the food supply were in focus only four years ago, when GM yellow corn seed failed to germinate properly, causing a shortage in South Africa.

Just seven countries in Africa now have biosafety laws in place, leaving the others open to be plundered by the likes of Monsanto and other companies with their eye on this vast area. “African governments must protect their citizens and our rights must be respected,” said Mariann Bassy Orovwuje, reflecting the desires of many Africans who do not wish to be exploited.

Although Monsanto and other companies selling GM seeds and the chemicals that go with them have made tremendous inroads, the spread of GM crops has been curtailed by biosafety laws in place in the EU. In the US, consumers still have a choice and many have used that choice to go thumbs down on GM food in favor of sustainable organic agriculture and permaculture.

South African farmers have been cultivating GM maize, soy and cotton since at least the turn of the century, but the advertised promise that these crops would be their salvation has not come to fruition. Today their harvests are on the decline and about 50% of its people are classified as not having food security.

The South African experience confirms that GM crops can only bring financial benefits for a small number of well-resourced farmers. The vast majority of African farmers are small farmers who cannot afford to adopt expensive crops which need polluting inputs such as synthetic fertilizers and chemicals to perform effectively, said Swanby.

Last month millions of small scale food producers were represented in an international forum in Mali. The general consensus was that GM crops are part of the problem, not part the solution to the hunger crisis. They believe that food sovereignty and eco-farming is key to food security.

Eco-farming is gaining endorsements because it outperforms the yield from GM crops and produces more food, said a report from the United Nations that debunked the myth that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are the answer to ending world hunger. The report explained that small scale eco-farming and the use of natural farming methods are superlative to the GMO system and other systems based on pesticide use, and they produce more food and higher quality food. The report went on to say that if eco-farming were more widely implemented, it could actually double the world’s capacity for food production within ten years.

Under eco-farming models, small scale growers are free to plant and exchange seed, but under the authoritarian genetically modified system, it is punishable crime to save or exchange seed.

“Today’s scientific evidence demonstrates that agroecological methods outperform the use of chemical fertilizers in boosting food production where the hungry live — especially in unfavorable environments,” said Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur. “To date, agroecological projects have shown an average crop yield increase of 80 percent in 57 developing countries, with an average increase of 116 percent for all African projects. Recent projects conducted in 20 African countries demonstrated a doubling of crop yields over a period of three to ten years.”

Instead of relying on chemical pesticides and insecticides, eco-farming utilizes nature’s own balance to thwart pests and improve yields. Certain combinations of trees, plants, animals, and insects are used to maintain soil health and eliminate harmful pests. Beneficial insects like ladybugs, for instance, work very well in organic agriculture to protect crops from pests without the need for harsh chemical applications.

Unlike GMOs, eco-farming allows the people to freely grow and harvest their own food, and take advantage of what nature offers them in order to do so. Within the GMO paradigm, however, farmers are controlled by companies like Monsanto that sell them self-destructing Frankenseeds. These seeds require heavy pesticide applications in order to grow, and represent an unsustainable system that has devastated the livelihoods of thousands of farmers while failing to deliver on its promises.

De Schutter explained in his address that when the African country of Malawi replaced its “massive chemical fertilizer subsidy program” with agroecology, more than 1.3 million of the poorest people in the nation benefited, and corn yields increased from one ton per hectare to up to three ton per hectare.

For more information:

http://www.foei.org/press/archive-by-subject/food-sovereignty-press/us-force-feeds-gm-crops-african-nations-says-new-report/

http://alignlife.com/articles/food/permaculture-vs-survivalist-communities-whos-the-real-winner

http://alignlife.com/articles/food/ecofarming_tops_gmos_for_food_production

http://www.monsanto.com/food-inc/pages/seed-saving-and-legal-activities.aspx