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09:06:49 12/15/10
John Russo On Oakland Gang Injunction and Gangs in Oakland
[LESS INFO] 9 VIEWS | ADDED 09:06:49 12/15/10
This video blogger talked with Oakland City Attorney John Russo about his response to a video featuring Michael Siegel of the Oakland civil rights law firm Siegel and Lee , and the focus of a blog entry of last week. One that got under the skin of Russo and his assistant Alex Katz.
Within two days, John and Alex called to ask for this blogger to come and conduct a video interview to get their side of the Oakland Gang Injunction issue. The result is the 20 minute video.
In 2010 Oakland became the third city in the San Francisco Bay Area to implement injunctions against a specific set of street gangs, the North Oakland Crime Organization and another called The , which, according to Russo, is a terribly violent gang.
What Is A Gang Injunction?
To start, we got out of the way just what a gang injunction is. "A gang injunction is a civil court order that the city pursues against a uh, known criminal enterprise," Russo said. "It's defined, the term "gang" is used - a street gang is the state law. It's a law that was passed in the 1980s by the California Legislature." Russo - who's level of understanding of the details of the history of the gang injunction "tool" shows how involved he's been in the issue - explains that the law was upheld as constitutional by the California Supreme Court in 1997. "It is a civil order in the manner of a restraining order," he says, "It allows a city attorney or a district attorney to bring an injunction against a group of individuals who have conspired to commit crimes or otherwise terrorize innocent people in a community." (Photo by CBS Channel 5, San Francisco.)
Russo says Oakland has had two such injunctions, one approved by the Alameda Superior Court in June after being created in February and is called The North Side Oakland Injunction.
The second injunction request filed in October impacts Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood and involves a gang called The Nortenos.
Oakland's Better Injunction
Russo asserts that Oakland's injunctions are formed with a concern for due process and civil rights, a bit of a slap at the injunctions of other cities. "The others are constitutional. A city can go to a court and say 'We're going to prove this gang exists,' and leave it to the police to determine on the street, who's part of the gang. By contrast, Oakland uses the court system and what Russo says is "clear and convincing evidence" to say that a person's part of a gang. That, at least is supposed to, eliminate the possibility of racial profiling or at least reduce the chance of such habits working in this case.
In Oakland's system, the objective is to prove that the individual is part of the criminal organization. John says that in many cases the persons of interest self identify via Facebook, YouTube, and other ways.
Are Federal Dollars The Objective?
Michael Siegel contends that the gang injunction is a way to sweep more people of color up into the police prison system and gain Federal dollars in the process. Russo says that the idea that's true springs from Siegel's head. Russo says they don't get Federal or State dollars from using the gang injunctions. Russo blasts both Michael and his dad Dan Siegel for deliberately mis-reporting what the law says.
An Open Door To The Riders Case?
Russo says that the gang injunction is not an open door for another "Riders" case. In that unfortunate year 2000 episode in Oakland's history, four officers - Frank Vazquez, Clarence Mabanag, Jude Siapno and Matt Hornung - were accused of beating gang and crime suspects in West Oakland, and planting evidence on them.
Called "The Riders," their actions were revealed by a whistle-blower Oakland Police Officer, Keith Batt, (who is that no more) and resulted in a $10.5 million payout by the City of Oakland to West Oaklanders who were terrorized by the cops, and a Federal consent decree governing the Police Department that was to remain to 2010.
Again, Russo says that because Oakland's Gang Injunction System calls for in-court identification of suspects using judge, jury, and law, it takes the issue of determining who's part of a gang our of the hands of the Oakland Police on the street.
Injunctions Working?
Russo says the Oakland injunction's will be successful because they're focused on the individual. But the basic point is it's too early to tell if the injunctions are totally successul or not. It's in the process of being applied and is new. Russo says "It's not a be all end all. It's a tool." He says it comes up via the Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils which are neighborhood watch groups like the one for Lake Merritt's Adams Point we call 14x. That group uses a Yahoo Group to share crime information with the Oakland Police representative for that area.
Gang Injunctions Racist?
On the idea that the Oakland Gang Injunction is racist, focusing on black and brown in poor Oakland neighborhoods, Russo gets pissed. "It's racist," he charges," to allow innocent people to be terrorized," by criminals in the areas that happen to be black and brown, and do nothing about it for fear of being called racist for taking action.
But Russo saves his greatest venom for the Siegels Dan and Michael and their law firm Siegel and Lee, who he says are going to Oakland Schools with bullhorns and openly lying to teenagers about the Oakland Gang Injunction saying that it's directed at them. "There's no one under 18 on the injunction list, and there never will be anyone under 18 on the injunction list," Russo blasts.
A Better Way
To this blogger, the real problem is that Oakland lacks a systems approach to deal with this problem. A crime is more than a police issue, it's an economic development and housing issue too. We should know if the people involved had jobs and if not, why not. Then work to get them employed. Instead, all we do is lock people up. It's massively stupid and only temporarily effective at best. The Oakland Gang Injunction is but one tool, the problem is the City of Oakland doesn't know how to use the other tools at its disposal, like Redevelopment, together with it. And by Redevelopment, I do not mean population removal, but population resource improvement.
Stay tuned.
2 Views
22:04:00 12/02/10
Video: New treatment for depression, bipolar disorder
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 22:04:00 12/02/10
Researchers have discovered a unique treatment for depression and bipolar illnesses using two natural substances made by our own bodies. A natural substance called creatine that's in virtually every cell of our body may be what people with depression need to reverse the devastating effects of their illness. "Creatine is raw material for which our body can use - a phosphorus creatine reaction to create energy in the brain," explains Dr. Douglas Kondo of the University of Utah Brain Institute. For someone like Missee Greager, another natural substance called uridine might energize the brain even more to fight her bipolar illness, symptoms she's battled since her teenage years. "I can be manic for weeks," she says. "I can also have depression for weeks, or manic twice in one day and then I'll be like really high and then I'll go down and be depressed - and up and down." Missee has the illness under control and is doing well on conventional medications, but she'd like to participate in future uridine studies. "Uridine by contrast is in human mother's breast milk and is compounded intentionally into infant formulas. So it's something the brain cannot develop without," says Dr. Kondo. For now, Dr. Kondo and Dr. Perry Renshaw have been giving low doses of creatine and uridine to adolescent patients who have not had success with traditional medicines. It appears when the substances are given as a supplement to the medications, the brain is re-energized, enhancing the medications so they work effectively. "If you think of the times when you've been sad or not feeling well, your brain doesn't feel like it has a lot of energy," Renshaw says. "There's a tremendous focus on creatine as an athletic supplement, but it turns out, it's not only skeletal muscle that uses creatine to create energy - but also the brain." Even more dramatic, Kondo says for some patients with bipolar illness, "We're actually treating people with uradine on its own." "We're reducing depressive symptoms by at least 50 percent within a couple of weeks. The two things that are remarkable is one, it's a very large effect and two, it's happening very quickly," Dr. Renshaw adds. In before and after brain scans of patients, graphs show some dramatic differences. Those images are documented by a sophisticated MRI at the Imaging and Neurosciences Center. As displayed in peaks and dips, the spikes of phosphorus creatine levels are much lower in those with depression or bipolar illnesses. Kondo and Renshaw say these early creatine and uridine experiments now beg for more stringent controlled double blind clinical trials to prove or disprove what appears to be happening in the brain. For people like Missee Greager and others with depressive illnesses the possibilities for future treatments appear promising. "It's even more exciting," she says, "to know that it is natural, something that your body makes." Creatine is also being investigated as a possible therapy for Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease. Clinical trials, using creatine to treat depression in adults will soon begin at Salt Lake's Veterans Hospital.
2 Views
00:20:43 12/12/09
Holiday Gift Guide - Digital Cameras - RnR Geek Video
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 00:20:43 12/12/09
Another Holiday Gift Guide - Sam Levin shows us some really cool cameras from Pentax
OPTIO WS80
Purchase on Amazon
* 10 Megapixel CCD for detailed images, large print sizes, and cropping flexibility.
* 5X internal optical zoom housed in a slim body less than an inch thick is ideal for vacations or every day adventures.
* Large 2.7 inch LCD with 230,000 dot resolution for easy composition and playback of still images and video.
* Waterproof construction can withstand depths up to 5 feet (1.5 meters), protecting against rain, snow, sand, spills, and allowing full underwater photos and video.
* Capture high resolution, widescreen, HD video up to 720p at a full-speed 30 frames per second.
* Fast Face Detection technology sees up to 32 faces in as little as 3 one-hundredths of a second for easy portrait photography.
* Smile Capture automatically takes the pictures when your subject smiles, and Blink Detection alerts you if your subject’s eyes are closed during the exposure.
* PENTAX Shake Reduction (SR) technology features Pixel Track SR, Digital SR, and Movie SR, stabilizing your images and video for beautiful, blur-free results.
* PENTAX Auto Picture mode automatically selects from 8 shooting modes for beautiful images in any setting.
* Sensitivity up to ISO 6400 boosts shutter speeds to freeze subject movement for blur-free images even in low lighting.
* Fashionable yet functional design is available in 2 bold color options: black with orange, and white with purple.
* K-X
* PURCHASE ON AMAZON
*
12.4 megapixel CMOS sensor
High resolution 12.4 megapixel CMOS image sensor features sensor-shift Shake Reduction for stabilized image and video capture up to 4 stops max.
2.7 inch LCD with Live View and Face Detection
Large 2.7 inch LCD features Live View with contrast, phase difference, and Face Detection autofocus (up to 16 faces).
720p HD Video
Capture widescreen HD video in full 720p resolution (1280x720) at 24 FPS cinematic frame rate, using any PENTAX 35mm lens.
Compact Body
Highly compact DSLR body design allows for 1 handed operation and comfort when travelling.
Auto Picture and Scene Modes
Powerful automatic modes, including PENTAX Auto Picture and scene modes, ensure the perfect shot in any situation, while helping new photographers learn DSLR photography.
Creative Processing and Filter Modes
Creative processing and filter modes produce high quality finished images, while offering the ability to explore artistic freedom through unique special effects.
HDR Image Capture
True HDR image capture blends 3 bracketed images into a single picture with outstanding shadow, highlight, and midrange detail.
4.7 Frames per Second
Fast 4.7 FPS capture speed and 1/6000 second maximum shutter speeds are possible with the PENTAX
PRIME II image processing engine.
11 Point Wide Angle Focus
Responsive 11 point wide angle SAFOX VIII autofocus system focuses quickly and accurately, and can easily track moving subjects.
AA Batteries
Capture up to 1900 shots with universally available, easy-to-find AA lithium batteries (also compatible with AA NiMH rechargeable and alkaline batteries).
K-x White
Software CD-ROM S-SW99
USB Cable I-USB7
Strap O-ST53
Hotshoe Cover FK
Eyecup FQ
Body Mount Cover
AA Lithium Batteries (*4) Sensor: Type: CMOS with primary color filter and integrated Shake/Dust Reduction sensor-movement system Size: 23.6 x 15.8mm Color depth: 8 bits/channel JPG, 12 bits/channel RAW Effective pixels: 12.4 MP Total pixels: 12.9 MP Recorded resolutions Still: 12M (4288x2848), 10M (3936x2624), 6M (3072x2048), 2M (1728x1152) Movie (resolution/FPS): 1280x720p24 (16:9), 640x416p24 (3:2) Quality levels: ??? Best, ?? Better, ? Good Dust Removal: Image sensor movement combined with SP coating (Dust Alert available) Lens Mount: Type/construction: PENTAX KAF2 bayonet stainless steel mount Usable lenses: PENTAX KAF3, KAF2, KAF, KA (K mount, 35mm screwmount, 645/67 med format lenses useable w adapter and/or restrictions) SDM function: Yes Power zoom function: n/a Focus System: Type: TTL phase-matching 11 point (9 cross) wide autofocus system (SAFOX VIII) Focus modes: AF Auto, AF Single (w focus lock), AF Continuous (available in Action mode including Auto Picture Action, Kids, Pet, Stage Lighting, Night Snap, P/A/S/M/B/Sv), Manual Focus point adjustment: 11 point auto, 5 point auto, AF point select, center/spot AF assist: Yes, via built-in flash Viewfinder: Type: Pentamirror Coverage (field of view): Approx 96% Magnification: Approx 0.85X (w 50mm F1.4 at infinity) Standard focusing screen: Natural-Bright-Matte II Diopter adjustment: -2.5 to 1.5 Depth of field preview: Optical & Digital (available via programmable Green button) LCD Monitor: Type: 2.7” TFT color LCD monitor w adjustable brightness Resolution: 230,000 dots Wide angle viewable: Yes Built-in Flash: Type: Retractable P-TTL auto/manual popup flash Guide number: 12 (100/m), 16 (200/m) Coverage: 25mm wide angle (equivalent to 35mm) Flash modes: On, off, redeye, slow sync, slow sync w redeye, slow sync w trailing curtain, wireless Flash exposure compensation: -2 to 1 EV (1/2 steps) External Flash: Type: Hot shoe (P-TTL, high speed sync), wireless w PENTAX dedicated flash Synchronization speed: 1/180s Storage Media: Internal memory: n/a Removable memory: SD, SDHC Interfaces: Ports: USB 2.0 hi-speed, AV out Video out: NTSC, PAL Printer interfaces: n/a Power Supply: Power source: 4 AA (lithium, NiMH rechargeable, alkaline) Recordable images: Approx 1900 (1100 w 50% flash, CIPA) Playback time: Approx 680 min Movie recording time: Approx TBD AC adapter available: Yes (optional) Physical Specifications: Body dimensions (W x H x D): 4.8 x 3.6 x 2.7” Body weight Without battery or removable memory: 18.2 oz Loaded and ready: 20.5 oz (lithium) Construction material(s): Fiber reinforced plastic polymer covers around a rugged stainless steel chassis Weather resistant: n/a Operating temperature: 32-104°F Language Support: English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Dutch, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Traditional/Simplified Chinese Image Stabilization: Type: Sensor-shift Shake Reduction (4 stops max) Metering System: Type: TTL open aperture, 16 segment metering Sensitivity range: EV 1-21.5 (ISO 200, 50mm F1.4) Multi-segment: Yes Center weighted: Yes Spot: Yes Exposure compensation: +/- 3 EV (1/2 or 1/3 steps) Exposure lock: Yes (available via programmable AF/AE-L button) Exposure bracketing: Yes, 3 frames, up to +/- 1.5 (1/2 steps) or +/- 1.0 (1/3 steps) ISO Sensitivity: Auto: 200-6400 (1, 1/2, 1/3 EV steps), up to 1600 in Bulb, expand to 100-12800 Manual: 200-6400 (1, 1/2, 1/3 EV steps), up to 1600 in Bulb, expand to 100-12800 White Balance*: Auto preset modes: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent (D, N, W, L), Tungsten, Flash, CTE Manual mode(s): Yes * WB fine adjustment available in all modes Shutter: Type: Electronically controlled, vertical run, focal plane shutter Shutter speed: 1/6000 to 30 sec, bulb available Capture Modes: Mode selection: Auto Picture (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Night Scene Portrait, Standard Flash Off), Picture (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Night Scene Portrait, Standard Flash Off), Scene (Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Food, Sunset, Kids, Pet, Candlelight, Museum, Stage Lighting [JPG], Night Snap [JPG]), Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Metered Manual, Bulb (available in Metered Manual), Movie Custom Image Modes: Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Muted, Monochrome. Color modes include gamut radar and fine adjustment for saturation, hue, key, contrast, sharpness (regular and fine adj). Monochrome mode includes adjustment for film filter effects (green, yellow, orange, red, magenta, blue, cyan, infrared), toning (sepia warm/cool), key, contrast, sharpness (regular and fine adj). Cross Processing mode available for creative random effect generation. Green simplified mode available: n/a P/A/S/M/B: P, A, S, M, B (in Metered Manual), Sv (Sensitivity Priority) Date stamp: n/a Digital filters (capture): Toy Camera, High Contrast, Soft, Starburst, Retro, Color Extract (6), Fisheye, Custom (8) Data record: Folder name (standard/date) Drive Modes: Mode selection: Single, Continuous (Hi, Lo), Self Timer (12s, 2s), Remote (0s, 3s), Auto Bracket, HDR Capture (+3, 0, -3 w 2 blend settings), Multi-Exposure Continuous FPS: Approx 4.7 FPS (Continuous Hi: 17 JPG, 5 RAW), 2 FPS (Continuous Lo: unlimited JPG, 11 RAW) Self-timer: Yes (12s, 2s) Remote control: Yes (infrared, 0s, 3s) Playback Modes: Mode selection: One Shot (no data, basic data, full data, color channel histogram), Multi Image Display (4, 9, 16, or 36 thumbnails), Calendar Filmstrip, Folder, Magnification (quick zoom available), Select & Delete, Movie Playback (no data, basic data, full data), Bright/Dark Indication Mode pallet: Image Rotation, Digital Filter, Resize, Cropping, Slideshow, Image Comparison, RAW Development, Index Print, Protect, DPOF Magnification: Up to 16X, scrollable Digital filters (playback): Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Extract Color (6), Watercolor, Pastel, Miniature, Base Parameter Adj, Monochrome (filter effects, toning), Color (6), Soft, Starburst, Fisheye, Slim, HDR, Custom Filter File Formats: Still: RAW (PEF, DNG), JPG (EXIF 2.21), DCF 2.0 (design rule for camera file system), DPOF, Print Image Matching III Movie (compression): AVI (motion JPG) Custom Functions: Functions available: 22 Computer Requirements: *For device connectivity. Bundled software requirements may vary. Windows: Windows XP/Vista/7, USB 2.0 port Mac: MacOS-X 10.3-10.5, USB 2.0 port K-x Black Go to all Digital SLRs K-x Navy Go to all Digital SLRs K-x Red Go to all Digital SLRs AF200FG Go to all Flashes Downloads: K-x Manual ► Updates:
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