Emma West, considered a political prisoner by many of her supporters, has been ordered held in prison until her next scheduled hearing on January 3rd. On December 6th 2011, magistrates decided to refuse Emma West’s bail application submitted by her solicitor, David Ewings, after they heard she had received death threats and that her address had been circulated on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. There were outbursts from supporters of Miss West, who shouted "treason" as she was denied bail at Croydon Magistrates’ Court.
After the video in which Emma West appeared was played in court, West initially pleaded not guilty. However, when she returned to the court room after a short recess, her not guilty plea was rescinded due to an administrative error. Court records were amended to show she has not yet indicated a plea. She has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence.
On the surface, it looks like there is some merit to the magistrates' decision to keep West locked up. Spiked-Online documented hundreds of physical threats against West after the video was released; police probably would have been required to mount a full-time presence around her Croydon neighborhood to protect her had she been released. But she still shouldn't have been arrested in the first place; it was her arrest that revealed her identity to the public and exposed her to public danger. Disgustingly, Gavin Barwell, Conservative MP for Croydon Central, actually praised social media for their role in exposing Emma West; he told MPs that the YouTube footage demonstrated how the internet could be used to help solve crime. Barwell said "On a positive note, does this not show the power of social media both in allowing a suspect to be caught and in showing the vast majority of Croydon residents do not share these views?"
But support for Emma West is picking up and being openly expressed. On December 2nd, 20 people held a quiet protest outside HMP Bronzefield calling for her release. The protest was organized on very short notice by Britain First. Meanwhile, the British National Party has ratcheted up its support for West, sending a delegation to court to witness the proceedings. The BNP says the excuses and explanations given to keep Emma West behind bars are totally, utterly and completely refuted by Emma West’s relatives, who say there have been no threats made against West and her family. Consequently, the supposed danger against Emma West may have been fabricated by the Crown Prosecution Service as an excuse to justify a political decision.
Those who would like to write to Emma West or send her a Christmas card can send correspondence to the following address:
HMP Bronzfiled
Woodthorpe Road
Ashford
Middlesex
TW15 3JZ
Meanwhile, Birmingham Nationalist reports that a gang of Muslim girls who repeatedly kicked a young woman in the head were not detained, not even for their own "protection". They were allowed to walk free from court after a judge heard they were not used to being drunk because of their religion. The group screamed "kill the white slag" while kicks raining in on 22-year-old Rhea Page as she lay motionless on the ground. The attackers - three sisters and their cousin -- were given suspended sentences.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Friday, December 02, 2011
Four Black Killers Of Channon Christian And Chris Newsom Granted New Trials Because Of Misconduct By Original Trial Judge Richard Baumgartner
In one of the more outrageous judicial rulings in the history of Knoxville, TN, the four black thugs who were tried and convicted of the torture and slaying of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom were granted new trials on December 1st, 2011 by Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood. Blackwood ruled that former judge Richard Baumgartner did not exercise his role of 13th juror in that he did not sign off on the final verdict in any of the four trials. In addition, Blackwood revealed alleged misconduct by Baumgartner during the time of the initial trials, to include doctor shopping and falsifying drug test results for a woman he was seeing. Judge Blackwood called the evidence of Baumgartner's crimes humiliating to judges everywhere, and said the records left him no choice but to throw out convictions against the four defendants and order new trials for Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas, and Vanessa Coleman. Davidson was sentenced to death, Cobbins and Thomas to life, and Coleman to 53 years for their roles in the brutal kidanpping, rape, torture, and murder of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom.
Read the 20-page copy of exhibits prompting Judge Blackwood's decision HERE.
Blackwood's labeling of "structurally" flawed trials presided over by Baumgartner in the Christian/Newsom case meant that no actual error by the disgraced judge had to be shown in order to merit new trials. Blackwood also said defendants can now reasonably claim Baumgartner's decision-making was biased toward the prosecution. Because new trials have been ordered, Blackwood even claimed that all but Davidson were entitled to ask to be freed on bond, but none of the defense lawyers were audacious enough to request it at Thursday's hearing. So all four remain in custody. While no specific trial dates were set, Blackwood did set a January 12th date to hear motions. WBIR Channel 10 notes that because of the double jeopardy rule, none of the four can be found guilty of any higher crime than their previous convictions. That means only Davidson is again eligible for the death penalty. WVLT Channel 8 news video embedded below:
Baumgartner stepped down and pleaded guilty in March 2011 to a felony official misconduct charge after a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) probe found he had purchased pills from a probationer in his court. He was said to be taking as many as 30 pills per day, including hydrocodone, oxycodone, and OxyContin, while on the bench, even during the Christian-Newsom trials. He was given a suspended sentence of two years and granted judicial diversion in order that he could keep his pension. He was disbarred in October 2011. Many more details of Baumgartner's addiction and resultant misconduct are published in a Knoxville News-Sentinel story entitled "Highlights of TBI file shows depth of Baumgartner's addiction"
Read the 20-page copy of exhibits prompting Judge Blackwood's decision HERE.
Blackwood's labeling of "structurally" flawed trials presided over by Baumgartner in the Christian/Newsom case meant that no actual error by the disgraced judge had to be shown in order to merit new trials. Blackwood also said defendants can now reasonably claim Baumgartner's decision-making was biased toward the prosecution. Because new trials have been ordered, Blackwood even claimed that all but Davidson were entitled to ask to be freed on bond, but none of the defense lawyers were audacious enough to request it at Thursday's hearing. So all four remain in custody. While no specific trial dates were set, Blackwood did set a January 12th date to hear motions. WBIR Channel 10 notes that because of the double jeopardy rule, none of the four can be found guilty of any higher crime than their previous convictions. That means only Davidson is again eligible for the death penalty. WVLT Channel 8 news video embedded below:
Baumgartner stepped down and pleaded guilty in March 2011 to a felony official misconduct charge after a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) probe found he had purchased pills from a probationer in his court. He was said to be taking as many as 30 pills per day, including hydrocodone, oxycodone, and OxyContin, while on the bench, even during the Christian-Newsom trials. He was given a suspended sentence of two years and granted judicial diversion in order that he could keep his pension. He was disbarred in October 2011. Many more details of Baumgartner's addiction and resultant misconduct are published in a Knoxville News-Sentinel story entitled "Highlights of TBI file shows depth of Baumgartner's addiction"
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Church Committee Votes To Deny Formal Membership To Interracial Couples At All-White Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church In Kentucky
The Free Will Baptist Church in Gulnare, Kentucky, whose congregation is currently all-White, placed itself in the crosshairs of the Diversity Cartel when a committee of its members voted to deny formal membership to interracial couples. Interracial couples are still welcome to attend services, but are not allowed to officiate in any way. The story has been picked up nationally by The Blaze, the Fox News Channel and the Washington Post, but the local version is at Lex18.com and Louisville.com. Vigorous support for the decision is expressed on Stormfront.
According to the National Association of Free Will Baptists, the correct term is "Free Will" rather than "Freewill", so I'm referring to it as Free Will in this post.
The sequence of events was set in motion when the 24-year-old daughter of the church secretary, Stella Harville, brought her 29-year-old coal-black Zimbabwean fiancee, Ticha Chikuni, to a service this past summer. The two had previously attended services, but this time Chikuni sang a song for the congregation. As a result, one church member, former pastor Melvin Thompson, decided to craft a resolution to "promote greater unity". His resolution read, "That the Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church does not condone interracial marriage. Parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they they be used in worship services and other church functions, with the exception being funerals." The resolution does not ban interracial couples from merely attending services, however. In keeping with local church guidelines, Pastor Stacy Stepp, the church's head pastor who personally opposed the resolution, submitted the proposal to a church committee, which voted 9-6 to adopt it on Sunday November 27th. Here's a news video posted by Newsradio1310:
According to Fox News, Melvin Thompson said he is not racist and called the matter an internal affair. "I am not racist. I will tell you that. I am not prejudiced against any race of people, have never in my lifetime spoke evil about a race", said Thompson, the church's former pastor who stepped down earlier this year. "That's what this is being portrayed as, but it is not."
Keith Burden, the executive secretary for the National Association of Free Will Baptists in Antioch, TN, put forth the denominational position on the issue. He explained that the denomination believes the Bible to be inerrant, and proclaimed that local churches have autonomy over decision-making. He also said the Gulnare church acted strictly on its own, and hinted that the association could strip the local church of its affiliation with the national denomination if it's not resolved.
Meanwhile, Randy Johnson, President of the Pike County Ministerial Association states, "It's not the spirit of the community in any way, shape or form." He also said the reactions have included heartbreak and disbelief. And Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Executive Director John J. Johnson, who has no jurisdiction in this matter, sought to punch his diversity card by issuing a statement saying he was “saddened” by the news.
Prognosis: Even though the church committee voted democratically to institute the membership ban on interracial couples, it will most likely not be allowed to stand, since both the church's head pastor and the denominational headquarters oppose it. Most likely the ban will be rescinded; diversity will be allowed to trump democracy once again, as it has so many times since the civil rights era began. Don't be surprised if Melvin Thompson and the nine who voted in favor of the resolution leave the congregation.
According to the National Association of Free Will Baptists, the correct term is "Free Will" rather than "Freewill", so I'm referring to it as Free Will in this post.
The sequence of events was set in motion when the 24-year-old daughter of the church secretary, Stella Harville, brought her 29-year-old coal-black Zimbabwean fiancee, Ticha Chikuni, to a service this past summer. The two had previously attended services, but this time Chikuni sang a song for the congregation. As a result, one church member, former pastor Melvin Thompson, decided to craft a resolution to "promote greater unity". His resolution read, "That the Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church does not condone interracial marriage. Parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they they be used in worship services and other church functions, with the exception being funerals." The resolution does not ban interracial couples from merely attending services, however. In keeping with local church guidelines, Pastor Stacy Stepp, the church's head pastor who personally opposed the resolution, submitted the proposal to a church committee, which voted 9-6 to adopt it on Sunday November 27th. Here's a news video posted by Newsradio1310:
According to Fox News, Melvin Thompson said he is not racist and called the matter an internal affair. "I am not racist. I will tell you that. I am not prejudiced against any race of people, have never in my lifetime spoke evil about a race", said Thompson, the church's former pastor who stepped down earlier this year. "That's what this is being portrayed as, but it is not."
Keith Burden, the executive secretary for the National Association of Free Will Baptists in Antioch, TN, put forth the denominational position on the issue. He explained that the denomination believes the Bible to be inerrant, and proclaimed that local churches have autonomy over decision-making. He also said the Gulnare church acted strictly on its own, and hinted that the association could strip the local church of its affiliation with the national denomination if it's not resolved.
Meanwhile, Randy Johnson, President of the Pike County Ministerial Association states, "It's not the spirit of the community in any way, shape or form." He also said the reactions have included heartbreak and disbelief. And Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Executive Director John J. Johnson, who has no jurisdiction in this matter, sought to punch his diversity card by issuing a statement saying he was “saddened” by the news.
Prognosis: Even though the church committee voted democratically to institute the membership ban on interracial couples, it will most likely not be allowed to stand, since both the church's head pastor and the denominational headquarters oppose it. Most likely the ban will be rescinded; diversity will be allowed to trump democracy once again, as it has so many times since the civil rights era began. Don't be surprised if Melvin Thompson and the nine who voted in favor of the resolution leave the congregation.
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