mercurynews--2020-06-15--Black protester who carried injured white man through angry crowd says he was trying to avoid catast

Black protester who carried injured white man through angry crowd says he was trying to avoid catastrophe

The black man seen carrying an injured white man to safety during a chaotic scene at protests in London Saturday told CNN he did it to avoid catastrophe .
The image of Patrick Hutchinson ’ s selfless act has now spread across the globe .
Hutchinson told CNN Sunday it was the first Black Lives Matter protest he attended , and he helped the white man because he didn ’ t want the main reason for the protests to be lost in one moment of violence .
Protesters in London and all over the world have taken to the streets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of black people at the hands of police .
These deaths most recently include George Floyd in Minneapolis and Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta .
“ My real focus was on avoiding a catastrophe , all of a sudden the narrative changes into ‘ Black Lives Matters , Youngsters Kill Protesters.
’ That was the message we were trying to avoid , ” Hutchinson said .
Hutchinson told CNN he initially saw the man lying on some stairs in the fetal position surrounded by protesters .
At that moment , he said it didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be a counter protester or hold prejudices , but he was trying to get him out safely .
More than 100 people were arrested in London protests Saturday after violence broke out as far-right groups targeted BLM protests .
CNN has not been able to independently verify what the injured man was doing at the protest before the incident or why he was there .
CNN has not yet been able to identify the injured protester .
When Hutchinson saw the man , he said he and his friends formed a cordon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take him directly to the police .
While they were marching , the man could still feel people trying to hit him , Hutchinson said .
“ I am carrying him , my friends are protecting myself and the man on my shoulder .
He was still receiving blows , you can feel people trying to hit him , ” he said .
“ There were people trying to protect him at the same time carried him over to the police and I said here you are .
One of them said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good thing there . '
” • Thousands gather for Hollywood march as protesters return to streets across Southern California Hutchinson attended the protests Saturday because “ history was in the making , ” he said , and it was a “ no brainer ” to support the cause .
He added that he would like to break down the race barriers and for people to realize , “ we are all one race.
” “ I want to see equality for everybody .
I am a father , a grandfather and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , my young grandchildren , my nieces , my nephews have a better world than I have lived in , ” Hutchinson said .
“ The world I live in has been better than my grandparents and my parents and hopefully we can continue until we have total equality for everyone .
”

The black man seen carrying an injured white man to safety during a chaotic scene at protests in London Saturday told CNN he did it to avoid catastrophe.
The image of Patrick Hutchinson’s selfless act has now spread across the globe. Hutchinson told CNN Sunday it was the first Black Lives Matter protest he attended, and he helped the white man because he didn’t want the main reason for the protests to be lost in one moment of violence.
Protesters in London and all over the world have taken to the streets calling for police reform after the deaths of black people at the hands of police. These deaths most recently include George Floyd in Minneapolis and Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta.
“My real focus was on avoiding a catastrophe, all of a sudden the narrative changes into ‘Black Lives Matters, Youngsters Kill Protesters.’ That was the message we were trying to avoid,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson told CNN he initially saw the man lying on some stairs in the fetal position surrounded by protesters.
At that moment, he said it didn’t cross his mind the man may be a counter protester or hold prejudices, but he was trying to get him out safely. More than 100 people were arrested in London protests Saturday after violence broke out as far-right groups targeted BLM protests. CNN has not been able to independently verify what the injured man was doing at the protest before the incident or why he was there. CNN has not yet been able to identify the injured protester.
When Hutchinson saw the man, he said he and his friends formed a cordon around him and Hutchinson scooped him up to take him directly to the police. While they were marching, the man could still feel people trying to hit him, Hutchinson said.
“I am carrying him, my friends are protecting myself and the man on my shoulder. He was still receiving blows, you can feel people trying to hit him,” he said. “There were people trying to protect him at the same time carried him over to the police and I said here you are. One of them said ‘thank you – you did a good thing there.'”
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Israel’s Netanyahu released from hospital ahead of key vote on legal overhaul National News | Protesters try to storm Baghdad’s Green Zone over the burning of Quran and Iraqi flag in Denmark Hutchinson attended the protests Saturday because “history was in the making,” he said, and it was a “no brainer” to support the cause. He added that he would like to break down the race barriers and for people to realize, “we are all one race.”
“I want to see equality for everybody. I am a father, a grandfather and I would love to see my young children, my young grandchildren, my nieces, my nephews have a better world than I have lived in,” Hutchinson said. “The world I live in has been better than my grandparents and my parents and hopefully we can continue until we have total equality for everyone.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.


mercurynews--2020-06-15--Los Angeles County Sheriff to address death of black man found hanging from tree

PALMDALE — Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva will hold an online town hall Monday to address the death of a black man found hanging from a tree in the city of Palmdale .
The body of Robert Fuller was discovered last week at a park near City Hall .
The county medical examiner-coroner ’ s office said the 24-year-old appeared to have died by suicide , prompting an outcry by his family who believed he wasn ’ t suicidal and community members who called for an independent investigation and autopsy .
On Saturday , hundreds of protesters marched from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sheriff ’ s station .
Many carried signs that read , “ Justice for Robert Fuller.
” Meanwhile , an online petition demanding an investigation collected more than 200,000 signatures .
The city has issued a statement supporting an independent inquiry , and three elected officials — county Supervisor Kathryn Barger , state Sen. Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita and Assemblyman Tom Lackey of Palmdale — urged California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the probe .
• A community seeks answers after a young black man is found hanging from a tree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came amid nationwide protests rebuking the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
Fuller ’ s case brought to light the death of a black man who was found hanging from a tree on May 31 in Victorville , a desert city about 45 miles ( 72 kilometers ) east of Palmdale .
The San Bernardino County Sheriff ’ s Department said foul play was not suspected in the death of 38-year-old Malcolm Harsch , but his family said they were concerned it will be ruled a suicide to avoid further attention @

PALMDALE — Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva will hold an online town hall Monday to address the death of a black man found hanging from a tree in the city of Palmdale.
The body of Robert Fuller was discovered last week at a park near City Hall. The county medical examiner-coroner’s office said the 24-year-old appeared to have died by suicide, prompting an outcry by his family who believed he wasn’t suicidal and community members who called for an independent investigation and autopsy.
On Saturday, hundreds of protesters marched from the park near City Hall to the sheriff’s station. Many carried signs that read, “Justice for Robert Fuller.” Meanwhile, an online petition demanding an investigation collected more than 200,000 signatures.
The city has issued a statement supporting an independent inquiry, and three elected officials — county Supervisor Kathryn Barger, state Sen. Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita and Assemblyman Tom Lackey of Palmdale — urged California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the probe.
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Fuller’s case brought to light the death of a black man who was found hanging from a tree on May 31 in Victorville, a desert city about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of Palmdale.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said foul play was not suspected in the death of 38-year-old Malcolm Harsch, but his family said they were concerned it will be ruled a suicide to avoid further attention.


mercurynews--2020-06-15--Coronavirus: Is it safer to fly or drive during the pandemic?

People are undoubtedly moving around more as vacation season heats up and patience for sheltering at home wears thin .
Many travelers are sticking closer to home with short driving trips , but air travel is on the rise .
More than 500,000 people crossed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints at US airports on June 11 , the first time numbers have climbed above that mark since the coronavirus pandemic brought travel to a near standstill in March .
Anyone contemplating a trip has probably asked : Is it safer to fly or drive during the pandemic ?
As with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no perfect answer .
It depends on the trip , on your behavior and your risk tolerance .
“ The risks of travel are usually more dependent on the personal choices of the traveler rather than the means of transport , ” said Dr. Daniel Griffin , an infectious disease specialist at Columbia University Medical Center .
Stops to eat , drink , use the bathroom and sleep on long car trips add risk .
“ Although the air in planes is filtered , the mask usage and hygiene of your fellow passengers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Griffin said .
Dr. William Schaffner , infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , believes driving has a leg up on safety .
“ When you drive , you have much greater control of your own environment and the people around you and so I would think it ’ s safer to drive in the present time , ” Schaffner said .
Even with restroom and fast food drive-thru stops , “ you can control your environment regarding the interaction with other people to a much greater extent than you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of course whatever time you spend on the plane , you ’ re in a very enclosed environment with other people , all of whom may not be wearing masks , ” he said .
But Schaffner also said if he needed to travel across country , as CNN Travel reader James Armstrong did , he would fly .
Armstrong , a single dad in San Diego , California , recently wrestled with the fly-or-drive question for a trip to move his daughter ’ s belongings out of her dorm at West Virginia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take four flights … lasting 7 hours each way with up to 200 other passengers or is it safer to stay in at least three different hotels in three different states , plus all the restaurant/grocery store stops along the way ?
, ” Armstrong wrote .
Ultimately , he and his daughter and two of his younger children flew across country .
Taking two weeks off work for a cross-country road trip wasn ’ t viable for Armstrong , who is self employed .
He also wasn ’ t convinced that all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and feed his family on the cross-country trip would be any safer than flying .
“ We looked at it , we weighed it , we looked at the time , we looked at the kids ’ school obligations … and we just said , ‘ We ’ re gon na bite the bullet .
We ’ ll wear our masks , we ’ ll bring little swabs to clean things if we need to … And we ’ ll wait it out for 14 days hoping nothing happens.
” They ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks now , and they ’ re all symptom-free , Armstrong said .
The family saw little enforcement of face covering requirements in airports or during their flights .
One flight skipped food and beverage service for safety concerns , but the return flight offered that service .
One flight was less full , but passengers were clustered closer to the front , Armstrong said .
Bottom line : Social distancing and mask compliance on planes and in airports is uneven .
Precautions to take , whether you fly or drive Either way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re close to other people helps reduce risk .
That includes covering your face when you go through a drive-thru on a road trip and keeping your mask on during a flight .
Eating and drinking on a plane presents its own challenges when fliers aren ’ t able to sit six feet from passengers outside their cohort .
“ The more you ’ re around unmasked people , the riskier it gets .
So maybe you keep your mask on and forgo the drink .
But you don ’ t want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Griffin agrees that eating or drinking in flight carries risk .
“ When people eat on planes , they tend to touch their masks , uncover their nose and mouth and potentially expose themselves and others , ” he said .
Keep interactions with other people to a minimum .
Using electronic check-in apps and packing your own food helps reduce face-to-face contact .
Wash or sanitize your hands frequently and sanitize surfaces that others may have touched .
But perhaps most importantly , make sure you ’ re OK with the level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For the Armstrongs , air travel is worth the risk .
“ It ’ s like riding a roller coaster for the first time .
You ’ re pretty scared , but honestly , after that you ’ re like , ‘ OK , ’ ” said James Armstrong .
• Coronavirus : Case total in California rises by nearly 4,000 OK enough for another flight ?
Yes .
Armstrong ’ s daughter flew cross-country again this week .
Her Southwest flight was overbooked for social distancing and the airline repeatedly called to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Armstrong said .
She didn ’ t .
But it ’ s another sign that there ’ s no guarantee for social distancing on planes .
“ You can ’ t anticipate exactly what ’ s going to happen , ” said Schaffner .
“ So it ’ s very much your own sense of risk tolerance .
”

People are undoubtedly moving around more as vacation season heats up and patience for sheltering at home wears thin.
Many travelers are sticking closer to home with short driving trips, but air travel is on the rise.
More than 500,000 people crossed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints at US airports on June 11, the first time numbers have climbed above that mark since the coronavirus pandemic brought travel to a near standstill in March.
Anyone contemplating a trip has probably asked: Is it safer to fly or drive during the pandemic?
As with most things coronavirus, there’s no perfect answer. It depends on the trip, on your behavior and your risk tolerance.
“The risks of travel are usually more dependent on the personal choices of the traveler rather than the means of transport,” said Dr. Daniel Griffin, an infectious disease specialist at Columbia University Medical Center.
Stops to eat, drink, use the bathroom and sleep on long car trips add risk.
Air travel presents its own challenges.
“Although the air in planes is filtered, the mask usage and hygiene of your fellow passengers may be less than ideal,” Griffin said.
The benefits of driving
Dr. William Schaffner, infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, believes driving has a leg up on safety.
“When you drive, you have much greater control of your own environment and the people around you and so I would think it’s safer to drive in the present time,” Schaffner said.
Even with restroom and fast food drive-thru stops, “you can control your environment regarding the interaction with other people to a much greater extent than you can traveling on an airliner. And of course whatever time you spend on the plane, you’re in a very enclosed environment with other people, all of whom may not be wearing masks,” he said.
But Schaffner also said if he needed to travel across country, as CNN Travel reader James Armstrong did, he would fly.
Fly or drive: A case study
Armstrong, a single dad in San Diego, California, recently wrestled with the fly-or-drive question for a trip to move his daughter’s belongings out of her dorm at West Virginia University.
“Is it safer to take four flights … lasting 7 hours each way with up to 200 other passengers or is it safer to stay in at least three different hotels in three different states, plus all the restaurant/grocery store stops along the way?,” Armstrong wrote.
Ultimately, he and his daughter and two of his younger children flew across country.
Taking two weeks off work for a cross-country road trip wasn’t viable for Armstrong, who is self employed. He also wasn’t convinced that all the interactions it would take to lodge and feed his family on the cross-country trip would be any safer than flying.
“We looked at it, we weighed it, we looked at the time, we looked at the kids’ school obligations … and we just said, ‘We’re gonna bite the bullet. We’ll wear our masks, we’ll bring little swabs to clean things if we need to … And we’ll wait it out for 14 days hoping nothing happens.”
They’ve been back for a little over two weeks now, and they’re all symptom-free, Armstrong said.
The family saw little enforcement of face covering requirements in airports or during their flights. One flight skipped food and beverage service for safety concerns, but the return flight offered that service.
One flight was less full, but passengers were clustered closer to the front, Armstrong said.
Bottom line: Social distancing and mask compliance on planes and in airports is uneven.
Precautions to take, whether you fly or drive
Either way, wearing a mask when you’re close to other people helps reduce risk.
That includes covering your face when you go through a drive-thru on a road trip and keeping your mask on during a flight.
Eating and drinking on a plane presents its own challenges when fliers aren’t able to sit six feet from passengers outside their cohort.
“The more you’re around unmasked people, the riskier it gets. So maybe you keep your mask on and forgo the drink. But you don’t want to get dehydrated,” said Schaffner.
Griffin agrees that eating or drinking in flight carries risk.
“When people eat on planes, they tend to touch their masks, uncover their nose and mouth and potentially expose themselves and others,” he said.
Keep interactions with other people to a minimum. Using electronic check-in apps and packing your own food helps reduce face-to-face contact.
Wash or sanitize your hands frequently and sanitize surfaces that others may have touched.
But perhaps most importantly, make sure you’re OK with the level of risk you’re taking.
For the Armstrongs, air travel is worth the risk.
“It’s like riding a roller coaster for the first time. You’re pretty scared, but honestly, after that you’re like, ‘OK,’ ” said James Armstrong.
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Her Southwest flight was overbooked for social distancing and the airline repeatedly called to see if she would change her flight, Armstrong said.
She didn’t. But it’s another sign that there’s no guarantee for social distancing on planes.
“You can’t anticipate exactly what’s going to happen,” said Schaffner. “So it’s very much your own sense of risk tolerance.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.


mercurynews--2020-06-15--California police suspect homicide in swimming pool drowning

Police suspect the apparent drowning of a man in Claremont on Saturday , June 13 , may have been a case of homicide , and have arrested a Pasadena resident in the death .
Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel notified law enforcement at about 8 p.m. after responding to reports of a 39-year-old man who was not breathing and did not have a pulse at the 900 block of Appalachian , Claremont Police Department officials said in a news release .
He was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center , where he was later pronounced dead .
Details @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Investigators examined surveillance footage , and believe the man who died had been in a swimming pool with Masoud Bitarafan , 34 , of Pasadena , police said .
Officers suspect he held the victim underwater , thereby contributing to his death .
Further information regarding what might have led up to the incident was not available Sunday evening , Officers arrested Bitarafan on Saturday evening on suspicion of murder , police said .
He was booked early Sunday morning and was held at the Claremont City Jail in lieu of $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to appear in court Tuesday , June 16 .

Police suspect the apparent drowning of a man in Claremont on Saturday, June 13, may have been a case of homicide, and have arrested a Pasadena resident in the death.
Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel notified law enforcement at about 8 p.m. after responding to reports of a 39-year-old man who was not breathing and did not have a pulse at the 900 block of Appalachian, Claremont Police Department officials said in a news release. He was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. Details regarding his identity were not immediately released.
Investigators examined surveillance footage, and believe the man who died had been in a swimming pool with Masoud Bitarafan, 34, of Pasadena, police said. Officers suspect he held the victim underwater, thereby contributing to his death. Further information regarding what might have led up to the incident was not available Sunday evening,
Officers arrested Bitarafan on Saturday evening on suspicion of murder, police said. He was booked early Sunday morning and was held at the Claremont City Jail in lieu of $5 million. The suspect was due to appear in court Tuesday, June 16.


mercurynews--2020-06-15--Should LAPD’s budget go from $1.9 billion to $190 million?

In the demonstrations that have swept Los Angeles the past two weeks as part of a nationwide backlash against police violence , some protest chants have called for budget cuts that would amount to the near abolition of the city ’ s Police Department .
Hundreds of people have called into typically sedate budget meetings to blast elected officials .
Songs , catchphrases , pie graphics , memes and videos supporting the cause have popped up .
A potentially seismic shift for a city , the proposal to defund the LAPD pre-dates the marches against police brutality and is championed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and others who launched the campaign earlier this year .
The debate over spending on police departments has swelled during the protests that erupted after video showed a Minneapolis officer kneeling for nearly nine minutes on the neck of George Floyd , a 46-year-old black man who died of asphyxiation according to autopsy reports .
When City Council members and Mayor Eric Garcetti recently backed a $ 100 million to $ 150 million cut to the LAPD budget , with the funds going into social programs , some called it a partial victory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talked about shifting about $ 250 million in the city budget to programs helping the black community , women , and other people of color .
Joseph Williams , a lead organizer for Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles , said defunding the police “ is a new rallying cry , ” but a version of an “ old idea.
” For decades , community advocates have called for divestment of funds from law enforcement , shifting that money to other community needs such as housing , education and food that will , among other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thrive .
This time , how far should Los Angeles , or any city , go ?
Williams said that depends on “ whatever the amount the political imagination a given jurisdiction has , whatever will and courage the elected officials in that area have – that is how far the call is .
“ Here in Los Angeles , make no mistake about it , ” he said .
“ Folks are asking for the LAPD to take a massive cut , if not to lose all ( operating funds ) they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far cry from the $ 100 million to $ 150 million that the mayor has already verbally decided we ’ re going to allocate away from the Police Department.
” LAPD ’ s operating budget is $ 1.9 billion for the next fiscal year , which kicks in July 1 , with $ 1.7 billion of it in salaries .
The People ’ s Budget LA , one group of activists , says that figure should be cut by 90 % , said Jacob Woocher , an organizer for the group .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LAPD ’ s operating budget .
The mayor ’ s budget calls for police services to be maintained , and includes a $ 120 million increase over the current year ’ s budget , which would in essence be erased by city leaders ’ proposed shifting of funds .
Police officers recently began receiving bonuses , and will get a 4.5 % pay bump starting July 1 .
“ This money didn ’ t float in … from the ocean , ” said Greg Akili , a Black Lives Matter–Los Angeles organizer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event in late May before the protests .
“ It ’ s our money that ’ s being spent .
And if you look at the mayor ’ s budget … something that stands out is that a large percentage of it is going to law enforcement.
” Supporters of the People ’ s Budget LA want money taken from the Police Department and instead spent on such things as boosting jobs and small businesses , housing subsidies and providing free public transportation .
“ We know a majority of Angelenos disagree with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , founding member of Black Lives Matter–Los Angeles , after hosting a Thursday evening , June 11 , virtual town hall meeting that drew 10,000-plus viewers on Facebook .
“ We will continued to amplify [ Garcetti ’ s ] proposal , and we encourage those who disagree with it to make ( public ) their vigorous disagreement , ” she said .
“ Abolishing the police does not mean the abolishing of community safety ; we do believe in community safety , ” Abdullah said .
“ But policing for black folks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety , but to be trauma and harm.
” Greatly reducing the money spent on a police department would seem to be very a tough to sell .
Besides the mayor , the Los Angeles Police Protective League , which represents the 9,000-plus rank-and-file police officers , opposes the defunding plan , of course .
President Donald Trump , Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders , a former candidate to be the Democratic candidate for president , also oppose defunding police .
Because of economic fallout from the public-health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city will be short $ 230 million in revenues , prompting cuts to city services .
Many city workers , excluding sworn police and fire employees , would get 26 furlough days , equivalent to a 10 % pay cut .
Professor Isaac Bryan is director of the Black Policy Project at UCLA and once served in Garcetti ’ s administration .
He supports taking steps toward abolishing the Police Department .
Protesters in Los Angeles , and nationwide , he said , “ are past the point of window dressing ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to reform aspects of police department practices .
“ We ’ re beyond the point of incremental reforms , ” he said .
“ And I think we need to be headed towards incremental abolition.
” • Thousands gather for Hollywood march as protesters return to streets across Southern California Though Garcetti said he would not support the People ’ s Budget , he said he was glad such proposals exist and that he is continuing to listen .
“ I think where I agree with almost everybody who has written to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that we have under invested in the communities that most need us , ” the mayor said .
Earlier this week , nine Minneapolis City Council members , representing a majority on the panel , said they back disbanding the community ’ s Police Department and committed to begin looking for alternative ways to ensure safety for the city ’ s residents .
But how that would play out is very uncertain .

In the demonstrations that have swept Los Angeles the past two weeks as part of a nationwide backlash against police violence, some protest chants have called for budget cuts that would amount to the near abolition of the city’s Police Department.
Protesters have raised up cardboard signs: “Defund LAPD.”
Hundreds of people have called into typically sedate budget meetings to blast elected officials. Songs, catchphrases, pie graphics, memes and videos supporting the cause have popped up.
A potentially seismic shift for a city, the proposal to defund the LAPD pre-dates the marches against police brutality and is championed by local Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles organizers and others who launched the campaign earlier this year.
The debate over spending on police departments has swelled during the protests that erupted after video showed a Minneapolis officer kneeling for nearly nine minutes on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died of asphyxiation according to autopsy reports.
When City Council members and Mayor Eric Garcetti recently backed a $100 million to $150 million cut to the LAPD budget, with the funds going into social programs, some called it a partial victory.
In all, the mayor has talked about shifting about $250 million in the city budget to programs helping the black community, women, and other people of color.
Joseph Williams, a lead organizer for Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles, said defunding the police “is a new rallying cry,” but a version of an “old idea.”
For decades, community advocates have called for divestment of funds from law enforcement, shifting that money to other community needs such as housing, education and food that will, among other things, create conditions to help people thrive.
This time, how far should Los Angeles, or any city, go?
Williams said that depends on “whatever the amount the political imagination a given jurisdiction has, whatever will and courage the elected officials in that area have – that is how far the call is.
“Here in Los Angeles, make no mistake about it,” he said. “Folks are asking for the LAPD to take a massive cut, if not to lose all (operating funds) they receive annually, which is definitely a far cry from the $100 million to $150 million that the mayor has already verbally decided we’re going to allocate away from the Police Department.”
LAPD’s operating budget is $1.9 billion for the next fiscal year, which kicks in July 1, with $1.7 billion of it in salaries.
The People’s Budget LA, one group of activists, says that figure should be cut by 90%, said Jacob Woocher, an organizer for the group. That would potentially leave $190 million in LAPD’s operating budget.
The mayor’s budget calls for police services to be maintained, and includes a $120 million increase over the current year’s budget, which would in essence be erased by city leaders’ proposed shifting of funds.
Police officers recently began receiving bonuses, and will get a 4.5% pay bump starting July 1.
“This money didn’t float in … from the ocean,” said Greg Akili, a Black Lives Matter–Los Angeles organizer, during a People’s Budget LA event in late May before the protests. “It’s our money that’s being spent. And if you look at the mayor’s budget … something that stands out is that a large percentage of it is going to law enforcement.”
Supporters of the People’s Budget LA want money taken from the Police Department and instead spent on such things as boosting jobs and small businesses, housing subsidies and providing free public transportation.
“We know a majority of Angelenos disagree with his proposal,” said Melina Abdullah, founding member of Black Lives Matter–Los Angeles, after hosting a Thursday evening, June 11, virtual town hall meeting that drew 10,000-plus viewers on Facebook.
“We will continued to amplify [Garcetti’s] proposal, and we encourage those who disagree with it to make (public) their vigorous disagreement,” she said.
“Abolishing the police does not mean the abolishing of community safety; we do believe in community safety,” Abdullah said. “But policing for black folks has never been guaranteed to be community safety, but to be trauma and harm.”
Greatly reducing the money spent on a police department would seem to be very a tough to sell.
Besides the mayor, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents the 9,000-plus rank-and-file police officers, opposes the defunding plan, of course.
President Donald Trump, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a former candidate to be the Democratic candidate for president, also oppose defunding police.
Because of economic fallout from the public-health crisis, Garcetti’s proposal anticipates the city will be short $230 million in revenues, prompting cuts to city services. Many city workers, excluding sworn police and fire employees, would get 26 furlough days, equivalent to a 10% pay cut.
Professor Isaac Bryan is director of the Black Policy Project at UCLA and once served in Garcetti’s administration. He supports taking steps toward abolishing the Police Department.
Protesters in Los Angeles, and nationwide, he said, “are past the point of window dressing” and just accepting proposals to train officers and to reform aspects of police department practices.
“We’re beyond the point of incremental reforms,” he said. “And I think we need to be headed towards incremental abolition.”
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Israel’s Netanyahu released from hospital ahead of key vote on legal overhaul Crime and Public Safety | Protesters try to storm Baghdad’s Green Zone over the burning of Quran and Iraqi flag in Denmark Though Garcetti said he would not support the People’s Budget, he said he was glad such proposals exist and that he is continuing to listen.
“I think where I agree with almost everybody who has written to me, or put something forward, is that we have under invested in the communities that most need us,” the mayor said.
Earlier this week, nine Minneapolis City Council members, representing a majority on the panel, said they back disbanding the community’s Police Department and committed to begin looking for alternative ways to ensure safety for the city’s residents.
But how that would play out is very uncertain.


mercurynews--2020-06-15--Baseball Lives: An agent who helps players reach out over international borders

While growing up in her native Monterey , an annual summer event made Toni Nocita understand that baseball truly extended beyond the borders of the United States .
“ Attending the Bronco World Series at Monterey ’ s Jacks Park from a young age really opened my eyes , ” says Nocita , a baseball players ’ agent in Southern California .
“ I remember seeing teams from all over the world and realizing that baseball is international and kids everywhere were dreaming of making it to the major leagues.
” The tournament is no longer held here , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s mind .
Teams of 11- and 12-year-olds came from throughout the U.S. and from far-flung locales , Nocita had only read about or imagined , such as South Korea , Taiwan , Panama , Puerto Rico and Mexico .
Nocita has worked for the past 10 years for the Beverly Hills Sports Council ( BHSC ) , which was founded in 1984 .
Forbes magazine described it last year as the 10th biggest baseball agency .
“ We do far more than represent players in contract negotiations .
BHSC has a definite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nocita ’ s work has taken her beyond U.S. boundaries .
“ My most memorable experiences are my trips to the Dominican Republic , accompanied by Striking Out Poverty , a campaign of Food for the Hungry , that focuses on serving the most vulnerable people in the world , ” Nocita said .
Among those who accompanied her were current major leaguers Dee Gordon and Gregory Polanco , a Dominican Republic native , and former big leaguer Hensley Meulens , who was then the Giants hitting coach .
The nonprofit ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ describes her first trip in 2016 as “ life-changing ” as she witnessed many communities that lacked food and clean water and people subsisting on less than $ 1 a day .
The organization helped to develop community centers , built a water tower and built a backstop for a baseball field .
“ It ’ s important to touch on how integral baseball is for their culture ; those kids are fighting to make it to MLB to change their entire communities and are coming from hardships not even the poorest U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heartbreaking .
We played a baseball game with local kids who didn ’ t even have functioning gloves or bases for the field.
” According to Baseball Almanac , there were more Dominican Republic natives in 2019 in the majors , 152 , than from any other foreign country .
While much of the industry ’ s work is revenue driven , Nocita says , “ Many people don ’ t realize that athletes have interests beyond the field but may have no idea how to start .
One of those passions is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community to make an impact in this world .
I quickly realized the value that this sort of service could add to the athletes we represent , not to mention provide deeper meaning to my job.
” The firm doesn ’ t take a percentage of those off-field earnings , she says .
“ We approach each client with the goal of providing value to that individual relationship and provide a full suite of services around athletes ’ charitable strategies and how to leverage their platform to make a positive impact in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 80 nonprofits in the U.S. and abroad , and helped our clients raise over a half-million dollars for various communities.
” Social media expanded the field , allowing athletes to “ establish and grow their brand off the field and have a real voice to be seen as people , not just athletes , ” she says .
Nocita ’ s title is Director of Athlete Marketing .
“ I serve as our athletes ’ marketing agent , developing strategic partnerships with brands , including endorsement deals , digital campaigns , appearances , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negotiating over $ 3.5 million in endorsement deals , including a handful of national TV spots .
Nocita , 31 , graduated in 2007 from Monterey High , where she met Lucas Herbst , now her fiancé and a former minor league outfielder .
In high school , Nocita was a multisport athlete .
At Monterey Peninsula College , she played volleyball .
Nocita transferred to Pepperdine University in Malibu , graduating in 2011 with a degree in Integrated Marketing Communications .
She interned with BHSC as a senior at Pepperdine , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t stop her .
She had lunch with Rick Thurman , one of the firm ’ s partners .
“ I told him that I truly believed I could make a difference in the company.
” She was hired .
“ Toni ’ s passion for helping our clients and their families on the community relations side is unmatched in this industry , ” says Danny Horwits , BHSC president .
“ She has a unique ability to be both empathetic to the specific cause , yet persistent in ensuring our clients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Her success in that role plays a large part in our overall success.
” One of her clients is Giants outfielder Hunter Pence .
She introduced him to No Kid Hungry , a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty here and abroad .
Pence ’ s partnership has raised sufficient funds to provide nearly one million meals to Bay Area children , Nocita says .
“ BHSC and Toni are the best teammates , ” says Pence .
“ Toni truly dedicates herself to making sure my charitable goals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her and the team at BHSC to bring my visions for the community to life .
.
.
I look forward to continuing to lean on her to help me use my platform to make an impact in this world.
” “ We ’ re proud of the relationship we ’ ve built with Toni , ” says Quin Shaw , of the nonprofit .
“ She ’ s the reason No Kid Hungry is able to work with an amazing champion like Hunter Pence .
From supporting school breakfast and summer meals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have provided millions of meals to kids in need , Toni has been instrumental in helping to ensure no kid goes hungry.
” Another client is big leaguer Yasiel Puig , whom Nocita has helped stage celebrity poker tournaments providing funds for his Wild Horse Foundation , whose mission is “ to inspire children and families in underserved communities by promoting healthier and better quality lives through education , sports , community development , and health and wellness programs.
” In 2015 , Nocita went to Puerto Rico with major leaguer Salvador Perez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Celebrity Softball game that benefited his nonprofit , Fundacion 4 .
BHSC ’ s client list has included Hall of Famers George Brett , Trevor Hoffman and Mike Piazza , as well as Barry Bonds , Bobby Bonilla and Tim Lincecum .
Besides Pence , current clients include Pablo Sandoval and Mike Leake .
Nocita directs A ’ s pitcher Jake Diekman ’ s Gut It Out Foundation , raising money for those diagnosed with Crohn ’ s disease and ulcerative colitis , which he has battled since he was a boy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include COVID-19 relief efforts for frontline workers and social justice reform initiatives .
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• On this date , 2012 : Giants ’ Matt Cain has a perfect night “ Each of us has the ability to serve one another , as humans , whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carrying groceries for your neighbor , or as big as starting a nonprofit to support underserved communities , ” Nocita says .
“ I believe leading a life of kindness and love is the key , and that every single one of us has the ability to make a positive impact in the lives of others .
I approach each day and each interaction with the mindset ‘ How can I bring some light to this person ?
’ ” Know someone locally who went into pro baseball ?
We ’ re interested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leader at scooplew42 @ gmail.com .
Lewis Leader is a freelance writer and consultant , He was a newspaper reporter and editor for 27 years , including at The Herald and The Los Angeles Times .

While growing up in her native Monterey, an annual summer event made Toni Nocita understand that baseball truly extended beyond the borders of the United States.
“Attending the Bronco World Series at Monterey’s Jacks Park from a young age really opened my eyes,” says Nocita, a baseball players’ agent in Southern California. “I remember seeing teams from all over the world and realizing that baseball is international and kids everywhere were dreaming of making it to the major leagues.”
The tournament is no longer held here, but the memories are embedded in Nocita’s mind. Teams of 11- and 12-year-olds came from throughout the U.S. and from far-flung locales, Nocita had only read about or imagined, such as South Korea, Taiwan, Panama, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
Nocita has worked for the past 10 years for the Beverly Hills Sports Council (BHSC), which was founded in 1984. Forbes magazine described it last year as the 10th biggest baseball agency.
“We do far more than represent players in contract negotiations. BHSC has a definite social conscience,” she says.
Nocita’s work has taken her beyond U.S. boundaries.
“My most memorable experiences are my trips to the Dominican Republic, accompanied by Striking Out Poverty, a campaign of Food for the Hungry, that focuses on serving the most vulnerable people in the world,” Nocita said.
Among those who accompanied her were current major leaguers Dee Gordon and Gregory Polanco, a Dominican Republic native, and former big leaguer Hensley Meulens, who was then the Giants hitting coach. The nonprofit’s native staff led the trip.
Nocita describes her first trip in 2016 as “life-changing” as she witnessed many communities that lacked food and clean water and people subsisting on less than $1 a day. The organization helped to develop community centers, built a water tower and built a backstop for a baseball field.
“It’s important to touch on how integral baseball is for their culture; those kids are fighting to make it to MLB to change their entire communities and are coming from hardships not even the poorest U.S. families will ever understand. It was heartbreaking. We played a baseball game with local kids who didn’t even have functioning gloves or bases for the field.”
According to Baseball Almanac, there were more Dominican Republic natives in 2019 in the majors, 152, than from any other foreign country.
While much of the industry’s work is revenue driven, Nocita says, “Many people don’t realize that athletes have interests beyond the field but may have no idea how to start. One of those passions is often philanthropy – giving back to the community to make an impact in this world. I quickly realized the value that this sort of service could add to the athletes we represent, not to mention provide deeper meaning to my job.”
The firm doesn’t take a percentage of those off-field earnings, she says.
“We approach each client with the goal of providing value to that individual relationship and provide a full suite of services around athletes’ charitable strategies and how to leverage their platform to make a positive impact in the world. I have worked with over 80 nonprofits in the U.S. and abroad, and helped our clients raise over a half-million dollars for various communities.”
Social media expanded the field, allowing athletes to “establish and grow their brand off the field and have a real voice to be seen as people, not just athletes,” she says.
Nocita’s title is Director of Athlete Marketing. “I serve as our athletes’ marketing agent, developing strategic partnerships with brands, including endorsement deals, digital campaigns, appearances, and co-branding partnerships.” Her resume includes negotiating over $3.5 million in endorsement deals, including a handful of national TV spots.
Nocita, 31, graduated in 2007 from Monterey High, where she met Lucas Herbst, now her fiancé and a former minor league outfielder. In high school, Nocita was a multisport athlete. At Monterey Peninsula College, she played volleyball. Nocita transferred to Pepperdine University in Malibu, graduating in 2011 with a degree in Integrated Marketing Communications.
She interned with BHSC as a senior at Pepperdine, but no permanent job loomed. That didn’t stop her. She had lunch with Rick Thurman, one of the firm’s partners.
“I told him that I truly believed I could make a difference in the company.” She was hired.
“Toni’s passion for helping our clients and their families on the community relations side is unmatched in this industry,” says Danny Horwits, BHSC president. “She has a unique ability to be both empathetic to the specific cause, yet persistent in ensuring our clients’ goals and visions have been accomplished. Her success in that role plays a large part in our overall success.”
One of her clients is Giants outfielder Hunter Pence. She introduced him to No Kid Hungry, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty here and abroad. Pence’s partnership has raised sufficient funds to provide nearly one million meals to Bay Area children, Nocita says.
“BHSC and Toni are the best teammates,” says Pence. “Toni truly dedicates herself to making sure my charitable goals are accomplished. I can always trust her and the team at BHSC to bring my visions for the community to life. . . I look forward to continuing to lean on her to help me use my platform to make an impact in this world.”
“We’re proud of the relationship we’ve built with Toni,” says Quin Shaw, of the nonprofit. “She’s the reason No Kid Hungry is able to work with an amazing champion like Hunter Pence. From supporting school breakfast and summer meals’ programs to organizing fundraising efforts that have provided millions of meals to kids in need, Toni has been instrumental in helping to ensure no kid goes hungry.”
Another client is big leaguer Yasiel Puig, whom Nocita has helped stage celebrity poker tournaments providing funds for his Wild Horse Foundation, whose mission is “to inspire children and families in underserved communities by promoting healthier and better quality lives through education, sports, community development, and health and wellness programs.”
In 2015, Nocita went to Puerto Rico with major leaguer Salvador Perez and others for Yadier Molina’s Celebrity Softball game that benefited his nonprofit, Fundacion 4.
BHSC’s client list has included Hall of Famers George Brett, Trevor Hoffman and Mike Piazza, as well as Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla and Tim Lincecum. Besides Pence, current clients include Pablo Sandoval and Mike Leake.
Nocita directs A’s pitcher Jake Diekman’s Gut It Out Foundation, raising money for those diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which he has battled since he was a boy, says Nocita.
Her recent client projects include COVID-19 relief efforts for frontline workers and social justice reform initiatives.
“Each of us has the ability to serve one another, as humans, whether it’s something as small as carrying groceries for your neighbor, or as big as starting a nonprofit to support underserved communities,” Nocita says. “I believe leading a life of kindness and love is the key, and that every single one of us has the ability to make a positive impact in the lives of others. I approach each day and each interaction with the mindset ‘How can I bring some light to this person?’ ”
Know someone locally who went into pro baseball? We’re interested in telling their story. Contact Lewis Leader at scooplew42@gmail.com.
Lewis Leader is a freelance writer and consultant, He was a newspaper reporter and editor for 27 years, including at The Herald and The Los Angeles Times.


mercurynews--2020-06-15--‘The Long Shadow’: Documentary connects history of slavery to racism of modern policing

The racism that carried slavery and Jim Crow laws continues to impact virtually every aspect of American culture .
This is the underlying thesis of Frances Causey ’ s 2017 documentary “ The Long Shadow , ” which is currently available free online and is being discussed more widely since Black Lives Matter protests were sparked after the May 25 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police .
On Thursday at 7 p.m the film will be discussed by director Frances Causey in a live Zoom event hosted by the 2020 Santa Cruz Reel Work Labor Film Festival .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another black man ’ s life by the police to shake loose more consciousness .
And , more importantly , action , ” says Causey .
“ As I watched that horrifying nine minutes I thought , “ Here ’ s this guy murdering this black man right in front of our eyes .
And he knows someone ’ s filming and yet he continues to do what he ’ s doing .
Can you imagine what ’ s taking place that we aren ’ t seeing ?
” Causey , who worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ herself an “ accidental activist ” told the Sentinel , “ As a white person , I feel it ’ s my responsibility to raise awareness and do everything I can to jar white Americans who have been brainwashed their entire lives .
We ’ ve never been taught the true , terrible impact of slavery and Jim Crow on the present.
” • Five of the first seven U.S. presidents owned hundreds of slaves .
• Wall Street and the first insurance companies in America mortgaged and insured slaves .
• The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , deputized to catch escaped slaves .
• Many slave owners were compensated by the U.S. government when their slaves were freed .
Social welfare for domestic workers was originally included in FDR ’ s New Deal of the 1930 ’ s but removed because Southern politicians objected and controlled the political process , partly by counting each slave as 3/5 of a vote .
“ It ’ s a seminal point in the film where we look at the creation of the New Deal , ” explains Causey .
“ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political forces that have roots in slavery and our founding fathers .
And it set up the Constitution .
This was the three-fifths compromise .
The South could count three-fifths of each slave as a voting entity , while they weren ’ t even recognized as people .
Because there were many more people in the South , and the majority of them were slaves , this set up the South to have disproportionate political power.
” “ FDR needed the Southern vote to pass the New Deal , ” adds Causey .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ says , “ I want to include domestic workers and sharecroppers in social security.
” If they included those two vocations — the two primary black vocations of the era — they would ’ ve received social security .
The South said , ‘ Absolutely not.
’ ” Causey usually works behind the camera as a director and producer but in “ The Long Shadow ” she unearthed some of her own family history ; her sixth uncle , Edmund Pendleton , was a slave owner and , according to Causey , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States as governor of the Virginia Colony.
” “ I prefer a behind-the-scenes role , ” says Causey .
“ But I discovered that my uncle was the acting governor of Virginia when Lord Dunmore , the Royal Governor of Great Britain , fled after the revolutionary uprisings .
He was governor from 1775 to July of 1776 and was George Washington ’ s attorney .
He ’ d been to the Continental Congress in 1774.
” “ We learn about Lexington and Concord and all of this very patriotic stuff .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s life is that the United States — America at the time — really broke from Great Britain not just to have self-government , ” explains Causey .
“ But they were very afraid that Great Britain was going to outlaw slavery on American shores .
A law had just passed in England — the Somerset Case of 1772 — which outlawed slavery in Great Britain .
Slave owners like my uncle , who were the elite among the colonies , were struggling as they were writing the Declaration of Independence , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
’ ” “ Thomas Jefferson was a close colleague of my uncle ’ s , who later asked my uncle to design American law codifying slavery .
First what they had to do was signal in coded language to the other slave owners that slavery would be preserved in the new American republic .
Pendleton put in one single sentence basically saying , when you ’ re talking about all men being created equal , only those men are equal who are ‘ accepted into civil society.
’ That was the coded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After the revolution my uncle led Virginia ’ s ratification of the Constitution.
” “ What we ’ re seeing is the result of a failure to deal with racism throughout the generations , ” summarizes Causey , who was born and raised in Greensboro , North Carolina .
“ I knew it was bad but I never in a million years thought we ’ d elect a president who would overtly discriminate against African Americans and others .
It ’ s tragic.
” “ At the beginning of this country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other .
Gradually , local laws began to free the indentured whites but would take an indentured black person and enslave them , instead of freeing them , ” elucidates Causey .
“ Politicians in Nathaniel Bacon ’ s time created animosity between poor blacks and poor whites and said to poor whites , ‘ No matter how low you are , you ’ re not going to be as low as a slave.
’ You gradually see the creation of whiteness , an artificial construct by the elite to get poor whites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this ( 1676 ) rebellion among poor whites and poor blacks — Bacon ’ s Rebellion.
” “ Politicians today do what was done in the 1600s ; divide and conquer .
Politicians prey on this inherent racism by scapegoating blacks for taking disproportionate amounts of social services , ” Causey explains .
“ This is all engineered to create white anger against African Americans .
It revolves around this reality that whiteness began as an artificial construct by the white elite to keep political and economic policies in their favor.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the bottom up , from the grassroots , ” Causey offers .
“ Black Lives Matter is an incredible movement .
It ’ s what we ’ re trying to say with the film ; we ’ re behind our African American brothers and sisters .
This white person of privilege gets it.
” Here in Santa Cruz , Police Chief Andy Mills was recently photographed “ taking a knee ” with African-American Mayor Justin Cummings during a May 30 protest against police brutality .
Mills has acknowledged on numerous occasions that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ Police Lives Matter.
” In a June 3 Zoom “ Community Forum ” Mills said he ’ d chanted “ Black Lives Matter ” during a protest that day , though he did not address a question from Rachel Mendelson , a UCSC graduate student , who asked Mills how he reconciles chanting “ BLM ” while wearing the “ Police Lives Matter ” bracelet .
“ I have a strong visceral reaction to the police chiefs in L.A. and Santa Cruz wearing ‘ Police Lives Matter ’ bracelets .
Police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they don ’ t have anything to do with each other , ” Causey states emphatically .
“ If he ’ s ( SCPD Chief Mills ) an open-minded individual , he will see how police enforcement and every aspect of our society has been shaped by racism and negatively impacted African Americans .
Yes , all life is sacred .
But black Americans are being disproportionately killed while in police custody.
” “ I think ‘ Police Lives Matter ’ is a slap in the face to the African American community and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adds .
“ It ’ s symptomatic of how we have swept away the worst wound this country has .
Perhaps worse is the genocide of first nations people .
But for generations we ’ ve had magical thinking about this issue ; that we can be color blind .
While we want to get to being a color-blind society one day , we need to be aggressive about removing white supremacy that is pervasive in our culture .
Sadly , a lot of that happens in law enforcement and is infused in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve reached a critical mass and a turning point.
” “ It was heartening to see what the Minneapolis City Council did in terms of , let ’ s start from scratch and re-direct the police .
Recall that after 9/11 the country ’ s police and sheriff ’ s departments were flooded with military gear .
We have this heightened militarization of everything and I can ’ t think of a better example than Mr. Floyd ’ s murder ; you see four police guys on him and Floyd ’ s clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m giving up here .
Please get off my neck so that I can breathe.
’ ” Regarding current calls to “ disband ” or “ defund ” police Causey says , “ The least you could do is end this over-militarization and take some police funding , which is part of the Black Lives Matter platform , and direct it into communities .
Which is , in some ways , reparations.
” “ Slavery and Jim Crow is an American story .
Let ’ s roll up our sleeves and see what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the huge income disparity between blacks and whites in our country .
For every ten dollars a white person has , a black person has one dollar .
And health outcomes are radically different .
You can not but look to slavery as the primary economic driver at that start of our country.
” “ The Long Shadow ” is available online at thelongshadowfilm.com , Tubi and Kanopy .
Director Causey will lead a Zoom discussion at 7 p.m. Thursday , sponsored by the 2020 Reel Work Labor Film Festival , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

The racism that carried slavery and Jim Crow laws continues to impact virtually every aspect of American culture. This is the underlying thesis of Frances Causey’s 2017 documentary “The Long Shadow,” which is currently available free online and is being discussed more widely since Black Lives Matter protests were sparked after the May 25 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. On Thursday at 7 p.m the film will be discussed by director Frances Causey in a live Zoom event hosted by the 2020 Santa Cruz Reel Work Labor Film Festival.
George Floyd
“Tragically, it took the taking of another black man’s life by the police to shake loose more consciousness. And, more importantly, action,” says Causey. “As I watched that horrifying nine minutes I thought, “Here’s this guy murdering this black man right in front of our eyes. And he knows someone’s filming and yet he continues to do what he’s doing. Can you imagine what’s taking place that we aren’t seeing?”
Causey, who worked for CNN for 14 years and calls herself an “accidental activist” told the Sentinel, “As a white person, I feel it’s my responsibility to raise awareness and do everything I can to jar white Americans who have been brainwashed their entire lives. We’ve never been taught the true, terrible impact of slavery and Jim Crow on the present.”
“The Long Shadow” highlights a largely unknown history of American racism that includes:
• Five of the first seven U.S. presidents owned hundreds of slaves.
• Wall Street and the first insurance companies in America mortgaged and insured slaves.
• The first police in America were slave patrols, deputized to catch escaped slaves.
• Many slave owners were compensated by the U.S. government when their slaves were freed.
Social welfare for domestic workers was originally included in FDR’s New Deal of the 1930’s but removed because Southern politicians objected and controlled the political process, partly by counting each slave as 3/5 of a vote.
New Deal
“It’s a seminal point in the film where we look at the creation of the New Deal,” explains Causey. “We’re talking about the disproportionate power of political forces that have roots in slavery and our founding fathers. And it set up the Constitution. This was the three-fifths compromise. The South could count three-fifths of each slave as a voting entity, while they weren’t even recognized as people. Because there were many more people in the South, and the majority of them were slaves, this set up the South to have disproportionate political power.”
“FDR needed the Southern vote to pass the New Deal,” adds Causey. “He goes to the South and says, “I want to include domestic workers and sharecroppers in social security.” If they included those two vocations — the two primary black vocations of the era — they would’ve received social security. The South said, ‘Absolutely not.’”
Causey usually works behind the camera as a director and producer but in “The Long Shadow” she unearthed some of her own family history; her sixth uncle, Edmund Pendleton, was a slave owner and, according to Causey, “He helped institutionalize white supremacy in the United States as governor of the Virginia Colony.”
“I prefer a behind-the-scenes role,” says Causey. “But I discovered that my uncle was the acting governor of Virginia when Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of Great Britain, fled after the revolutionary uprisings. He was governor from 1775 to July of 1776 and was George Washington’s attorney. He’d been to the Continental Congress in 1774.”
Patriotic stuff
“We learn about Lexington and Concord and all of this very patriotic stuff. But what I discovered researching Edmund Pendleton’s life is that the United States — America at the time — really broke from Great Britain not just to have self-government,” explains Causey. “But they were very afraid that Great Britain was going to outlaw slavery on American shores. A law had just passed in England — the Somerset Case of 1772 — which outlawed slavery in Great Britain. Slave owners like my uncle, who were the elite among the colonies, were struggling as they were writing the Declaration of Independence, ‘What do we do about slavery?’”
“Thomas Jefferson was a close colleague of my uncle’s, who later asked my uncle to design American law codifying slavery. First what they had to do was signal in coded language to the other slave owners that slavery would be preserved in the new American republic. Pendleton put in one single sentence basically saying, when you’re talking about all men being created equal, only those men are equal who are ‘accepted into civil society.’ That was the coded language in the Virginia Declaration of Rights. After the revolution my uncle led Virginia’s ratification of the Constitution.”
“What we’re seeing is the result of a failure to deal with racism throughout the generations,” summarizes Causey, who was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. “I knew it was bad but I never in a million years thought we’d elect a president who would overtly discriminate against African Americans and others. It’s tragic.”
Creation of ‘whiteness’
“At the beginning of this country, whites and blacks were indentured alongside each other. Gradually, local laws began to free the indentured whites but would take an indentured black person and enslave them, instead of freeing them,” elucidates Causey. “Politicians in Nathaniel Bacon’s time created animosity between poor blacks and poor whites and said to poor whites, ‘No matter how low you are, you’re not going to be as low as a slave.’ You gradually see the creation of whiteness, an artificial construct by the elite to get poor whites behind their policies. But there was this (1676) rebellion among poor whites and poor blacks — Bacon’s Rebellion.”
“Politicians today do what was done in the 1600s; divide and conquer. Politicians prey on this inherent racism by scapegoating blacks for taking disproportionate amounts of social services,” Causey explains. “This is all engineered to create white anger against African Americans. It revolves around this reality that whiteness began as an artificial construct by the white elite to keep political and economic policies in their favor.”
Black lives matter
“Changes are going to have to come from the bottom up, from the grassroots,” Causey offers. “Black Lives Matter is an incredible movement. It’s what we’re trying to say with the film; we’re behind our African American brothers and sisters. This white person of privilege gets it.”
Here in Santa Cruz, Police Chief Andy Mills was recently photographed “taking a knee” with African-American Mayor Justin Cummings during a May 30 protest against police brutality. Mills has acknowledged on numerous occasions that he sometimes wears a bracelet that says, “Police Lives Matter.” In a June 3 Zoom “Community Forum” Mills said he’d chanted “Black Lives Matter” during a protest that day, though he did not address a question from Rachel Mendelson, a UCSC graduate student, who asked Mills how he reconciles chanting “BLM” while wearing the “Police Lives Matter” bracelet.
Police lives matter
“I have a strong visceral reaction to the police chiefs in L.A. and Santa Cruz wearing ‘Police Lives Matter’ bracelets. Police Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter – they don’t have anything to do with each other,” Causey states emphatically. “If he’s (SCPD Chief Mills) an open-minded individual, he will see how police enforcement and every aspect of our society has been shaped by racism and negatively impacted African Americans. Yes, all life is sacred. But black Americans are being disproportionately killed while in police custody.”
“I think ‘Police Lives Matter’ is a slap in the face to the African American community and to Black Lives Matter,” Causey adds. “It’s symptomatic of how we have swept away the worst wound this country has. Perhaps worse is the genocide of first nations people. But for generations we’ve had magical thinking about this issue; that we can be color blind. While we want to get to being a color-blind society one day, we need to be aggressive about removing white supremacy that is pervasive in our culture. Sadly, a lot of that happens in law enforcement and is infused in our military. Hopefully now we’ve reached a critical mass and a turning point.”
Re-directing police funding is reparations
“It was heartening to see what the Minneapolis City Council did in terms of, let’s start from scratch and re-direct the police. Recall that after 9/11 the country’s police and sheriff’s departments were flooded with military gear. We have this heightened militarization of everything and I can’t think of a better example than Mr. Floyd’s murder; you see four police guys on him and Floyd’s clearly trying to say, ‘I’m giving up here. Please get off my neck so that I can breathe.’” Regarding current calls to “disband” or “defund” police Causey says, “The least you could do is end this over-militarization and take some police funding, which is part of the Black Lives Matter platform, and direct it into communities. Which is, in some ways, reparations.”
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mercurynews--2020-06-15--Justice delayed: California woman’s 1974 death reclassified from suicide to homicide

For nearly a half-century , a cloud hung over the grave of Linda Louise Cummings .
Cummings , a nurse ’ s aide with aspirations of moving up in the medical field , was found nude with a clothesline knotted around her neck in her Santa Ana apartment in 1974 .
A coroner ’ s investigator concluded she committed suicide , a conclusion based mostly on gossip .
The investigator later changed the cause of death to “ undetermined , ” which did little to ease the pain for Cummings ’ family , who insisted she would never kill herself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of pressure from a band of police investigators , prosecutors , a retired reporter and Cummings ’ relatives – Orange County ’ s chief pathologist reclassified her death as a “ homicide , ” removing the stigma of suicide .
That likely is the closest Cummings will come to winning justice .
The man many believed killed Cummings , her former assistant apartment manager , died in 2018 .
But that doesn ’ t bother Cummings ’ half brother , Paul Broadway , because now he has proof that Cummings – a devout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own hand .
She did not give up on her dreams at the age of 27 .
She did not abandon then 10-year-old Broadway , but she was stolen from him .
The cloud now is gone .
“ It was a dark day .
… ( But ) a huge weight has been lifted .
Food tastes a little better .
I have hope , ” said Broadway , 56 , of San Diego .
“ It was a human being that took my sister , not just some random , unknown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system works .
It may take 46 years , but it works.
” The “ system ” had help from advocates such as victims rights attorney Michael Fell ; prosecutor–turned-judge Larry Yellin and retired Orange County Register reporter Larry Welborn , who dogged the case for most of his adult life .
They researched , collected documents , consulted pathologists from New York to Santa Ana and pestered officials long after others had declared the case cold and dead .
They fought for Cummings ’ memory and for Broadway ’ s peace of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cummings ’ gravesite at El Toro Memorial Park , hugging and remembering the woman for whom they fought so hard .
They put roses on her headstone and reminisced about the road that had brought them there .
Broadway thanked them all – these old warriors – calling them his new family , brought together by their refusal to let pain be Cummings ’ legacy .
“ This is the best thing that has happened to our family in 46 years , ” Broadway told Welborn .
The tale of Linda Cummings was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ Murder by Suicide , ” published in 2005 by the Register .
The story begins in Unit 8 of the Aladdin Apartments on 17th Street in Santa Ana .
Cummings moved there in January 1974 to be closer to her job at Doctors Hospital .
It was also close to her school and to her best friend , registered nurse Harriet Nieves .
Cummings was quiet , sweet and , perhaps , a little naive .
She never dated and gave others the impression she was a virgin .
She was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full-fledged nurse .
And she was like a mother to Broadway , teaching him his ABCs and taking him to Del Taco for the pintos and cheese cup .
Nothing in her demeanor hinted that she was depressed or suicidal .
She loved to write poems and was looking forward to life in her new apartment .
Her new home also brought Louis “ Louie ” Wiechecki into her life .
Wiechecki was the assistant manager and worked as an orderly at the hospital where she served as a nurse ’ s aide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new apartment when her lifeless body was found Jan. 24 , 1974 , by Wiechecki .
She was hanging in the middle of a clothesline tied on one end to a door hinge and on the other end to a closet rod .
A no-slip knot held the clothesline to her neck .
Wiechecki had used his master key to get into the room after she failed to show up for work that morning .
After calling police , Wiechecki stationed himself in the courtyard where he told anyone within listening distance that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently self-committed to a hospital for depression … that she was taking the powerful anti-psychotic Thorazine .
Police took Wiechecki ’ s story to a young coroner ’ s investigator named Joe Stevens , who verified it by calling Cummings ’ purported doctor .
Stevens got the phone number from a police investigator , who got it from another investigator , who got it from … Wiechecki .
It is unclear who Stevens talked to – but it was not Cummings ’ doctor .
None of the information was true .
So with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sleight of hand , Wiechecki controlled the narrative of how Cummings died .
Largely based on Wiechecki ’ s efforts , Stevens concluded the death was a suicide .
Case closed .
It wasn ’ t even considered newsworthy for the local papers .
Then a second woman from the apartment complex was found strangled five weeks after Cummings ’ death .
The body was wrapped in a blue bedspread and tied with the same type of clothesline used on Cummings .
The bedspread had come from Wiechecki ’ s apartment .
Less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was found , Wiechecki was arrested for the killing of Marion Camilla Morgan , 78 .
Based on Morgan ’ s death , detectives took another look at Cummings and had her body exhumed .
A second autopsy found sperm in her and Thorazine , which had not been prescribed for her and which Wiechecki had in his possession .
All roads pointed to Wiechecki in Cummings ’ death .
But his wife , Sandy , would only testify against him in Morgan ’ s slaying and not in the Cummings case .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ would bring the death penalty , according to court records .
Wiechecki was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter after the jury bought the defense argument that the killing could have happened during a quarrel .
No charges were filed in Cummings ’ death , but Stevens changed her manner of death to “ undetermined.
” Wiechecki was paroled after four years in prison .
Most journalists would have shut their notebooks and moved on – but not 25-year-old Welborn , who later became a courthouse legend for his insightful reporting and his knack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few years out of college , was mesmerized by the innocent face on Cummings ’ driver ’ s license .
Suicide just didn ’ t fit .
There was no suicide note .
And Cummings had too much to live for .
The case bothered him .
So he bothered those in charge .
Through the decades , he bugged prosecutors and investigators , he sent case records to noted pathologists across the country , he caused Cummings ’ body to be exhumed a second time .
Welborn even tracked down Wiechecki @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where he was living under the name David Louis Stanley .
Welborn watched from 25 yards away as Louie smoked a cigarette outside his garage .
But Welborn didn ’ t approach .
He wasn ’ t ready .
Not yet .
Over the years , Welborn grew to think of Cummings as his surrogate little sister .
He kept digging , combing through records for Louie ’ s ex-wife ’ s Social Security number , by which she could be tracked .
In 1998 , he found Sandy Wiechecki and she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed Cummings .
But she had no hard evidence .
Welborn felt the body needed to be exhumed again to find the sperm evidence that had been lost over the years .
He turned to homicide prosecutor Larry Yellin , who specialized in cold cases .
Yellin reviewed the file and became convinced it should be prosecuted .
He obtained a court order to again exhume the body .
But this time there was bad news , the $ 98 wooden coffin at El Toro Memorial Park had decayed so badly that any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Still , Yellin soldiered on .
He got nationally recognized pathologists to review the files and photographs of the body .
The doctors concluded that it appeared from marks on her neck that she was strangled and then hanged .
In 2005 , investigators for the Orange County District Attorney and Santa Ana Police Department visited Louie at his home in Henderson , Nevada .
They bluffed Louie by saying his DNA had been found in Cummings ’ vagina .
Louie bit on the bluff , saying they had sex shortly before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspected rape and murder .
“ There was never a time I thought it was a suicide .
I knew it was a homicide , ” Yellin said in a recent interview .
“ I didn ’ t need to be convinced that it was worth taking a shot.
” Yellin explained that some victims just get to you , and he could see Cummings had gotten to Welborn .
An Orange County Grand Jury confirmed the charges with an indictment two years later .
But Louie got off on a technicality : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that too much time had passed , that evidence and witnesses had been lost .
“ That was the darkest day of my journalism career , ” said Welborn , who discusses the case each summer with high school students at the California Scholastic Press Association Workshop in a class called “ Why Journalism ?
” “ I pushed the boulder up that hill , and it rolled back down.
” Disheartened , Welborn put the file away , later moving it to the rafters in his garage .
Louie then died in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what .
That same year , Welborn , who retired in 2014 , retrieved the files to see whether Louie might have been the Golden State Killer .
He wasn ’ t .
But the effort got Welborn thinking about the Cummings ’ case again .
He coordinated with Broadway , who didn ’ t seem too disappointed that Louie had passed without answering for Cummings ’ death .
“ No one ever gets away with it , ” said Broadway , a former federal correctional guard .
“ You don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be in prison .
If you ’ re looking over your shoulder every day and know you ’ ve got it coming , that ’ s prison .
No one gets away , not even monsters.
” Broadway and Welborn turned to setting the record straight on Cummings ’ death .
They worked with attorney Fell on lobbying Orange County ’ s top pathologist Anthony Juguilon to modify the manner of death .
Fell submitted a 31-page argument assembled with everything they had learned over the decades .
The document was so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sheriff ’ s officials , prosecutors and pathologists to consider the request .
It was unanimous .
Cummings was slain .
This time , the boulder stayed up the hill .
“ We righted a wrong , we exposed the truth , ” Welborn said .
They also gave Broadway back his life .
He had blamed himself for his half sister ’ s death , because he had called her “ mommy.
” This angered his real mother , who forced Cummings to leave the family house .
She ended up at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his life feeling guilty .
“ Now , ” he said .
“ I can sleep better at night .
”

For nearly a half-century, a cloud hung over the grave of Linda Louise Cummings.
Cummings, a nurse’s aide with aspirations of moving up in the medical field, was found nude with a clothesline knotted around her neck in her Santa Ana apartment in 1974. A coroner’s investigator concluded she committed suicide, a conclusion based mostly on gossip.
The investigator later changed the cause of death to “undetermined,” which did little to ease the pain for Cummings’ family, who insisted she would never kill herself.
Finally this month – after decades of pressure from a band of police investigators, prosecutors, a retired reporter and Cummings’ relatives – Orange County’s chief pathologist reclassified her death as a “homicide,” removing the stigma of suicide.
That likely is the closest Cummings will come to winning justice. The man many believed killed Cummings, her former assistant apartment manager, died in 2018.
But that doesn’t bother Cummings’ half brother, Paul Broadway, because now he has proof that Cummings – a devout Catholic – did not die by her own hand.
She did not give up on her dreams at the age of 27.
She did not abandon then 10-year-old Broadway, but she was stolen from him.
The cloud now is gone.
“It was a dark day. … (But) a huge weight has been lifted. Food tastes a little better. I have hope,” said Broadway, 56, of San Diego. “It was a human being that took my sister, not just some random, unknown thing.”
Broadway added, “The system works. It may take 46 years, but it works.”
The “system” had help from advocates such as victims rights attorney Michael Fell; prosecutor–turned-judge Larry Yellin and retired Orange County Register reporter Larry Welborn, who dogged the case for most of his adult life.
They researched, collected documents, consulted pathologists from New York to Santa Ana and pestered officials long after others had declared the case cold and dead. They fought for Cummings’ memory and for Broadway’s peace of mind.
The group gathered recently at Cummings’ gravesite at El Toro Memorial Park, hugging and remembering the woman for whom they fought so hard.
They put roses on her headstone and reminisced about the road that had brought them there. Broadway thanked them all – these old warriors – calling them his new family, brought together by their refusal to let pain be Cummings’ legacy.
“This is the best thing that has happened to our family in 46 years,” Broadway told Welborn.
Controlled narrative
The tale of Linda Cummings was reported by Welborn in an eight-part series, “Murder by Suicide,” published in 2005 by the Register.
The story begins in Unit 8 of the Aladdin Apartments on 17th Street in Santa Ana.
Cummings moved there in January 1974 to be closer to her job at Doctors Hospital. It was also close to her school and to her best friend, registered nurse Harriet Nieves.
Cummings was quiet, sweet and, perhaps, a little naive. She never dated and gave others the impression she was a virgin. She was laser-focused on her plan to become a full-fledged nurse.
And she was like a mother to Broadway, teaching him his ABCs and taking him to Del Taco for the pintos and cheese cup.
Nothing in her demeanor hinted that she was depressed or suicidal. She loved to write poems and was looking forward to life in her new apartment.
Her new home also brought Louis “Louie” Wiechecki into her life. Wiechecki was the assistant manager and worked as an orderly at the hospital where she served as a nurse’s aide.
Cummings was barely settling into her new apartment when her lifeless body was found Jan. 24, 1974, by Wiechecki. She was hanging in the middle of a clothesline tied on one end to a door hinge and on the other end to a closet rod. A no-slip knot held the clothesline to her neck.
Wiechecki had used his master key to get into the room after she failed to show up for work that morning. After calling police, Wiechecki stationed himself in the courtyard where he told anyone within listening distance that Cummings committed suicide … that she had recently self-committed to a hospital for depression … that she was taking the powerful anti-psychotic Thorazine.
Police took Wiechecki’s story to a young coroner’s investigator named Joe Stevens, who verified it by calling Cummings’ purported doctor. Stevens got the phone number from a police investigator, who got it from another investigator, who got it from … Wiechecki.
It is unclear who Stevens talked to – but it was not Cummings’ doctor. None of the information was true.
So with a bit of well-planted gossip and some sleight of hand, Wiechecki controlled the narrative of how Cummings died. Largely based on Wiechecki’s efforts, Stevens concluded the death was a suicide.
Case closed. It wasn’t even considered newsworthy for the local papers.
Then a second woman from the apartment complex was found strangled five weeks after Cummings’ death. The body was wrapped in a blue bedspread and tied with the same type of clothesline used on Cummings.
The bedspread had come from Wiechecki’s apartment. Less than eight hours after the second body was found, Wiechecki was arrested for the killing of Marion Camilla Morgan, 78.
Based on Morgan’s death, detectives took another look at Cummings and had her body exhumed. A second autopsy found sperm in her and Thorazine, which had not been prescribed for her and which Wiechecki had in his possession.
All roads pointed to Wiechecki in Cummings’ death. But his wife, Sandy, would only testify against him in Morgan’s slaying and not in the Cummings case. Sandy was afraid that multiple murder convictions would bring the death penalty, according to court records.
Wiechecki was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter after the jury bought the defense argument that the killing could have happened during a quarrel.
No charges were filed in Cummings’ death, but Stevens changed her manner of death to “undetermined.”
Wiechecki was paroled after four years in prison.
Justice had again overlooked Linda Louise Cummings.
Surrogate little sister
Most journalists would have shut their notebooks and moved on – but not 25-year-old Welborn, who later became a courthouse legend for his insightful reporting and his knack for developing sources.
Welborn, just a few years out of college, was mesmerized by the innocent face on Cummings’ driver’s license. Suicide just didn’t fit. There was no suicide note. And Cummings had too much to live for.
The case bothered him. So he bothered those in charge. Through the decades, he bugged prosecutors and investigators, he sent case records to noted pathologists across the country, he caused Cummings’ body to be exhumed a second time.
Welborn even tracked down Wiechecki in 1994 to Fremont in Northern California, where he was living under the name David Louis Stanley. Welborn watched from 25 yards away as Louie smoked a cigarette outside his garage.
But Welborn didn’t approach. He wasn’t ready. Not yet.
Over the years, Welborn grew to think of Cummings as his surrogate little sister. He kept digging, combing through records for Louie’s ex-wife’s Social Security number, by which she could be tracked.
In 1998, he found Sandy Wiechecki and she told him what everybody suspected: Wiechecki killed Cummings. But she had no hard evidence.
Welborn felt the body needed to be exhumed again to find the sperm evidence that had been lost over the years. He turned to homicide prosecutor Larry Yellin, who specialized in cold cases. Yellin reviewed the file and became convinced it should be prosecuted. He obtained a court order to again exhume the body.
But this time there was bad news, the $98 wooden coffin at El Toro Memorial Park had decayed so badly that any chance of recovering DNA evidence was lost.
Still, Yellin soldiered on. He got nationally recognized pathologists to review the files and photographs of the body. The doctors concluded that it appeared from marks on her neck that she was strangled and then hanged.
In 2005, investigators for the Orange County District Attorney and Santa Ana Police Department visited Louie at his home in Henderson, Nevada. They bluffed Louie by saying his DNA had been found in Cummings’ vagina. Louie bit on the bluff, saying they had sex shortly before her death. Louie was arrested for suspected rape and murder.
“There was never a time I thought it was a suicide. I knew it was a homicide,” Yellin said in a recent interview. “I didn’t need to be convinced that it was worth taking a shot.”
Yellin explained that some victims just get to you, and he could see Cummings had gotten to Welborn.
An Orange County Grand Jury confirmed the charges with an indictment two years later. But Louie got off on a technicality: A judge dismissed the case, ruling that too much time had passed, that evidence and witnesses had been lost.
“That was the darkest day of my journalism career,” said Welborn, who discusses the case each summer with high school students at the California Scholastic Press Association Workshop in a class called “Why Journalism?”
“I pushed the boulder up that hill, and it rolled back down.”
‘No one gets away’
Disheartened, Welborn put the file away, later moving it to the rafters in his garage.
Louie then died in April 2018. It is unclear from what. That same year, Welborn, who retired in 2014, retrieved the files to see whether Louie might have been the Golden State Killer. He wasn’t. But the effort got Welborn thinking about the Cummings’ case again.
He coordinated with Broadway, who didn’t seem too disappointed that Louie had passed without answering for Cummings’ death.
“No one ever gets away with it,” said Broadway, a former federal correctional guard. “You don’t need to be in a concrete cell to be in prison. If you’re looking over your shoulder every day and know you’ve got it coming, that’s prison. No one gets away, not even monsters.”
Broadway and Welborn turned to setting the record straight on Cummings’ death. They worked with attorney Fell on lobbying Orange County’s top pathologist Anthony Juguilon to modify the manner of death.
Fell submitted a 31-page argument assembled with everything they had learned over the decades. The document was so compelling that Juguilon called a meeting of sheriff’s officials, prosecutors and pathologists to consider the request. It was unanimous. Cummings was slain.
This time, the boulder stayed up the hill.
“We righted a wrong, we exposed the truth,” Welborn said.
They also gave Broadway back his life.
He had blamed himself for his half sister’s death, because he had called her “mommy.” This angered his real mother, who forced Cummings to leave the family house. She ended up at the Aladdin.
Broadway spent most of his life feeling guilty.
“Now,” he said. “I can sleep better at night.”