Favorite New Song Right Now - Bruno Mars "Just The Way You Are"

Days after he was arrested in Las Vegas on a cocaine charge Sept. 19, rising R&B singer Bruno Mars, claimed his first No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart this week.

"Just the Way You Are," which also marks his first charting single as a lead artist, rose two places to the top and ended the two-week reign of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream," which fell to No. 4. (Mars previously went to No. 1 in May, as the featured artist on B.o.B's "Nothin' On You").

Mars, 24, was arrested early Sunday on suspicion of possessing cocaine after a suspicious bathroom attendant at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino alerted authorities. the Hawaiian native, born Peter Gene Hernandez, is scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live when it debuts this Fall.

With an incredibly smooth, soulful voice, let's hope the young performer can leave the drugs alone (assuming it's true) and just focus on making great music!

Despite Shawn Chapman Holley's Best Legal Efforts, Lindsay Lohan's Gets 90 Days in The Slammer

3 Hots And A Cot For Troubled Mean Girls Star

Actress Lindsay Lohan was just sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating her probation in her DUI case, followed by a 90-day inpatient rehab program.

Judge Marsha Revel laid down the law to the troubled young starlet after deputy district attorney, Danette Meyers, told the judge that Lohan, 24, has been thumbing her nose at the court.

BREAKING NEWS: HOLLEY RESIGNS AS LOHAN'S LAWYER!

Besides both Meyers and Lohan's lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley being African American women, there are some other behind the scene things going on that you should be aware of.

(Go Ahead - Click The Picture)

While Holley is a former deputy public defender who then went on to become a partner at the Law Offices of Johnny Cochran, Meyers is a respected career prosecutor.

Here's an up close and personal interview with Holley:



What the mainstream media doesn't know, however, is that Meyers is rumored to be the first black and female candidate that will actually have a shot at becoming the District Attorney of Los Angeles should current DA Steve Cooley become successful in his effort to win the election for California Attorney General.

Cooley is currently running against San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, who is trying to make history herself as the first African American and female to hold the statewide office.

The last time a black and a woman ran was in the 70's, when former Congresswoman and LA County Supervisor Yvonne Braithwaite Burke was unsuccessful in her quest against former Republican governor George Deukemejian.

(Meyers, center, as President of LACBA)

Could it be a coincidence that Meyers, a felony prosecutor, high ranking member of Cooley's inner circle, and past president of the L.A. County Bar Association, was assigned to this relatively simple misdemeanor case? Especially since all indicators are that Cooley will paint Harris as being soft on crime - particularly in light of her position on the death penalty?

But we digress!

The evidence was loud and clear today -- Lindsay violated probation by failing to attend her alcohol ed classes based on the schedule set by the judge. There were lots of excuses, but ultimately they didn't fly.

The judge said there was a pattern of violations since Lindsay was placed on probation in 2007 following her plea bargain in her DUI case.

Lindsay broke down as she addressed the court, telling the judge, "I did the best I could."

Lindsay dissolved into tears when the judge imposed the sentence.

Lohan must surrender on July 20 in Judge Revel's court. Now whether she'll actually serve 90 days is another story. Everyone familiar with the legal system in California knows that for an offense such as this, defendants are serving maybe 10-20 days, if that. Here's Holley explaining how the system works:



Will the court make an example of Lohan the same way the court tried to do with Holley's former high profile clients Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, or treat her like every other person???

Stay tuned!

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Black Teen Smacked In The Face Over A Jaywalking Ticket By White Cop - Was It Justified?

A 17 year-old female was tagged by a Seattle cop who was simply attempting to cite the teen and her 19-year-old cousin for jaywalking. When the girls resisted, watch the video and then decide who was in the wrong.



Thoughts???

Former NFL Great Lawrence Taylor Arrested For Beating And Raping Minor

Football hall of famer Lawrence Taylor was arrested early this morning in upstate New York and charged with rape, according to a police report.

The Ramapo Police Department is investigating the alleged rape, which a police report says occurred Holidome Hotel in Montebello, N.Y.

Police said Taylor, 51, who lives in Pembroke Pines, Fla., will be formally charged following the completion of their investigation. LowHud.com, the Web site for the Journal News newspaper, reported that the victim is a 15-year-old girl who was beaten by the former New York Giants linebacker.

According to the paper, Taylor will be charged with third-degree rape, a charge that involves sex with a minor.

Details.

Thomas Hagan, Malcom X's Only Confessed Assasin, Is Granted Parole

Thomas Hagan has been held since moments after shots rang out in the Audubon Ballroom in 1965. He has been on work release for more than two decades, but he still spends two days a week locked up at the Lincoln Correctional Facility on West 110th Street in Manhattan.

On March 3, however, on his 17th try, Mr. Hagan was granted parole.

After being turned down for parole 16 times, Hagan's final release date is tentatively scheduled for April 28.

Mr. Hagan, who turned 69 in jail on Tuesday, was a militant member of the Nation of Islam on Feb. 21, 1965, when Malcolm X was shot while giving a speech at the Audubon, in Washington Heights. Mr. Hagan, then known as Talmadge X. Hayer, was captured by the crowd and shot at and beaten before being rescued by the police.

Two other men, Muhammad Abdul Aziz (then known as Norman 3X Butler) and Kahlil Islam (then Thomas 15X Johnson), were also charged with the murder. They maintained their innocence. Mr. Hagan did not, testifying at his trial in 1966 that he was responsible for the murder and that his co-defendants were innocent.

All three men were sentenced to 20 years to life.

Continue reading...

Black People Are Embracing Twitter And Facebook... Gangbangers Say We're Down With New Media Too!

What, You Think We Don't Know What's Up?

When a gang member was released from a US jail soon after his arrest for selling methamphetamine, friends and associates assumed he had cut a deal with authorities and become a police informant.

They sent a warning on Twitter that went like this: We have a snitch in our midst.

Unbeknownst to them, that tweet and the traffic it generated were being closely followed by investigators, who had been tracking the San Francisco Bay Area gang for months. Officials sat back and watched as others joined the conversation and left behind incriminating information.

Law enforcement officials in the US say gangs are making greater use of Twitter and Facebook, where they sometimes post information that helps agents identify gang associates and learn more about their organisations.

"You find out about people you never would have known about before," said Dean Johnston with the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, which helps police investigate gangs. "You build this little tree of people."

In the case involving the suspected informant, tweets alerted investigators to three other gang members who were ultimately arrested on drug charges.

Tech-savvy gangsters have long been at home in chatrooms and on websites like MySpace, but they appear to be gravitating toward Twitter and Facebook, where they can make threats, boast about crimes, share intelligence on rivals and network with people across the country.

"We are seeing a lot more of it," Johnston said. "They will even go out and brag about doing shootings."

In another California case involving a different gang, much of the information gathered by investigators came from members' Facebook accounts. Authorities expect to make arrests in the coming months.

"Once you get into a Facebook group, it's relatively easy," Johnston said. "You have a rolling commentary."

And gang members sometimes turn the tables, asking contacts across their extended networks for help identifying undercover police officers.

It's hard to know exactly how many gang members are turning to Twitter and Facebook. Many police agencies are reluctant to discuss the phenomenon for fear of revealing their investigative techniques.

Capt. Walt Myer, director of the Riverside County regional gang task force, said gang activity often "mirrors general society. When any kind of new technology comes along, they are going to use it."

Ad Feedback Representatives from Twitter and Facebook say they regularly co-operate with police and supply information on account holders when presented with a search warrant. Neither company would discuss specifics.

Gang use of Twitter and Facebook still lags behind use of the much-older MySpace, which remains gang members' online venue of choice.

The Crips, Bloods, Florencia 13, MS-13 and other gangs have long used MySpace to display potentially incriminating photos and videos of people holding guns and making hand gestures. They also post messages about rivals.

Last week, officials in Riverside County, east of Los Angeles, announced the arrest of 50 people in a crackdown of a Latino gang they say was engaged in drug sales and hate crimes against black residents. Prosecutors say some of the evidence was pulled from MySpace and YouTube, including rap videos taunting police with violent messages.

While some members are wising up to the police attention such postings can bring, gang information remains publicly viewable online.

Dozens of Facebook accounts are dedicated to the deadly MS-13 gang, with followers from around the globe. At one site, a video displays pictures of dead members of the rival 18th Street gang, and some users have left disrespectful comments.

The toughest part about tracking someone on Twitter is finding the alias or screen name they are posting under. And many tweets are nonsensical or pointless, so cutting through the clutter can be difficult.

"It's tricky," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy David Anguiano "If you find out what they go by, you are good to go."

Anguiano tracks the online activity of graffiti vandals - the so-called tagging crews that sometimes morph into gangs. They post tweets saying they are heading out to spray paint and sometimes post links to photographs of their work.

Often, they cannot resist bragging about their handiwork, and the electronic trail they leave is frequently used as evidence.

"They talk about it too much," Anguiano said. "You want the fame so you've got to go out there and talk about it. That's when your mouth gets you in trouble."

Source

Black Sorority Members of Sigma Gamma Rho Charged With Beating 7 Rutgers Pledges

It has long been a tradition within Black collegiate life. A young pledge is told the beatings would "humble" her, that each flesh-rending strike with a wooden paddle would build love and trust between sorority sisters. It wasn’t hazing, the young African American coed said they told her. The women of Sigma Gamma Rho at Rutgers University didn’t condone hazing.

For seven nights the beatings went on, she said. In all, she was struck 201 times. On the eighth day — unable to sit, her buttocks covered with blood clots and welts — she went to the hospital. Then she reported it to the university.

Today, Rutgers police said they had arrested six members of the sorority on charges of aggravated hazing, alleging they repeatedly beat at least three pledges between Jan. 18 and Jan. 25. A university official, vice president of student affairs Greg Blimling, and the pledge who spoke to The Star-Ledger put the number of victims at seven.

The university immediately suspended the Rutgers chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho, as did the sorority’s national organization, headquartered in North Carolina.

"The local chapter was doing this on its own, not with the sanction of either the university or the national organization," Blimling said, noting Rutgers has a clear anti-hazing policy that includes workshops for all fraternities and sororities.

He said the university moved aggressively against Sigma Gamma Rho, which has operated for "many years" on the New Brunswick campus but does not have a dedicated sorority house, after learning another hazing session had been scheduled for Tuesday night. The first arrests took place before it could happen.

Charged Tuesday were Vanessa Adegbite, 21, of Jersey City; Joana Bernard, 21, of West Orange; Kesha Cheron, 20, of Newark; and Llana Warner, 20 of the Bronx. Each was charged with aggravated hazing, a felony that carries up to 18 months in prison. All four were later released from the Middlesex County jail on $1,500 bail.

Today, police arrested Shawna Ebanks, 21, of East Orange, and Marie Charles, also 21, of West Orange, on the same charges.

Charles and Cheron are public health majors. Ebanks is a political science major.

Authorities said the beatings took place at Rockoff Hall, a student apartment building on George Street, and at private homes in Newark and West Orange. In addition to the paddling, police said, the pledges were in some cases denied food.

The pledge who spoke to The Star-Ledger did so on condition of anonymity, saying she feared retaliation. Her cousin, Khalilh Anthony, accompanied her to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, along with the pledge’s mother, saying she was appalled when she saw the injuries caused by the repeated beatings.

"I wanted to beat them back," said Anthony, who has a different last name. "Maybe if they got hit, they wouldn’t hit others. They’d know what it felt like."

The pledge said she was eager to join Sigma Gamma Rho, an African-American sorority founded in 1922, because of its history of community service. On Jan. 18, eight pledges gathered in an apartment in Rockoff Hall, she said.

"They told us there was no hazing, that they didn’t believe in it," she said.

Then the paddles came out. The pledges, clad in sweat pants, were instructed to wrap blue and gold tape around the wooden paddles, each a foot long and 6 inches wide, she said.

She was struck 19 times that night, she said. Four sorority members delivered the blows, the pledge said, while two others supervised. She said the group was told the beatings would "humble" them and would get them to rely upon one another.

"At the end, we were supposed to be helping each other," she said.

One pledge stopped attending after a few nights, she said. Another began to bleed freely at one point. The pain, she said, grew worse by the day. By Monday, unable even to lie down without pain, she called her cousin and mother and went to the hospital.

Colleges across the country have cracked down on hazing, but incidents continue to crop up. In 2008, a Sigma Gamma Rho chapter at the University of Texas in Austin was sanctioned. A year earlier, A Rider University freshman died after drinking nearly two-third of a bottle of vodka during an initiation ritual at the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.

By Sue Epstein and Tom Haydon/The Star-Ledger

Staff writers Mark Mueller, Karen Keller and James Queally contributed to this report.

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African Americans Are No Longer Going To Jail... As Much!

Fewer Blacks Are Being Incarcerated. What's Up?

By Kelly Virella

The federal government reported in early-December that the number of imprisoned black people in the U.S. has declined by about 18,400 since 2000. That reduces the total number of black people in prison to about 591,900 as of December 2008.

Granted, across the U.S. black males are still imprisoned at a rate 6.5 times higher than white males and about 3 times higher than Latinos. Black women are incarcerated at a rate 3 times higher than white women and twice as high as Latinos.

But the reduction in the black prison population means 61,000 fewer black people were in state or federal prisons than expected by the end of 2008 (based on 2000 levels).

Most of the reduction appears to come from decreases in drug-related incarceration of African-Americans. In April, the D.C.-based Sentencing Project reported a 22 percent decline in the number of black inmates in state prisons for drug offenses, from about 145,000 in 1999 to 113,500 in 2005.

Meanwhile, the judiciary busied itself warehousing more white and Latino people. From 2000 to 2008, the prison population for white people increased by 57,200 to a total of 528,200. During the same time period, the Latino prison population increased by 96,200 to a total of 313,100.

Filming on Terrence Howard's New Pic "Little Murder" Gets A Little Too Real In Hard Up Detroit!

Members of actor Terrence Howard's Hollywood film crew found some gritty real-life drama this afternoon on Detroit’s west side when two shotgun-wielding teens robbed them in the normally quiet neighborhood. They were there shooting the talented thespian's upcoming film Little Murder.

The crew was in the 4800 block of Avery in Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood surveying the area in preparation for a film shoot when two teens in bandanas robbed them about 2:15 p.m., said Detroit Police Sgt. Eren Stephens Bell and spokesman John Roach.

Terrence Howard was not on the scene when the incident occurred. Probably too busy fending off all the women going gaga over the Channing Tatum film "Fighting" just released on DVD.

“Both had shotguns, and they robbed them at gunpoint,” Roach said. “They got a wallet and a cell phone from a crew member and fled on foot."

Details

Straight Out Of Compton: Homicides Plunge, Hope Rises!

It is a Sunday morning and there is still dew on the grass outside Faith Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church. Already, God has received a standing ovation. The thermometer on the wall claims it's only 75 degrees in here, but congregants are dancing in the aisles, some with their shoes kicked off and stashed under the pews. Their sweat mixes with their tears, and for once in Compton, they are tears of joy.

"People of faith!" thunders the Rev. Rafer Owens, a native son who is also a veteran Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy. "Are you ready to praise the Lord?"

"Are you ready to take back Compton?"

Louder this time: "Ha-ROO!"

"We disrespected the city of Compton," Owens says, more quietly now. "And when you don't want something, you give it to the rats and the roaches."

They've been praying for a long time in Compton, praying hard. For a long time, it seemed no one was listening.

"Father God, some people in here are hurting," the pastor says, head bowed. "They have given what they feel is their last mile."

But change, he insists, is afoot.

Takin' a life or two

That's what the hell I do

By the time the hip-hop group N.W.A released its seminal 1988 album "Straight Outta Compton," with those lyrics, the city's fate seemed sealed. The album was a celebration of the gang life; killing was described as an inescapable part of life.

The town that many still refer to as "Old Compton" -- poor but proud, with an abiding sense of community -- had been ravaged by guns, crack and joblessness. With just 100,000 people, Compton developed an outsize but deserved reputation as a national epicenter of gang violence.

Today, there are 65 gangs jammed into 10 square miles -- Front Hood Crips and Pirus and Seminoles, bored and broke, jaded and angry, sure that life has little to offer. The turf for some is no bigger than a football field, and they will defend it against any perceived slight. That's how it's been here for almost three decades.

So it came as something of a surprise when the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which contracts to provide police services here, added up the community's 2008 homicides. The total for Compton, including smaller, adjacent pockets of unincorporated county land: 38.

It was the lowest number in at least 25 years and a 50% drop since 2005. From 1985 to 2000, said Sheriff's Capt. William M. Ryan, an average of 66 people were slain each year within the city limits; that number fell last year to 28. Gang-related aggravated assaults have fallen too in the city and the county pockets, nearly 25% over four years -- "dramatic indicators," Sheriff Lee Baca said at a recent news conference, "that we are doing the right thing."

The sheriff did not mention an irony: Compton, while widely viewed as a success story, is one of the few L.A.-area communities where crime is rising. Both the city and county of Los Angeles saw declines in major crimes last year; in Compton, such crimes rose by 13% in the same period.

However, officials said, most of the increase was in property crimes -- burglary, up 39%; larceny, up 27%. Authorities attribute that to the bad economy. A poor community with high unemployment, Ryan said, "is affected the most."

So in a sense, Compton is trading blood in the streets for stolen lawn mowers -- and around here, that's a bargain many will live with.

Indeed, there is a palpable sense that the streets are safer. In a neighborhood called Sunny Cove, residents take a group walk on Mondays now, unthinkable a few years back. Owens' church offers free movies in local parks; the program started slowly, but 900 people came out for the most recent screening, at Lueders Park off Rosecrans Avenue.

LA Times story by Scott Gold continues...

Supreme Court Clears Way for Execution Of Black Georgia Man Claiming Some Other Dude Did It!

Death row inmate Troy Davis To Be Executed For Cop Killing

The Supreme Court today cleared the way for the execution of a Georgia man who claimed he was wrongly convicted of shooting a police officer in a dark parking lot in Savannah.

The justices turned away Troy Davis' final appeal in a one-line order without comment or dissent.

His lawyers said seven of the nine witnesses who pointed to Davis at his trial have since recanted their testimony. They said his case raised the "great constitutional" question of whether an innocent man can be put to death.

Apparently, the justices did not agree. They did not explain why.

Davis had been scheduled to die Sept. 23, but the high court issued a stay so it could consider his appeal.

One possible explanation for today's action is that the justices have studied the record and concluded that Davis was properly convicted. A state appeals court, the Georgia Supreme Court, a federal district judge, the U.S. court of appeals in Atlanta and the Georgia Board of Pardons reviewed Davis' case -- including the recanted statement from the witnesses -- and ultimately upheld his guilt.

But the Georgia Supreme Court divided 4-3 on the question. The majority said it put greater faith in the trial testimony of the witnesses. The dissenters said Davis should have a new trial.

Amnesty International USA today denounced the courts' refusal to hear Davis' appeal. "The Supreme Court's decision is truly shocking, given that significant evidence of Davis' innocence will never have a chance to be examined," said Larry Cox, its executive director. "Faulty eyewitness identification is the leading cause of wrongful convictions, and the hallmark of Davis' case."

Davis' conviction rested on the statements of several people who were in or near the parking lot of a Burger King after midnight one night in August 1989. Officer Mark MacPhail was on duty at the Greyhound bus station and came out to stop a fight involving a homeless man who had a six-pack of beer.

MacPhail gave chase to one man, who turned and shot him. The shooter then fired several more times, killing MacPhail.

Troy Davis, then 19, was there, as was Sylvester "Redd" Coles. Both men are black, and they were about the same age, height and weight.

Coles identified Davis as the shooter and was the state's strongest witness in the murder case. Davis' lawyers contend Coles was the shooter and that he falsely pointed to Davis.

During the trial, several witnesses said they saw Davis accost the homeless man, and they said he had a gun. Others said they had seen the shooting from some distance, but most of them said later they were not sure who had fired the shots.

"The only remnants of the state's case against [Davis] are the self-serving testimony of Redd Coles and Steve Sanders' dubious in-court identification of Mr. Davis that occurred two years after the crime," Davis' lawyers said in their appeal to the high court.

President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI and Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu are among those who have objected to the execution of Troy Davis.

Los Angeles Times

Former Black Olympic Track Star Tim Montgomery Gets 5 Years In Prison For Pushing Heroin

First Marion Jones, Now Her Baby's Daddy

Disgraced former Olympic track star Tim Montgomery, once dubbed "the world's fastest man," was sentenced Friday in Norfolk, VA to five years in prison for dealing heroin to an informant.

"I was blind — I never had a job in my life," Montgomery told U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Friedman. "I did the wrong thing."

Montgomery, 33, will serve the five-year sentence after he completes a 46-month prison term for an unrelated conviction in New York.

Under an agreement with the government, he pleaded guilty in July to possession and distribution of more than 100 grams of heroin. He received the minimum term under federal sentencing guidelines.

A prosecutor described Montgomery's athletic skills as "super-human," but said he had squandered his talent and the acclaim and the money that came with it. Montgomery won an Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter relay at the 2000 games and a silver in the same event four years earlier. A doping scandal wiped his achievements from the books.

In a nearly empty courtroom, Montgomery accepted his sentence accompanied only by his lawyer, James Broccoletti. His parents and siblings traveled in a van from South Carolina for the sentencing, but did not arrive before the 20-minute hearing ended, Broccoletti said.

"What we find here is someone who has wrecked his life," the prosecutor, Eric M. Hurt, told the court.

He noted that Montgomery's heroin arrest came as he awaited sentencing on a check-kiting scheme that ultimately sent him to prison.

"He has chosen to ignore every benefit given to him," Hurt said.

Montgomery, hands clasped behind his back, softly addressed Friedman.

"I just want to say I've very sorry for what I've done," he told the judge. "I'm sorry to my community and my family."

Friedman ordered five years of supervised release and drug testing after Montgomery serves his heroin sentence. He also called Montgomery "totally irresponsible" for fathering four children with four different women, including fellow disgraced Olympian Marion Jones.

Montgomery's heroin prosecution is based on four drug sales he made in 2007 and 2008 in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. A Drug Enforcement Agency informant made buys that were either electronically videotaped, tape-recorded or witnessed by agents, according to court records.

Montgomery's Olympic medals and his world-record 9.78-second performance in the 100-meter dash were wiped clean after he was linked to the investigation of BALCO, the West Coast lab at the center of the steroid scandal in sports. He also was banned from track for two years.

While he never tested positive for drugs, he retired in December 2005 after the ban was imposed.

Last year, he admitted helping his former coach, Olympic champion Steve Riddick, and others cash $1.7 million in stolen and counterfeit checks.

Riddick is serving a five-year prison term. Montgomery's former companion, Jones, served a six-month prison sentence for lying to investigators about the check-fraud scam and using steroids. AP

O.J. GUILTY OF KIDNAPPING, ARMED ROBBERY & 10 OTHER CHARGES

Vegas Jury Juices Orenthal James

He's the Black man who went from iconic American sports superstar to celebrity-in-exile after being acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and a friend.

That all changed late Friday night when O.J. Simpson was convicted of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room. The 61-year-old former baller could spend the rest of his life in prison after he is sentenced Dec. 5.

A weary and somber Simpson released a heavy sigh as the charges were read in rapid fire by the clerk in Clark County District Court. He was immediately taken into custody.

The Hall of Fame football star was found guilty of kidnapping, armed robbery and 10 other charges for gathering up five men a year ago and storming into a room at hotel-casino, where the group seized several game balls, plaques and photos. Prosecutors said two of the men with him were armed; one of them said he brought a gun at Simpson's request.

Simpson's co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, 54, also was found guilty on all charges and taken into custody.

Simpson showed little emotion as officers handcuffed him and walked him out of the courtroom.

His sister, Carmelita Durio, sobbed behind him in the arms of Simpson's friend, Tom Scotto. As spectators left the courtroom, Durio collapsed and paramedics were called, according to court spokesman Michael Sommermeyer.

The jurors made no eye contact with the defendants as the entered and each of them answered firmly when asked if "this was their individual verdict."

Judge Jackie Glass made no comment other than to thank the jury for its service and to deny motions for the defendants to be released on bail.

She refused to give the lawyers extended time to file a motion for new trial, which under Nevada law must be filed within seven days.

The attorneys said they needed time to submit a voluminous record, but she rejected that.

"I've sat through the trial," Glass said. "If you want a motion for new trial, send me something."

The verdict came 13 years after Simpson was cleared of murder in Los Angeles in one of the most sensational trials of the 20th century.

From the beginning, Simpson and lawyers argued the incident in Las Vegas was not a robbery; instead, they said, he was trying to reclaim mementos that had been stolen from him. He said he did not ask anyone to bring a gun and did not see any guns.

The defense portrayed Simpson as a victim of shady characters who wanted to make a buck off his famous name, and police officers who saw his arrest as an opportunity to "get" him and avenge his acquittal.

Prosecutors said Simpson's ownership of the memorabilia was irrelevant; it was still a crime to try to take things by force.

"When they went into that room and forced the victims to the far side of the room, pulling out guns and yelling, `Don't let anybody out of here!' — six very large people detaining these two victims in the room with the intent to take property through force or violence from them — that's kidnapping," prosecutor David Roger said.

Kidnapping is punishable by five years to life in prison. Armed robbery carries a mandatory sentence of at least two years behind bars, and could bring as much as 30 years.

Simpson, who now lives in Miami, did not testify, but was heard on a recording of the confrontation, screaming that the dealers had stolen his property.

"Don't let nobody out of this room," he declared and told the other men to scoop up his items, which included a photo of Simpson with former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

Four other men initially charged in the case struck plea bargains that saved them from potential prison sentences in return for their testimony. Some of them had criminal records or were compromised in some way. One, for example, was an alleged pimp who testified he had a revelation from God telling him to take a plea bargain.

Memorabilia dealer Thomas Riccio, who arranged and secretly recorded the confrontation in the hotel room, said he netted $210,000 on the tapes from the media. He received immunity, and his recordings became the heart of the prosecution case.

Similarly, minutes after the Sept. 13, 2007, confrontation, one of the alleged victims, sports-memorabilia dealer Alfred Beardsley, was calling news outlets, and the other, Bruce Fromong, spoke of getting "big money" from the incident.

Simpson's past haunted the case. Las Vegas police officers were heard in the recordings chuckling over Simpson's misfortune and crowing that if Los Angeles couldn't "get" him, they would. And the judge told jurors they had to put aside Simpson's earlier case.

Simpson's lawyers also expressed fears during jury selection that people who believed he got away with murder a decade ago might see this case as a chance to right a wrong.

As a result, an usually large pool of 500 potential jurors was called, and they were given a 26-page questionnaire. Half were almost instantly eliminated after expressing strong feelings that he should have been convicted of murder.

In closing arguments, defense attorney Yale Galanter acknowledged that what Simpson did to recover his memorabilia was not right. "But being stupid, and being frustrated is not being a criminal," he said.

He added: "This case has taken on a life of its own because of Mr. Simpson's involvement. You know that. I know that. Every cooperator, every person who had a gun, every person who had an ulterior motive, every person who signed a book deal, every person who got paid money, the police, the district attorney's office, is only interested in one thing: Mr. Simpson."

By AP'S LINDA DEUTSCH/ CNN has more!

Kanye West Feeling Blue After The Po-Po Take Him To The Pokey!

Kanye West was led away in handcuffs by police at Los Angeles International Airport after a scuffle with paparazzi on Thursday morning. Apparently a $10,000.00 camera was thrown to the ground and West's bodyguard was also involved in the altercation.

Kanye may now be facing battery and vandalism charges. A witness indicated that West's arrest followed a scuffle with paparazzi.

The incident happened at 7:41am this morning at Terminal 4, at an American Airlines security checkpoint, according to the LAX spokesman. Developing...

Suge Knight Arrested For Beating Vegas Woman!!!

What is the deal with Marion??? Former rap impresario Suge Knight has been arrested for beating a woman while holding a knife, Las Vegas Metro are reporting. SMH! And what's his strange connection with Dr Dre? Details under the hood.

The assault happened early Wednesday morning. According to reports, Knight and his girlfriend of three years got into an argument while driving. She said he punched her in the back of her head while they were driving, police said. She attempted to grab the wheel and cause a wreck, police said, causing the car to stop on the curb.

The woman ran from the car. As Knight caught up with her, police arrived at the scene.

Knight has been booked into Clark County Detention Center on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a dangerous drug without prescription and battery domestic violence.

To find out the Dr. Dre connection, you have to read the next post about singer Michel'le!!!

Did A Prominent Black Doctor In L.A. Sexually Assault A 15-Year-Old & Other Patients?

Held in jail on a $4-million bail, Dr. Kevin Brown's arrest came after several women contacted authorities and accused Brown of sexually battering or raping them during medical examinations. Son of the premier in Bermuda, Brown faces 19 felony counts, including a lewd act on a 15-year-old, rape, sexual battery by fraud and sexual exploitation.

The alleged assaults occurred between Nov. 6, 2006, and May 31, 2008. If convicted, the 37-year prominent physician faces 27 years in state prison.

At the time of his arrest Monday, Brown was free on bail for a previous sexual assault arrest. Brown also operates the Urban Health Institute of Los Angeles. The charity, which is run out of the same building as Brown's practice, seeks to provide disaster relief in the United States, South America and throughout Africa.

Founded by Brown, the institute has held fundraisers at the Playboy mansion. The events have featured celebrities such as Khloe Kardashian, Don Cheadle, Shannon Elizabeth and Hugh Hefner. Newspapers in Bermuda have reported that its tourism board provided free vacations to the charity. The trips were given as prizes for donors to the charity.

Brown is also being investigated in a multimillion-dollar healthcare fraud probe by the state. As for the new allegations, at least three cases are being prepared against Brown, Deputy Dist. Atty. Ann Marie Wise said in court, and four other patients have come forward and will be interviewed by investigators.

Regarding the eight cases in which Brown has already been charged, at least one of the incidents occurred outside Brown's medical office when he went to the home of a female patient in Alhambra and allegedly raped her, Wise said.

The California Medical Board also has filed a motion with the court to suspend or revoke Brown's medical license, she said.

The doctor's attorneys, Keith Bowman and Blair Berk, portrayed Brown as a physician arrested for touching patients and said that detectives went to the media to appeal for more victims.

Brown allegedly molested eight patients over a two-year period. He is also being investigated by the state for "multiple healthcare fraud schemes and over prescription of Oxycodone," according to court documents. He has not been charged in connection with that inquiry. Source

Is Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn The Target Of A Political Smear Campaign???

Another Black Mayor Under Scrutiny

Looks like the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office is going after Roosevelt Dorn, the outspoken, sometimes controversial Black mayor of Inglewood known for his military-style persona, commitment to young people and passion for justice.

Dorn was charged Thursday with conflict-of-interest and misappropriation of public funds. The 72-year-old is expected to appear for arraignment July 3, 2008 at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse in connection with one felony count each of conflict of interest, unauthorized loan and misappropriation of public funds without authority of law. He also is charged with one misdemeanor count of conflict of interest.

The criminal complaint alleges that the crimes occurred in November 2004. The charges stem from Dorn’s alleged request to have a city residence incentive providing low-interest housing in Inglewood for executive non-elected municipal employees extended to elected officials, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Dorn, who has not been arrested, could face up to four years and eight months in state prison if convicted as charged. Any plea bargain would likely result in immediate resignation from office, which is the ONLY reason this is being pursued.

According to the Wave Newspaper, the alleged criminal acts are a violation of Section 1090 of the California Government Code. They stem from the Inglewood Residential Incentive Policy program the city developed to encourage administrators and public sector employees who work in Inglewood to purchase a home and establish roots in the community.

The ordained minister, one-time sheriff's deputy, prosecutor and former Los Angeles Superior Court judge will be given the choice of pleading guilty or no contest, paying a fine, resigning from office and seeking no future political office. In the alternative, he could plead not guilty and establish what's really behind not only this travesty of justice, but also a waste of public resources.

Knowing Dorn personally, I see him aggressively fighting the charges, going to trial and ultimately being completely exonerated from any kind of criminal impropriety. Smart, tough, and relentless, he's not someone who backs down from a brawl. Dorn just doesn't operate that way.

The government code sections in question involve public employees being forbidden from having an interest in any contract, and in violation of Section 424 p of the California Penal Code, which addresses “crimes against public revenue.”

The investigation has focused on the married father of three, as well as Inglewood City Treasurer Wanda Brown, for securing low-interest mortgage loans through a program established in 1992 for city administrators. Apparently Brown will not be charged for any malfeasance.

(Mayor Dorn, with his wife Joyce at a recent re-election celebration)

Assuming there is some technical merit to these code violations, the facts suggest that the actions occurred during public city council meetings after the Inglewood City Attorney's office cleared the participation. In addition, Mayor Dorn has completely repaid the loan, plus interest.

Initially established by the predominantly African-American and Latino municipality in 1992 to provide low-cost housing loans to lure prospective employees to the city, in June 2004, the City Council voted to extend the program to elected and unelected administrators. It also was expanded so that loans could be used to maintain a residence, as well as purchase one.

Records apparently show that Dorn, along with Councilman Eloy Morales and then-Councilman (now Assemblyman) Curren Price, voted in 2004 to extend the loan program benefits to themselves, while Councilman Ralph Franklin abstained and Councilwoman Judy Dunlap, a perennial mayoral candidate who often clashes with Dorn, was absent.

Expect lots of community outrage over this powderkeg. Mayor Dorn has tons of support and trust me, folks will have something to say about this, myself included!

BREAKING NEWS - DORN RESIGNS (SMH!!!)

Sad news to report. Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn resigned Monday after pleading guilty to a conflict-of-interest charge as part of an agreement with the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. The deal came as jury selection was set to begin in his trial for alleged corruption.

Dorn had cast the deciding vote on the Inglewood City Council to extend a low-interest, home-loan program to city employees. He then took out a $500,000 loan under the program for himself. He used the money to pay of his mortgage, and he has since paid off the low-interest debt.

The 74-year-old was in his third term as mayor of the predominantly black and Latino Southern California city. As part of the deal he will serve two years under probation, pay a $1,000, and avoid holding public office ever again.

THE R KELLY JURY DID WHAT???

Robert Kelly is one happy camper right about now, thanks to a Cook County jury who just acquitted the R&B pied-piper of child pornography charges. This marks the end of a high-profile trial chocked full of courtroom drama.

The 41-year-old superstar long denied charges that he videotaped himself engaging in a variety of sex acts with his then-underage goddaughter.

Authorities said the female in the video could have been as young as 13 at the time. The jury of nine men and three women deliberated for 7 ½ hours before finding Kelly not guilty on all 14 counts.

"R Kelly was found not guilty because they had the best jury that Cook County could produce," said Kelly's attorney Sam Adam Jr. "Two things happened today. R. Kelly got his name back and [his goddaughter] never had to lose hers," Adam said.

Prosecutors struck a somber note about a case that's lasted more than six years, using their statements to thank witnesses, profess faith in their case and acknowledge they had an uphill fight to prove it.

"As we must, we accept the verdict of the jury in this case," said Cook County State's Atty Richard Devine. "This prosecution is one we have no reservations about."

Shauna Boliker, the lead prosecutor in the case, reserved her comments to thanking witnesses who came forward. "It was a difficult thing for them to do, but they did it very eloquently and courageously," she said.

In the moments before the verdict was announced, Kelly could be seen praying in the courtroom. As the verdicts rolled in, each count not guilty, Adam said he heard Kelly saying, "Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus."

Kelly left the courtroom surrounded by his entourage, who kept reporters away from the singer and escorted him to a waiting sport-utility vehicle as some 50 supporters shouted support to him.

Though Kelly did not speak to reporters, he did salute and wave to fans.

Allan Mayer, a Kelly spokesman, said, "Robert has asked me to speak on his behalf for now. Robert has said all along that he believes in our system, and he believes in God. And that when all the facts came out in court, he'd be cleared of these terrible charges.

"He did not expect that it would take 6 ½ years. It's been a terrible ordeal for him and his family, and at this point all he wants to do is move forward and try to put it behind him. He wants to thank his lawyers who defended him so brilliantly. He wants to thank his fans who stuck by him and supported him with such love.

"Most of all, he wants to thank God for giving him the strength to get through this. He's going to have more to say about all of this very soon. But for right now, he'd be more inclined to be with his family, collect himself and get strong again. But we'll be hearing from him soon about all of this.

"Again, he thanks everyone for their support, and he thanks our system of justice for seeing him through. And he thanks God for his strength and his love."

Continue

R Kelly Defense Witness: Relatives Of Alleged Victim Deny It's Her, Splits With Other Family Saying Otherwise

Somebody's having having sex in R Kelly's house on the video. Is there still a question as to who?????

The defense team for the R&B star opened its case Wednesday with relatives of the alleged victim testifying that she is not the female on the video that prosecutors say shows the Grammy winner having sex with an underage 13-year-old girl.

A defense witness on Wednesday also accused a key prosecution witness who testified earlier this week of soliciting $300,000 fromthe R&B singer in exchange for her silence.

To date, seven of the alleged victim's family members have testified -- four for the prosecution telling jurors they recognized the female as their relative, and three taking the stand insisting it's not her.

Shonna Edwards, 27, the first of the three relatives to testify for the defense, responded promptly, "It definitely wasn't her," claiming the female's body in the tape was too developed to be her relative at that time.

Edwards having just seen the tape for the first time several days ago in a lawyer's office, added that the man in the sex tape "did not appear" to be Kelly.

During cross-examination, prosecutors displayed two photos on asplit screen -- one of the female in the tape and one of the allegedvictim -- and asked Edwards if it was at least possible they werethe same person.

"Not at all," Edwards said without hesitating.

Other family members of the alleged victim, Charlotte Edwards and Leroy Edwards Jr., provided similar testimony on Wednesday.Their statements contradict other family members who testified for the prosecution.

Also Wednesday, the defense sought to discredit the testimony of witness, Lisa Van Allen, who told jurors Monday that she engaged in three-way sex with Kelly and the alleged victim.

A law clerk for the defense team, Jason Wallace, told jurors that Van Allen's fiance, Yul Brown, sought $300,000 from Kelly in return for a promise not to testify against him.

"Lisa doesn't have to testify in court if things are made right," Wallace quoted Brown as saying during a meeting with a Kelly attorney in Georgia last month, according to Wallace.

Van Allen was at the meeting in a hotel lobby, Wallace said, but Brown did all the speaking. But Wallace said Van Allen kept nodding her head in agreement.

Reporter Refuses To Answer Questions At R. Kelly Trial

Earlier Wednesday, a Chicago Sun-Times reporter declined to answer questions at the trial.

After he was sworn in, Jim DeRogatis cited an Illinois law that governs reporters' rights and the First and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution in refusing to answer questions.

DeRogatis read the statement more than a dozen times in response to questions, including to whether he once made a copy of the sex tape at the heart of the trial.

Defense attorneys have said that copying the tape would have been a crime.

After DeRogatis spent 10 minutes on the stand, Judge Vincent Gaughan said reporters' privileges don't apply. But he ruled that DeRogatis doesn't have to testify based on his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

DeRogatis attorney Damon Dunn argued that reporters have an obligation to pursue facts and that "they shouldn't be put in this type of position by defendants."

He also said that DeRogatis continued to cover the R. Kelly case.

"Mr. DeRogatis is a reporter who is reporting on this case until today. ... It is up to the reporter to pursue the facts wherever they go."

Dunn said covering child pornography has "higher societal goals." He also argued that if forced to testify DeRogatis won'tbe able to guarantee to sources in the future that he would nothave to reveal their names.

But defense attorney Mark Martin said the defense didn't intend to ask DeRogatis about his sources.

"So reporters' privilege does not apply. ... Being a reporter does not give a reporter rights to commit criminal offenses," Martin said. Source

In The R Kelly Trial, Star Witness Lisa Van Allen Blows The Lid Off Child Molestation In The Black Community

Child molestation and sex addiction. These issues are just as prevalent in the Black community as it is anywhere. The only difference is we tend to sweep it under the rug. There are women who have bore children from the rapes that they endured at the hands of some older relative and men who have been sexually abused who then perpetuate the abuse on others.

If these allegations are true, these young woman will forever be scarred by these perverted acts, despite how "normal" they appear to be. While some feel Lisa Van Allen and the victim are just as culpable, the fact is R Kelly was the adult, and not only seemingly reveled in these disturbing acts, but continued to perpetuate them. Find out what Van Allen testified to today after the jump.

Star witness Lisa Van Allen is currently testifying about the three-way sessions she had with the Urinator and the under-age hussy at the heart of this case. It may be a tad long - but it’s a very juicy read:

“Van Allen said she had met R. Kelly at the video shoot for ‘Home Alone,’ in which she appeared, in late 1997 or early 1998. She talked with Kelly and ended up having ‘intercourse’ with him in the trailer, she said. She was 17 at the time, she said.

The pair exchanged numbers and Van Allen soon visited Kelly in Chicago, eventually giving up her job in Atlanta to be with him full time. Kelly paid for her to stay in hotels and she spent most of her time with him at the studio, she said.

In late 1998, she testified, Kelly took her to his former home on the North Side of Chicago, where she met the alleged victim in this case for the first time. Kelly taped them while they had three-way sex in his ‘log-cabin’ room, she said. That’s the same room he’s alleged to have filmed the tape in this case. Kelly told her the alleged victim was 16, she said.

On another occasion, following an awards ceremony in Chicago at which Kelly had been honored, Van Allen, Kelly and the alleged victim in this case again had videotaped three-way sex. But this time they did it on Kelly’s basketball court.

‘He took up his camera and we took off our clothes and we all had sex again,’ she said. Van Allen said Kelly stopped the sex session after she broke down crying. “I didn’t want to do it,” she said.

On a third occasion, sometime in 2000, Kelly, Van Allen and the alleged victim romped again, this time in his trailer at the video shoot for ‘Woman’s Threat,’ Van Allen said. Kelly and the alleged victim ran naked to hide after somebody knocked on the door and disturbed them, she said.

Van Allen said Kelly carried a ‘duffel bag’ with his home-made porn it wherever he went. ‘He carried it everywhere,’ she said. ‘If we was at the studio, it was in the studio with him; if he was at Hoops (his gym) it would be at Hoops with him…the bag would follow him.’

She said she was not there when the tape at the center of this case was made, but identified the alleged victim and Kelly as being on that tape.”

More gems from Van Allen’s testimony:

“R. Kelly’s accountant paid Lisa Van Allen and a Kansas man $20,000 each to return a videotape of Kelly participating in a threesome with Van Allen and the alleged victim in this case.

Van Allen said the $40,000 pay-off, was made to her in March 2007. Kelly personally offered her $250,000, but only $40,000 was handed over, she said. Van Allen said she invested the pay-off in her business. Kelly’s business manager Derrel McDavid, handed over the cash, she said.”