LATEST NEWS
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Protestors come out against red light cameras
LAKELAND, Fla. -- They're been called a cash cow and unconstitutional.
Lakeland Ledger | Read More 10 Connects.Com
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Protesters Take Red Light Cameras Battle to the Streets
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A group of motorists across the state spent Saturday
protesting red light cameras in four Florida cities. Read More CFNews 13,
News Press
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Family says Deputies fired 133 rounds at Torey Breedlove
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Family members of a suspect shot and killed last
month by the Orange County Sheriff's Office's auto trap unit said it's
unreasonable that more than 100 rounds of bullets were fired at the man,
and they're suing. Read more Orlando Wesh 2 News
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Judge Rules Red Light Cameras illegal in one Florida City
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A state circuit judge has put the brakes on red light
cameras in one South Florida city - the same cameras that have been
considered in Duval and St. Johns counties. Read More First Coast News
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GROUP: Justice Department will review complaint about FHP
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The U.S. Department of Justice will review a complaint
alleging a Florida Highway Patrol officer engaged in racial profiling before
he was fired, according to an Orlando group. Last year, The Florida Civil
Rights Association complained to the federal agency about former FHP
Trooper Richard Dill, who has pleaded no contest to stealing money from
drivers he has stopped. (Read more Orlando Sentinel)
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TSA Orlando Office Investigated
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Another thing that gives travelers pause in the use of full
body scanners in airports was the recent investigation into a TSA air
marshal field office in Orlando. A Jeopardy-style game using derogatory
terms for gays, lesbians and minorities, prompted the investigation.
(Read more CFNews 13)
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Martin Luther King Parade Participates March For Haiti
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlando’s annual parade honoring Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., took on a different meaning for some participants this year. Many
of them were native Haitians, and marched Saturday to help with relief
efforts. (Read more CFNews 13)
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Racial profiling complaint filed against FHP
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A man and his lawyer taking on the Florida Highway
Patrol after one officer took the fall for stealing cash. (Read more FOX
News 35)
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Group wants police, deputies ticketed for accidents
Orlando Police no-ticket practice unconstitutional
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A local civil rights organization is calling on Orlando
police to stop giving special treatment to officers who cause traffic
accidents.
The Florida Civil Rights Association cited an Aug. 4 accident caused by an
Orange County deputy not on a call. Five people were injured. Orlando
police opted not to issue the deputy responsible a ticket.
(Read more WESH 2 News)
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Civil Rights Group Investigating OCSO Taser Use
US Justice Department Previously Looked Into OCSO Taser-Related Deaths
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Florida Civil Rights Association said Thursday that
it wants to know more about local deputies and how often they use
Tasers. It has been a year since the U.S. Department of Justice released
a 25-page report on the Orange County Sheriff's Office's use of Tasers.
"The Orange County Sheriff's Office is the first law enforcement agency in
our nation who has been targeted for this federal investigation in regards
to Tasers," said J. Willie David III, president of the Florida Civil Rights
Association. read more > WESH 2 News | Orlando Sentinel
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Potential post office closings rankle Orlando patrons
The protesters were few -- just four -- but people coming to use the post
office at 440 South Orange Blossom Trail were shocked and upset Friday
morning to learn that the branch may be closed sometime after Sept. 30.
Patrons signed a petition and lamented the possible closing of the Arthur
"Pappy" Kennedy branch, which they appreciate both for its convenient
location and the fact that it was named after a prominent former city
commissioner beloved by many in Orlando's black community.
read more > Orlando Sentinel | Fox News 35
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Civil Rights Group Asks If Deputy In Crash Was Distracted
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A civil rights organization says it wants to know if an
Orange County deputy who ran a red light and caused a crash was talking
on the phone, texting or using his laptop before the accident. Deputy Scott
Stephenson ran a red light at Gore Street and Orange Blossom Trail
Wednesday, causing a four-car crash.
J. Willie David of the Florida Civil Rights Association said the facts in the
crash need to be revealed to do justice to the people in the three other
vehicles and Stephenson. read more > WESH 2 News
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DNA Bill Sparks Controversy in Florida
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TALLAHASSEE - Florida Governor Charlie Crist has signed into law a bill
requiring those arrested for or charged with a felony to give up a sample
of their DNA to authorities.
The bill, known in the Senate as SB 2276, will be executed on a statewide
basis. It is expected to expand over a ten year period.
Florida will join twenty other states that follow this model. With any piece
of legislation however, there are critics. “Florida’s new DNA testing law is
a bad law in the eyes of justice.” says J.Willie David, President of the
Florida Civil Rights Association.
David also says that “DNA is not like a fingerprint, since getting it is more
invasive and it holds information beyond mere identification.”
The law was signed into effect by Crist on Jun.16 at the Florida
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles at their headquarters.
There were also four other bills that were signed by Crist under the
moniker of “public safety laws”. Read more >
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King of Pop Michael Jackson is Dead
FCRA President issued statement
LOS ANGELES (AP) Michael Jackson, the moonwalking former child star
who became known the world over as the "King of Pop" before his life and
career deteriorated in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday, a
person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. He
was 50. Read more >
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Civil Rights Chief: Praised President Bill Clinton's
appointment as UN Special Envoy to Haiti
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - Florida Civil Rights Association President, J Willie
David, III today praised UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's appointment
of former United States President Bill Clinton as the United Nations
Special Envoy to Haiti. Read more at Miami Herald
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Civil Rights Groups wants red light cameras banned
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - The Florida Civil Rights Association and the
National Motorists Association want the state to do away with red-light
cameras, which they say violate citizens' constitutional rights. Read more
at Orlando Sentinel
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Group calls for Ban of Police Use Laptop While Driving
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - A group is calling for a statewide ban on
police use of laptops after investigators say a Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer
was looking at her laptop before getting into a crash. Read more at FOX
News 30 | News 4 Jax | CBS News 47
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Civil Rights Chief helps Homeless Woman at President Obama's Town
Hall Meeting
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA -On Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 FCRA
President Willie David, III and FCRA State Secretary Marsha Watson
travelled to Fort Myers Florida as special invited guests to participate in
President Barack Obama 2nd town hall meeting since taking office. This
historic moment would be the President's first trip to Florida to address
the economic crisis in one of the country’s hardest hit home foreclosure
cities. {Read More} {Henrietta Hughes' Interviews} | Chasing Henrietta |
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Immigrant Advocates calls for end to raids
WASHINGTON, DC - January 22, 2009 - Several hundred immigrant
supporters and religious leaders from across the country marched to the
Southwest Washington headquarters of the U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement agency yesterday, strumming guitars, beating
drums and waving colorful homemade banners exhorting President
Obama to halt immigration raids and promote legislation offering illegal
immigrants a path to citizenship. Read More | Article photo | New America
Media
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School Bus Driver May Sue Over False Arrest
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POLK COUNTY, FLORIDA - Jean Chery was arrested by Haines City Police
Department and held in jail by the Polk County Sheriff's Office on a New
York City arrest warrant for a white female fugitive with the same name as
Jean Chery. Read more Tampa Bay 10 | The Ledger 1 | News Chief | The
Ledger | TBO.com | Tampa Bay | Associated Press
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