'Lawyering while black': Attorney says deputy profiled him as a suspect at courthouse

A black attorney filed a complaint with a Maryland sheriff's office after he says a deputy racially profiled him by questioning whether he was a lawyer and accusing him of being a suspect.

Rashad James, an attorney for Maryland Legal Aid, was in Harford County District Court earlier this month representing a client who was not present at an expungement hearing when a sheriff's deputy allegedly detained him, the complaint says.

James told reporters Tuesday that the incident was "surreal," and that the deputy essentially asked him to prove that he was a lawyer. He said it was the first time he had represented a client at the courthouse.

"If Mr. James were white, this would not have happened. He would have been able to walk out of that courtroom without any question about who he was and who he was representing," James' attorney Chelsea J. Crawford said at the news conference.

Read more: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/29/lawyering-while-black-maryland-attorney-accused-being-suspect/3311666002/

Cross-posted in the Maryland Group.

'Lawyering while black': Attorney says deputy profiled him as a suspect at courthouse

A black attorney filed a complaint with a Maryland sheriff's office after he says a deputy racially profiled him by questioning whether he was a lawyer and accusing him of being a suspect.

Rashad James, an attorney for Maryland Legal Aid, was in Harford County District Court earlier this month representing a client who was not present at an expungement hearing when a sheriff's deputy allegedly detained him, the complaint says.

James told reporters Tuesday that the incident was "surreal," and that the deputy essentially asked him to prove that he was a lawyer. He said it was the first time he had represented a client at the courthouse.

"If Mr. James were white, this would not have happened. He would have been able to walk out of that courtroom without any question about who he was and who he was representing," James' attorney Chelsea J. Crawford said at the news conference.

Read more: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/29/lawyering-while-black-maryland-attorney-accused-being-suspect/3311666002/

Cross-posted in the African American Group.

An Ohio lawmaker wants to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.

COLUMBUS – Americans have been springing forward and falling back for 100 years, but one Ohio lawmaker says it’s time to stop.

Sen. Kristina Roegner, R-Hudson, has introduced the "Ohio Sunshine Protection Act" to eliminate twice yearly time changes. The state would remain on daylight saving time, which takes effect in March through early November, year-round.

"The intention is to have daylight so when people come home from school and work there’s still daylight to enjoy and still do things," Roegner said in an interview.

The version of Senate Bill 119 introduced this week was mistakenly written to do the opposite. Roegner plans to replace it at the bill's first hearing, which could be as soon as next week.

Read more: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2019/03/29/ohio-lawmaker-proposes-ditching-time-changes/3297314002/

Ohio Senate passes bill to require burial, cremation of fetal remains after abortion

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would require the burial or cremation of fetal remains after a surgical abortion.

Under Senate Bill 27, which passed 24-7, people who violate the requirement would face a first-degree misdemeanor. Facilities that perform abortions, including workers at public hospitals, could be subject to the charges.

Women seeking abortions would have to express in writing, through a form the Ohio Department of Health develops, whether she wants the fetal remains to be buried or cremated. Minors seeking an abortion would first have to obtain consent from a parent, guardian or court. SB 27 states if a woman declines to “exercise the rights under the bill,” then the abortion facility would have to determine whether to cremate or bury the remains.

The pregnant woman wouldn’t be charged under the bill.

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/open/2019/03/ohio-senate-passes-bill-to-require-burial-cremation-of-fetal-remains-after-abortion.html

El Paso Times: Here's the latest from Beto O'Rourke's El Paso rally

Noon: Beto O'Rourke was headed to Houston this afternoon and to Austin this evening for rallies. He will speak at 4 p.m. at Texas Southern University, and at 8 p.m. near the State Capitol in Austin.

Exiting to The Clash's Clampdown
11:45 a.m.: After about a half-hour of speaking, Beto O'Rourke exits the stage, thanking El Paso and saying "God bless, America." The Clash's "Clampdown" starts up again.

11:40 a.m.: Beto O'Rourke is now addressing the crowd in Spanish, and the crowd responds with a chant of "Si se puede!"

Voting Rights Act
11:39 a.m.: Beto O'Rourke promises to sign new Voting Rights Act to end gerrymandering, get PAC money out of politics, and ensure same-day voting registration.

Read more: https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/03/30/live-stream-beto-el-paso-rally-2020-presidential-campaign/3291647002/

See additional details at the link about O'Rourke's speech including his views on immigration and teacher pay.

ETA: Attendance at the El Paso rally was estimated at 6,000.

Why is 'Beto is a furry' trending after his El Paso rally? Also, what's a furry, and is he one?

Shortly after Beto O'Rourke stepped off the stage for his Saturday morning rally in El Paso, conversations started about his talking points and support for migrant families.

That is not the only conversation that started — the phrase "is Beto a furry" started trending.

https://twitter.com/memekelaa/status/1112053613034000384

While it can be hard to pinpoint the starting point of any meme, it appears that Saturday's spike in replies to O'Rourke's tweet started with Twitter user Comfortably Smug, who is known on Twitter for being a political troll.

This morning, Comfortably Smug posted this pondering:

https://twitter.com/ComfortablySmug/status/1112041964139098112

Read more: https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/03/30/beto-furry-meme-2020-rally-el-paso/3320277002/

https://twitter.com/austin_mansell/status/1112044673382662144

Few Ohioans say they've attended political rallies or protests since 2016 election

CLEVELAND, Ohio – You know those political rallies packed with cheering fans supporting politicians and candidates? Or those protests to express outrage?

Few people actually attend, at least lately, according to new statewide polling in Ohio.

Only 1-in-20 Ohioans report having attended a political event, rally or organized protest since the 2016 presidential election, Baldwin Wallace University found in polling adults across Ohio.

Among the 1,361 Ohioans surveyed, 90.7 percent said they have not attended such an event since the last presidential election versus 5.4 percent who said they have done so.

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/2019/03/few-ohioans-say-theyve-attended-political-rallies-or-protests-since-2016-election.html

Ohio House, Senate negotiators agree to $70 million for public transit

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Negotiators attempting to hammer out the state’s two-year transportation budget bill have settled on a handful of issues – such as providing public transit $70 million a year.

But other issues remain unresolved – specifically the gas tax rate, whether vehicles should have a front license plate and how much owners of hybrid and electric vehicles should pay in fees.

On Friday evening, the six-member conference committee -- made up of House and Senate members from each political party -- had recessed for the weekend. The committee is expected to adjourn Monday morning.

Heading into the weekend, the following provisions have been decided:

* $70 million for public transit, which will come from the General Revenue Fund. To see how this compares to Gov. Mike DeWine’s and the Ohio House and Senate’s plans for public transit, read here.
* Low-speed electric scooters, such as those operating under the Bird and Lime brands, will not be regulated under the transportation budget, House Bill 62, the conference committee decided. The Ohio House wanted to create statewide regulations, such as prohibiting people under age 16 from operating them. The Senate nixed those regulations, feeling that each city should make its own rules as it sees fit, and the Senate has prevailed.
* Skateboards couldn’t be attached to vehicles.
* Motorcycle hearing protection provisions. The House wanted to clarify in state law that bikers can wear earphones or earplugs for hearing protection, as well as listening to music. The Senate nixed those provisions and prevailed.
* Compressed natural gas vehicle owners would have to pay a motor fuel tax, based on the diesel rate. There is a formula in the bill to convert CNG to gallons. The tax will be phased in over five years.

Gas tax mulishness reveals some Ohio lawmakers embracing Reagan's 'Facts are stupid things' slip

Surgeon in Forest Park kickback trial quarrels with prosecutor: 'You guys scare witnesses'

A Dallas spine surgeon accused of earning almost $5 million in bribes and kickbacks from Forest Park Medical Center told a jury he was "baffled" by the allegations and blamed his predicament on overzealous prosecutors and greedy hospital marketers.

Dr. Michael Rimlawi took the witness stand Thursday and Friday during the culmination of a six-week trial and told the jury that the co-marketing of hospitals and doctors is commonplace in the health care industry.

"I'm totally confused why I'm even here," he told jurors. "I never thought for one second it was illegal."

But prosecutors say he knowingly and illegally took the money -- $225,000 per month -- in exchange for bringing his surgeries to the now-defunct, doctor-owned hospital, which needed the expensive procedures to thrive.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2019/03/29/surgeon-forest-park-kickback-trial-quarrels-prosecutor-guys-scare-witnesses