Jury selection in the Conrad Murray involuntary manslaughter case is scheduled to begin on September 8, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
As you probably know, prosecutors have accused Dr. Murray of giving singer/super star Michael Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol and other sedatives in the bedroom of Jackson’s mansion days before he was to travel to London for a series of comeback concerts.
Lawyers for Dr. Murray are requesting that the jurors be sequestered citing the Casey Anthony trial.
Casey Anthony was acquitted recently of murdering her two year old daughter, Caylee Anthony.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles county superior Court Judge Michael Pastor has previously stated that does not believe that sequestering Murry’s jury will be necessary. He also noted that the court system cannot afford to pay for juror’s hotel accomodations.
Should Murray’s jury be sequestered, and should cost enter into the judge’s decision as to whether Dr. Murray is entitled to a sequestered jury?
Attorney Penny Marshall along with freelance writer Joshua Robinson she’d some light on this subject as they sit at the lunch counter on Febone1960.net.
Penny Marshall is a Harvard Law School alumni, who began the practice
of law at the Washington D.C. Public Defender Service, where she
served as Deputy Trial Chief. She then moved to the federal level as
an Assistant Federal Defender in the District of Columbia.
Upon relocating to the Delaware Federal Defender office, she became the
Chief Defender for that office until 2005. Following her tenure at
that office, she served as co-counsel in the capital prosecution of
the case of State of Georgia v. Brian Nichols. Recently, she provided
technical support for the case of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Don Ray Adams.
Mr. Adams was exonerated after serving a nineteen year sentence in
what began as a capital murder prosecution of a double homicide. Marshall has taught
trial advocacy and the use of technology in the courtroom at several
venues, as well as serving as an adjunct professor at Widener Law
School. She has also participated in a number of studies evaluating
race and criminal justice.
She is a former president of the National Association of Federal
Defenders. Currently she is in private practice, with a focus on
technology and the law.
Take a listen above to the discussion.
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First Psychology Today and now Vogue_Italia. An attack on women of color seems to be a trend. Vogue_Italia Magazine will soon find out that it’s not a good trend. Psychology Today certainly found that to be the case when they had to pull a post in May of this year.
On May 15th, 2011 the bi-monthly magazine published here in the United States, posted a blog written by Satoshi Kanazawa claiming Black women to be physically less attractive than non black women.
Satoshi Kanazawa is known as an evolutionary psychologist who once taught at the London School of Economics. Mr. Kanazawa was also a contributor to Psychology Today as a blogger under the heading of The Scientific Fundamentalist.
Satoshi Kanazawa loss both jobs as a result of a Blog written by him entitled Why-Black-Women-Aren’t-Pretty. The Real Ms. Brooks (@TheREAL_MBrooks) as well as many others were infuriated and let their feeling be known on Twitter. As a result of the firestorm, the article was removed and two weeks later Psychology Today printed an apology.
Now Vogue_Italia Magazine has posted an ad campaign online entitled Slave earrings. I just can’t imagine why anyone would think that the ad would be appropriate. Even a jackass would know that. Is Vogue Magazine smarter than a jackass? Apparently not!
Dr. Goddess who is not a jackass but phenomenal woman of color agrees. Within moments of learning about the ad, a petition to remove the ad with an apology was circulated on twitter. You might say Dr. Goddess has taken Vogue_Italia to the wood shed to at least bring them up to the level of a jackass.
If you find the ad to be inappropriate, go on twitter and sign the petition or let Vogue_Italia know how you feel by sending them a tweet @Vogue_Italia.
Thank you @drgoddess and @Dawnavette and all others sounding off on twitter for your leadership on this matter. What’s Your Take On The Matter? Register and/or sign in and sound off!
The Help came out the gate in second place at this weekend’s box office. On the heels of Planet Of The Apes, the women driven film grossed 26 million dollars on 2534 screens. Planet of The Apes in week two grossed 27 million dollars on 3691 screens.
Take a look at the article and listen to the interview with Emma Young, CEO of Emma Young Creative Inc. who has a different take than Mary Mitchell on “The Help”.
What is it about image of black maids that make Black folks uncomfortable?
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You may not know the name, but you’ve seen her face. Octavia Spenser is a very busy actress. Ms. Spenser has appeared in three films for this year. That is busy in Hollywood, especially for a woman of color in these hard economic times.
One of those films is “The Help”. Octavia Spenser is busting out in “The Help”. After you see her outstanding performance, you will never forget her name. The name Octavia Spencer will roll off your tongue as easy as Halle Berry.
The film will make you cry, but Octavia’s character Minny won’t let your tears stream for long.
It appears that the producers of this film got it right when it came to casting. Like Viola Davis, Spencer is a product of the south. Born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, the comedic actress attended Auburn University. Spencer is remarkable with her facial expressions, and can deliver a line without saying a word.
In a previous post I boosted about Viola Davis carrying and delivering in The Help. Octavia’s performance greatly assist in the delivery. I can also see an Oscar nomination for Ms. Octavia Spenser. I would not be surprised if she carried home a gold statute.
The Golden Globe may also be in the cards for both of these fine actresses.
It has been brought to my attention that some people are insisting that people should not go out to see this amazing film. I don’t agree. I think this film is the product of a well written script, and the acting from the entire cast is superb.
Further, it pays homage to a group of women who are so deserving. My maternal grandmother was a member of this reverent group of hard working women. I remember her having a rough life like the women in the film. I also remember her giving me unconditional love. I felt her presence through Viola’s performance. She was a strong no nonsense woman when it came to white people, so I also felt her presence through Octavia’s performance. Oh she would have enjoyed this film! I can see her now laughing uncontrollably at Minny’s revenge.
The film didn’t nor could it touch on every despicable act they were faced with. This film is not about the relationship with the white men, but with the white women who had charge of the household. The film appears to have adequately described that relationship.
As I said earlier, regardless of race, people should run out in droves to see this educational yet entertaining film.
Look forward to seeing you at the Oscars Viola and Octavia.
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Some say Jim Crow died at the hands of the civil rights movement. Maybe so, but Jim Crow has descendants. Two of those descendants who go by the names of Deryl Dedmon, Jr. and John Aaron Rice drove to Jackson Mississippi just to kill a black man because he was a black man. After the two white teens beat James Craig Anderson, a 49-year-old auto plant worker, while shouting white power, Dedmon ran over a staggering Anderson with his large Ford F250 green pickup truck.
Racial violene resulting in murder is not new to Jackson, Mississippi. In the early morning of June 12, 1963, just hours after President John F. Kennedy’s speech on national television in support of civil rights, civil rights leader Medger Evers pulled into his driveway just after returning from a meeting with NAACP lawyers. Emerging from his car and carrying NAACP T-shirts that read “Jim Crow Must Go,” Evers was struck in the back with a bullet fired from an Enfield 1917 rifle that ricocheted into his Jackson, Mississippi home. He staggered 9 meters (30 feet) before collapsing. He died at a local hospital 50 minutes later.
Jim Crow is alive and well through all the Deryl Dedmon, Juniors out in the world. That also includes John Aaron Rice who at this writing has only been charged with simple assault. Can anyone in the Hinds County District Attorney’s office say FELONY MURDER? Where is Nancy Grace when you need her?
It’s the same OLE’ SCHICKARDY, just different racist butt holes named Deryl Dedmon, Jr. and John Aaron Rice.
Don’t drop the soap John Aaron Rice and Deryl Dedmon, Jr. , don’t drop the soap!
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