Aboriginal woman dragged like ‘dead Kangaroo’ and killed in police custody

Julieka Dhu
Ms. Dhu

source: Atlanta Black Star
published: 29 August 2016

Black Lives Matter in Australia. As attention has been paid to Black women who have lost their lives while in police custody and in encounters with law enforcement in the United States — women such as Sandra Bland, Miriam Carey, Rekia Boyd and Korryn Gaines — there is another name to add to the list, halfway around the world.

This month marked the second anniversary of the death of Julieka Dhu, 22, an Indigenous Yamatji woman who was arrested on Aug. 2, 2014 for failure to pay A$3,600 (US$2,742) in fines. She is referred to as Ms. Dhu, out of cultural respect for Aboriginal people’s avoidance of referring to the name of a dead person.

Continue reading

Execution halted for Jeff Wood, who never killed anyone

Jeff Wood
Jeff Wood

source: Texas Tribune
published: 19 August 2016

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has halted the execution of Jeff Wood — a man who never killed anyone — six days before he was set to die by lethal injection. The order was issued on his 43rd birthday.

The court issued a brief, two-page order Friday afternoon sending the case back to the original trial court so it can examine Wood’s claim that a jury was improperly persuaded to sentence him to death by testimony from a highly criticized psychiatrist nicknamed “Dr. Death.” The order creates the possibility that Wood’s death sentence could be thrown out, though not his conviction.

Continue reading

Dalian Atkinson died after being Tasered in Telford by police

Dalian Atkinson - Image credit www.swn.com
Dalian Atkinson – Image credit http://www.swn.com

source: BBC News
published: 15 August 2016

Former footballer Dalian Atkinson has died after being shot with a Taser by police at his father’s house. Police said the weapon was deployed at about 01:30 BST in Telford, Shropshire after officers were called to a report of concern for a man’s safety.

A neighbour described seeing the former Aston Villa star, 48, being Tasered after “stumbling towards” police.

Mr Atkinson went into cardiac arrest on his way to hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 03:00.

Paula Quinn, who lives in a first-floor flat near the Atkinson property in Trench, said: “They were shouting and kicking so much all I could hear were the boots hitting him.

Continue reading