A giant has fallen: John Lewis, 1940-2020

July 17, 2020 (NYTimes.com) — John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation, and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress, has died. He was 80.

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Sparks police killing analysis: Could 18 year-old Miciah Lee have been saved?
Former sheriff: Establish citizen police review board
By Anjeanette Damon & Marcella Corona / rgj.com 7-6-2020 / Reno Gazette-Journal entire front page feature / Sunday 7-12-2020

Black Lives Matter protestors confronted by machine-gun toting Trumpistas in front of Nevada Legislature
By James DeHaven / rgj.com 7-11-2020 / Reno Gazette- Journal 7-12-2020

Feemster: Reject, re-evaluate, reform, renew
By Josie Glassberg / Sierra Nevada Ally / 7-9-2020

Feemster: Police reform needed after Sparks shooting
By Marcella Corona / rgj.com 6-29-2020 / Reno Gazette-Journal front page 7-1-2020

Growing up black in Reno —> Attorney David Gamble's personal memoir
Guest editorial / rgj.com 6-14, Reno Gazette-Journal Sunday June 21, 2020

CAPITAL OFFENSE —> On closed Carson Street, Black Lives Matter protesters chant 'I can't breathe'.
By Ed Komenda & Jason Bean / rgj.com 6-20 / Reno Gazette-Journal Sunday 6-21-2020

Kneeling isn't enough — Activists demand sweeping change
Interview with Reno-Sparks NAACP President Lonnie Feemster
By Elliott Wailoo / Los Angeles Times 6-18-2020

Government shuts down when it should step up
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-17-2020 Sparks Tribune

Top 10 cures still go begging
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-10-2020 Sparks Tribune

FLAILING OVERTURNED TURTLE: Have we reached a turning point?
By Frank Rich / New York Magazine 6-9-2020

View Reno-Sparks NAACP President Lonnie Feemster's June 6 & 7 appearance on KTVN TV-2's Face the State half-hour program

Most arrested after May 30 Reno riot were innocent downtown residents
Most live within walking distance of downtown, one 700 feet from City Hall
Mississippi West alive and well: City lawyers advise arrestees to plead guilty or face days or weeks in jail
Reno Gazette-Journal / Sunday front page 6-7-2020

Reno reimposes martial law

Tuesday, 02 Jun 2020 17:12:30 (PDT) [Official City of Reno bulletin] Reno, Nevada USA — Out of an abundance of caution for public safety, Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve has issued citywide curfews starting at 7 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, June 2. The curfew will be in effect nightly from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning and will continue until terminated by Mayor Schieve. During the hours of the curfew, no person — with the exception of law enforcement, military and other emergency response personnel, government officials and authorized media — shall enter or remain in the public right of way, public parks or any other public place in Reno unless they have an essential reason to be out (i.e. people traveling to/from work or seeking emergency care, etc.). Residents are asked to adhere to the curfew to help protect the safety of our community. [More at Reno.Gov]

Don't let fear and anger convert us to Germany 1933
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-3-2020 Sparks Tribune

NAACP CALLS FOR CALM & SHOOTING TRANSPARENCY
Downtown Reno Black Lives Matter rally turns violent
RENO CITY HALL SET ON FIRE

     RENO, NEV. (Updated 7:54 p.m. PDT 6-2-2020 / 02:54 June 3 GMT) — Saturday afternoon's downtown Reno Black Lives Matter rally turned violent after adjournment as evening approached. People jumped on cars near the casino center Reno Arch. Windows were broken at businesses, the Washoe County Courthouse and Reno City Hall. Its first floor set afire, tear gas was used to keep crowds away from the 14-story high-rise. Arrests were made. Gov. Steve Sisolak called out the Nevada National Guard. Citizens put hands in the air shouting "don't shoot." KOLO TV-8 telecasted live, joined by two other network affiliates much later in the evening. Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve ordered a citywide curfew which was expanded to cover the entire county. The Reno-Sparks NAACP called for calm and transparency regarding all shootings, local and elsewhere. Stay tuned.

NAACP calls for calm, demands police transparency
Family of 18 year-old killed by Sparks Police in January still waiting for answers
By James DeHaven / rgj.com 5-31-2020 / Reno Gazette-Journal 6-1-2020

 

Sen. Neal endorses Elizabeth Warren for President

"OUR JOAN OF ARC"
Sen. Neal's comments on the Feb. 19 NBC debate

LAS VEGAS, February 20, 2020 5:25:20 PM PST — Last night, Elizabeth Warren proved that she could be our Joan Of Arc, ready to lead an army of well-intentioned souls who cherish freedom and stand ready to support Warren in defending it by replacing the present occupant of the White House with a woman — Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Sen. Warren was great in the Las Vegas debate. She showed the world that she was not a librarian wanting to keep a nation quiet but a leader willing to fight for a better deal for the people when the forces of wealth and power are arrayed against their interest of opportunity and survival.

I believe that Elizabeth proved to the people who were privileged to watch that debate last night that she is very well capable of going toe to toe with the likes of Donald J. Trump in the general election. Her expression of wit, knowledge and a value system, which some called an attack, were laced with bombshells of outstanding comments and questioning that left many asking "who is this woman?"

It was Elizabeth Warren at her best in defending a nation that wants to be freed from the dictatorial path of Donald J.Trump and set us again upon the road to a more perfect union.

Sen. Neal's review of a Warren rally

LAS VEGAS, February 16, 2020, 9:20:41 AM PST — I attended a Warren Rally at Centennial High School on Saturday, February 15, 2020, at 12:00 noon. The senator was at the top of her game. She spoke to an over flow crowd that seemed to be pleased with her message. Her emphasis seemed to be on getting a woman elected to the presidency.
     A recent poll shows that, if nominated, she can beat Trump in a head-to-head race. Warren was buoyant as always. She showed a wit that would be devastating to Trump, who does not take criticism well. When she becomes the nominee of the Democratic Party, as I have noted, if Trump tries to intimidate Warren as he did with Hillary, by walking behind her, Warren would drop the mike on him and kindly ask him to sit his derrière down. Derrière is not the word I believe Warren would use, as indicated by one button being sold at the rally: “Nasty women make sh#t happen”.
     As you may recall, Trump used the phrase “nasty woman” in the 2016 campaign against Hillary. This woman, Elizabeth Warren, was the last sibling born among four. The other three were boys. She gives you the appearance of Harper Lee’s Scout, the principal character in the novel “To Kill A Mocking Bird”.
     Sen. Warren seems anxious to take on Trump. It was a speech that pointed out how she became involved in politics. It was a speech that showed her working in the back room of the US Senate chairing a Congressional Oversight Panel (COP), purportedly to oversee the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) that was to bail out Big Wall Street Banks. However, it had no authority to determine if they needed bailing out.
     Warren was called to this position by our own Senator Harry Reid, who at the time was Senate Majority Leader. When Warren was named by Sen. Reid to head up this program, and because its acronym was COP, she asked Reid if she could bring handcuffs.
     Sen. Warren took the position even though it had no mandate to correct anything. Ms. Warren soon recognized what she was overseeing was bailout money going  to large financial institutions. She did not run from this, instead using her ingenuity to perform research on these institutions and issue reports.
This gave her the insight to gather information into the operation of the Big Banks. Elizabeth      Warren’s appointment facilitating research of these financial institutions was more likely than not an unintended consequence of an appointment which had as a logical goal the removal of a person from the field of making consumers aware of their powers regarding financial institutions.
     From the chairmanship of COP, she was able to move the US Senate, with the assistance of the Obama Administration, toward the creation of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Warren's actions as chair of COP showed that she was unwilling to be stalemated in overseeing a law that was designed to do nothing for consumers.
     Then the offer came for her to run for the Senate against “pretty boy” Scott Brown, a Senator wooing women with half-naked billboards of himself across Massachusetts.
     So Elizabeth Warren decided to test her ability to win a senatorial race, but made it understood she would not take her clothes off to do so. In this race for the Senate, Warren began seventeen points behind Brown and won the race by eight points, a 25-point turnaround. It was a sweet victory for her because Brown had been one of those senators who opposed her plan to help consumers.
     How was Warren able to beat a popular senator having never run for public office before? I guess one can look upon this race from that old adage “where there is a will there is a way”. Elizabeth discovered a marvelous way to campaign against Brown.
     She would seek out young girls in the crowd and get down on one knee to introduce herself: “Hi, I am Elizabeth Warren and I am running for the US Senate because that is what girls do.” It is called getting the vote of the parent through the children. One thing that Elizabeth Warren proved, you can never doubt her ingenuity. So, when I hear that she will beat Trump, I will not have any doubt that she can.
     For that reason, I called her staff early after her announcement to run for the presidency stating that I would support Elizabeth Warren in this endeavor. Shortly after making my support known to the Nevada staff, I received a call from Senator Warren thanking me for joining the fight. If she is elected, and I have no reason to think that she will not be, the value of that phone will be worth much as it received a call from the first woman presidential candidate to be elected.
This is not to say that I am motivated by greed. I am motivated by seeing a qualified woman becoming President of the United States.
     History has shown us where women were in power, they did marvelous things. Take for example the appointment of Francis Perkins as the first woman to serve as Secretary of Labor. Francis Perkins  brought us Social Security and the minimum wage. I am a proud recipient  of a monthly Social Security check each month. For this, I say thank you, Francis Perkins.

Endorsement statement from Sen. Neal

Las Vegas 30 April 2019 — I attended a gathering for Sen. Warren at Bonanza High School in Southern Nevada over the weekend. This was the first time I had the opportunity to observe the Senator in person. The woman is dynamic. I kept thinking that I was looking at the first woman President of the United States. Her grasp and explanation of the issues were outstanding. I believe that the Senator will change the method of campaigning for the Presidency. Her organizing team is very young but seem to be very wise to the ways of campaigning.

At the Bonanza meeting, there seemed to be more women than men. The women seemed to be younger. It would appear that the women are selecting their candidate for the Presidency and if my observation is true, Sen. Warren may very well be the sleeper in the race. There seem to be clues revealed in the new independent university Quinnipiac poll that indicates when Sen. Warren appears with other candidates, she excels. This poll shows her running second to Biden. Which said to me, if they appear on stage together, she will take him. I say this because when she appeared on stage at the "She The People" rally with Bernie and Kamala Harris, Sen. Warren took the group by storm without any visible support going toward such as Harris whose Sisterhood (Members of AKA Sorority) was in the audience to lend her support. Senator Warren had no one but herself and her message.

The Quinnipiac Poll, which was taken after this meeting, seemed to reflect the difference in what the public thinks about Sen. Warren and the direction she wants to take the country. I am aware that some voters may be entertaining the question, can Elizabeth beat Trump? It is not a question as to whom can beat; it is a question can we the people beat Trump? The answer is emphatically: Yes we can!! The latter may have a familiar ring to it. Elizabeth Warren seems to be a person who understands human nature. She would not be a Hillary Clinton running against Donald Trump. She would be a woman of boundless energy, intellect and wit, who could be called upon to show the emperor with no clothes.

Sen. Neal on the powers of the chief justice when presiding over the impeachment trial of a sitting president

Las Vegas 13 January 2020 — I have argued earlier that the chief justice may emerge as a key figure in President Trump’s impeachment trial. Because we have had so few impeachment trials of presidents, there have not been established rules for the process. By implication, the majority leader is claiming powers constitutionally he may not have.

Because we have a young Chief Justice Roberts, a student of Prof. Lawrence Tribe, presiding over the trial, we may get a new perspective as to the powers which the chief may exercise over such proceedings as the impeachment of a president.

It is my belief from reading and studying constitutional law, the chief justice has tremendous powers in conducting an impeachment trial. These powers are determined by the action words “to try" and "presiding.”

The Constitution requires that the chief preside over the impeachment of the president, instead of the president of the senate — the vice-president who may have a vested interest in removing the president. This is purely an action to insure the fairness of the process.

If the founders had thought of this as being a political process as one senate member has assumed, the founders would have left the president of the senate to preside over the impeachment of a president. They did not and called upon a person who had a lifetime appointment as chief justice who should not be consumed by fear not to act in a fair manner in the way the Constitution mandatorily demands.

The founders state in an unequivocal manner of fairness as was evident in such trial cases in the 1700s and the person to render such fairness would be the chief justice of the United States. I have heard some members of the senate say that impeachment is a political process. When a process is written into the Constitution, it is a legal process. Since the Constitution calls for a trial to be presided over by the chief justice, and such a person is called upon to administer an Oath of Impartiality to the senators present who will be hearing the impeachment charges, the words which are instructive as to the duties of the chief justice are “presiding" "to try."

For the meaning of such words, one would have to look at their usage in the 1700s. These words and definitions are no different today than their usage in the 18th Century.

What I am saying is that the senate has limited powers when it comes to sitting in judgment of a president as to whether he should be removed from office. I would submit that the senate cannot set the rules as to whom will be heard or testify. This is a question, in my judgment, which is left to the chief justice’s implied powers found in his duties to preside and administer the oath of impartial justice under the Constitution.

I would say that the language of the Constitution allows the chief to kick Majority Leader Mitch McConnell off the senate panel if he insists that he cannot be impartial, or if he should give an indication of not being able to be impartial, after taking the oath.

I believe the chief justice has the power under the Constitution to insure impartiality. This, I  believe, includes denial of the majority leader's right  to participate in the trial.

There are two types of impeachment and removal from office. The impeachment of the president is different from all the rest. There is a special action for the president as opposed to others who may be impeached and removed from office under the Constitution over whom the senate seems to have more control in determining the process — but not for the impeachment and removal of a president.

The chief justice is the powerful person in this process.

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Here is the oath discussed above which Chief Justice Roberts will administer to senators in attendance: I solemly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, president of the United States, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God.

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Sen. Neal taught constitutional law at Community College of Southern Nevada for many years.