MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2014 - NOVEMBER 2, 2014
riversideindependent.com
No more race-based lockdowns in California prisons by jennifer schlueter
by prisoners. The lockdown was solely based on race and unjustly included inmates who didn’t take part in the incident. According to the Los Angeles Times, another incident concerning a “riot between northern
block of Gramercy Place. Once help arrived, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Inside the home where the party was being held, detectives learned that 15 people were at the party before the shooting. Luckily, Please see page 4
Please see page 4
and southern Mexican gangs at Pelican Bay State Prison, resulted in a three-year lockdown” during which prisoners “were denied family visits, issued housing and Please see page 2
Young man suspected of shooting friend at large by Vickie Vértiz A disagreement between friends ended in murder the weekend of October 19th in Riverside. A young man who police officers identified as Cesar Ivan Luna, 23, was charged in the shooting of Jose Eloy DelaRosa, 31, of Riverside. According to the Press Enterprise, during a small house party
over the weekend, Luna was accused of fatally shooting his friend. Luna is currently at large. His whereabouts are unknown, say officials. Riverside police said that the shooting happened at approximately 1:40 a.m. the morning of Sunday, October 19th on the 8400
National nurses call on President Obama to issue executive order directing hospitals to follow highest standards for beating Ebola With concern escalating across the U.S. about the threat of a wider Ebola outbreak, National Nurses United today called on President Barack Obama to “invoke his executive authority” to order all U.S. hospitals to meet the highest “uniform, national standards and protocols” in order to “safely protect patients, all healthcare workers and the public.” The request, send in a letter to the President, came on a day in which NNU, the largest U.S. organization of nurses, hosted a national call-in conference in which 11,500 RNs from across the U.S. joined to discuss what steps should be taken to confront a virulent disease that the World Health Organization has termed the most significant health crisis in modern history. On the call, RNs from California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Texas described widespread concerns in their hospitals about inadequate preparedness at a time at least two nurses have been tested positive for the Ebola virus in a hospital where one patient
California High Desert State Prison, where a race-based lockdown called for a civil rights law suit - Courtesy Photo
In 2006, African American inmates of the California High Desert State Prison had been locked down for 14 months deprived from outdoor exercise, rehabilitation programs, and prison jobs after two guards had been attacked
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Immigration official sentenced to 30 months in prison for soliciting bribes to approve applications for citizenship and green card An immigration service officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) who took thousands of dollars in bribes from immigrants who were seeking either citizenship or lawful permanent resident status in the United States was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison. Mai Nhu Nguyen, 48, of Irvine, was sentenced by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton. From 2011 through June 2013, Nguyen solicited and took bribes from Vietnamese immigrants. In one case, Nguyen took
$1,000 from an immigrant seeking a “Green Card” and 200 egg rolls from an immigrant seeking citizenship. Nguyen, who worked at USCIS’s Santa Ana office for approximately eight years and is now on leave, was an immigration service officer with the power to approve or deny applications for immigration benefits that are submitted by immigrants. The case against Nguyen is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.
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Man sentenced for pimping and pandering Riverside woman A man was sentenced today to four years in state prison for pimping and pandering a young woman against her will. Damaris Markyse Thompson, 24, Hemet, was found guilty by a jury Sept. 18, 2014, of one felony count each of pimping and pandering after picking up a Riverside woman and driving her to Orange County to perform commercial sex acts for his benefit in 2011. Circumstances of the Case: Thompson is a pimp who exploits women for financial gain. Pimps often establish rigid rules that their victims are expected to follow including requiring them to address the pimp as “Daddy.” The victim in this case was required to turn over all payment she received for sex acts from sex purchasers to her pimp. In 2011, Thompson was driving in Hemet and engaged in conversation with 22-year-old Jane Doe as she was walking on a street. He convinced the victim to go to Orange County with him. Later that evening, the defendant told Jane Doe that he owns her and provided revealing clothing for the victim to wear and a cell phone to communicate with when arranging meetings with sex purchasers.
Thompson pimped the victim by having her perform commercial sex acts with sex purchasers and collecting the money she made. On a later date, Jane Doe attempted to leave the defendant. Thompson threatened Jane Doe by placing his hand around her neck and telling her he owns her. On Nov. 14, 2011, an Anaheim Police Department (APD) officer contacted Jane Doe after seeing her on a street known for prostitution. APD began investigating this case, located Thompson, and arrested him. Members of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF) and the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Office work proactively to protect women and minors from falling victim to commercial sexual exploitation. This case was investigated by OCHTTF, a partnership between APD, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Huntington Beach Police Department, OCDA, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and community and non-profit partners. Deputy District Attorney Daniel Varon of the HEAT Unit prosecuted this case.
No more race-based lockdowns Continued from page 1
work assignments and assigned outdoor exercise times all based on race.” Because some gangs are associated with a certain race, these lockdowns happen. Lawyer Rebekah Evenson told CBS that out of 600 annual lockdowns in California prisons, 200 are based on race. No other state has such race-based policies, reported the Times. Prison officials claim these lockdowns are safety measures, so that they can con-
duct investigations after violent occasions. Following the incident at the California High Desert State Prison, lawyers for inmates filed a civil rights lawsuit against the unfair lockdown. Out of the resulting settlement, last Wednesday’s decision of California officials to end these lockdowns came forth and ruled them to be unconstitutional because they violate the equal protection granted by the 14th Amendment.
OCTOBER 27, 2014 - NOVEMBER 2, 2014 | 3
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California ranked #1 in after school programs State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that California leads the nation in after school programs, placing first among all states in a national survey released Thursday by the Afterschool Alliance. “The good news is, because we have followed through on our long-term commitment to invest in our children, California has the largest network of after school programs in the country,” Torlakson said. “These programs are helping our children learn and stay safe after school, while helping working parents keep their jobs. The challenge is that many more children still need to be served.” Torlakson celebrated California’s number one ranking with students, parents, community leaders, and advocates Thursday in a visit to the after school program at Roy Romer Middle School in North Hollywood. The Alliance gave California its top ranking in the 2014 edition of its “America After 3PM” survey, singling the state out for both strong participation among students and high satisfaction with after school programs among parents. It found that expanded learning participation in California had increased to 25 percent, compared to 19 percent in 2009, with more than 1.6 million students enrolled. The survey also found that 92 percent of California parents were satisfied with the quality of care of their child’s after school program, up from 83 percent in 2009. “Superintendent Torlakson has spearheaded efforts to make California number one in the nation,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “He created a statewide after school initiative within the California Department of Education that has increased quality and access to after school programs across this state. California stands head and shoulders above the rest of the country, not only for the percentage of
students it serves, but for its emphasis on making high-quality after school programs a state priority. From extraordinary STEM programs, to service learning, to its trailblazing literacy programming, California has done an amazing job with afterschool programs.” The Alliance’s report also noted California’s work to emphasize the quality of programs, including Torlakson’s move to create an After School Division within the California Department of Education (CDE) and to develop a strategic plan to build on the state’s investments in expanded learning. The CDE also recently completed development of newQuality Standards for Expanded Learning programs. A teacher and long-time
track and cross-country coach, Torlakson has long been a champion of after school programs. Legislation he authored led to the creation and expansion of these programs. California’s expanded learning programs today reach about 4,500 schools around the state. They are, in large part, funded through voter-approved Proposition 49, which guarantees $550 million annually for the state’s After School Education and Safety Program. California administers another $120 million in federal after school program funds. For more information about expanded learning, visit the CDE After School Division’s California Expanded Learning Programs Facebook Web page.
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National nurses call on President Obama to help fight Ebola Continued from page 1
infected by the disease has died. The call came just hours after NNU released a statement by RNs who work at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas voicing frustration and concern over what they viewed as a lack of preparation and training at their hospital, the first in the U.S. to see, first a patient with Ebola who subsequently died, and now an RN who has been infected with the virus. In the statement, the Texas RNs described confusion in the hospital over policies in responding to patients with Ebola, inadequate advance training and availability of proper personal protective equipment, and changing guidelines. In the end, the nurses, said they felt “unsupported, unprepared and deserted to handle the situation on their own.” “Sadly, the problems expressed by the heroic Texas Health Presbyterian RNs was predictable in our fragmented, uncoordinated private healthcare system, and it mirrors concerns we’ve heard from nurses across
the U.S.,” said NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro. It is the circumstances in Dallas, which have mirror the concerns nurses across the U.S. have been expressing, both on the call and via an online NNU survey filled out by more than 2,500 nurses that have prompted NNU to call on President Obama to mandate improved safety standards in U.S. health facilities. “Not one more patient, nurse, or healthcare worker should be put at risk due to a lack of health care facility preparedness,” DeMoro said in the letter to President Obama. “The United States should be setting the example on how to contain and eradicate the Ebola virus.” The letter also states: “Every healthcare employer must be directed to follow the Precautionary Principle and institute the following: “Optimal personal protective equipment for Ebola that meets the highest standards used by the University of Nebraska Medical Center
“Full-body hazmat suits that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F1670 standard for blood penetration, the ASTM F1671 standard for viral penetration, and that leave no skin exposed or unprotected and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-approved powered air purifying respirators with an assigned protection factor of at least 50 – or a higher standard as appropriate. “There shall be at least two direct care registered nurses caring for each Ebola patient with additional RNs assigned as needed based on the direct care RN’s professional judgment with no additional patient care assignments. “There will be continuous interactive training with the RNs who are exposed to patients. There will also be continuous updated training and education for all RNs that is responsive to the changing nature of disease. This would entail continuous interactive training and expertise from facilities where state of the art dis-
ease containment is occurring. “If the Employer has a program with standards that exceed those used by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the higher standard shall be used. The Ebola pandemic and the exposure of health care workers to the virus represent a clear and present danger to public health. “We know that without these mandates to health care facilities we are putting registered nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers at extreme risk. They are our first line of defense. We would not send soldiers to the battlefield without armor and weapons. “In conclusion, not one more patient, nurse, or healthcare worker should be put at risk due to a lack of health care facility preparedness. The United States should be setting the example on how to contain and eradicate the Ebola virus. Nothing short of your mandate that optimal standards apply is acceptable to the nurses of this nation,” the letter from DeMoro to the President concludes.
Young man suspected of shooting friend at large Continued from page 1
no other injuries were reported. Another shooting happened between friends recently in south Los Angeles, where the circumstances were accidental, however. In that instance, the shooter turned
the gun on himself and ended his life before authorities could investigate and clear up the case. The friends were also partying outside, but when a 23-year-old man who lived on the street tried to take
the gun because he was upset it was brought to a party, the gun discharged accidentally and killed him. He was so guilt-stricken at accidentally killing his best friend that he felt no other choice but to end his own life, according to CBS Los Angeles and relatives they interviewed. Details about the disagreement have not emerged in the Luna case. Luna fled the scene before officers arrived. In the photo being circulated by the police and the media, Luna appears approachable, his well-groomed appearance and smile are not that of a killer, but without all the information and evidence, it is difficult to guess at the reasons for the dispute between two friends. A news release from police said that the shooting definitely followed a dispute between Luna
and DelaRosa. Police officials said that they could not discuss what the two friends were arguing about, according to the Enterprise in citing Sargent David Amador. The police release was further cited as stating that “The two [people] did know each other and were friends.” Emergency crews reported that they found the victim dead with more than one gunshot wound. The Enterprise attempted to reach the home where the shooting happened, but they received no answer. The only evidence that a tragedy occurred was a still-lit votive candle near the curb of the home, reported the paper. Anyone with information about where Luna is staying is asked to call Detective Greg Rowe at 951-353-7136 or Detective Dave Smith at 951-353-7103.