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Black tradesman 'told he does not look like an electrician' during 'traumatic' Met Police search A black tradesman has claimed that Metropolitan Police officers told him he "does not look like an electrician" during a stop and search on his way home from work. Josh King, 23, and his colleagues were returning from a job in Guildford when they were stopped by officers in a police van parked by the side of the road as they drove through Clapham on September 13, 2023. This week, a video went viral on social media showing King and three coworkers, all in company uniforms, being forcibly removed from their vehicle and handcuffed by police during the tense search, leading to the arrest of one person for possessing an electrician's knife. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) later ruled that no further action should be taken against him. Mr King, from Peckham, claims he was racially profiled and that his colleague was arrested despite explaining the knife was a work tool. He added that officers appeared to dismiss his colleague's explanation that the tool had been inadvertently left in his cargo trousers. The electrician, who owns KK Electrical Contractor Limited, claims that his business lost a client as a result of the incident. He told the Standard: "We're going home from work in my person car as I don't have a van. I'm with the lads and we pass a police vehicle which is parked up in Clapham – I wasn't speeding, my car's insured – and I said 'why have we been stopped? What's the reason?’” "And immediately they dragged us out the car and started antagonising us. We were put in handcuffs for about 90 minutes on the side of the road and they told us we don't look like electricians. "It makes you think, what does an electrician even look like? What does a plumber look like? What does a doctor look like? "It was a very concerning thing to say but they didn't realise the severity of what they said until afterwards.” He added: "In that whole time period we were in handcuffs, they mistreated us. It was totally unnecessary…it wasn't professional at all. As somebody who has never previously been stopped by police in my life, it was quite a traumatic experience for me. Regarding the lost client, he said: "We were working on a project and the police emailed the client. I was offered that job and then lost it. We deal with quite high-end contracts so it's nothing we take lightly but it did happen. "Police asked them if we are who we say we are, which was unnecessary.” Mr King is planning to lodge an official complaint against the Met following the "traumatic" incident. He says his colleagues have been left shaken by the ordeal and that morale at his business is low. A Met spokesperson said: "The men were searched after a passenger in the car was seen attempting to hide a lock knife in a door compartment following a traffic stop. "Possession a lock knife is illegal and officers thought the man's attempt to hide it was suspicious. He was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an offensive weapon. "The man claimed he was using the knife for work, however the group's other tools were found in the boot, rather than the passenger compartment. "Ultimately the Crown Prosecution Service decided the man should face no further action, but we regularly see the devastation knives cause and officers will do all they can to remove them from the streets of London.” Last month, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley criticised the "army of armchair commentators" who, in his view, record and scrutinise the actions of officers. The Met said the searches were carried out after "a passenger in the car was seen attempting to hide a lock knife in a door compartment following a traffic stop". Commander Claire Smart, from the Metropolitan Police, said: "The men were searched after a passenger in the car was seen attempting to hide a lock knife in a door compartment following a traffic stop. "Possession of a lock knife can be illegal and officers thought the man's attempt to hide it was suspicious. He was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an offensive weapon. "Ultimately the Crown Prosecution Service decided the man should face no further action. "When done right, stop and search is an effective tool and officers take 4,000 dangerous weapons off our streets every year as a result of this tactic. "We know nonetheless stop and search has a significant impact on our communities which we are keen to better understand. "There has been no formal complaint about this incident, however I would welcome the opportunity to meet with the man to discuss this further and to hear his concerns."

Muslim leaders announced on Saturday that they are going national with an effort to dissuade voters from reelecting President Joe Biden in 2024 due to his failure to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. The #AbandonBiden campaign officially began earlier in December, led by Muslim leaders in swing states like Michigan, Minnesota and Arizona, who disapproved of Biden’s support for Israel’s counterattacks against Hamas. More than 22,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there. Now, the coalition intends to expand the pressure campaign to all 50 states. “We will save America from itself, by punishing Biden at the ballot box,” said lead organizer Jaylani Hussein in a statement. The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The coalition plans to endorse an independent presidential candidate, Hussein told CNBC. He added that the campaign does not support former President Donald Trump, the current Republican frontrunner, though it is aware of the risks of depleting Biden’s voter base. “There is a likelihood that our votes may weaken the Democrats that the Republicans may win,” Hussein said. “We’re not fools about that.” The #AbandonBiden campaign is willing to take that risk, he said: “We will risk an unknown four years of Trump.” Trump’s track record on protecting Muslim freedoms does not garner optimism though and the former president has been vocal about his plans to pick up where he left off. Should Trump win a second term, he said he wants to reintroduce and expand his Muslim ban, which prohibited U.S. entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries. Still, Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war has been a blight to his reelection campaign so far, especially among key voter demographics that helped put him in office four years ago. Young voters sunk Biden’s approval rating to an all-time low in a November NBC poll, due centrally to his foreign policy actions in the war. And Muslim-Americans in battleground states, who helped win Biden his thin margin of victory in 2020, have said they would rather vote for a third-party candidate or not vote at all this time around. That is not exclusive to Muslim-Americans. An October Gallup poll found that a majority of voters are so dissatisfied with the Republican and Democratic parties that they think an independent party candidate is needed. Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/30/muslim-leaders-expand-campaign-to-abandon-biden-over-israel-hamas-war.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/29/us-weapons-israel-gaza-war/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/30/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-palestine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_homepage

https://newsroom.heart.org/news/8-hour-time-restricted-eating-linked-to-a-91-higher-risk-of-cardiovascular-death Hmmm, I wouldn't be surprised if this is caused by people eating heavy Americanized meals in a short time frame to get calories that is high in saturated fat. Not that it in itself is unhealthy.

Political provocateur Michael Weinstein has the unlikeliest of allies in his quest to remove statewide limits on rent control: Republicans in Huntington Beach. Weinstein, a nonprofit executive who's poured upward of $100 million into political fights in California, is trying to repeal a law that bars cities from rent-controlling newer apartments — a restriction that's ferociously guarded by developers and real estate investors. Opponents of his November ballot measure — his third such attempt — say it would have such a chilling effect on development that it could essentially allow local governments to skirt state laws requiring them to allow more housing. "On paper, it would be legal to build new homes. But it would be illegal, largely speaking, to make money doing so,” said Louis Mirante, vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council, a pro-business advocacy group that opposes the measure. That's where Weinstein's effort has apparently found a friend in Huntington Beach Councilmember Tony Strickland, a Republican who's attempting to organize his colleagues behind a measure backed by liberal activists. He has led the city's efforts to fight Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta in court as the state tries to force the city to comply with housing mandates. Strickland said Weinstein's rent control measure would block "the state's ability to sue our city" because Huntington Beach could slap steep affordability requirements on new, multi-unit apartment projects that are now exempt from rent control. Such requirements, he argued, could stop development that would "destroy the fabric" of the town's quaint "Surf City" vibe. Pro-housing advocates who have long clashed with Weinstein argue affluent cities have already tried to use the guise of affordability requirements to try to prevent new construction — and that this measure would make it easier for them to do so. Soon after California passed a law requiring cities to allow duplexes and lot splits in neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes, several coastal enclaves, including Dana Point and Camarillo, tried to impose stringent rules for such units, requiring below-market rents. Those cities largely backed down after the state threatened legal action. But some pro-housing leaders and Newsom allies say the rent-control ballot measure appears to be similarly motivated. A person close to the governor, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, said: "They're all patches in the same quilt, which is that there are people in this state who just don't want to see more housing. Source

JK Rowling has challenged Scotland's new hate crime law in a series of social media posts - inviting police to arrest her if they believe she has committed an offence. The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 creates a new crime of "stirring up hatred" relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex. Ms Rowling, who has long been a critic of some trans activism, posted on X on the day the new legislation came into force. Ms Rowling said: "I'm currently out of the country, but if what I've written here qualifies as an offence under the terms of the new act, I look forward to being arrested when I return to the birthplace of the Scottish Enlightenment." Police Scotland said it had not received any complaints over the posts. The maximum penalty under the new act in Scotland is a jail sentence of seven years. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c51j64lk2l8o.amp LOCK HER UP!!

March 17 at 11:48 a.m. -- 25 year old Oliva Brand punched in the head while walking her dog at Kenmare Street and Mulberry Street in Nolita by a man who apologized. -- https://www.tiktok.com/@olivia.brand/video/7347344644507700522? March 19 at 8 p.m. – 30 year old Sarah Suzuki Harvard punched on Delancey Street at Essex Street on the Lower East Side. She did not report the incident. March 23 at 1:30 p.m. -- 25-year-old woman slapped in the forehead by an individual at West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Midtown. victims tiktok account is now private -- https://www.tiktok.com/@malous228 Monday -- 36-year-old woman punched in the back by man who ran up behind her at Rivington and Chrystie streets on the Lower East Side. She refused medical attention. Monday at 10:20 a.m. -- 23 year old Halley Kate (real name Halley McGookin) reported being either punched or elbowed on West 16th Street and Seventh Avenue in Chelsea. 40 year old Skiboky Stora of 518 West 17th Street is charged with assault. -- https://www.tiktok.com/@halleykate/video/7350308300317314350 Monday at around 2 p.m. – 27 year old Mikayla Toninato was punched in the face at West 14th Street and Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village. She reported the incident two days later. -- https://www.tiktok.com/@mikaylatoninato/video/7350742923530538282 Tuesday at 12:43 p.m. – 24 year old woman punched in the head in front of 717 Avenue of the Americas in Chelsea. She refused medical attention https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/28/skiboky-stora-accused-of-attacking-nyc-tiktoker-goes-on-unhinged-rant-in-court/ Skiboky Stora, accused of attacking NYC TikToker, goes on unhinged rant in court Skiboky Stora, the political gadfly arrested for assaulting a TikTok influencer, appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court Thursday and repeatedly interrupted prosecutors to go on wild rants about being wronged. Stora, 40, who has frequently run for office, including mayor and governor, as a fringe candidate, is accused of punching TikTok influencer Halley Kate McGookin as she walked near W. 16th St. and Seventh Ave. in Chelsea at 10:20 a.m. Monday. "My rights are being violated. Can I ask a question?” Stora said the moment he faced Judge Pamela Goldsmith. "I just want to speak. I have a right to ask the judge a question. Do I have that right?” "Now they bring me here and say they have video footage of me punching somebody that I never met and have never seen,” he added. "That's denying me due process, and the same officer is a white supremacist member who has arrested me.” Assistant District Attorney Liliana Shelanski shared statements Stora allegedly made to cops after being arrested. "She's a ghost, who is my accuser? You are the one who did it, I am looking at your hand,” Shelanski told police, according to prosecutors. Stora was arrested for the assault on McGookin Wednesday by the warrant squad while he was appearing in court on prior open cases. Stora allegedly struck a man in the neck and shoulder on the corner of W. 17th St. and Eighth Ave. on Sept. 20. Then on Oct. 26 he assaulted a woman on W. 17th St., hitting her on the shoulder with his elbow, authorities charge. On Nov. 18 at E. 15th St. and Fifth Ave., Stora was tearing down posters of kidnapped Israeli hostages when a woman photographed him. "The individual began shouting at her and chasing her down the street,” the criminal complaint states. "The individual followed her approximately 1.5 blocks.” The woman entered an apartment building to escape Stora but he allegedly followed her in, shouting "Die, Jew, die.” On Wednesday night, the NYPD called attention to Stora's record, branding him a "criminal recidivist.” "Your NYPD detectives were able to identify the man after he was previously arrested for similar attacks, only to be released back on our streets,” the NYPD posted on X. Shelanski requested bail "because the defendant cannot refrain from attacking strangers while he is released in public.” "Mr. Stora has never failed to make a court appearance,” countered defense lawyer Jeffrey Linehan. "Not only has he grown up here, his entire family resides in the city. Mr. Stora is a political figure, he ran for several offices just last year. "He has been targeted over the course of the last year by the arresting officer detective in a series of incidents that he describes to me as racially motivated,” added Linehan. Shelanski responded that since Stora has been arrested multiple times within the same neighborhood, the same detective has been assigned to two of his cases. Stora was ordered held on $10,000 bail. Police recovered surveillance footage of the attack on McGookin, according to prosecutors and a criminal complaint, and Stora identified himself in a still image, telling cops "Yeah, that's me walking my dog.” McGookin posted a TikTok video right after the assault, filming herself walking down a street in distress with a lump on the left side of her forehead. "I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face,” said the influencer, seemingly in shock. "Oh my God, it hurts so bad.” In what she said would be her last video about the assault, Mcgookin posted a TikTok on Wednesday showing a photo of Stora. "The man who assaulted me has been arrested,” said the influencer. "This is him.” The attack on the influencer is one of many random assaults female TikTok users in New York say they've experienced in the past few weeks. "Please make sure if this happens to you, report it to the police and try to remember as much detail as you possibly can,” said Mcgookin. On Tuesday, another woman posted a video to TikTok after being assaulted, showing a bruise under her left eye. The woman, Mikayla Toninato, posted a video Thursday afternoon saying her assailant had been arrested. "I just got a call from my detective who has been working this case, he was going to different buildings in the area to get more surveillance footage and then literally saw the man walking around the street and just arrested him,” said Toninato. Although Stora was in custody when Toninato's attacker was arrested, police are looking at several other unsolved assaults to see if Stora is responsible for those.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/retail/2024/03/25/dollar-tree-7-dollars-price-increase/73099172007/

What the hell is hapenning in Germany?