Rensselaer Co. NY Clerk files lawsuit against state over Green Light Law

The Rensselaer County Clerk filed a lawsuit against the governor, the state attorney general and the commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles on Wednesday.

Frank Merola filed the suit in United States District Court in Albany, citing the Green Light Law violates federal immigration law.

Those for the Green Light Law said it's meant to bring some 265,000 undocumented immigrants into the light, providing them with the opportunity to get a proper license and insurance.

Those against it fear it could lead to voter fraud.

“I think every American should be concerned about protecting the sanctity of the vote, either you believe in that or you don't we do,” Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin said.

Beginning in December, the law will allow undocumented immigrants with proof of identity from their home country to apply for licenses.

"This law says that you don't need a Social Security number to get a license,” McLaughlin said. “It is absolutely the exact opposite of what the 911 commission said to do."

Steck said filing a lawsuit isn't going to stop what's already happening.

"Well the fact is they're here they are driving, they are doing other things,” Steck said. “We need to give them incentives to have identification and to be safe drivers both in terms of the licensing and insurance."

But McLaughlin doubts that will actually happen.

“They've already shown willingness to break our laws,” McLaughlin said. “Why would we believe that they're suddenly, 265,000 of them by the way, are suddenly going to go and get insurance? That's a fallacy and it's not going to happen."

McLaughlin said he's also concerned because DMV officials can't see if someone registers to vote when applying for a license, and board of election officials don't get to see that information either.

Steck said the ID itself should clear that up.

"When the person is getting a license that says not for federal purposes that is is indicative of the fact that it doesn't permit you to register to vote,” Steck said.

McLaughlin doesn’t believe the denotation in the upper right hand corner will be enough to differentiate a citizen's license from one issued to an undocumented immigrant.

"That can be so easily overlooked that it's going to happen over and over and over again,” McLaughlin said.

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Violence in Portland Sparks Proposal to Ban Masked Protesting

Public officials in Portland, Oregon are considering legislation that would make it illegal for people to wear face-covering masks during public protests in an effort to address recent outbursts of violence during political demonstrations, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

Calls for an anti-mask law stem from an incident on June 29, when the right-wing Proud Boys group organized a march in the city. In response to the march, a number of people and groups opposing the Proud Boys’ self-described “Western Chauvinist” message organized counter-protests to take place at the same time and place.

During this event, conservative writer Andy Ngo was assaulted by members of the left-wing group Antifa (anti-fascist), many of whom wear masks during public demonstrations. Ngo said he was “set upon by a mob, some wearing fiberglass-hardened gloves as well as masks,” who “pummeled [him] in the face and back of the head.”

Following the June 29 protests, Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw began calling for a ban on masked protesting. “A lot of people are emboldened because they know they can’t be identified,” Outlaw said during a press conference, according to the Journal.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon responded to Outlaw’s anti-mask suggestion by claiming that such a law would limit citizen’s freedom of speech and organization protections.

ACLU spokesperson Sarah Armstrong told the Journal that the real issue is people’s behavior, not their masks.

Eileen Park, a spokesperson for Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, told the news outlet that city officials discussed outlawing masks at public so those engaging in criminal activity cannot avoid being identified. According to Park, Mayor Wheeler “wants to weigh his options thoroughly and hear concerns from community leaders before making a decision.”

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Kentucky Governor Bevin, state lawmakers propose legislation barring sanctuary cities

Gov. Matt Bevin called for the passage of legislation to ensure local law enforcement in Kentucky can effectively cooperate with federal agencies in combatting crime. He said some "sanctuary city" policies currently hinders that cooperation.

Bevin joined state lawmakers, members of the Lexington Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and Homeland Security officials in Lexington to call for the passage of that legislation.

The proposed legislation:

* Clarifies state law regarding “sanctuary” policies by providing a precise definition of what exactly a “sanctuary” policy is.
* Prohibits “sanctuary” policies in Kentucky and encourages federal-state-local law enforcement collaboration.
* Grants the Commonwealth the authority to enforce these provisions.
* Sen. Danny Carroll and Rep. John Blanton sponsor the legislation that prohibits local governments from enacting “sanctuary” policies that prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Irresponsible and legally questionable ‘sanctuary’ policies handcuff our law enforcement personnel and pose a significant risk to public safety,” Bevin said. “Communication and collaboration among federal, state and local police is essential. We must never allow petty politics to jeopardize the safety of our law enforcement personnel or the tools they need to serve and protect our communities.”

Sen. Carroll, a former Paducah assistant police chief, and Rep. Blanton, a former Kentucky State Police (KSP) major, noted the urgency to address “sanctuary city” policies.

“Cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement has never been more important than it is today,” said Sen. Carroll. “Permitting any unit of local government to mandate limited (or no) cooperation with federal immigration officials would hinder the effectiveness of local law enforcement and put our citizens at risk. This legislation is not intended as a statement on immigration policy, but rather a statement of support for law enforcement officers who have sworn to protect their communities.”

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Bill to Allow Angel Families to Sue Sanctuary Cities for the Death of Their Family Member

Several Republican lawmakers are joining forces to hold sanctuary jurisdictions accountable.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act on Tuesday, along with Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who are co-sponsors of the legislation.

This legislation would grant the surviving family members of those killed by illegal immigrants the ability to sue cities, counties, or states that protect undocumented residents with “sanctuary” policies.

The bill provides “a private right of civil action for the victims of sanctuary jurisdictions, allowing them to bring an action for compensatory damages against the sanctuary jurisdiction as a result of a violent crime committed by an illegal immigrant.”

“It’s disturbing to see sheriffs across North Carolina establish sanctuary jurisdictions, releasing dangerous individuals back into communities while refusing to notify federal immigration officials,” Tillis said in a statement. He added:

“If politicians want to prioritize reckless sanctuary policies over public safety, they should also be willing to provide just compensation for the victims. The Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act is common sense legislation that will enhance public safety and hold sanctuary jurisdictions accountable for their refusal to cooperate with federal law enforcement.”

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Police Data Shows Violent Crime Getting Deadlier in St. Louis

Violent crime in St. Louis has become deadlier in the past decade or so and the use of guns is on the rise, according to an analysis of police data.

From 2015 to 2016, 94% of homicides in St. Louis involved a gun, as opposed to 78% in 2004, according to a recent study released by researchers with the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Guns also were involved in over 60% of assaults and robberies from 2015 to 2016, compared with 43% in 2004.

"Whatever is driving the use of guns is likely to have more lethal consequences," Janet Lauritsen, criminology professor, said of the study she co-authored with criminology doctoral candidate Theodore Lentz.

The researchers examined years of St. Louis Police Department data that also indicated the number of homicides per robbery or assault has spiked in the past eight years, from 23 homicides per 1,000 incidents to 36, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The scholars cited the increased use of guns in St. Louis as a likely influence. Shooters are firing more bullets, including those of a higher caliber, which have now made the shootings more lethal, Lauritsen said.

She added that the spike in homicides could also be attributed to shooters being more determined to kill.

The city has struggled with violent crime for years. FBI statistics released in September revealed St. Louis had a murder rate of 66.1 per 100,000 people in 2017, the worst rate in the United States.

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South Bend FOP accuses Buttigieg of playing politics with police shooting

The president of South Bend's FOP is making national headlines as he accuses Mayor Pete Buttigieg of playing politics with a police shooting.

The group is upset about the mayor's recent comments about police and racial problems.

FOP President Harvey Mills is also attacking GoFundMe for taking down a page supporting the officer, and his outrage has now helped push a new fund past the $70,000 mark.

We sat down with Mills on Wednesday to hear his side of the story.

He accuses the mayor of politicizing the shooting of Eric Logan and wants him to stop talking about it, saying Buttigieg threw their department into the middle of the presidential campaign for his own benefit.

The FOP has been very vocal over the past of couple of days -- and all of this is happening as the investigation into the police shooting fell into the hands of special prosecutor on Wednesday.

Mills says the Mayor is using the shooting for political gain while throwing the police department under the bus.

"We need him in our community or we need a mayor in our community to step up and help our police department rather than try and muzzle them,” said Mills.

The FOP mostly took issue with this statement Mayor Buttigieg made at the Democratic Primary debate:

"Until we move policing out from the shadow of systemic racism, whatever this incident teaches us, we will be left with the bigger problem of the fact there's a wall of mistrust put up, one racist act at a time.”
Mills says “he has basically called all police officers racist and that is blatantly untrue.”

On Monday, the FOP sent a letter to Buttigieg asking him to recuse himself from all decisions related to the investigation.

The organization said the Mayor's comments quote vilify police; Buttigieg responded, saying it's not anti-police to be pro-racial justice.

"You could argue that no one has a greater role to play when it comes to community trust in policing than the police themselves,” said Buttigieg.

The FOP has been making other headlines recently after starting a defense fund for Sgt. O'Neill on the popular fundraising site GoFundMe.

Their fundraiser was removed after the website says it violated its terms and conditions that don't allow campaigns for legal defense funds for crimes associated with hate, violence or race.

They've since started a new fund on a different website that has raised close to $70,000.

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