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Category: National

  • Upskirting victims push to fill loophole in Alabama law

    Six months after a stranger snapped a photo up Tatum Hollon’s dress in Walmart, she walked out of her local courthouse feeling robbed of justice. The judge dismissed the charge against the man who too

    MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Six months after a stranger snapped a photo up Tatum Hollon’s dress in Walmart, she walked out of her local courthouse feeling robbed of justice. The judge dismissed the charge against the man who took the photo because no law existed to prosecute his actions.

    “It felt like I was violated all over again,” Hollon, 36, a stay-at-home mom from Prattville, told The Associated Press. “We came forward and they said, we’d love to help but there’s nothing we can do. And it breaks you.”

    Her case caught the attention of Sen. Clyde Chambliss, a Republican and father of three daughters from Prattville, who introduced a bill to criminalize what has come to be called upskirting. All U.S. states prohibit photography of individuals in a private place like a dressing room where they can expect privacy. More than half also ban upskirting and photos of intimate body parts in a public place. Last week, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens was indicted for allegedly taking a photo of a nude or partially nude woman in 2015 and transmitting it in a way that could be accessed by a computer.

    Chambliss’ bill would make taking a picture or video of a person’s intimate body parts without consent and with a reasonable expectation of privacy a misdemeanor. If the images are distributed with sexual intent, it would be a felony punishable by up to two years in prison. The bill passed the Senate and moves to the House for a final vote.

    Hollon was in Prattville’s Walmart in April 2017 when a man crouched behind her and took a picture up her dress. The next day, Hollon reported to the police because she wanted to protect her 15-year-old daughter in the future, she said as her eyes welled with tears.

    Michelle Lunsford, 46, a sales associate from Millbrook, had a similar experience with the same man in Prattville’s Lowes a month earlier. After she saw Hollon post a video of the man on Facebook, the women pressed charges together. Prattville prosecutors tried to use Alabama’s aggravated criminal surveillance law that prohibits photography in private places to convict the perpetrator, but stores didn’t qualify as private.

    Barry Matson, the Executive Director of Alabama’s Office of Prosecution Services, has encountered cases of inappropriate photos taken from cameras hidden in shoes or installed inside tanning salons. He said there’s a loophole in current legislation: although child pornography laws protect minor victims, the same safeguards don’t exist for adults in Alabama.

    The bill initially received pushback for charging everyone – regardless of their age – with a felony. The legislation was amended to only charge individuals over 16 with a felony. Tim Thrasher, the regional director for Alabama’s Youth Advocate Programs, said he was concerned about harsh penalties for teenagers and suggested education as a deterrent.

    The bill also exempts Department of Corrections officers who conduct strip searches or investigations in jails, sparking some concern.

    “If they’re acting within the furtherance of their duties, that’s a good exception,” said Brad Ekdahl, Prattville city prosecutor. “If they’re using and making videos for sexual gratification, that’s a different issue.” Situations would be prosecuted case-by-case, he said.

    Hollon and Lunsford don’t know what happened to the photos their perpetrator took. Nearly a year later, the women are wary in public. Hollon carries pepper spray and a taser in her purse and plans to get a pistol permit. Lunsford said she tells her 9-year-old daughter to wear shorts under her dress when they go shopping.

    “If this bill does get passed, they’re not going to get away with it. That’s my justice,” Lunsford said. “It’s nice knowing our daughters are protected.”

  • Colorado House expels Democratic state legislator over sexual-harassment claims

    The Colorado House voted Friday to expel a Democratic state legislator faced with complaints of sexual harassment filed by five women, including a Democratic colleague.

    The Colorado House voted Friday to expel a Democratic state legislator faced with complaints of sexual harassment filed by five women, including a Democratic colleague.

    Elected in 2012, state Rep. Steve Lebsock was ousted in a 52-9 vote after an emotional six-hour floor debate, then made the stunning announcement that he had changed his party registration from Democrat to Republican immediately before the vote.

     

    I changed party affiliation at 3:02pm. As I walked down to speak for the last time, approx. 4pm, I handed the minority leader a document with affiliation change. Nothing was planned. He did not know about party change before. #copolitics

    — Steve Lebsock (@RepLebsock) March 3, 2018

     

    The switch was apparently made so that the vacancy would be filled by a Republican rather than a Democrat — Democrats had led the charge to remove him from office — although Colorado Democratic Party officials were confident they would ultimately regain the Thornton seat.

    “As far as Lebsock goes, the Republicans can have him. As far as the seat, we’re looking into it. Either way, we’re confident the district will be represented by a Democrat by the time the next session begins,” said the party in a statement.

    Mr. Lebsock became the first Colorado legislator to be expelled in more than 100 years and the second state lawmaker expelled this year over sexual-misconduct allegations in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

    Last month, the Arizona House voted 56-3 to expel Republican state Rep. Don Shooter after an investigation found he had made “unwelcome sexualized comments” to a number of women.

    At least 14 legislators in 10 states have stepped down in the last year after being accused of sexual harassment, according to the Associated Press.

    A week ago, California state Sen. Tony Mendoza, a Democrat, resigned rather than face an expulsion vote over “a pattern of unwelcome flirtation and sexually suggestive behavior towards several female staff members” and other women, according to the investigation.

    In Colorado, Democratic state Rep. Faith Winter filed a complaint in November against Mr. Lebsock, saying he touched her inappropriately and pursued her aggressively for sex as lawmakers gathered at a bar to celebrate the end of the legislative session in May 2016.

    “I said no, five times. Five times. Not once, not twice, five times,” said Ms. Winter in her floor statement on Colorado Politics. “I used all the tools women have to say no. I laughed it off, I told him to go home to his girlfriend, I said no directly. Nothing worked. Each time I said no he became angrier, he stood closer, he stood over me. I felt unsafe.”

    Two Democratic state legislators said they were so worried about retaliation from Mr. Lebsock that they began wearing bulletproof vests to work several weeks ago.

    Mr. Lebsock fought the sexual-misconduct accusations, releasing the results of a polygraph that he passed and describing some of the allegations as exaggerated or false. He has also argued that his case has not received due process.

    “Our investigations in this body should be held at the very highest standard,” said Mr. Lebsock before the vote. “This investigation has been anything but a highest standard. In fact it’s been the lowest of standards.”

    The state constitution holds that, “The person appointed to bill the vacancy shall be a member of the same political party, if any, as the person whose termination of membership in the general assembly created the vacancy.”

    Democrats held a 37-28 majority in the state House, meaning that having Mr. Lebsock’s seat flip to Republican would not affect the balance of power.

    This story was based in part on wire-service reports.

  • Politicizing Parkland: DNC enlists student survivor for election-year voter drive

    Not only have major left-wing activist groups partnered with Parkland students to push for gun control, but the Democratic National Committee has enlisted at least one shooting survivor to campaign on

    Not only have major left-wing activist groups partnered with Parkland students to push for gun control, but the Democratic National Committee has enlisted at least one shooting survivor to campaign on its behalf.

    The DNC issued a get-out-the-vote email Friday signed by Sara Imam, who wrote a first-person plea urging people to join the Democratic Party’s #IWillVote campaign in order to commit to “ending gun violence.”

    “I turned 18 the day after the shooting, and I immediately registered to vote. But many of my fellow survivors can’t vote yet, and we are counting on you to stand up for young people at the ballot box,” said Ms. Imam.

    The plea links to a DNC sign-up for campaign emails and texts with the message, “When more people vote, Democrats win. It’s that simple.”

    In 2017, we saw what a difference we can make when we turn out to vote: 39 🔴 to 🔵 flips, Democratic governors in VA and NJ, and a Democratic senator in AL.In 2018, it’s time to double down. Commit to vote, then RT this video so your friends do, too: https://t.co/ZKn8fJEh9zpic.twitter.com/jSVog1TGHH

    — The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) March 2, 2018

    A slew of progressive advocacy groups, including Planned Parenthood, Everytown for Gun Safety and the American Federation of Teachers, are helping organize the “student-led” March for Our Lives movement, “which is quickly evolving from a student-run social media effort to end gun violence into one backed by some of the most influential activists in the country,” BuzzFeed reported.

    Also involved is Rep. Debra Wasserman Schultz, Florida Democrat, who represents the Broward County area and previously chaired the DNC.

    Our kids will lead the way. The energy behind this march will be powerful. Our community will join with communities across America and mark my words, we will be relentless until we stop guns from killing more of our children. Join us. https://t.co/WltLy4vfkN

    — Debbie Wasserman Schultz (@DWStweets) February 18, 2018

    Women’s March LA co-executive director Deena Katz submitted the application for the March 24 protest in Washington, D.C., one of dozens of March for Our Lives events scheduled nationwide and abroad, as the Washington Times reported Feb. 21.

    Conservatives have criticized Democrats and gun-control advocates for politicizing the tragedy, while progressives have blasted the right for calling for “thoughts and prayers” without taking action in the form of legislation to restrict firearms access.

    News outlets have also been rebuked for characterizing the movement as organized by a small band of students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, without mentioning involvement of activist groups.

    “Why did it take two weeks to discover Parkland students’ astroturfing?” asked the Federalist in a Thursday post.

    “For two weeks, journalists treated power as if it were magical. It’s not. It’s mechanical,” said the Federalist’s David Hines. “The people organizing the response to Parkland, and a host of other causes, know that. So should you.”

    Ms. Imam emphasized the role of students in calling for gun-control legislation in the aftermath of the Feb. 14 shooting, which left 17 dead.

    “Students like me are protesting, marching, and speaking out for our right to live free from the fear of gun violence,” Ms. Imam said in the DNC email. “We are talking to our elected officials and debating the president himself to demand new gun laws that will keep us safe.”

  • Nathan Deal, Georgia governor, signs bill without Delta tax break after NRA rift

    Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed Friday a tax-reform bill that eliminated a lucrative tax break for Delta Airlines over dropping its partnership with the National Rifle Association, but the airline ins

    Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed Friday a tax-reform bill that eliminated a lucrative tax break for Delta Airlines over dropping its partnership with the National Rifle Association, but the airline insisted that there are no hard feelings.

    Delta CEO Ed Bastiancalled the Republican governor a “great friend” despite the signing of the $5 billion tax-cut legislation, which was shorn by the state Senate of a $50 million jet-fuel tax exemption last week in retaliation for Delta’s ending of its discount deal for NRA members.

    Delta announced Feb. 24 that it would eliminate the membership discount, prompting Republican Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle to vow that he would kill any airline tax break until the company reinstated its partnership with the NRA.

    I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.

    — Casey Cagle (@CaseyCagle) February 26, 2018

    In a Friday statement, Mr. Bastian that he considered the governor to be a “friend” and thanked him for his work on the issue.

    “I have tremendous respect and admiration for Governor Nathan Deal, and thank him for the work he has done on the jet fuel tax exemption,” Mr. Bastian said. “He is a great friend to Delta. I know this action by the state legislature troubled him as it does all of us.”

    Mr. Deal said at a Wednesday press conference he would keep working to resolve the rift.

    “Delta made a statement or an action that caused this dispute to erupt,” Mr. Deal said. “I’ve tried my best to resolve it within the time frame we have available to us. I am still hopeful that some of those feelings and positions can be rectified, but they could not be in the time frame we were operating under.”

    More than a dozen companies have dropped their NRA membership partnerships following the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead.

    Mr. Bastian said that the airline is reviewing its partnerships and would rescind deals with other political organizations.

    “While Delta’s intent was to remain neutral, some elected officials in Georgia tied our decision to a pending jet fuel tax exemption, threatening to eliminate it unless we reversed course,” Mr. Bastian said. “Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale. We are in the process of a review to end group discounts for any group of a politically divisive nature.”

    He added that Atlanta would remain the airline’s home, despite overtures from states such as New York and Virginia.

    “None of this changes the fact that our home is Atlanta and we are proud and honored to locate our headquarters here,” Mr. Bastian said. “And we are supporters of the Second Amendment, just as we embrace the entire Constitution of the United States.”