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Prison Rape: Department Of Justice Orders Increase In Anti-Rape Efforts

Walter Cronkite — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:51:49 GMT

The Obama administration ordered federal, state and local officials Thursday to adopt zero tolerance for prison rape as it issued mandatory screening, enforcement and prevention regulations designed to reduce the number of inmates who suffer sexual victimization at the hands of other prisoners and prison staff.

Anti-rape advocates and victims of prison rape, while saying the standards are not perfect, cheered the new regulations. The rules have been under development since Congress passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act in 2003 to fight rape and sexual victimization in the nation's prisons, jails and halfway houses. The regulations were announced only minutes after the Justice Department unveiled a new survey of former state and local prisoners that showed that almost one in every 10 reported at least one incident of sexual victimization by prison staff or other inmates.

Garrett Cunningham was raped in a Texas prison by a guard in 2000, and now works with Just Detention International, an anti-prison rape group. "If strong national standards had been in place when I was in prison, my abuse may have never happened. Now that the standards have been released, we can make sure it never happens again," said Cunningham, who testified to Congress about his ordeal.

The regulations are immediately binding on federal prisons. States that don't fall in line face a loss of 5 percent of their Justice Department prison money unless their governor certifies that the same amount of money is being used to bring the state into compliance. Prison accreditation organizations also will be barred from federal grants unless they include similar anti-prison rape standards in their accreditation process, which means local jails could lose their accreditation unless they comply.

"Sexual violence, against any victim, is an assault on human dignity and an affront to American values," President Barack Obama said.

Obama announced that the Prison Rape Elimination Act would apply to all federal confinement facilities, and all other agencies with confinement facilities were required to have protocol to fight prison rape within a year. That means the Homeland Security Department, which runs immigrant detainment facilities, will have to have similar rules in place by this time next year.

"The standards we establish today reflect the fact that sexual assault crimes committed within our correctional facilities can have devastating consequences for individual victims and for communities far beyond our jails and prisons," Attorney General Eric Holder said.

But immigration advocates immediately denounced the idea that Homeland Security would be allowed to come up with its own rules instead of following the ones announced by the Justice Department.

"It was clearly the intent of Congress that every person in confinement in the U.S. would be protected from being raped. Holder's decision leaves those in Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, many of whom are not accused of a crime, at the mercy of sexual predators," said Pat Nolan, president of the Justice Fellowship and former member of the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission.

The administration announcement came as the Bureau of Justice Statistics released its first-ever National Former Prisoners Survey, which found that 9.6 percent of former inmates said they were sexually victimized in jails, prisons and halfway houses. A somewhat similar survey of still-imprisoned convicts done by the same agency in 2008-09 found that only 4.4 percent of state and federal inmates said they were sexually victimized.

The difference may be because the former inmates in the current survey were asked about a longer time period than in the previous survey, said Allen J. Beck, an author of the survey. But it also could be that former inmates may be more willing to talk about the sexual victimization than the inmates currently housed inside those facilities, who have concerns about retaliation for speaking up.

Critics have said inmates may be willing to lie on these surveys in an attempt to embarrass a facility or refuse to report an incident for fear of retaliation.

The study defines sexual victimization as any type of unwanted sexual activity with other inmates, abusive sexual activity with other inmates and both willing and unwilling sexual activity with staff.

Among the findings:

_ Almost the same number of former inmates were victimized by facility staff as were victimized by other inmates. About 27,300 � 5.4 percent � reported incidents with other inmates, while 23,300 � 5.3 percent � reported incidents that involved staff. Of the former inmates who reported incidents with staff, 6,300 said they had unwilling sex or sexual contact with staff, while the rest said they "willingly" had sexual contact. And half of the former inmates who were victimized by facility staff members said they were offered favors or privileges in exchange, while a third said they were talked into it.

Any sexual contact between staff and inmate is officially classified as nonconsensual. Prisons uniformly forbid inmate-staff sexual contact.

The new regulations require prison officials to screen inmates for the potential of sexual victimization and use that information in assigning housing and work, require background checks on employees and prohibit hiring of abusers. The regulations also say firing will be the presumptive punishment for staff members involved and ban cross-gender pat downs of female inmates and juveniles.

_ A fourth of the former inmates victimized by other inmates said they had been physically held down or restrained, and a quarter also said they were physically injured or harmed during the attack.

The new rules would require juvenile inmates to be kept away from adult inmates, allow anonymous and outside-of-prison reports of sexual victimization and require evidence preservation after a reported incident. Facilities also must produce plans for adequate staffing and video monitoring.

_ Gay and bisexual men seemed by far the most frequently targeted. The survey said that 39 percent of men who were gay and 34 percent of bisexual men reported being sexually victimized by another inmate, while only 3.5 percent of heterosexual men reported incidents. Lesbian and heterosexual women reported incidents with other inmates at the same rates � 13 percent � while staff victimization was double for lesbian women � 8 percent � compared with heterosexual women � 4 percent.

The new regulations would require detention facilities to incorporate the "unique vulnerabilities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and gender nonconforming inmates into training and screening protocols."

Source: huffingtonpost.com

Boy From Brutal "Facebook Beef" Fight In Ohio Speaks Out

Walter Cronkite — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:08:39 GMT

The graphic video shows a boy getting slammed to sleep over what�s being called a �Facebook Beef� in Cleveland. Mustafa McWhorter, 17, of the west side, is that boy. He and his mother, Joanne, sat down only with Fox 8 to talk about what happened in Tremont Pointe Sunday afternoon.

He was taken to the hospital, where he suffered head injuries, lacerations, bruises, and a broken nose.

Source: Fox 8 Cleveland News

Jonathan Vilma sues Roger Goodell

Walter Cronkite — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:56:09 GMT

Suspended Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming the league's top executive made false statements that tarnished Vilma's reputation and hindered his ability to earn a living playing football.

The suit in U.S. District Court in New Orleans claims Goodell, "relied on, at best, hearsay, circumstantial evidence and lies" in making comments about Vilma while discussing the NFL's bounty investigation of the New Orleans Saints.

Goodell has said Vilma was a leader of the team's bounty program that put up thousands of dollars for hits which took out opposing teams' star players from 2009-11, including $10,000 each on then-Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and then-Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre during the playoffs in 2010.

"Commissioner Goodell opted to make very public and unfortunately erroneous allegations against Jonathan," said Vilma's attorney, Peter Ginsberg. "By making these false and public statements, he has significantly harmed Jonathan's reputation and ability to make a living.

"By suing commissioner Goodell in court, Jonathan opted to use a fair playing field where he has procedural rights and protections to remedy the harm commissioner Goodell has done to him."

Vilma wrote on his Twitter account that, "As I've said before..I NEVER PAID, NOR INTENDED TO PAY ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY, TO ANY PLAYER FOR INTENTIONALLY HURTING AN OPPONENT."

Goodell has suspended Vilma, an eight-year veteran and defensive captain, for the entire 2012 season. Vilma and three other current of former Saints who received shorter suspensions -- defensive end Will Smith, defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove and linebacker Scott Fujita -- all have appealed their punishments. Hargrove now plays for Green Bay while Fujita is with Cleveland.

"We have not yet reviewed the filing," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "However, our commitment to player safety and the integrity of the game is our main consideration. We recognize that not everyone will agree with decisions that need to be made."

The NFL also hired former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White in late 2011 to review its evidence in the case, and White has said the NFL's findings are corroborated by multiple independent witnesses as well as documentation.

Vilma's lawsuit, which is expected to be heard by Judge Ginger Berrigan, asks for unspecified monetary damages as well as punitive damage and attorneys fees.

The lawsuit states that Goodell, "knew and intended that Vilma would suffer severe emotional distress" when the NFL published its bounty report and handed down punishment for the 30-year-old linebacker.

"Vilma will soon have to leave behind the world of professional football and will likely face difficulties in obtaining other employment and entering into new ventures as a result of Goodell's false and defamatory statements," the lawsuit said. "Media will forever mention his name in the context of the bounty investigation and fans will forever remember Vilma with ill repute rather than remember his substantial accomplishments on and off the field."

The players' association has said that the league has refused to turn over what the union would view as hard evidence that Vilma or the other sanctioned players tried to intentionally injure targeted opponents, or sponsored such behavior.

"It is certainly the case that in court, Jonathan will have a right to see whatever it is that commissioner Goodell has been hiding from us and what commissioner Goodell contends gave him a basis to make these false allegations," Ginsberg said. "We will have a fair and neutral judge to preside over the dispute rather than contending with the executioner also being the person making the final decision."

Vilma's lawsuit states that the linebacker "never `pledged,' made or received payments of any kind encouraging or resulting from an opposing player being injured."

The NFL found that former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams oversaw a bounty program in New Orleans from 2009 to 2011 which paid off-the-books cash bonuses of $1,500 for "knockouts," or hits which forced a player out of games, and $1,000 for "cart-offs," which left players needing help off the field.

The Saints have been punished harshly as an organization. Head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for all of 2012 for failing to put a stop to the program and attempting to cover it up, while general manager Mickey Loomis has been suspended eight games and assistant head coach Joe Vitt six games. The club also was fined $500,000 and docked two second-round draft picks.

Williams, now with St. Louis, has been suspended indefinitely.

Payton, Loomis and Williams all have issued written public apologies regarding the bounty scandal.

Source: AP

Lil' Kim Explains Origins Of Beef With Nicki Minaj

Walter Cronkite — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:52:06 GMT

Lil' Kim says her problem with Nicki Minaj extends back to a business deal gone awry with Cash Money Records.

Lil� Kim and Nicki Minaj�s beef has been ongoing for some time, but its origins run deep. During an interview with Power 105�s The Breakfast Club, Kimmy Blanco explained the genesis of her problem with the Young Money rapstress, explaining that its roots are based in a partnership gone sour with Cash Money Records.

�It�s deeper than that. Me and Slim were friends for four years, and we decided we were going to do business together. I was over there at Cash Money, and I was getting ready to be partners with him. When I was over there, we were working a lot. I was in Miami and he would put me in the studio.�

Baby offered to put her on a cut with space for then-unknown Nicki Minaj, which Kim said would have been �good for music.� But after the record didn�t take off like they�d hoped, they pulled the song from Birdman�s LP and stopped calling her. After that, Kim says that Nicki started getting slick about her on her records.

�The problem with her is, she was very catty with it. I never had a problem with her. I was always nice with her. Always. She was a very obnoxious person, but I was very nice with her. From the time I saw her in that dressing room, the story she told, I don�t even know what the heck she was talking about. That�s not even how it happened. But from the moment that I met her, I was always cool with her. But after that, it almost seems like, when they realized, OK, we need Kim, we want to study her swag, that�s what it kind of felt like because I was around for a long time. They were like, OK, let�s study her swag and I think they wanted to get that record just to stamp that I was OK with what was going on.�

Kim eventually bumped into Nicki at Diddy�s son�s birthday party, and proceeded to brush her off.

�After that whole Cash Money situation with the song, we�re at Justin�s birthday party. Perfect time to come up and say, �Hey, we did the song together.� Nothing. And she looked at me and rolled her eyes, and I was like, really? Every single record she made was coming at me.�

Source: hiphopdx.com

50 Cent Hospitalized, Tweets About Condition

Walter Cronkite — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:50:38 GMT

50 Cent tweets from the hospital bed about an unknown ailment.

Last night, 50 Cent took to Twitter to reveal that he�s currently in the hospital, though he wouldn�t explain his ailment.

The G-Unit general tweeted pictures of himself in a hospital bed surrounded by stuffed animals, stating that �I�m in the hospital but my gangsta grillz LOST TAPE is done so it will be out on time.�

He also explained that �I don�t want to go into surgery� and wrote, �Do not do a @djdrama gangsta grillz this is all I get. Ain�t this a b*tch. I give 15 tracks you give me this.�

50 Cent is currently prepping the release of his The Lost Tape mixtape, due May 22nd.

Source: hiphopdx.com

T.I. Does Not Understand Why Some Are "So Against" Gay Marriage

Walter Cronkite — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:49:21 GMT

T.I. says he doesn't understand why some are "so against" same-sex marriage. He added that he doesn't "see what the big deal is."

After President Barack Obama spoke out in favor of same-sex marriage, Jay-Z added his support. Now, T.I. is saying he does not understand "why some people are so against it." During an interview with Hot 97, the head of Grand Hustle explained that he does not have a position against same sex marriage but he stopped short of saying he fully supports it.

"To be absolutely honest with you, I don't care," T.I. said, when asked about the legalization of same-sex marriage. "I don't see what the big deal is, why some people are so against it. Why would you be so against it if it doesn't affect you or your lifestyle? I'm not in that world and it doesn't affect me if they did or didn't [get married]. I don't care enough one way or another. If something doesn't affect you, you should not take a strong position against it."

T.I.P. also spoke on his past with Meek Mill, originally having him as part of the Grand Hustle team. He shared that he's happy for Mill's success.

"I salute his success," T.I. said of Meek Mill. "I'm extremely proud of him...I had my own issues, my own battles to fight, which kept me from completely focusing on what was best for his career. He had an opportunity and I couldn't match that opportunity at that time."

Source: hiphopdx.com

Donna Summer Dead At 63 Years Old

Walter Cronkite — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:46:49 GMT

The Queen of Disco Donna Summer lost her battle to cancer.

Donna Summer has passed away at the age of 63 years old.

According to TMZ, she was in Florida at the time of her death. The Queen of Disco had been suffering from cancer, and was trying to keep the gravity of her illness quiet. The site says that they spoke with someone close to the situation several weeks ago and that �she didn�t seem too bad� and was working on completing a new album.

The iconic performer rose to prominence in the �70s with hits including �Hot Stuff,� �Bad Girls� and �Last Dance. Her records were heavily sampled in Hip Hop. Tech N9ne and Beyonce sampled �Love to Love You Baby� for �Trapped in a Psycho�s Body� and �Naughty Girl,� respectively, while Nas and Royce Da 5�9 pulled from �Once Upon a Time� for their respective cuts �Street Glory� and �Something�s Wrong With Him.�

Source: hiphopdx.com

Slaughterhouse Finishes Recording "welcome to: Our House"

Walter Cronkite — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:45:14 GMT

Slaughterhouse also says that it's possible the album won't drop on its June 12th release date.

Slaughterhouse has been recording their Shady Records debut welcome to: Our House, releasing on June 12th. But according to the group, the recording for the album is complete and Eminem is still mixing a few records for the project.

During an interview with MTV News, Royce Da 5�9 said that all the vocals have been knocked out but that a possible album delay could occur. �The album is done. In terms of vocal recording, we're done. Marshall is still in the process of mixing, we still got a couple of records that we're missing," he said. "We're on pace for June, worst-case scenario, we're looking at July, but it's definitely coming, 100 percent.�

Joell Ortiz explained how the album has both upbeat and introspective records, deeming the album �personal.� �It's a really personal album, but there are records like 'My Life' which are celebratory," he said. �There are records were those core Slaughterhouse fans will get their 'Ohs and ahs' like 'OK, the pen is pushing. It's themed, but we take you on a ride through this album. Y'all gonna enjoy it."

Source: hiphopdx.com

Kendrick Lamar Lists His Top Five Favorite Rappers

Walter Cronkite — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:07:51 GMT

Kendrick Lamar names his top five rappers, dead or alive.

Kendrick Lamar recently chopped it up with Wild 94.9�s Nessa, running down his top five rappers dead or alive. During the interview, he named Tupac Shakur as his favorite rapper, also including The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Nas and Eminem on his list.

�My top five, dead or alive. Tupac, definitely. Tupac because the emotion that he put in and how much he related to the people, and how much he connected. That�s what music is about,� he said. �Music is supposed to move, whether you�re saying the most intricate stuff or the most simple, dumbed down. You gotta make some type of connection, and I feel like he did that the best.�

He flipped his attention to the East Coast, naming The Notorious B.I.G. as another of his choice emcees. �Biggie, because of his wit. Biggie�s wit was incredible. His wit and his character, his personality and his flow and most of all, his confidence. Anybody that can talk about themselves on a record and still have screaming women at the front of the stage, unless you know it goes a long way with your confidence in being an artist.

�Jay-Z, it�s an incredible thing where you can listen to his music and feel like you�re having a sit-down with him,� he continued. �Nas, the art of storytelling, I think Hip Hop is really based on that and getting your point across. Nas does that incredibly. Eminem, just being a wordsmith, an amazing wordsmith.�

Source: hiphopdx.com

TUPAC'S FAMILY He Was NO Homophobe ... He Loved Versace

Walter Cronkite — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:20:13 GMT

Tupac Shakur's family members believe Suge Knight is dead wrong -- the rapper couldn't have been a homophobe ... because he was GREAT friends with Gianni Versace.

Suge has been on a media blitz recently ... telling multiple radio stations 2pac ended his professional relationship with a famous hip hop star because Suge believed the rapper was a gay man.

But sources close to the Tupac estate tell TMZ ... the Shakur family feels very strongly that Suge's claims are "totally false" ... and point to his friendship with the famous designer Gianni Versace, who was an openly gay man.

In fact, Tupac reportedly participated in a Versace fashion show in Italy back in 1996 ... and even rocked a Versace suit on the catwalk.

Source: TMZ

Mac Miller Records Track With Cancer-Stricken Fan

Walter Cronkite — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:13:57 GMT

Mac Miller hits the studio to grant a wish for 18-year-old fan Bobby Stewart.

Mac Miller has collaborated on a track with a local Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania fan who suffers from T-cell lymphoma.

Mac, who met 18-year-old Bobby Stewart in December when he donated $50,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, joined him at ID Labs to cut a collaborative track.

"To be with Mac is a blessing. He�s lyrically amazing,� said Stewart. �Hip hop is my passion. So to be able to be with Mac Miller, who�s a Pittsburgh legend... Wiz Khalifa shoutout."

"Feeling like your music really does something for the world makes it all worth it, no matter what," added Mac. "From now on, no matter what happens for the rest of my life, no one can take that away from me."

Source: hiphopdx.com

Kanye West To Appear On "Keeping Up With The Kardashians"

Walter Cronkite — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:09:04 GMT

Kanye West will cameo alongside Kim Kardashian on the E! reality show.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian haven't exactly been keeping their relationship private, but viewers will soon get some closer insight into their personal lives. The celebutante has revealed to E! News that West will appear on the new season of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" but that she won't be chatting about their fling.

"I want to show my life," she said, noting that she won't talk about their relationship but will simply let the cameras roll. "If we are having dinner and he does show up, I'm sure we're not going to go, 'Stop the cameras!'

"I'm not going to be taking a bubble bath and drinking champagne or on a sex swing [on camera] like Khlo� [Kardashian Odom] and Lamar [Odom] do," she continued. "It's not going to be like that."

Source: hiphopdx.com

Jay-Z Says That Jay Electronica's Debut Is "Really Close"

Walter Cronkite — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:07:14 GMT

Jay-Z praises his Roc Nation signee Jay Electronica for his "scary" abilities as a lyricist.

While in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania yesterday to announce the Budweiser �Made in America� festival, Jay-Z sat down with MTV News to discuss the progress on his Roc Nation signee Jay Electronica�s debut album.

During the interview, Hov said that he fully supports Jay Elec and that the album is �really close.� �I love that, I want to support that sort of energy. I want people to be creative and not traditional, not just a single [at] this time, this time [and] this time," he said. "You know, he operates at his own time, but the album is really close.�

He praised the project for its unconventional sound, and explained how his abilities are almost �scary.�

�It's exactly what it should be � it's amazing. Him as a lyricist is almost scary. He's scary good," he continued. "I'm doing something to it that's really untraditional, so we'll see how it works."

Source: hiphopdx.com

Free Download: DMX - The Weigh In (FreEP)

Walter Cronkite — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:06:56 GMT

Fans have been waiting for DMX's next album for years. Tentatively titled Undisputed, a previous report put a June release date on the project, however X's Twitter profile still shows "coming soon."

While fans wait, the hip-hop legend delivers a brand new free project as an appetizer, an EP titled The Weigh In.

DMX steps back into the ring to weigh in before Undisputed hits later this year. The new EP boasts six songs, along with interludes from Tyrese, Lil Wayne, and DJ Envy. Guest features include Snoop Dogg, Tyrese and Big Stan, while Dr. Dre and Dame Grease offer production.

The Weigh In is out now. Download it now, over at DatPiff.com.

X's camp says Undisputed is expected this fall.

Below is the final tracklist:

1. "The Weight In Intro"
2. "Where I Wanna Be" - ft. Big Stan
3. "Sh** Don't Change" - ft. Snoop Dogg
4. "Last Hope Skit"
5. "Last Hope"
6. "Lil Wayne Interlude"
7. "Where My Dogs At"
8. "Tyrese Interlude"
9. "That's My Baby" - ft. Tyrese
10. "DJ Envy Interlude"
11. "Wright Or Wrong"

Source: ballerstatus.com

Bulls' Rose (ACL) out 8-12 months, doctor says

Walter Cronkite — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:04:05 GMT

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose will be out at least 8-12 months after undergoing surgery to repair his left ACL, said Dr. Brian Cole, who performed the surgery on Saturday.

The 23-year-old Rose tore the ACL on April 28 during the first game of the Bulls' Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Without Rose, the Bulls became only the fifth No. 1 seed to lose to an eighth seed as the Sixers won in five games.

"Derrick is doing great," Cole said Tuesday at a press conference at Rush University Medical Center. "The surgery went extremely well. Really no surprises. It was pretty routine.

"We're at this point very optimistic. ... We think of recovery as the long process that's in stages. But the short answer is the time frame we believe an athlete of this caliber generally requires is about 8-12 months. Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer."

That means Rose is likely to miss at least the first two months of next season, or he could miss the entire season.

Bulls general manager Gar Forman said Rose was ready for rehabilitation.

"In the time frame I've spent with him, and I was with him over the weekend, his spirits seemed really good," Forman said. "In his mind, he's determined to attack this rehab and get back to the level that he was at.

"There was a period when he was down. But I think his spirts are good under the circumstances and I think he's ready to aggressively attack this."

Source: AP