Author: Jonathan Goins

School Shootings in our Backyard – Santa Fe, Texas

According to Ahmed and Walker (2018), there have been 23 school shootings resulting in casualties and injuries as of May 25, 2018.  The United States is currently averaging one school shooting per week.  It would have been difficult to fathom random school shootings as a regular occurrence ten years ago.  Over the years schools have prepared students for natural disasters with fire and tornado drills.  Now, parents and educators are faced with preparing students for active-shooter drills and advocating arming teachers with guns in some states.

On Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe approximately 30 miles southeast of Houston, Texas a tortured student executed a plan to be an active-shooter at Santa Fe High School killing eight students, two teachers and injuring others. When a shooting of this magnitude takes place this close to home, almost in your backyard, it makes one wonder are we doing enough to keep our children safe. With mass shootings in schools becoming a national epidemic are we doing enough as guardians to identify individuals with mental issues, emotional issues or showing signs of becoming a possible active-shooter? Are we preparing our children mentally and physically for this type of tragedy?

According to an official press release on May 30, 2018, Governor Abbott proposed a School and Firearm Safety Action Plan containing 40 recommendations to help keep our children safe in Texas schools. The proposal focuses primarily on increasing safety awareness and opening the door to collaborative discussions to formulate solutions.

Below are the highlights of his proposal (to review the proposal in its entirety click the link Gov. Abbott School and Firearm Safety Action Plan):

• Increase Law Enforcement presence at schools
• Improve Campus Security Programs
  • Increase staffing per school
  • Firearm training programs and refresher courses
  • Increase awareness and safety meetings
  • Increase collaboration between school districts, law enforcement, and parents
• Increase Awareness and Training
  • Active shooter and Emergency Response Training
  • Firearm safety and storage Training
  • Mental Health First Aid Training
• Proactive Measures
  • Improve school infrastructure to prevent security threats
  • Launch Awareness Campaigns
  • Crime Stoppers
  • Firearm safe storage practices
  • Utilize digital technology resources to prevent attacks
  • Removal of students threatening teachers – Zero Tolerance policy
  • Mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns within ten days

Kudos to Governor Abbott for proposing an action plan for both improvement and preventative measures considered. Just keep in mind as with anything policy related, it may take time to work out the details and execution of Governor Abbott’s School and Firearm Safety Action Plan.  In the meantime, parents have an opportunity to increase awareness in their households by proactively talking with children about recent school shootings and getting a pulse for their understanding of the circumstances that potentially trigger such occurrences.  Now is also a good time to access the mental wellness of your kids. Are they kind, compassionate, helpful to others? Or are they depressed, bullied, or not adjusting socially?  Helping your children cope with tragedy and learning how to identify and avoid potential gun violence at school is paramount to their survival.

Here are some things to consider to prepare your entire family:

• Family and individual counseling
• Gun safety and storage training
• First Aid/CPR training
• Self-Defense class
• An open-door policy at home and school for children to report issues, concerns and potential threats
• Know your children’s friends and engage in their relationships

If you or a family member has experienced gun violence and required assistance, Goins Law is here to answer your questions.

Reference:

Ahmed, S., & Walker, C. (2018, May 25). There has been, on average, one school shooting every week this year. Retrieved May 28, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/02/us/school-shootings-2018-list-trnd/index.html

Governor Abbott Unveils Plan To Address School Safety In Texas|. (2018, May 30). Retrieved May 30, 2018, from https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-unveils-plan-to-address-school-safety-in-texas

Rapper Meek Mill Advocates Criminal Justice Reform in Philly

A rapper, a police officer and a judge walked into a courtroom…

The police officer and the judge went home.  The rapper won a sponsored vacation to state jail, an infamous hashtag #FreeMeek, and surreptitiously became an activist for criminal justice reform.

Often the narrative delivered via mass media skews details and withholds facts to sensationalize a story to intentionally provide a false narrative to increase subscribers and viewership.  Such is the case in the saga of Pennsylvania rapper, Meek Mill.

Social media and other media outlets mostly reported the parts of his calamity aligning with the stereotypical antics of a public figure, who happens to be a rapper.  The flash, the drugs, the altercations and the incarceration.  What we did not hear about in great detail are facts like…

• Meek Mill is a business owner who provides jobs to several employees.
• Meek Mill is a father to a son.
• Meek Mill admits to being a recovered opioid addict, who has completed a court ordered treatment program.
• Meek Mill is a regular human being, named Robert Williams.
• Meek Mill was the victim of a judicial system operating on archaic principles designed to divvy stiffer penalties to men of color.

Currently, out on bail and facing a potential retrial having the potential to send him to prison for 2-4 years for probation violation, Meek Mill’s legal woes began at the age of approximately 19 years old.  He was arrested on drug and gun charges, in which he accepted a plea bargain for 10 years + probation verses serving jail time. Over this 10 year period, he has been subjected to random drug tests, denied the ability to travel for work and harassed by police officers and a judicial system determined to make an example of him. 

Meek Mill’s probation journey included 5 probation violations, in which Mill contends police officers targeted him with a heightened sense of enthusiasm because of his entertainment status. The incident providing the catalyst to his subsequent re-arrest for probation violation was born of a lapse in judgment leading to what should have been classified at best a verbal warning to desist and at worse a traffic violation. Meek Mill was charged with reckless driving involving a motor vehicle (ATV). The rap star contends he “popped a wheelie” on an ATV, in Manhattan, NY. The police arrested Mill and charged him with a felony instead of opting to give a citation for a traffic violation. This incident and four other minor infractions (probation violations), such as testing positive for marijuana use led to the judge’s decision to rescind Mill’s probation. 

Why is this a problem? Well, in the state of Pennsylvania like many others in the United States, men of color are disproportionately given costly and lengthy probationary terms and/or stringent prison sentences. According to Persinger (2016), “A new study has found African-Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at a rate 5.1 times the imprisonment of whites.”  And “Pennsylvania — with a rate of 1 in 20 — ranked No. 8 among all states for the rate of adult Black male incarceration.” Meek Mill has the misfortune of being a resident of a state that is known for the mass incarceration of African-Americans and the terms and length of his probation are not conducive to rehabilitation, nor are they designed for successful completion.

Today, more than ever we need people to advocate for criminal justice reform.  Meek Mill has pledged to use his platform and voice to help others plagued with legal woes similar to his own.

We are here to help you and your loved ones with navigating through the judicial process. If you’re loved one has been charged for the first time with a felony and needs representation from an attorney dedicated to fighting for fair dispositions and justice, hire Goins Law.

Reference:

Persinger, R. (2016, June 21). Black jail rate in state at high. Retrieved May 14, 2018, from http://www.phillytrib.com/news/black-jail-rate-in-state-at-high/article_811abf15-9dac-5510-a1bc-140d23acece6.html

Spend your tax refund wisely, get record expunged

Instead of using your tax money to buy “red bottoms” or paint your “slab,” invest in having your arrest record expunged. One simple arrest on your record can stop you from getting your dream job. More and more, it is becoming impossible to obtain employment or even engage in volunteer activities without someone running a background check on you. If your background check reveals that you have a criminal record, you may be out of the running for the job or other opportunity. In this age of information technology, anyone can go online, pay a small fee and review your background.

Goins Law has helped hundreds of clients expunge/clear their criminal records in a timely and comprehensive manner, and we can answer your expungement questions. We will aggressively follow through with all the state and federal agencies that have files containing your criminal record. We will make sure that these agencies have complied with the court order and expunge your record. It is very important for your attorney to be aggressive in following through with an expungement because unless the various agencies physically destroy their records, the expungement order itself means little.

Call Goins Law today to learn how we can help you determine whether you still have a criminal record and if you are eligible for expungement. Should you retain Goins Law to help you expunge your record, we will explain the process and remain available to talk with you at every stage of the process until your record is completely expunged. To contact us, call toll free at (713) 338-2262 or send a secure and confidential e-mail to: [email protected].

Is it Because They Are Black?

Make no mistake — it is 2016 and there is a culture under siege, the African American culture. There is civil unrest in the land of plenty, liberty and justice. However, African Americans are not receiving much in the way of plenty, besides death and disillusionment. Liberty and justice are concepts that exist only for the white privileged, wealthy and O.J. Simpson.

Who would’ve imagined in 2016, we would wake up almost every day to reports of questionable shootings at the hands of police officers?
At this point, it’s starting to sound like a broken record:
Verse one: White officers fatally wound African American man, woman or child.
Chorus: Hide ya kids, hide ya wife.
Verse Two: Officers placed on suspension with pay pending investigation.
Chorus: Hide ya kids, hide ya wife.
Verse Three: No charges filed, no grand jury indictments, shooting ruled justifiable homicide.
Chorus: Hide ya kids, hide ya wife.

This year, there have been approximately 200 plus black men fatally shot by police officers in the United States. As this blog is being formulated, it has been reported that yet another black man was fatally shot in Charlotte, North Carolina.

With a landscape such as this, you can imagine political dissent, protesting and outrage are common place in the black community. There are movements afoot, designed to encourage unity, drive awareness, and take action against a system that consciously screams “Black Lives Mean Nothing.” The victims and families of the victims are left with constant reminders that the lives of their loved ones mean nothing as they watch repeats of body camera recordings from the beginning to end, play over and over, on television, social media and every mobile phone.

To add insult to injury, the black community has to listen and read a barrage of outrageous sarcastic comments, memes and statements that basically support the indiscriminate killing of black people. Some of those ridiculous statements are as follows:
“They should’ve complied with the police,” “they shouldn’t have talked back,” “they shouldn’t have been there,” “they had a criminal background” or the greatest insult of all is seeing insensitive and clueless individuals distribute #alllivesmatter hashtags without recognizing that for all lives to matter, Black Lives Have To Matter.

We live in a country where a black person can be murdered on camera, the world can view it, see the injustice, see cold blooded murder, but the judicial system sees justifiable homicide. At the same time, the community has to deal with the chastising/victimization of the victim, their family and their community.

We see a black community dying in a sea of red as a result of the blue community!

They say blue lives matter, but does it have to be at the cost of black lives?
This brings me to the point of today’s blog (oh yea, there is a point, and this is not a random spew about how poorly blacks are treated daily by the police, because you already knew that).

This is about when the tables are turned and the results are still the same. It seems that no matter what side of the gun a black man is on, he is doomed to lose credibility, life and/or his freedom.

In November 2015, Derrick Stafford and Norris Greenhouse, Jr., (both black officers) were involved in the shooting of Christopher Few and Jeremy Mardis. Jeremy Mardis, the six year old son of Christopher Few, unbeknownst to the officers was in the front seat of the vehicle, when his father attempted to run over/back over both officers while trying to elude arrest. As a result, officers opened fire and both parties in the vehicle were struck. Tragically, young Jeremy Mardis was fatally wounded.

It took less than 3 days for the officers to be arrested and a month for the grand jury to indict both officers for second degree murder and attempted second degree murder. Bail was set at 1 million dollars for both Derrick Stafford and Norris Greenhouse, Jr. This was the highest bail setting in the history of Avoyelles Parish. Also, both were suspended without pay.

The Black Community wants to know: Why is it that when black officers are involved in a shooting, there is always suspension without pay and an indictment, especially when the victim is white?

Where is the negativity and public bashing of Christopher Few? Has no one considered his accountability in this situation?

When do Black people get the attention that victims deserve?

When do Black lives have enough value that White officers may be suspended without pay and indicted for fatally shooting unarmed and non-aggressive men, women and children?

Do you see a pattern here?

Is it because they’re Black?

If you have a loved one that has been a victim of a senseless killing or extreme racial discrimination, you better #GetGoins. We understand that #BlackLivesMatter.

Being a Black Man Does Not Automatically Equate Dangerous Threat

We live in a world where people expect the logical, but act in an illogical manner. We govern ourselves based on laws that are contingent upon facts and proof, yet many believe gossip, myths and over-generalizations to be truths. Theoretically, the law is designed to focus on facts and evidence, not feelings or perceptions. Yet, feelings and perceptions get people of color killed every day…this is the case with Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.

As a person of color, it is extremely difficult to watch an entire community devastated and dazed by actions driven by fear and misconception. Did Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and countless others die because police and society have a negative perception of people of color? Did Alton Sterling and Philando Castile perish due to failed and inaccurate belief systems? The answer to both is an unrelenting, YES!

What or whom is responsible for the negative perception of the black community and communities of color?

We live in a country that perpetuates a daily ravenous campaign against people of color. A media marketing campaign that can be seen every day at 5pm, again at 10pm and then recycled at daybreak. A media marketing campaign that has no regard for the repercussions of the rhetoric or narrative it creates, its only concern is to drive ratings and viewership.

This marketing campaign dictates and breeds fear, hostility, inferiority and violence. The media has developed a marketing strategy that creates belief systems causing people to be on high alert in any situation involving a black male. Belief systems that assume ALL black males are aggressive and dangerous. If a black man is always perceived as a dangerous threat, then is it always justifiable to use deadly force?

Is there now a new understood way of killing black men without impunity? Is the necessity of deadly force the new “Strange Fruit”?

The challenge is to change the narrative that society accepts.  It is no longer acceptable to allow the media to catalyze the negative perception of men of color. It is time that we demand a change in the way the black community is perceived, reported and marginalized. It is time the black community design their own marketing campaigns to counter the negative rhetoric and increase awareness, positivity and invoke a change in belief systems.

It’s time we #GetGoins for change. Goins Law is an advocate for positive change.

Supreme Court Ruling: Reckless Behavior Leads to Revocation of Gun Ownership Rights

In the state of Texas, guns are third only to God and Country. The second amendment and the right to bear arms is introduced to many youngsters as soon as they can lift their first rifle for hunting season. Guns are associated with freedom, protection and safety and many homeowners view their right to bear arms as their ability to defend and protect themselves and their families from outside dangers. However, what happens when the danger is found in the home? What happens when domestic violence is also a part of the home environment? How does the introduction or presence of a gun impact domestic violence situations? In 2015, in Harris County, Texas, 67% of all domestic violence murders occurred as a result of a gun being present in the home. This statistic is staggering, but what is even more disturbing is that the numbers are increasing nationally, year over year. Gun violence is affecting every aspect of society, as there is an increase in mass shooting and murder-suicides, leaving many to wonder if our relaxed gun laws and ease in which one can obtain a weapon is to blame. Many domestic violence and victims’ rights organizations continue to lobby for immediate federal reform of gun laws. A partial answer to their demand was met this week.

On June 27th, the Supreme Court ruled that domestic violence resulting from reckless, knowing or intentional behavior qualifies as a misdemeanor crime. If convicted, the perpetrator loses the right of gun ownership (Jeltsen, 2016). This means individuals with proven reckless behavior can no longer legally own a firearm, however, the ongoing concern is still the ease in which an offender can purchase a gun from a private seller without scrutiny or a mandatory background check.

Still for many the ruling is a victory of sorts, especially for domestic violence victims and survivors. According to the NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence), domestic abuse can quickly turn into murder when guns are involved and two-thirds of all females murdered in domestic violence incidences are killed with guns and the presence of a gun in the home increases the potential of domestic violence homicide by 500% (n.d.).

In the wake of the Orlando mass shooting, any attention paid to the reform of gun laws is an accomplishment and the Supreme Court ruling is a step in the right direction to decreasing murders resulting from domestic violence and guns.

Interested in reading the full version of the ruling? Click here.

If you know any domestic violence survivors or victims needing assistance, support and/or resources, below are helpful organizations in Houston, TX and Alexandria, LA areas:

Phoenix Women’s Outreach
832.526.0787

Faith House
1.888.422.1333

FOMO: Are You Monitoring Your Kids’ Social Media Usage

Are your kids suffering from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)? Are you perpetuating their inability to socialize in face to face situations? Are we the reason they lack discernment and the ability to accurately judge character?

We have all experienced it at some point or another, either we or our loved ones are too connected. We all know or are that person who can’t go a day without checking in on social media.

Technology gave birth to social media and applications meant to improve our lives, make us more productive and keep us connected to loved ones. However, the same technology designed for good is wreaking havoc on our family time, social skills and in some cases putting the lives of our children in peril.

Our children are more connected now than ever. They are plugged into the internet and social media constantly from the time they wake up until the time they go to sleep. All day long our children are potentially subject to negativity, deception, cyberbullying and predators. According to Tahnk (n.d.), 22% of teenagers access social media of their choice from their cell phones 10 or more times per day. The interesting factor is that the parents are the purchasers of the technology that is disengaging children from reality.

Social media has become the new baby-sitter, it is the new substitution for quality time. It keeps children engaged and busy. But just like any baby-sitter, parents need to do background checks. They need to know exactly who are watching their children. That means parents must re-engage with their children and discuss the dangers that exist in cyberspace, but most importantly parents MUST monitor their kid’s social media activity.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself:
• Do you know who your children are interacting with?
• Are they engaging in age appropriate behavior?
• Do they have age appropriate relationships?
• How much time do they spend on social media?
• Are they experiencing cyberbullying?

Here is a link to an article that can help you start a conversation about social media usage with your family.

Orlando Tragedy: Awareness and preparedness matters

Last week’s tragedy in Orlando is yet another example of our need as a country to massage narratives in our communities, schools and churches regarding lessons in tolerance. The mass shooting at Pulse nightclub is a perfect illustration of the breakdown in our human ecosystem which lacks tolerance of different lifestyle choices and belief systems.

Where are our children and families safe from violence born of ignorance and extreme intolerance? Recent tragedies in the U.S. have shown our children and families are not safe at church, school, movie theaters, malls and/or nightclubs.  How do we prepare our love ones for potential threats that seem more real now after 9/11, than ever before?  We would like to think we are raising our children and cultivating our families in a country that is not war-torn or in a constant state of civil unrest, but the truth is, we just don’t know what will happen next and we must be and teach our loved ones to be aware and prepared.

Here are some things to consider discussing with your children and loved ones about heightening their awareness and potentially surviving a mass shooting or attack:

1. Prepare – Be aware that we live in a world where anything can happen at any time. Just knowing or being aware that it’s possible for you to be a victim of a random shooting is a step in the right direction. We no longer have the luxury of thinking that we are safe from randomness.  Make sure that you are discussing crisis survival skills with your family.  See the article.

2. Assess – Be aware of your surroundings. Always pay attention to your surroundings. Put your darn cell phone down for a moment and assess your environment! Look at everything, locate exits, notice changes, notice energy/tension, notice whether or not things feel off or uneasy. Consider how others are interacting with one another. Most importantly, learn to follow your gut instinct or intuition.

3. Implement – Be ready to take action. Through preparedness and awareness, you should be able to design a course of action and implement. Silence your cell phone, run, help others run, hide or fight. See the article.

Black hairstyles are not criminal

Black children around the country have long been getting suspended from school for wearing braids, dreads, Afros, Afro puffs, or “designer haircuts” which are nothing more than Caesars with a classic side-part.

When students at the C.R. Walker Senior High School in the Bahamas tried to wear their natural hair to school, they were allegedly told that their hair was “untidy” and “unprofessional” and ordered to change their hairstyle before returning to school.

Boys and girls are constantly criticized and told they should keep their hair “neat and tidy.” They wear their hair in locks and braids as protective styling. Natural black hair shouldn’t be viewed negatively. But, sadly it’s a continuous thing.

Kirsten Brooks, who is a parent to a six-year-old Redemptorist Elementary student, says there is nothing wrong with her son’s curly hair as she spoke to WBRZ Channel 2 News in Baton Rouge, LA.

School officials there sent Brooks and other parents in grades K-12 a text message stating, “I understand that the boys want to follow the latest fashion trend, however the ‘Nappy, Uncombed, Picked/Sponged’ look Must Go! It is getting out of hand. If their haircut is higher than 1inch it must be cut.”

“To say that word, nappy, in a text, let me know that she was a person that just didn’t care as far as what she said and I figured if you put it in writing, you’ll say it just as well to the children and that’s not right,” said Mary Brooks.

A lot of times the kids are told to cut or straighten their hair. These are young children who have never been in trouble a day in their lives.

Keisha Rembert said her son Rashaad Hunter is an honor roll student who doesn’t get in trouble. He attends Greenwood Elementary School in Bessemer, according to Fox 6 News WBRC in Birmingham, Alabama.

“He was walking with his head down, when I saw him he was like teary-eyed at first because he doesn’t want to be suspended for no part in his head. I told him, ‘Don’t hold your head down…continue to make these A’s and B’s because that part is nothing,'” Rembert said.

Be Black. Be Soulful. Be You. Black hair is beautiful. Believe and celebrate your culture. Live your Afrocentric life! It’s not criminal to wear your natural hair.

If you find you have been discriminated against for wearing your natural hair, call GOINS LAW at (318) 787-5607 or (713) 759-9266. We will seek justice for you.

Available in Louisiana and Texas

Obama’s nomination Merrick Garland for SCOTUS a good choice

When President Obama announced his nomination for the Supreme Court, I immediately gave a nod of approval.  Merrick Garland, chief judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit would fill the vacant seat left by deceased judge Antonin Scalia.

I’m very pleased with the President’s nomination.  Obama has called him “one of America’s sharpest legal minds.” Garland’s a well-known figure in Washington legal circles who has drawn praise from members of both parties.  Mr. Obama dared Republican senators to ignore public pressure to make good on their promise to block consideration of any nominee until after the next president is elected.

“I’ve selected a nominee who is widely recognized not only as one of America’s sharpest legal minds, but someone who brings to his work a spirit of decency, modesty, integrity, even-handedness, and excellence,” Obama said during a live press conference in the Rose Garden.

Merrick Garland has sided with President Barack Obama’s environmental regulators against mercury-spewing power plants, supported the administration’s crackdown on for-profit colleges and issued multiple rulings that pleased organized labor.

Garland 63, a Chicago native and Harvard graduate has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals since 1997.

Republican senators will continue trying to stall Obama’s appointment. The country has too many important cases left open.  Garland will make the right choices.  It’s now the Republican senate’s job to do so too.