On June 12, 2011, a hot June evening, the Rochester Police broke in a family's door and told everyone to get on the floor. The adults were handcuffed and face down on the floor. There were 4 children in the house, ages 10 years, 6 years, 3 years and 9 months old, who became confused and scared and jumped on the couch. The ten year old girl, Tanajha, afraid the dog might bite the police went to grab her. One police officer responded by pointing a rifle at her. The stress of the incident caused the 10 year old to start having an asthma attack.

The children were eventually sent next door, while the police tore the house apart looking for drugs. The beds were cut up, food thrown out of freezer, items tossed out of drawers and strewn on the floor. The adults were strip searched and cavity checked all in an effort to find drugs. Lydia, the mother, stated that she was interrogated and threatened with Child Protective Services if she did not give up the drugs. No drugs were found.

On Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 11:00am at 9 Ravenwood Avenue, Rochester, NY Cathy Lennon, Take Back the Land Rochester, and community members will come together for a press conference to announce new developments in the case. On Tuesday evening NY State Supreme Court Judge Anne Marie Taddeo called off the controversial eviction of Catherine Lennon which was scheduled for Wednesday, August 17. Cathy and Take Back the Land Rochester were preparing for second eviction defense, including a nonviolent eviction blockade which would have happened Wednesday.

Judge Taddeo has reopened the original foreclosure case and requested that Countrywide/Bank of America defend their original foreclosure which was riddled with irregularities. Countrywide/Bank of America and Catherine Lennon are schedule to appear in NY State Supreme Court on August 30, 2011.

Additional Information: Community Groups Demand Justice for the Lennon-Griffin Family; Lennon Livid Over Fannie Mae "Offer"

Related: Video: Woman Evicted From Home in Rochester, NY

Take a moment and imagine this. Imagine that one day you are able to come and go from your home to where you want to go with no problem. Now imagine this you lose the ability to do that, however, you have paratransit services who, with three days notice, will take you where you need to go and back for between $1.50 and $2.00 each way. No room for spontaneity, however, at least you get to maintain your independence, go shopping with friends, go to your place of worship, doctor’s offices, grocery shopping, etc. Now imagine this. You call to make your reservation and are told, I am sorry but RGRTA has drawn a new service map and you are no longer in our service area. You must speak to a supervisor who is not in today, please call back tomorrow.

So you call back the next day and are told you now live in a supplemental service area. You are still eligible for services, however, now you can only call the day before and request a ride. If one is available, which supplemental services rarely if ever are, the new rate is now $7.50 - $8.00 each way. So now, you find yourself wondering how I am going to guarantee my employer I can get to work each day. Think about every place you used to go and now know that there is no guarantee you will be able to get there. If you can, it will now cost you 4 times as much to do it. It is as if the price of gas went from $4 a gallon to $16 a gallon.

Does this sound crazy to you?

Related: ADAPT Confronts Rochester Bus Company: Lower the Rates or Face Our Fury!

“Fracking is going to happen!” says Pittsburgh Authority at Rochester Medical School Talk.

Dr. Bernard Goldstein, an environmental health researcher and professor of public health at the University of Pittsburgh, spoke in Rochester about the potential health implications of Marcellus Shale gas development. The talk, sponsored by the University of Rochester Medical Center, took place on July 20th and was well attended by students, faculty and community members. “This fracking issue is the most contentious public health concern that I have seen in my long career, says Goldstein. I don’t take a position on it but I will say I think they are going too fast and are doing things that are not backed up by research. We don’t know the effects of much of what will occur.”

Police union president Mike Mazzeo is no stranger to police corruption, the violation of citizens' civil rights, or media attention. Back in the late 80s and early 90s Mazzeo was a vice squad officer with the Highway Interdiction Team—a squad that used to rough up and bust up alleged low-level drug dealers. For all of his trouble, he and five other officers—including the police chief—were federally indicted on 19 counts alleging police brutality, conspiracy to violate the civil rights of suspects, embezzlement, falsification of government documents, falsification of employee time cards and other corruption. While he and his four colleagues were acquitted, officer after officer—in both high and low places in the RPD—admitted to the same abuse of power that Mazzeo was charged with. In today's world, when one sees our bold police union president rattling off his rendition of events and forcefully grasping his podium at the Locust Club, it just makes good sense to hear everything he says "with a grain of salt."

Additional Information: Rochester Police Arrest Citizen for Taping Traffic Stop | Police Union Responds to Good Case with Inaccuracies; Bars Indymedia Access | Breaking: Public Safety Chair says "The City of Rochester has lost control of its police force."

Other Investigations into Police Misconduct and Conspiracy: Historic conviction of cop torturer only partial justice, say activists | "Kicking The Pigeon"—a 17-part series on police corruption and brutality in Chicago | Q&A: Feds Investigating Portland Police Department | New Orleans police face trial in post-Katrina killings | Feds launch investigation of Newark police dept. | San Francisco District Attorney’s Office turns police investigation over to feds | Feds launch civil rights investigation of Seattle Police