BATON
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014
Louisiana Has 4th Highest Rate of Women Murdered by Men
ROUGE,
LOUISIANA
Loud Music Killing: Florida Man Convicted of Murder
Louisiana has the fourth highest rate in the nation of women murdered by men, according to a Violence Policy Center report. The recently released report, which examined 2012 homicide data from the FBI, says 1.92 of every 100,000 women were murdered by a man. That year, 45 Louisiana women were murdered by a man. The state has neared the top of the list of states with the most women murdered by men, per capita, often: Louisiana has been among the top 10 states with the highest rates nine out of the last 10 years, a press release from the Violence Policy Center says. The same VPC report in 2011 ranked Louisiana ninth, with a rate of 1.39 women killed by men per 100,000 residents, or 39 murdered Louisiana women that year. The three states with higher rates of women murdered by men in 2012 were Alaska (rate of 2.57), South Carolina (2.06) and Oklahoma (2.03). Other southern states helped fill out much of the top 10 list: Mississippi ranked fifth, Missouri ranked seventh, Georgia ranked ninth and Tennessee ranked 10th. Of the 45 women homicide victims noted in the report, 23 were black and 22 were white. The average age was 35 years old. Of the victims, 37 knew their killers, and about half of those women had an intimate relationship with him. For the homicides in which a weapon was identified, 71 percent died of gunshots. Seven of the women were killed by bodily force and four were killed with knives or other cutting instruments. The annual report, When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2012 Homicide Data, focused on homicides in which one woman was killed by one man, as many of these incidents tend to involve domestic violence. The organization said its intent was to release the data in advance of domestic violence awareness month in October. Violence Policy Center is a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., which advocates to reduce gun deaths in the United States. The Louisiana Legislature passed a legislative package during its most recent legislative session attempting to address domestic violence issues that lead the state’s high rate of domestic homicides.
VOL. 40 • NO. 02 • FREE
A PEOPLE’S PUBLICATION
IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Kicks Off in Baton Rouge
Experts to study local transportation needs, recommend solutions
Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden introduces the team of six IBM researchers who are visiting the city to study its traffic and transportation problems.
Defendant Michael Dunn re-enters the courtroom as the jury had a question shortly after deliberations began during his retrial on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014 in Jacksonville, Fla. Dunn is being retried on murder charges for the shooting death of 17-year old Jordan Davis in a dispute over loud music at a Jacksonville gas station in November of 2012. Dunn was found guilty of three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting or throwing a deadly missile during his previous trial, but the jury was deadlocked on the murder charge.
BATON ROUGE, La — On Monday, a team of IBM experts started assessing the regional transportation needs of the Baton Rouge area in order to make some specific recommendations about how to address present and future problems. The strategic recommendation and implementation plan, funded by IBM, officially kicked off Monday, Sept. 29, in the Metropolitan Council Chamber,
Room 348, City Hall, 222 St. Louis Street. Mayor-President Melvin L. “Kip” Holden and other dignitaries from around the City-Parish welcomed IBM’s team of experts to Baton Rouge, and talked about our traffic/ transportation issues. Baton Rouge is one of four U.S. cities selected this year to receive IBM’s Smarter Cities See IBM SMART, on page 2
The Baker Buffalo Festival 2014
Jordan Davis’ father, Ronald Davis, leaves the courtroom as the jury starts to deliberate during the retrial of Michael Dunn on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014 in Jacksonville, Fla. Dunn is being retried on murder charges for the shooting death of 17-year old Jordan Davis in a dispute over loud music at a Jacksonville gas station in November of 2012. Dunn was found guilty of three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting or throwing a deadly missile during his previous trial, but the jury was deadlocked on the murder charge. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A jury convicted a Florida man on Wednesday of first-degree murder in his retrial for killing a teenager after an argument over loud music. Prosecutors said Michael Dunn shot with intent to kill when he fired 10 times into an SUV carrying 17-year-old Jordan Davis and three of his friends in November 2012. The jury reached its verdict after more than five hours of deliberations. Dunn, who took the stand in his own defense, said he fired in
THE SAINTS SIGNS A $54-MILLION FREE AGENT
self-defense. He told jurors that he saw Davis flash what he believed to be a rifle after the two exchanged words outside a convenience store. Investigators never found a gun in the SUV or in the nearby area, and Davis’ three friends testified that there was no gun. Dunn was convicted of three counts of attempted second-degree murder in February and faced at least 60 years in prison. The jury Ronald Davis,
See KILLING, on page 2
Pictured left to right: Harold Rideau, Mayor of Baker, Ken Fabre, Baker city attorney and Ginger Vann.
In recognition of “It Can Wait Day” Baker Mayor Harold Rideau issued a proclamation during the kick off the 22nd annual Baker Buffalo Festival. AT&T representatives, Mayor Rideau and other city officials were on hand for the
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proclamation and Baker Buffalo festival kick-off. Contact Shelly Dupre with the Public Affairs office at AT&T Louisiana by e-mailing her at shelly.dupre@att.com or by calling her at 225.819.1540 for additional. information.
RELIGION
The Gospel Music Association announces Dove Award winning powerhouses Bart Millard of MercyMe and Lecrae as co-hosts for the 45th Annual GMA Dove Awards. ...See Page 4
INDEX
LA OFFICIALS MEET ON EBOLA Gov. Bobby Jindal called a meeting The New Orleans Saints went into free agency in March with virtually no cap room. They came out of free agency with the consensus No. 1 free agent, Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd, who they signed on a six-year, $54-million contract...See Page 6
with Unified Command Group and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to discuss the state’s position in dealing with a possible Ebola outbreak...See Page 2
State News...............................3
BLACK MOTHER OF 2 ARRESTED
Statistically speaking, a single black mother is one of the most vulnerable women in the country. Shaneen Allen knows this. She knows the government isn’t going to protect her from violent criminals...See Page 3
LSU APPROVES PRIVATIZATION The LSU Board of Supervisors ap-
proved Wednesday new agreements between its hospitals and private partners in hopes that these agreements will keep federal money flowing to the private managers.....See Page 3
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