AG Shapiro: Price Gouging Complaints Top 5,000 Tips

HARRISBURG― Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced that the Office has received more than 5,000 complaints from Pennsylvanians reporting price hikes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Attorney General’s office has followed up on every verifiable tip — issuing 466 cease and desist letters, issuing subpoenas to 200 targets for further investigation, and finding 27 businesses where the Attorney General’s Office believed actual price gouging occurred.

“We won’t tolerate illegal price gouging during this emergency, and we’re taking action every day to stop it. Nearly a third of Pennsylvanians are out of work and figuring out how to put food on the table. Gouging the prices of basic necessities to help keep us safe from the pandemic—face masks, hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol—is outrageous and illegal,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “If you see suspicious price increases on goods, I encourage you to email pricegouging@attorneygeneral.gov and fill out a complaint form so we can put a stop to price gouging.”

Governor Wolf’s declaration triggered protections under state law against price gouging for consumers and businesses. Under rules governing a disaster emergency, companies and vendors are prohibited from charging a price for consumer goods or services that exceeds 20 percent of the average price at which those goods or services were sold for in the 7 days preceding March 6, 2020.

Any instance of price gouging should be reported to pricegouging@attorneygeneral.gov

9 firefighters hospitalized in Florida after ship explosion
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say nine firefighters responding to a fire aboard a ship in Florida have been hospitalized after the ship exploded. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department official said the explosion Thursday injured eight and sent one to the hospital for heat exhaustion. The ship was a Norwegian vessel carrying old and used cars. The fire department said four were taken to a hospital for burns. Authorities say one firefighter was taken into surgery for injuries and another was in intensive care. Nearly 150 firefighters were continuing to battle the blaze. The shipping company thanked the fire department in a statement sent Friday.

Dallas officials remove Texas Ranger statue from Love Field
DALLAS (AP) — A published account of brutal and racist chapters in the history of an elite Texas investigative agency has prompted Dallas officials to remove a statue from Love Field’s passenger terminal that honored the agency. The bronze statue of a Texas Ranger, called “One Riot, One Ranger,” has been a focal point in the terminal since 1963. A new book on the Rangers, “Cult of Glory,” offered chilling details about dark chapters of the Rangers’ history. Arriving amid acute racial tension aroused by the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, the book prompted officials to remove the statue Thursday.

(File Photo)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Pittsburgh man who authorities say left a backpack full of homemade explosive devices in a bush outside of a complex in the city’s downtown area is now facing several charges. Authorities say 52-year-old Matthew Michanowicz was seen on surveillance video placing the military-style backpack at PNC Plaza on Sunday. Police were notified about the backpack on Monday and found it contained makeshift explosives. When officers showed Michanowicz photos of him placing the backpack in the bushes, authorities say he confirmed he was the person in the photos but still denied having the backpack. He’s charged with three counts each of arson and possessing weapons of mass destruction.

Testimony: Shooter used racist slur as Arbery lay dying
By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A state investigator is alleging that the white man accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery was heard saying a racist slur as he stood over the black man, moments after hitting him with three shots from a pump-action shotgun. During a probable cause hearing Thursday, the investigator said Arbery was repeatedly boxed in by two pickup trucks as he desperately tried to escape. Special Agent Richard Dial says Travis McMichael then shot him in the chest, the hand, and the chest again during a struggle. The evidence challenges claims of self-defense during a citizens’ arrest attempt, and could factor into a federal hate crime investigation. A judge ruled there is enough evidence against the three defendants charged in the case to proceed to trial.

Another huge blow to US workers expected in May jobs report
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Reporter
WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s workers likely suffered another devastating blow in May, with millions more jobs lost to the viral pandemic and an unemployment rate near or even above 20% for the first time since the Great Depression. Economists have forecast that the U.S. government will report that employers shed 8.5 million more jobs last month on top of the 21.4 million lost in April. A figure that large would raise the total losses since the coronavirus intensified in March to nearly 30 million — more than triple the number of jobs lost during the entire 2008-2009 Great Recession.

NYC calmer as Buffalo police draw ire for protester injury
By JAKE SEINER Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A video of a Buffalo police officer appearing to shove an elderly man who falls and cracks his head while police cleared out protesters in a city square drew widespread condemnation. Buffalo’s mayor says the police commissioner suspended two officers without pay late Thursday. The mayor says the 75-year-old man was hospitalized in serious but stable condition. Meanwhile in New York City, the latest night of protests sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police was markedly calmer, although several videos posted to Twitter showed police aggressively confronting peaceful protesters.

Gov. Wolf Takes Action to Address Law Enforcement Reform and Accountability

Harrisburg, PA – After meeting with leaders in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Governor Tom Wolf announced several actions to improve law enforcement relations with the community and strengthen training and accountability.

“Today, I am taking steps to address concerns about community relations with law enforcement as well as strengthen accountability of our agencies,” Gov. Wolf said. “This effort will commence immediately.”

Gov. Wolf outlined multiple actions directed at meaningful reforms, many based on the 21st Century Policing Task Force, created in 2015 under President Obama in response to the Ferguson, Mo., death of black teen Michael Brown that set off weeks of protests.

Highlights of the recommendations include:

• Creation of a Deputy Inspector General within the Pennsylvania Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) focused on deterring, detecting, preventing and eradicating fraud, waste, misconduct and abuse amongst law enforcement agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction.
• Creation of a Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Advisory Commission that reviews allegations of misconduct by law enforcement personnel under the governor’s jurisdiction.
• Providing technical assistance to municipalities from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to encourage the creation of local citizen advisory boards.
• Creation of a Racial and Ethnic Disparities Subcommittee under the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (CJAC) at PCCD.
• Reviewing Training and Education of Officers. All training academies for law enforcement must review current use of force training standards for law enforcement and form a workgroup to develop model training standards to ensure that all officers receive the best instruction in their interactions with the public. Departments should be striving to obtain state and or national accreditation. Accreditation is a key component in assisting departments in evaluation and improvement of their standards and practices.
• Enhancing Officer Safety and Wellness.  Enhancing current mental health initiatives and offering targeted mental health supports for officers to deal with trauma and reduce stigma for getting help.
• Supporting Legislative Reforms. The governor will work with the legislature on reforms, including legislation proposed that provides for improved access to police videos, an oversight board for officer training and continuing education, a special prosecutor in deadly force cases, interdepartmental law enforcement hiring reform and PTSD evaluation for police officers.

  Earlier this week, members of the Police Reform Working Group, which includes state and local elected officials, the chief defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, as well as several attorneys, put forward proposals to address growing frustration with racism, oppression and rooting out law enforcement misconduct.

“We’ve addressed criminal justice reform on a bipartisan basis, and that’s what we’ll need to fix these longstanding inequities,” Gov. Wolf said.  “And as we go forward, we need to address the looming, systemic failings that have created this situation.”

The governor also committed to addressing longstanding inequalities against people of color.

“I’m going to continue to fight for more education funding and for help for minority–owned businesses. These fights do not have an end point, and we won’t know when we’ve won, but we have to keep going to make our commonwealth fairer and more equal for everyone.”

(Pittsburgh, PA.) For a sixth straight day demonstrations happened in downtown Pittsburgh. Hundreds of demonstrators laid on the ground in the manner in which George Floyd was killed in front of the Allegheny County Jail during a vigil Thursday afternoon to protest the manner in which his death occurred at the hands of a Minnesota Police Officer. The group laid prone on the street for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to honor Floyd. The protest occurred at the same time a memorial service was being held for Floyd in Minnesota. The Officer who put his knee to Floyd’s neck till he died is being charged with second degree murder along with three other officers who were on the scene being charged with aiding and abetting. All four officers were fired and are currently in jail.