An Analysis of Homicides in Oakland 2003, 2004 and 2005

This report summarizes changes in specific characteristics of homicides over the past three years, such as victim/suspect demographic characteristics, locations and methods of the crimes and the parole/probation status of victims and suspects. In addition to presenting annual data for 2003, 2004, and 2005, the tables and figures in this report show how characteristics of the homicides changed from year to year and over the three year period.In general there was an overall homicide increase of 7% from 2004 (88 homicides) to 2005 (94 homicides). While this increase does represent a troubling trend, total homicides remain well below the 20 year average of 111.8 homicides per year, and represents a decrease of 17% from 2003.Demographic trends also appear to have shifted from 2004 to 2005 for both the victims and suspects. The percentage of Black victims and suspects dropped from 2004, while Latino and Asian victims and suspects both increased. The number of identified Latino homicide suspects is especially troubling, rising from 7 in 2004 to 13 in 2005. Finally, the number of suspects who were known to be on probation/parole status decreased from 59% to 49%

Business and Human Rights as a Galaxy of Norms

In the last several years, there has been an increasing tendency to view the impacts of transnational business operations through the lens of human rights law. A major obstacle to holding companies accountable for the harms that they impose, however, has been the separate legal identity of corporate subsidiaries and of contractors in a company\u27s supply chain. France\u27s recently enacted duty of vigilance statute seeks to overcome this obstacle by imposing a duty on companies to identify potential serious human rights violations by their subsidiaries and by companies with which they have an “established commercial relationship.” Failure to engage in such vigilance can subject a company to liability for damages resulting from such failure. This Article situates the new French duty of vigilance within a broader set of norms that can be characterized as the Business and Human Rights Galaxy. This Galaxy consists of five rings that represent standards and expectations ranging from classic enforceable “hard law” to voluntary principles generated by private parties, multi-stakeholder initiatives, and international organizations. The provisions in these rings are related in fluid and dynamic ways and exert varying degrees of gravitational influence on one another. Thus, for instance, what are conventionally regarded as forms of hard law may draw on voluntary private standards in setting expectations for behavior, and soft law norms may be incorporated into legally enforceable contract provisions between companies and their suppliers. This Article suggests that appreciation of these dynamics can furnish guidance in interpreting the novel duty of vigilance that the new French statute establishes. In particular, the common law duty of care and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights can illuminate the nature and scope of the duty of vigilance. At the same time, the introduction of the new French statute into the Business and Human Rights Galaxy means that it too has the potential to influence provisions in other rings of the Galaxy

UM Enrolls Nearly 22,300 Students for Fall Semester

State\u27s largest university also sees surge in freshman ACT scores, student retentio

University\u27s Head Landscaper Honored by Professional Society

Jeff McManus recognized for distinguished service and launching education effort

Former Alumni Director James Butler Dies at 86

Administrator opened doors for women, black alumni and helped modernize Alumni Associatio

Letter to William J. Corrigan suggesting Major James Arlon Call as a suspect

Letter from a citizen with a theory regarding Major James Arlon Call. This public tipster draws a connection between Major Call\u27s activities, physical appearance, and the Marilyn Sheppard murder

Reward a Helping Hand with a Frist Nomination

Honor recognizes faculty and staff members for going \u27the extra mile\u27 to serve student

Helping Small Businesses Protect Their Data and Operations

Small Business Development Center establishes a cybersecurity program at MS