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Morning Updates: New Olympics report, family disagrees on police shooting video

Blurry, distant video of the police shooting of Usaamah Rahim was released on Monday. AP

By Eric Levenson @ejleven

June 9, 2015

2 minutes to read

Good morning, Boston. Here are the stories you need to know for the day ahead, including fallout from Brandon Spikes’s release, push for prison reform, and disagreements over the Roslindale police shooting video.

“It’s not like he’s gonna go to jail or something.’’: “Brandon Spikes—or whoever was driving his car early Sunday morning on I-495—could face charges that technically carry up to two years in prison. But prosecutors would likely be fighting an uphill battle to get a conviction, and jail time is highly unlikely, according to local defense attorneys.’’ (Boston.com)

What do you see? Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley, whose office released surveillance footage of the police shooting of Usaamah Rahim at a Roslindale CVS, said the video “speaks for itself’’ on Monday. (Boston.com) Rahim’s family disagreed. “The video does not show Mr. Rahim possessing, holding, or brandishing a weapon of any sort, much less a knife,’’ the family said in a statement. “To the contrary, the video depicts Mr. Rahim walking toward a bus stop on the way to work.’’ (The Boston Globe)

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Reconsideration of “tough on crime’’: “Lawmakers are weighing a repeal of mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders and an overhaul of the state’s bail procedures, among other measures. One proposal would plow the savings from a reduced prison population into job training programs in an approach known as ‘justice reinvestment.’’’ (The Boston Globe)

Indian restaurant’s Entourage poster won’t go away: “Many readers asked questions: Why doesn’t the owner just break the glass? Why doesn’t he unscrew the frame from the wall? Who cares about some poster in an Indian restaurant? Boston.com cares, which is why we contacted several repairmen to determine how much it might cost to remove the poster.’’ (Boston.com)

Private v. public in Boston’s Olympic plan: “State lawmakers should establish and fund a new public commission with the power to impose binding conditions on Boston’s Olympic bid, and the responsibility of overseeing a vast planning effort to guide the long-term legacy of the Games, according to a new report by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and two other planning organizations.’’ (The Boston Globe)