Parents of missing teen say Chicago Police don’t care
The parents of a 15-year-old Chicago girl say police are not putting energy into finding their daughter because she is Black. Yasmin Acree’s mom, Rose Starnes, dismisses the assumption by police that her daughter ran away, pointing to the locks on two gates that were cut and the door to the basement, where her room is located, that was forced open. Starnes also notes that Yasmin, who has been missing since Jan. 15, was excited about starting a new job. Starnes says she discovered Yasmin, an African-American honor student from the West Side, missing when she returned from visiting her grandchildren in Elgin. Joseph Salemme, the grand-central commander with the Chicago Police, says that the family’s charge of racism is ridiculous and insulting.

Louisiana cop arrested for robbing Hispanic motorists
A 25-year-old police officer in the small southeast Louisiana town of Slidell is being accused of stopping Hispanic drivers and stealing their money before sending them on their way, The Times Picayune reports. The officer, Jonathan M. Lutman, handed in his badge and gun Friday, after a short two-year stint, and was booked on one count of theft over $500, eight counts of theft under $300 and four counts of malfeasance in office, Slidell Police Chief Freddy Drennan told reporters. “Anytime we have to arrest one of our own, it’s a blemish on our department,” Drennan said. “It’s a blemish on everybody here. It’s a blemish on law enforcement as a whole. And it’s not something we relish at all. It’s a very sad day when I, as the chief of police, have to tell the citizens of this city and the people of this state that we arrested someone that we put our trust and faith into.” Drennan said it was difficult to know whether Lutman actually stole more than the $3,000 he’s accused of taking during at least four traffic stops between April and June, the Picayune reports. Drennan said that Lutman apparently believed that the language barrier would keep the victims – he targeted Hispanics – from speaking out about the thefts. His theory backfired when two Latinos went to police, who initiated an internal investigation, according to the Picayune. The department then combed Slidell’s Hispanic community and found more victims. “We have gone above and beyond to reach these people out there to determine if other people were victims,” Drennan said. They found four victims, who picked Lutman out of a lineup, he said.

The jazz world loses another giant
Bobby Durham, one of the jazz world’s most recognized drummers, died of lung cancer and emphysema July 7 at a hospital in Genoa, Italy. He was 71. Durham spent many years backing such notables as pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, and appeared on a number of television shows, including The Tonight Show, the Merv Griffin Show and the Mike Douglas Show. He lived in Philadelphia for many years and also resided off and on in Europe, most notably in Italy. Durham, known for virtuosity as a percussionist, was also an accomplished vocalist. His last recording, Domani’s Blues, featured his lush voice on the standard “I should Care.” Following a 1968 concert with Peterson, the late New York Times jazz critic John S. Wilson once referred to Durham’s embellishments on drums as “remarkable displays of technical virtuosity.”