The White House is under lockdown orders from the U.S. Secret Service due to protests outside the gates over George Floyd. A dozen reporters, myself included, still inside the West Wing.
There is an intense protest across the street in Lafayette Park.
Protests also underway in New York City, Louisville and Dallas.
Fishnut wrote: Fri May 29, 2020 1:39 pm
The County Attorney says that there's "evidence that does not support a criminal charge" in the George Floyd case. He makes it out like he's just wanting to do everything by the book but it's pretty clear they're setting things up for a not guilty verdict, if it even gets as far as trial.
The police in the US (and the UK) act with complete impunity. Look at the video of the CNN reporter and crew being arrested. At no point did they do anything to warrant arrest. They were asking for instructions and never got any. Instead they were arrested. For what? Failing to be sufficiently deferential? I don't know how much more deferential you can get without getting on the ground and licking their boots! The police seem to have no training at all on how to deal with people. It's the same in the UK. Here's a guy doing nothing but standing around chatting with friends while being black and he gets arrested. For what, he's not told. Asking questions appears to be verboten. If this is what happens when there are cameras, what on earth happens when there aren't?
The CNN reporters were apparently arrested for failing to comply with instructions, despite not being given any. They were filming live - the guy was doing a piece to camera at the time of the arrest! Yet you can rest assured that no officers will get sanctioned for a clear abuse of authority, no officers will lose their jobs. There'll be spin and they'll try to make out that the officers were doing their best under difficult circumstances and nothing will change.
It's abundantly clear that police do not exist to protect us.
Someone on twitter shared some screenshots of a book that looked quite interesting - The End of Policing
The e-book is currently available for free. I've just got my copy.
Fishnut wrote: Fri May 29, 2020 1:39 pm
The County Attorney says that there's "evidence that does not support a criminal charge" in the George Floyd case. He makes it out like he's just wanting to do everything by the book but it's pretty clear they're setting things up for a not guilty verdict, if it even gets as far as trial.
The police in the US (and the UK) act with complete impunity. Look at the video of the CNN reporter and crew being arrested. At no point did they do anything to warrant arrest. They were asking for instructions and never got any. Instead they were arrested. For what? Failing to be sufficiently deferential? I don't know how much more deferential you can get without getting on the ground and licking their boots! The police seem to have no training at all on how to deal with people. It's the same in the UK. Here's a guy doing nothing but standing around chatting with friends while being black and he gets arrested. For what, he's not told. Asking questions appears to be verboten. If this is what happens when there are cameras, what on earth happens when there aren't?
The CNN reporters were apparently arrested for failing to comply with instructions, despite not being given any. They were filming live - the guy was doing a piece to camera at the time of the arrest! Yet you can rest assured that no officers will get sanctioned for a clear abuse of authority, no officers will lose their jobs. There'll be spin and they'll try to make out that the officers were doing their best under difficult circumstances and nothing will change.
It's abundantly clear that police do not exist to protect us.
Someone on twitter shared some screenshots of a book that looked quite interesting - The End of Policing
The e-book is currently available for free. I've just got my copy.
Ooh thank you for spotting that! Getting it too.
Verso also published Insurgent Empire by Priyamvada Gopal which was a great read and possibly quite relevant atm. I should have a look at some more of their publications by the looks of things.
To defy the laws of tradition is a crusade only of the brave.
1 - Governor Tim Wall saying 80% of arrests from out of town. At Paul mayor Melvin Carter says all.
2 - numerous videos of masked white people starting attacks on local shops, with local organizers pleading them to stop. Masked people just walk away.
3 - Dept of Safety Commissioner John Harrington says that white nationalist groups are posting messages promoting going to Minneapolis to “get our loot on” and cause mayhem.
3 - Bill Barr already framing it as antifa action.
All from Twitter, so can’t verify which is annoying.
Calm yourself Doctor NotTheNineO’ClockNews. We’re men of science. We fear no worldly terrors.
Version I saw said 80% of arrested were from out of *state*. Other suspicions of provocation include reportedly a pallet of bricks left out where there was no construction going on.
Vertigowooyay wrote: Sat May 30, 2020 6:28 pm
A few things trickling in:
1 - Governor Tim Wall saying 80% of arrests from out of town. At Paul mayor Melvin Carter says all.
2 - numerous videos of masked white people starting attacks on local shops, with local organizers pleading them to stop. Masked people just walk away.
3 - Dept of Safety Commissioner John Harrington says that white nationalist groups are posting messages promoting going to Minneapolis to “get our loot on” and cause mayhem.
3 - Bill Barr already framing it as antifa action.
All from Twitter, so can’t verify which is annoying.
If only there were some journalists around who could investigate all of this properly.
To defy the laws of tradition is a crusade only of the brave.
Just saw this from a week ago. The guy who filmed the murder of Ahmaud Arbery has been charged with murder and imprisonment along with the other two murders.
Trump seems to attempt to whip up a counter-demonstration, tweeting "tonight is MAGA night at the White House". That'll calm things down, whether it happens or not.
Thought-provoking piece by activist Michael Render (aka rapper Killer Mike), arguing that black people should also arm themselves and train in firearm use.
I normally think the USA needs fewer guns, not more. But if any group has a claim to needing guns to protect against tyranny in the USA it's black people. The police response to peaceful protests is completely different when protestors are armed.
And as we saw with Reagan in the 60s, at the very least if black people are also armed Republicans start supporting gun control.
We have the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment.
Herainestold wrote: Fri May 29, 2020 1:37 pm
Now this anti-black police violence has spilled over into Canada with Toronto police allegedly throwing a black woman off her balcony, killing her.
Officers were inside an apartment unit on the building's 24th floor when, according to the SIU, "they observed a woman on the balcony."
"A short time later, the woman fell from the balcony to the ground below," reads the SIU release. "She was pronounced deceased at the scene."
Circumstances surrounding the woman's death are now being probed by two investigators and two forensic specialists from the SIU, a civilian oversight agency that investigates reports involving police "where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault."
I'm going to be horrified beyond belief if this turns out to be a case of Toronto police deciding to throw a woman off her 24th floor balcony rather than the woman choosing to do it herself. But on the other hand I absolutely do not expect it to turn out to be so. How about you? Do you think Canadian cops just decided it would be fun to copycat the Minnesota cops, and started murdering random citizens?
Canada is, in many ways, more racist than Amerika.
Within a minute or two, Singh said, the family heard commotion. Then, they heard Korchinski-Paquet cry out, "Mom help. Mom help. Mom help."
Moments later, there was silence. Police soon confirmed she was dead.
"How can a call for assistance turn into a loss of life?" Singh said.
The family's news conference comes after video of Korchinski-Paquet's mother and cousin emerged on social media alleging police pushed her from the balcony.
"The police killed my daughter," Korchinski-Beals said in one video.
Bird on a Fire wrote: Sat May 30, 2020 9:09 pm
Thought-provoking piece by activist Michael Render (aka rapper Killer Mike), arguing that black people should also arm themselves and train in firearm use.
I normally think the USA needs fewer guns, not more. But if any group has a claim to needing guns to protect against tyranny in the USA it's black people. The police response to peaceful protests is completely different when protestors are armed.
And as we saw with Reagan in the 60s, at the very least if black people are also armed Republicans start supporting gun control.
Not sure, I am worried it would give the police more excuses to harrass blacks people and more excuses to shoot first think later.
Herainestold wrote: Sun May 31, 2020 12:38 am
Canada is, in many ways, more racist than Amerika.
OK - you made the claim; so, in what ways?
Do you have a metric for racism? How is it calculated?
My avatar was a scientific result that was later found to be 'mistaken' - I rarely claim to be 100% correct
ETA 5/8/20: I've been advised that the result was correct, it was the initial interpretation that needed to be withdrawn
Meta? I'd say so!
Martin Y wrote: Thu May 28, 2020 2:16 pm
It seems like the Minneapolis police may be running low on tear gas. I guess that's an unexpected consequence of socially-distancing protests; you just need so much more gas to hurt everyone.
Should take a leaf out of the Hong Kong protestors book - leafblower to divert the gas, put a cup over it to contain it, douse with water to deal with the rest.
I get the impression that the Hong Kong protesters are a lot less violent than American ones. But the police certainly are. Last year in Minnesota the police killed 14 people. In Hong Kong the police killed one. Allowing for the difference in population (5.5 vs 7.4 million respectively), the police kill over 18 times as many in Minnesota (though with the rate so low in Hong Kong, the accuracy isn't great). So tactics which work in Hong Kong might get you killed in America.
Herainestold wrote: Sun May 31, 2020 3:30 am
Canada flies under the radar because everyone looks at the US. In reality it is colonialist, patriarchal and white supremacist.
Study Proves Canada Is Actually More Racist Than The United States
Bird on a Fire wrote: Sat May 30, 2020 9:09 pm
Thought-provoking piece by activist Michael Render (aka rapper Killer Mike), arguing that black people should also arm themselves and train in firearm use.
I normally think the USA needs fewer guns, not more. But if any group has a claim to needing guns to protect against tyranny in the USA it's black people. The police response to peaceful protests is completely different when protestors are armed.
And as we saw with Reagan in the 60s, at the very least if black people are also armed Republicans start supporting gun control.
Not sure, I am worried it would give the police more excuses to harrass blacks people and more excuses to shoot first think later.
I don't think that more excuses would make any practical difference. They already have enough excuses, and judicial rulings to allow them.
