Faith kills » « Congratulations to Danielle Muscato

Later this morning in America

People still want to discuss the ongoing ghastliness in Ferguson, MO, but the thread dedicated to that in Good Morning, America is getting old…and as a spam defensive measure, commenting on posts older than three months is automatically shut down. No exceptions allowed.

So here’s a fresh new post to accumulate comments!

Faith kills » « Congratulations to Danielle Muscato

Comments

  1. rq says

    #BenevolentRacism 2014 The white-saviour’s boys have a whole different perspective. #blacktwitter

    Related to the last article previous comment, NYC asks federal court to approve mass arrests of protesters

    The City is arguing in its legal brief that the three judge panel’s “decision will frustrate, not further, the work of police attempting to facilitate peaceful demonstrations while ensuring both the safety of demonstrators and those among whom demonstrations are staged.” This argument is ridiculous because the Fourth Amendment specifically states that police cannot arrest a person without probable cause to believe he or she committed a crime. Police are also prohibited from entrapping law abiding citizens into committing crimes they did not intend to commit. In this case, officers from the NYPD entrapped Occupy Wall Street protesters by leading and escorting them onto the Brooklyn Bridge only to arrest them en masse for violating an order not to go on the bridge that no one heard. […]

    Seeking to legitimize a practice of widespread false arrests by entrapping protesters is an egregious Fourth Amendment violation that deserves condemnation. This is no way to calm troubled waters. Instead it’s yet another reason, as if we needed one, to increase the protests.

    Obviously, the NYPD doesn’t get it.

    Police identify man killed by officer.

    Locke was shot and killed by a Rapid City Police officer inside a house at the Lakota Community Homes. At this time, police believe he was shot up to five times.

    Police said Locke had ties to the subdivision, but would not elaborate on what those ties were.

    Protests In Milwaukee After DA Fails To File Charges Against Cop In Death Of Mentally Ill Man.

    US Attorney’s Office will investigate shooting of Dontre Hamilton.

    Nate Hamilton says he’s taking his brother’s fight for justice to the feds chanting, “Convict indite, send that killer cop to jail”

    The family and his attorneys are asking for two things– a federal investigation into Dontre Hamilton’s death, and the Milwaukee Police Department’s operating procedures.
    The ACLU, NAACP, and the Hamilton family are all working together on the case. Mayor Tom Barrett says he’ll cooperate with any investigation.

    Mayor Barrett says, “I will certainly work with the Justice Department or anyone in Washington DC to make sure their concerns are addressed here. I want those concerns addressed, I need to have a community where police and citizens can work with and trust each other..”

    Hamilton supporters say this case represents a bigger picture of racism, and poor relations between police and African Americans.

  2. says

    rq

    I’m not inclined to believe that unions need to be done away with completely. But there is definitely a problem with the power structure. And perception of power.

    Unions, no. Police unions, absolutely. They can join the same union as any other civic employees (usually PEU or SEIU in the States), but specifically police unions need to be abolished post haste.

    “These messages are different. They seem almost, perhaps, maybe, just a little bit antagonistic.”

    Well, gee, asshole, why ever would anyone feel antagonistic about their friends and family being murdered for laughs, about being assaulted, imprisoned, threatened, and harrassed with no recourse? It’s a fucking mystery, innit?

    “media, politicians, and community activists [who] have been vilifying the police.”

    If y’all don’t want to be vilified, it would probably help if you quit acting like the fucking Mafia. ‘Cos, see, when you act like a criminal organization, you are, in fact, villains, pretty much by definition, and thus are going to be in for some vilifying.

  3. rq says

    Bowdoin will waive tuition for son of slain NYPD officer. And the kids of Eric Garner, or any other black person shot by police?

    Battered and blue

    These deaths come at a terrible time for New York City. Between the killing of Eric Garner in Staten Island and the shooting of Akai Gurley in Brooklyn, many residents are wary of the police. And their protests against police brutality have fueled a counter-movement from cops and their supporters, who see criticism as hostile and “anti-police,” and who have scorned officials who sympathize with the protesters. “Police officers feel like they are being thrown under the bus,” said Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, after de Blasio spoke about Garner in the context of his son, who is black. “Is my child safe, and not just from some of the painful realities of crime and violence in some of our neighborhoods,” said de Blasio, “but safe from the very people they want to have faith in as their protectors? That’s the reality.”

    All of this was in the air during the New York City mayor’s Saturday evening press conference with Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, where he tried to ease tensions, despite a dramatic action from police at the event, who turned their backs when de Blasio spoke. The mayor called the killings a “particularly despicable act” that “tears at the very foundation of our society.” He called it an “attack on all of us.” “Our city is in mourning, our hearts are heavy,” he said. “We lost two good men who devoted their lives to protecting all of us.”

    But for several politicians and police organizations, this call of solidarity wasn’t enough. “Our society stands safer because of the sacrifices officers make every day, but the hatred that has grown over the past few weeks in this country has gone unchecked by many elected leaders,” said the head of the New Jersey Policemen’s Benevolent Association in a statement on Facebook. “The blood of 2 executed police officers is on the hands of Mayor de Blasio,” tweeted the New York Sergeants Benevolent Association. Likewise, on Twitter, former New York Gov. George Pataki said he was “sickened by these barbaric acts, which sadly are a predictable outcome of divisive anti-cop rhetoric of #ericholder & #mayordeblasio.”

    Lynch was even more inflammatory. “There is blood on many hands, from those that incited violence under the guise of protest to try to tear down what police officers do every day,” he said, addressing police outside the hospital where the slain officers were taken. “That blood on the hands starts on the steps of city hall in the office of the mayor.” In Baltimore, one lodge president in the Fraternal Order of Police gave a more expansive statement, blaming national officials for the violence. “Politicians and community leaders from President Obama, to Attorney General Holder, New York Mayor de Blasio, and Al Sharpton have, as the result of their lack of proper guidance, created the atmosphere of unnecessary hostility and peril that police officers now find added to the ordinary danger of their profession.”

    And all of these sentiments were echoed by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. “We’ve had four months of propaganda starting with the president that everybody should hate the police,” said Giuliani during an appearance on Fox News on Sunday. “The protests are being embraced, the protests are being encouraged. The protests, even the ones that don’t lead to violence, a lot of them lead to violence, all of them lead to a conclusion. The police are bad, the police are racist. That is completely wrong.”

    But these complaints aren’t true. Police officers aren’t under siege from hostile elected officials. At no point, for example, has de Blasio attacked the New York City Police Department. Instead, he’s called for improved policing, including better community relations and new training for “de-escalation” techniques. “Fundamental questions are being asked, and rightfully so,” he said at the beginning of the month, after the grand jury decision in the death of Eric Garner. “The way we go about policing has to change.”

    Likewise, neither President Obama nor Attorney General Eric Holder has substantively criticized police. After a Ferguson, Missouri, grand jury declined to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown, Obama appealed for calm and praised law enforcement for doing a “tough job.” “Understand,” he said, “our police officers put their lives on the line for us every single day. They’ve got a tough job to do to maintain public safety and hold accountable those who break the law.”

    When directly asked if “African-American and Latino young people should fear the police,” Holder said no. “I don’t think that they should fear the police,” he said in an interview for New York magazine with MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid. “But I certainly think that we have to build up a better relationship between young people, people of color, and people in law enforcement.”

    Even Al Sharpton supports cops. “We are not anti-police,” he said after the Wilson grand jury concluded. “If our children are wrong, arrest them. Don’t empty your gun and act like you had no other way.” And on this Sunday morning, Sharpton held an event where he and the Garner family condemned the cop killings in Brooklyn. “I’m standing here in sorrow over losing those two police officers,” said Garner’s mother. “Two police officers lost their lives senselessly.” The family of Michael Brown has condemned the shootings — “[We reject] any kind of violence directed toward members of law enforcement” — and in a statement, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, D, said, “This is not about race or affiliation, and it isn’t about black versus blue. All lives matter.”

    Black lives matter: speaking truth to power in the US

    Protests over the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner have dominated the airwaves in the United States. Even as Americans characteristically slide back into a culture of willful denial in the aftermath of these rightfully disruptive outpourings of heartfelt indignation, the country is not the same as it was before August 9.

    The country cannot be as it was before that fateful August day when Brown’s body was riddled with six bullets from officer Darren Wilson’s emptied 12-round clip. Nor can the United States resist impending metamorphosis following officer Daniel Pantaleo choking out Eric Garner on video for the world to see.

    New Cameras, Same Narratives

    The US Department of Justice has released findings of its investigations of police departments in Cleveland, Ohio and Albuquerque, New Mexico. The probe confirms an age-old pattern of widespread use of excessive force and institutional misconduct. President Obama has announced that greater oversight will be exercised in distributing military hardware to police departments and has set aside millions of dollars for the purchase of police body cameras, a supposed last ditch ‘never again’ effort. The president also unveiled new federal racial profiling guidelines. He has yet to visit Ferguson, Missouri, the town that set off the global outcry following Brown’s death.

    These ‘changes’ in the United States do not include an alteration in the narrative of American exceptionalism, nor a hint from official channels that the police forces in Staten Island, New York, where Garner was killed, were wrong. Instead the reflection has been directed outward into mediums of television, news, and social media. The conversation has trended ‘violent’ protesters, thugs that disobey the law, racism in America, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, and ways to make police forces less forceful.

    Still, the only people that directly confront the reality and gravity of what these latest rounds of killings mean are the people on the ground in marches, their many supporters, and the people that live in fear of state-sanctioned police brutality. The residents of Ferguson have led the way in translating their daily encounters with state violence into political action.

    Americans tend to think of themselves as violently free and are unflinching in their resolve to support any- and everything that maintains the status quo of ‘freedom.’ These protests aren’t really concerned about ideals. They are visceral reactions to violence and systemic tolerance of inequality. They are the lamentations and cries of a generation expecting the fruits of free enterprise and capital. At the grassroots, they are the standing exceptions to American exceptionalism, a generation of urbanized black people that have only tasted the bitter end of American grace.

    Following that, contrast. A little from the other side: Howard Safir: Anti-Police Rhetoric Unlike Anything I’ve Seen in 45 Years

    The national dialogue on proper and effective policing has been totally distorted. Activists purporting to represent the majority of the black community have been bolstered by a 24 hour news cycle that gives them unwarranted credibility. I do not believe for one minute that Al Sharpton represents the feelings of most hardworking, law abiding black American families. I know through dozens of community meetings during my time as NYC Police Commissioner that what the black community wants most is what we all want—a safe environment in which to live their lives.

    There are 18,000 police departments in the United States. They interact millions of times with the public, and make hundreds of thousands of arrests. Very few result in a suspect’s death or injury. We do not have police forces out of control as the media and the Sharptons of the world would have us believe. Does that mean that there are not serious incidents of police abuse or misjudgment? Of course there are. When they take place we should investigate them thoroughly and prosecute and punish those who committed the wrong doing. We should not burn down buildings and murder police officers.

    When Ismaaiyl Abdulah Brinsley brutally executed Officers Ramos and Liu he did so in an atmosphere of permissiveness and anti-police rhetoric unlike any that I have seen in 45 years in law enforcement. The rhetoric this time is not from the usual suspects, but from the Mayor of New York City, the Attorney General of the United States, and even the President. It emboldens criminals and sends a message that every encounter a black person has with a police officer is one to be feared. Nothing could be further from the truth. We will never know what was in the mind of Brinsley when he shot officers Ramos and Liu. However we do know that he has seen nothing but police bashing from some of the highest officials in the land.

    We should all be concerned about the reaction our police officers will have. I have seen times when police bashing has resulted in officers doing the minimum necessary to complete their tours and go home safely to their families.

    Positive: Nelly announces Michael Brown memorial scholarship at Black and White Ball

    In a special live interview before a couple hundred of St. Louis’ most influential citizens, master of ceremonies Mike Claiborne managed to mix in some of the tough questions facing the community in the wake of the Ferguson unrest – including how Nelly sees his role in making a difference – during the celebratory evening Sunday night at The Four Seasons.

    “That’s what happens sometimes when tragedy strikes your community – it’s a wakeup call,” Nelly said. “Sometimes it takes a situation to wake people up. Not for the worse, but for the better so the generations and the community can come together.”

    Dr. Shane Williamson, Lindenwood University’s dean of first year student programs who helped present the full scholarships for 2014 proudly announced that one of this year’s recipients, Savoy Smith, is actually from Ferguson.

    “Kaylon and I are a beaming light in Ferguson,” Smith said of himself and his co-recipient Kaylon Michael Grant said when accepting his scholarship.

    “Every single day I keep realizing the full impact of this full ride,” Grant said during his brief remarks.

    The fact that they understood how the award will change their lives touched Nelly as well.

    “I want to thank the young brothers for even taking advantage of the option,” Nelly said. “That’s what we need more of – we need more kids to understand that there are options and situations that can help them out and change their lives so that they can change the lives of their loved ones and their community – it’s called a domino effect. The best place to start is with education.”

    The scholarship is in conjunction with Lindenwood University Black Student Union, Plaza Motors and Nelly. According to Williamson, the award is worth about $22,000 annually.

    “I’m hoping that these kids – whatever they learn from this opportunity – that they take it back to their communities to help bring a positive light to help create change,” Nelly said.

    Police Unions Hated Giuliani & Bloomberg Too. Going to list some tweets with links to stories on this (from respective years) in a bit.

  5. rq says

    Repost? Youtube video: The Mike Brown Rebellion Pt 1

    This week, Ñ Don’t Stop brings a Special Report- one of four segments- on the #FergusonRebellion, that has resulted from the killing of #MikeBrown at the hands of Police Officer #DarrenWilson. The story covers the beginnings of the rebellion and the most current events from #FergusonOctober narrated by the young people in the front lines. Special interviews with activist and MC @TefPoe, and activist and organizer Tara Tee.

    And it didnt take long – Mayor @deBlasioNYC throws in his lot with murderers and rapists down at #NYPD #ICantBreathe (see picture at link for details).

    @deray we protested Saturday night in riverside ca, we stand with you my man. #BlackLivesMatter ;
    They watch. We march. #DontreHamilton;
    Mike Brown’s family expresses remorse for deaths of cops they never met; Darren Wilson says he’d kill Mike Brown again Dam;
    I’ve been in 5 cities in protest. And people are tired of the killings y’all. Tired.

  6. rq says

    Frustrated protesters call for deeper scrutiny of police

    “It is time for the federal government and the Department of Justice to initiate the pattern-and-practice investigation of the Milwaukee Police Department, which we have been hearing about now for a number of years,” attorney Jonathan Safran told about 200 protesters who gathered for a news conference outside the federal courthouse. “Milwaukee has had more than its share of cases with claims of excessive force deaths and civil rights violations at the hands of Milwaukee and other law enforcement officers. When is this going to stop?”

    Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn said he believes his department can withstand such federal scrutiny. “If that federal scrutiny should lead to criticism that needs to be addressed, we’re prepared to do that,” Flynn said.

    Statistics on officers killed: FBI Releases 2013 Statistics on Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted

    The 27 felonious deaths occurred in 16 states. The number of officers killed as a result of criminal acts in 2013 decreased by 22 when compared with the 49 officers who were feloniously killed in 2012. The five- and 10-year comparisons show a decrease of 21 felonious deaths compared with the 2009 figure (48 officers) and a decrease of 30 deaths compared with 2004 data (57 officers).

    Officer Profiles: The average age of the officers who were feloniously killed was 39 years. The victim officers had served in law enforcement for an average of 13 years at the time of the fatal incidents. Twenty-five of the officers were male, and two were female. Twenty-five of the officers were white, and two were black.

    Circumstances: Of the 27 officers feloniously killed, six were killed in arrest situations, five were investigating suspicious persons or circumstances, five were ambushed, four were involved in tactical situations, four were answering disturbance calls, and two were conducting traffic pursuits/stops. One was conducting an investigative activity, such as surveillance, a search, or an interview.

    Weapons: Offenders used firearms to kill 26 of the 27 victim officers. Of these 26 officers, 18 were slain with handguns, five with rifles, and three with shotguns. One officer was killed with a vehicle used as a weapon.

    Regions: Fifteen of the felonious deaths occurred in the South, six in the West, four in the Midwest, and two in the Northeast.

    Suspects: Law enforcement agencies identified 28 alleged assailants in connection with the felonious line-of-duty deaths. Twenty of the assailants had prior criminal arrests, and six of the offenders were under judicial supervision at the time of the felonious incidents.

    Accidental Deaths

    Forty-nine law enforcement officers were killed accidentally while performing their duties in 2013. The majority (23 officers) were killed in automobile accidents. The number of accidental line-of-duty deaths increased by one from the 2012 total (48 officers).

    Officer Profiles: The average age of the officers who were accidentally killed was 41 years; the average number of years the victim officers had served in law enforcement was 13. All 49 of the officers were male. Forty-one of the officers were white, six were black, and race was not reported for two officers.

    Circumstances: Of the 49 officers accidentally killed, 23 died as a result of automobile accidents, nine were struck by vehicles, four officers died in motorcycle accidents, four officers were killed in falls, two were accidentally shot, two drowned, one died in an aircraft accident, and four officers died in other types of duty-related accidents. Seatbelt usage was reported for 22 of the 23 officers killed in automobile accidents. Of these, 14 officers were not wearing seatbelts, three of whom were seated in parked patrol vehicles. Eight officers were wearing their seatbelts at the times of the accidents.

    Regions: Thirty-one of the accidental deaths occurred in the South, nine in the West, five in the Northeast, and 4 in the Midwest.

    Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm’s decision in Dontre Hamilton shooting. That’s a link to the full report released.

  8. rq says

    4. The PBA ran ads against Bloomberg and threatened to picket the Republican National Convention in 2004. Link: http://nyti.ms/1wWiin9
    5. Exploiting their huge power over public safety, NYC police unions have historically behaved less responsibly than any other public union.

    Thunderdome saw posted some badly edited footage of protestors suposedly chanting “Kill a cop”. WBFF apologizes for misleading edit on videotape of protest chant

    The Sinclair-owned Fox affiliate aired the misleading video in the wake of news of two New York City police officers being murdered by a gunman from Baltimore.

    Rather than comment when reached by phone Monday, Bill Fanshawe, general manager of Fox45, referred The Sun to a statement posted at 4:46 p.m. Monday on its website.

    “Fox45 is apologizing for an error made on Fox45 News at Ten last night,” the statement said.

    “We aired a clip from a protest in Washington, DC where we reported protesters were chanting ‘kill a cop’. We received a phone call from Tawanda Jones, who is in the video, who informed us that the chant was actually ‘We won’t stop….We can’t stop…. ’til killer cops…. are in cell blocks’.

    “We here at Fox45 work hard every day to earn your trust and bring you fair and comprehensive news from around the country. Although last night’s report reflected an honest misunderstanding of what the protesters were saying, we apologize for the error. We have deleted the story on our webpage and we offered to have Ms. Jones on Fox45 News at 5:00 tonight for a live interview. We had a constructive conversation with her earlier today and she has accepted our invitation and will join us for a live interview at 5:30.”

    I’m sure all damage is undone. [/sarcasm]

  9. rq says

    De Blasio, With Bratton by Side, Seeks Balance After 2 Killings

    Mr. de Blasio visited the families of the slain officers, spoke to a nonprofit police group and, for the first time since the shooting, took several questions at a news conference at Police Headquarters.

    And at every stop, the Democratic mayor of New York, who ascended to office with a pledge to reshape the Police Department, had company: Police Commissioner William J. Bratton — once renowned for helping turn back crime in the 1990s, now the essential bridge between the mayor and a department that distrusts him more deeply than ever.

    Mr. de Blasio, at the helm of a city still raw from weeks of protests after a grand jury’s decision, called for a suspension of the demonstrations, asked the public to report any possible threats against police officers and urged New Yorkers to thank and console officers in mourning, even as detectives continued to trace the movements and communications of the gunman before the attack on Saturday.

    “Suspend #NYC protests” says @BilldeBlasio When does America “suspend” systemic racism & socioeconomic inequality? (intro to previous article).

    OMG OMG I CAN’T EVEN. Racist song at ex-cop’s charity event compares Michael Brown to a ‘roadkill dog’. Do I TW this? Yes.

    “Michael Brown learned a lesson about a messin’ / With a badass policeman,” lodge member Gary Fishell sings. “And he’s bad, bad Michael Brown / Baddest thug in the whole damn town / Badder than old King Kong / Meaner than a junkyard dog.”

    The song continues: “And he’s dead, dead Michael Brown / Deadest man in the whole damn town / His whole life’s long gone / Deader than a roadkill dog.”

    According to TMZ, the event was hosted by retired LAPD Officer Joe Myers, and about half of the 50-60 attendees were officers. The gathering was part of an annual charity golf tournament.

    In poor taste? IN POOR TASTE?????
    More on that: Horrific Racist Song at Charity Event
    ‘And He’s Dead, Dead Michael Brown’ [VIDEO]
    If you want to keep some christmas spirit, don’t watch the video. But then, what’s the point of christmas spirit with bullshit like this in the world?

    Ferguson protest leaders eye next phase

    Protest leaders in many cities say they are warning their participants to be vigilant about retaliation from officers. Organizers in New York are still considering how to move forward in the short term in light of a request from New York Mayor Bill de Blasio that demonstrations cease in light of the officers’ deaths.

    In general, the path ahead has been hampered as the young leaders continue to clash over messaging, goals and tactics. The protest momentum has grown to include activist groups in close to a dozen cities nationally, but the expansion has come with some baggage.

    “It is deeply necessary right now to kind of get on the balcony, survey what we’ve done thus far and look out on the horizon about where we need to go,” said Brittany Packnett, one of the key organizers of the Ferguson protests.

    One thing that is not going to change is that the protests will continue — especially during the rest of the holiday shopping season, through Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month in February.

    But much of the organizational discussion is now focused on refining a long-term messaging strategy and crafting specific goals for 2015 that run deeper than the indictment of specific police officers and the shutting down of a local Wal-Mart or freeway for an afternoon.

  10. rq says

    Police officers lives are NOT more important than Citizens

    The latest killings have shown the discontent the people have with the police. Instead of trying to defuse the situation the NYPD went as far as declaring war on the public, Like there was ever any peace, basically saying the deaths they perpetrated was a way of keeping “peace.” After it’s all said and done they can deny and shift blame all they want but the blood of those officers are on their hands.

    Ferguson protesters, especially me and Tef Poe, are having the finger pointed in our direction. Very responsible to blame peaceful protesters for violence perpetrated in a different part of the nation. Yes we have inspired a bunch of good folks to go out and make a difference. But we have also stressed keeping the peace regardless of the narrative of crash-dummy-journalists. A Fox affiliate even went as far as editing a video to make it sound like a group of protesters were calling out for deaths of police officers. This puts us all at risk, both police and citizens alike, and all for pageviews to keep itself relevant. The mainstream media is brainwashing the public to believe they are in danger so that the government can take away more of our rights. All to the thunderous applause by the sheeple.

    What’s next? Why don’t we see some accountability for a change? Officers are turning their backs on the mayor, signaling to the nation that the NYPD has gone rogue. They answer to no one, servicing only the highest bidder. Instead of addressing the issue they are calling for more violence against protesters. Will that keep cops safe? Will that help the healing process? Why do we allow that gang of thugs to keep law and order when they know nothing of the sort?

    Their only answer is “Comply with the law and you won’t be hurt.” I think that is bullshit. America foundation was built on revolution, was built on questioning the intentions of those in power. The sheeple who stress to comply with the law are completely un-American. They know nothing of what it takes to be a true American, unless everything we were taught was a lie. Which is becoming the case day by day, and the constitution is looking like a document created to appease the people. It’s looking like it’s a sham, lies to justify a change in power. How can you deny that? They stated all men were created equal while they owned slaves. Does that sound democratic?

    Police officers are human, and they are citizens, but they are no more human than anyone else. Their citizenship isn’t supposed to supersede ours, but that is the reality. While they scramble to protect killer cops, they are putting innocent cops in danger. This is by design. All of it, to keep those officers in check just like the rest of the populace.

    We protest to bring awareness to the public including the police. We protest to protect citizens from state-sanctioned violence, which includes the police. Do they do anything in return? No, they’re shifting blame And they point fingers to anyone else but themselves. We won’t go back in the house until we see and feel a change.

    The revolution has just begun. It’s on them to comply with us not vice versa. We the people have spoken. It’s time they actually listen, they are not doing any one any favors by ignoring the cries of the people they claim to protect. Either the police recognize and take measures to right the wrongs or they will be forced out of the job.

    Yet another: Houston Grand Jury Chooses Not to Indict Police Officer in Shooting. More tomorrow.

  11. rq says

    Officer Juventino Castro Will Walk Free After Killing Unarmed Man Jordan Baker (that’s on the previous).

    Related to the 2 NYPD cops, Shaneka Thompson’s Life Matters

    Twenty-nine-year old Shaneka Thompson was the first victim of Ismaiyil Brinsley, the man alleged to have executed two NYPD officers on Dec. 20. Thompson suffered a 9-millimeter gunshot wound to the abdomen about 8 hours before Brinsley – the man she had been dating for about a year – made his way to New York. She remains in critical condition as of this writing. She is also perhaps the starkest example yet of how little Black women’s lives matter to media and the NYPD – those who say their job is to protect and serve – and their union and their supporters.

    And that’s because the media, the NYPD, its union and its supporters have seized upon the deaths of officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos not as a tragedy but as an opportunity. This opportunity, evidently too good to pass up, seeks to demonize a legitimate and righteous movement against police terror the likes of which has never before been seen in this country. A movement that rightfully calls into question police policies, practices and procedures, and decries the impunity of police actions.

    One would think that Thompson would receive widespread support and concern for her well-being as she could have very easily died by Brinsley’s hands. While Baltimore media did their due diligence in acknowledging her presence, The New York Times didn’t get around to telling her story until approximately two days after NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were shot. To my knowledge, neither Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake or New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, NY Police Commissioner Bill Bratton or NY Patrolman’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch have even uttered her name.

    One would think that concern about Thompson’s well-being would be leading nightly newscasts since, as a survivor, she is in the best position to provide valuable insight into Brinsley’s motivations. According to the Daily Mail, Brinsley called Thompson’s mother to apologize for having shot her daughter. Thompson’s relationship with Brinsley, described as “on again-off again,” was obviously substantive and could possibly provide clues to Brinsley’s other relationships.

    One would think that as a member of the US military, Thompson would be seen as a comrade-in-arms of law enforcement, a worker whose job description also entails risking her life in various situations. And one would think that as a member of the US military, acknowledgement would be made that Thompson also took an oath to protect and defend. In their rush to demonize this movement both media and New York police in have exalted a local institution – a police department – over that of the United States military. One would think that the story would begin with Thompson – because it actually does – but that actual narrative does not serve the current project to place police and any criticism of them off limits.

    Well, at least the NYPD have a nice narrative for themselves.

  12. rq says

    Officer Juventino Castro Will Walk Free After Killing Unarmed Man Jordan Baker (that’s on the previous).

    Related to the 2 NYPD cops, Shaneka Thompson’s Life Matters

    Twenty-nine-year old Shaneka Thompson was the first victim of Ismaiyil Brinsley, the man alleged to have executed two NYPD officers on Dec. 20. Thompson suffered a 9-millimeter gunshot wound to the abdomen about 8 hours before Brinsley – the man she had been dating for about a year – made his way to New York. She remains in critical condition as of this writing. She is also perhaps the starkest example yet of how little Black women’s lives matter to media and the NYPD – those who say their job is to protect and serve – and their union and their supporters.

    And that’s because the media, the NYPD, its union and its supporters have seized upon the deaths of officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos not as a tragedy but as an opportunity. This opportunity, evidently too good to pass up, seeks to demonize a legitimate and righteous movement against police terror the likes of which has never before been seen in this country. A movement that rightfully calls into question police policies, practices and procedures, and decries the impunity of police actions.

    One would think that Thompson would receive widespread support and concern for her well-being as she could have very easily died by Brinsley’s hands. While Baltimore media did their due diligence in acknowledging her presence, The New York Times didn’t get around to telling her story until approximately two days after NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were shot. To my knowledge, neither Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake or New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, NY Police Commissioner Bill Bratton or NY Patrolman’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch have even uttered her name.

    One would think that concern about Thompson’s well-being would be leading nightly newscasts since, as a survivor, she is in the best position to provide valuable insight into Brinsley’s motivations. According to the Daily Mail, Brinsley called Thompson’s mother to apologize for having shot her daughter. Thompson’s relationship with Brinsley, described as “on again-off again,” was obviously substantive and could possibly provide clues to Brinsley’s other relationships.

    One would think that as a member of the US military, Thompson would be seen as a comrade-in-arms of law enforcement, a worker whose job description also entails risking her life in various situations. And one would think that as a member of the US military, acknowledgement would be made that Thompson also took an oath to protect and defend. In their rush to demonize this movement both media and New York police in have exalted a local institution – a police department – over that of the United States military. One would think that the story would begin with Thompson – because it actually does – but that actual narrative does not serve the current project to place police and any criticism of them off limits.

    Well, at least the NYPD have a nice narrative for themselves.

  14. rq says

    Okay, these two tweets of Dotson handing out money are not working for me.
    On this one, replace * with appropriate letter for the link to work. https://twitter.com/C*ntMeOut/status/547497355134504960 RT @deray: Y’all, Chief Dotson is in Secret Santa mode giving out cash in #Ferguson. This is real. America. – The URL won’t work because you have to replace the * with the appropriate letter.

    https://twitter.com/peppersandeggs/status/547497600241250304 @deray Where’s the $ from? His own pocket? From taxpayer funded police Fines/Tickets acct? From the $500k in the DW Fund?

  15. rq says

    In the spirit of helpiong the poor and disadvantaged – St. Louis rules Larry Rice’s homeless shelter a nuisance.

    In the past 48 hours alone, while we’re supposed to cease protests, police were let off for murdering #JordanBaker & #DontreHamilton;
    121 shootings in four years and all of them cleared but the jury isn’t biased? #JordanBaker There’s a nice little citation at the link.

    Ignoring Shaneka Thompson to make Brinsley some kind of revolutionary hero is again stepping on BW under faux-black unity.

    Interlude: Five African Americans Named Rhodes Scholars. Congratulations!

    This is prior to the Houston announcement: Grand jury clears officer in deadly police shooting

    The panel, which has been meeting for months, cleared officer Juventino Castro in the death of 26-year-old Jordan Baker.

    The inquiry marked one of Harris County’s first grand jury deliberations in a police shooting following recent unrest over the lack of indictments in the officer-involved deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in New York.

    Baker’s death has gained national attention as another unarmed black man killed by police, a trend that has sparked protests and calls for body cameras on officers.

    Janet Baker, who spent most of Tuesday and Thursday last week awaiting a decision at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center, had maintained that Castro profiled her son – who was wearing a black hoodie – as a criminal. Along with activists, she has been accompanied by mothers whose sons have been injured or killed in local shootings.

    The grieving mother and her supporters had remained hopeful that the grand jury would indict the officer so that his actions can be considered by a trial jury.

    thisisthemovement, installment #67:

    Ferguson
    McCulloch Acknowledges That Some Grand Jury Witnesses Lied In a radio interview, Bob McCulloch acknowledged that he allowed witnesses that he knew to be lying to testify before the grand jury. You really must read and listen to this interview. Absolute must read. And listen to the interview.

    Ferguson Commission Chooses Managing Director And Receives $150,000 Donation The Ferguson Commission has chosen Bethany A. Johnson-Javois, a current Commission member, to be the Commission’s Managing Director. And a few non-profits/foundations have recently donated a combined $150,000 to the Commission. Interesting and important read.

    Obama Appoints Ferguson Protestor To Police Reform Task Force Brittany Packnett, a Ferguson protestor and member of the Ferguson Commission, has been appointed by President Obama to the Task Force on 21st Century Policing. Here is the full listing of the Task Force members.

    The Supreme Court In the Midst of Ferguson Y’all, read this. This article explores the case of Heien vs. North Carolina. “On Monday, eight justices ruled that although the police officer stopped a car for having only one working brake light, and having only one working break light is actually legal in North Carolina, the stop was ‘reasonable’ under the Fourth Amendment.” Absolute must read.

    Arne Duncan Visits Ferguson Recently, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Ferguson to speak with students, protestors, elected official, and education leaders.

    Eric Garner
    NYC Seeks To Settle Civil Rights Lawsuit Re: Eric Garner The NYC Comptroller is trying to negotiate a $75 million settlement with the family of Eric Garner in the civil rights claim that they have filed before it heads to trial. Quick, important read.

    Eric Garner GJ Judge Recuses Himself From Transcript Request Proceedings Due to a potential conflict of interest involving his wife, the judge who oversaw the Garner GJ has recused himself from proceedings about whether the GJ transcripts will be released. His wife is the chairwoman of the board at the hospital whose workers responded to the scene where Garner died. Interesting read.

    Bill Clinton On Eric Garner In an interview, Bill Clinton noted that: Eric Garner “didn’t deserve to die.” And then Clinton goes on to say some seemingly problematic statements both about Garner and Mike Brown. Interesting read.

    Dontre Hamilton
    Ex-Officer Christopher Manney Not Indicted In The Killing Of Dontre Hamilton Dontre Hamilton was killed on April 30, 2014 by then-Officer Manney after being shot 14 times and it was announced yesterday that Officer Manney will not be indicted. The District Attorney decided not to call a Grand Jury and, instead, made the decision not to indict on his own. Absolute must read.

    Philadelphia Police Union Chief Complains About Protests The president of the Philadelphia Police Union defends the killing of Brandon Tate Brown and also decries protest as usurping due process and the rights of officers. Yes, this is America. Important read.

    Protests
    Mall of America Expects to File Charges Against Organizers Bloomington City Attorney Sandra Johnson looks to file criminal chargers against organizers of the Saturday protest at the mall. The city attorney says she is looking to get restitution for the money lost by the mall, city and police agencies from Saturday’s protest.

    Baltimore Fox Affiliate Intentionally Alters Video To Suggest Protestors Chanted “Kill A Cop” In Baltimore, the local Fox affiliate intentionally edited protestors in a way that made the chant appear to say “Kill A Cop.” The station has since apologized via Facebook. America. Important read.

    National Political Figures
    Eric Holder’s Parting Shot As AG Holder prepares to leave office, he notes that in light of the recent unrest re: police violence it means, “we, as a nation, have failed. It’s as simple as that. We have failed.” Important read.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    What White Privilege Really Means The subtitle of this article is “It’s not what whites get, it’s what blacks don’t” and the article powerfully explores white privilege, specifically in the context of systemic oppression. Powerful long-read.

    The Blame Game Instead of blaming the shooting of two NYPD police officers on the shooter, Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani blames the president, protesters, editors and “left-wing talking heads.” Instead of acknowledging that this one person is responsible for this act of violence, Former Governor Pataki says the murders are “a predictable outcome of anti-cop rhetoric.”

    Volunteer Auxiliary Officer Resigns Over Racist Online Comments Aaron McNamara, a volunteer officer with he Fairview Park Police Department recently resigned after his YouTube comments full of racial slurs and gay slurs were exposed by the Cleveland Scene. McNamara denied the comments were his even though his first, middle, and last names were all identical to his YouTube account name.

    ACLU Sues Kansas City School On November 20th, 14 students stood and raised their hands in silent protest while Governor Jay Nixon made an assembly appearance. School staff escorted the students out of the assembly and threatened them with 10 days of suspension. The district decided for one day of detention in January. School officials say the students are being punished for not sitting down when told to, not protesting. The students fear to express themselves because their opinions may get them punished again.

  16. rq says

    Excellent photo.

    In this 24 hour news cycle…

    In this 24-hour news cycle — we continue to be concerned about how #BlackLivesMatter is covered and we challenge the ways in which a senseless tragedy, an isolated incident, is being used to send a chilling message to protesters and to shape a dangerous narrative primarily by the Patrolmen Benevolent Association’s Patrick Lynch. Mayor de Blasio and Chief Bratton have not pushed back on the newly shaping narrative. Our hearts go out to the families of officers Liu and Ramos. We ask the media not to erase from these tragic events that the shooting of Shaneka Nicole Thompson in Baltimore, is where these unfortunate events began, ending with the alleged shooter, Ismaaiyl Brinsleyn, taking his own life. According to his own family we know he had a history of mental illness and instability that was not properly addressed. Our hearts go out to all of the families that have suffered violence and loss connected to these events. In light of all we know, and with respect to all who hurt most now, we must not let misconceptions prevail.

    Percy Green on St. Louis’ Veiled Prophet (V.P.) Fair

    The legendary civil rights activist talks to PubDef.net (http://www.pubdef.net) about the history of St. Louis’ “Veiled Prophet Fair”.

  17. rq says

    They shot another one in St Louis, pretty much in front of protestors.
    The body has been out here for 2 hours. They are abt to put #antoniomartin in the back of a SVU #ferguson
    Six different people on the scene sayin #antoniomartin was still alive after the Pigs shot him & they let him die there on the cold pavement
    Protestor heard from police that #AntonioMartin was still breathing when he was down. He is now dead. His body has been out for 2 hours.
    The body of 18 yr old #AntonioMartin is still laying on the ground,he latest victim of St. Louis police. Liveestream
    Community yelling “quit touching him” at police because examiner is not here yet. #AntonioMartin.

  19. Pteryxx says

    I just saw the news about Antonio Martin via retweets in Chris Kluwe’s timeline. Word is police are macing protesters and smoke is flying now.

    Anonymous ‏@YourAnonNews

    Another black man has been shot & killed by police in the St. Louis area. See @search4swag’s timeline. #Ferguson #ICantBreathe

    10:11 PM – 23 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Loctavia Butler ‏@LovnMyLocs

    For anyone else who may be confused #AntonioMartin was shot and killed by a cop in BERKELEY, MO literally a county over from #Fergson

    10:09 PM – 23 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    #BlackLivesMatter ‏@VeryWhiteGuy

    I already know that in 24 hours we will know more about #AntonioMartin past behavior than anything related to his extrajudicial killing

    10:27 PM – 23 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    deray mckesson ‏@deray

    And the police brought the police dogs out to the scene. Dogs. They just killed someone and they brought the K-9 unit. #AntonioMartin

    11:50 PM – 23 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    ShordeeDooWhop ‏@Nettaaaaaaaa

    Police watching twitter obviously, all K-9 units have left the scene to where we can’t hear them anymore #AntonioMartin #Berkeley #Ferguson

    12:11 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    More from ‏@Nettaaaaaaaa

    ShordeeDooWhop retweeted
    Dr. Cornel Fresh @WyzeChef · 54m 54 minutes ago

    Bystanders saying he was alive for approximately 30 minutes after being shot. No ambulance. #antoniomartin

    —

    ShordeeDooWhop @Nettaaaaaaaa · 20m 20 minutes ago

    Me: “Why is your body cam all the way down there?” Officer Klein: “so we can record ur hands” #AntonioMartin #Berkley

    —

    ShordeeDooWhop @Nettaaaaaaaa · 4m 4 minutes ago

    Police Macing ppl #AntonioMartin #Berkeley #Ferguson

    —

    ShordeeDooWhop @Nettaaaaaaaa · 2m 2 minutes ago

    3 ppl on the ground being attested #AntonioMartin #Berkeley #Ferguson

    —

    ShordeeDooWhop @Nettaaaaaaaa · 1m 1 minute ago

    This shit got real FAST

  20. Pteryxx says

    from Kluwe’s timeline, starting here:

    Chris KluweVerified account ‏@ChrisWarcraft

    Hopes and thoughts to those in Missouri right now, especially those looking for justice. #blacklivesmatter

    11:27 PM – 23 Dec 2014

    The scene in Missouri right now reminds of the Terry Pratchett book, Night Watch, the one where the riots are brewing in Ankh-Morpork.

    One of the young watchmen asks Vimes, “Shouldn’t we take out our swords?” And Vimes says “No, that’s how we end up dead.”

    “What you need, son, on a night where people are tired, and scared, is a light on in the window and a warm drink on the doorstep.”

    “You need to show them that you live down the street, and their mum buys a curry from yours, and that you’re all neighbors.”

    “Because they ARE our neighbors, and we owe them justice, and if they realize they outnumber you, you’re just a smear on the cobbles.”

    Just paraphrased Terry Pratchett quite badly, but I feel the spirit was there.

    And sadly, I feel that the police in Missouri will not have the wisdom of Sam Vimes, and will pull their swords, and our tragedy will go on.

  21. rq says

    2:00am. #Berkeley, MO. #AntonioMartin

    Me: “Why is your body cam all the way down there?” Officer Klein: “so we can record ur hands” #AntonioMartin #Berkley

    And the police brought the police dogs out to the scene. Dogs. They just killed someone and they brought the K-9 unit. #AntonioMartin

    Protesters are now on the scene. Have crossed the tape line and made it to edge of the Mobile parking lot.

    There’sa couple of livestreams, link up soon.

    Teenager is fatally shot at gas station in Berkeley

    The victim was identified as Antonio Martin, 18, by his mother, Toni Martin.

    Toni Martin and others at the scene said Antonio was shot by a police officer.

    The body remained on the parking lot just in front of the Mobil gas station at 6800 North Hanley Road at about 1 a.m. Berkeley police cars were on either side.

    People stating #antoniomartin was alive when shot and no emergency response was called. There are tons of police and no ambulance #ferguson.

  22. Pteryxx says

    Article and what seems to be a livestream at HuffPo: Antonio Martin, Black Teenager, Fatally Shot By Police 2 Miles From Ferguson: Report

    Antonio Martin, 18, was shot at 1 a.m. on Christmas Eve at Mobil gas station in Berkeley, Mo., the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

    The victim’s mother, Toni Martin, spoke to the publication and said her son was shot by police.

    The hashtag #AntonioMartin is gaining traction on social media. Those at the scene, along with The Dispatch, report approximately 60 to 100 people have gathered around the gas station where the shooting took place.

    […]

    I can’t believe my best friend just died in front of me #AntonioMartin

    — Jesús Christo (@DesJuanTheThug) December 24, 2014

    Jesus Christo, 18, told The Huffington Post that he and Martin were stopped by an officer who said they fit the descriptions of recent robbery suspects. Christo declined to speak over the phone, but spoke through direct messages on Twitter.

    The officer attempted to search Martin, who refused, Christo said.

    “The officer then stepped back and drew his weapon and pointed at Antonio and told us to lay on the ground,” Christo said. “I layed [sic] down but Antonio Refused [sic].”

    More from Christo:

    “The officer then began to step back from us with his gun still aimed at us. He told Antonio to lay down once again and when Antonio didn’t lay down the officer opened fire. And when I tried to get up to help my friend he screamed at me to stay down with his weapon still drawn.”

  23. rq says

    ‘To Protest Is A First Amendment Right’: New Yorkers Defy Mayor’s Request To Pause Demonstrations

    Knight added that de Blasio’s call to halt demonstrations infringed on protesters’ First Amendment rights. “Why should our freedoms of assembly and speech be curtailed because a deranged man killed two officers?” he said.

    Event organizers expressed similar sentiments in a statement released Tuesday, calling de Blasio’s request an “outrageous” and “misguided response” that encroached on their constitutional right to peacefully assemble.

    Siervo Del Pueblo, one of the organizers, told HuffPost before the demonstration that although he respects the families of the officers who lost their lives, the protests must continue. “It’s not that we’re going against the mayor’s wishes,” Del Pueblo, a 29-year-old EMT from Brooklyn, said. “This demonstration has been planned for a long time.”

    Pueblo added that Tuesday’s location was deliberate. “Fifth Avenue was named the world’s most expensive shopping district this year,” he said. “We want to make the connection between police brutality and the ruling class of Americans and New York City. It’s a symbolic, peaceful protest.”

    Stuff from Milwaukee intermittently, too, where protest last night was at a high. “@deray: “I’m paying for the overtime, I might as well get a photo.” Milwaukee. ”
    #Milwaukee: This entrance to the Bucks game is BLOCKED. #ShutItDown #DontreHamilton via @deray

    Ah, more on the apology: WATCH: Protester Confronts Fox Station That Deceptively Edited ‘Kill A Cop’ Chant

    The chant went “we won’t stop, we can’t stop, ’til killer cops, are in cell blocks,” according to C-SPAN footage.

    But WBFF cut the audio short and told viewers that the words were in fact “we won’t stop, we can’t stop, so kill a cop.”

    The station apologized both on its Facebook page and in an interview with one of the protestors leading the chant, Tawanda Jones.

    “Although last night’s report reflected an honest misunderstanding of what the protesters were saying, we apologize for the error,” the post read.

    “We have deleted the story on our webpage and we offered to have Ms. Jones on Fox45 News at 5:00 tonight for a live interview,” it continued.

    In that interview, Jones called out the station several times for misrepresenting her words.

    “The interesting part that really gets to me is, where you guys edited it and stopped — like, how could that be a mistake?” she said.

    “Once you play that whole thing, you would know that’s not something that’s being said,” she added.

    The interviewer apologized several times, and though Jones told the station she was grateful to come on, she also said she now fears for her reputation and her safety. Near the end of the interview she began to cry.

    “At the end of the day, people’s lives are on the line,” she said. “Now, even though we’re doing this, I still don’t feel safe because I still feel like the message is out there.”

    That is irresponsible reporting.

    New York: NOW: Malcolm X Blvd shut down! We need stuck together cuz every 28 hrs our people are killed #ShutDown5thAve.

    Via Wonkette, Off-Duty Black Cops Racisted By White Cops In NYC Because Of Course

    Maybe this isn’t really racisming. Maybe 96 percent of black cops Reuters talked to were just hyper-sensitive. Or asking for it. What really happened?

    The officers said this [racial profiling] included being pulled over for no reason, having their heads slammed against their cars, getting guns brandished in their faces, being thrown into prison vans and experiencing stop and frisks while shopping. The majority of the officers said they had been pulled over multiple times while driving. Five had had guns pulled on them.

    We have no scientific or even anecdotal evidence, but we would bet Dok Zoom’s left testicle that you’d be hard pressed to find five out of 100 white cops in NYC who have had a gun pulled on them from a fellow cop, even if they were #CrimingWhileWhite.

    Good thing there is a system set up for complaints like this. And in America, we know that The System works so well for black men, so this is sure to have a happy ending, right?

    All but one said their supervisors either dismissed the complaints or retaliated against them by denying them overtime, choice assignments, or promotions. The remaining officers [two-thirds of them] who made no complaints said they refrained from doing so either because they feared retribution or because they saw racial profiling as part of the system.

    Fuck, man. We can’t even be funny about this. This is just monumentally fucked up. What kind of goddamed society are we living in when this shit can happen? And on top of that, there are asshats out there who claim that it’s white people who are the real victims of racism?

  24. Pteryxx says

    Shaun King ‏@ShaunKing

    It appears the same thing happened with #AntonioMartin. Witnesses are saying he was alive, refused medical attention, until he died tonight.

    11:23 PM – 23 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Davey D ‏@mrdaveyd

    Police refused to let #AntonioMartin’s mom comfort her son who was still alive after being shot… he died alone, left for 2 hours

    12:31 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    LEFT ‏@LeftSentThis

    Like #MikeBrown, the best friend of #AntonioMartin was there as he died. He too feared for his life. The police will ignore his testimony.

    12:37 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Kirsten West SavaliVerified account ‏@KWestSavali

    But they want us to “pause” protests, though. Where is the moratorium on the extrajudicial murder of Black people? #AntonioMartin

    12:17 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    deray mckesson ‏@deray

    You’re right, we don’t know all the details. But we know this detail: Antonio is dead. And we know: an officer killed him. #AntonioMartin

    12:12 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Black Santa ‏@greghoward88

    we know the excuses. we know he’ll be big and scary. we know there will no indictment. we know it’ll happen again and again. #AntonioMartin

    12:10 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

  25. Pteryxx says

    Shaun King ‏@ShaunKing

    Earliest account I’ve found of what happened tonight. #AntonioMartin

    12:43 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter) (referencing the HuffPo article)

    Shaun King ‏@ShaunKing

    The official police account of what happened tonight. #AntonioMartin

    12:45 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter) (screenshot of press release including text:

    […The Berkeley Police Officer exited his vehicle and approached the subjects when one of the men pulled a handgun and pointed it at the officer. Fearing for his life…]

    Shaun King ‏@ShaunKing

    Now, compare the police account versus the account of a friend. Worlds apart.

    12:46 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Arianne Young ‏@Bettykiss

    @ShaunKing This gas station footage needs to be released now. Not damaged in transferring, not accidentally erased. Released. Now.

    12:47 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

  26. Pteryxx says

    Buzzfeed: Large Crowd Gathers Near Ferguson After Police Shoot Teen

    Tweets and images going up at the link…

    St. Louis County Police told BuzzFeed News in a statement that the shooting happened at a Mobile Gas Station on Hanley Road. At about 11:30 p.m., an officer was doing a routine business check at the the gas station when he saw “two male subjects on the side of the building,” police say. As the officer approached the men one of them reportedly pulled out a handgun.

    “Fearing for his life, the Berkeley Officer fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him,” the statement said. “The second subject fled the scene.”

    Investigators recovered a handgun at the scene, the statement added.

    Police did not confirm the identify of the man who was shot, but Toni Martin identified him to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as her 18-year-old son, Antonio Martin.

    A large crowd — which witnesses said included at least 100 people — gathered at a police line that surrounded a gas station in a town that lies just two miles from Ferguson. Rumors circulated widely that an officer had shot Martin at the gas station, and witnesses in a live stream could be heard yelling “why the fuck he still on the ground?”

    —

    Charles ‏@2kOverCondoms

    Their facial expressions tell the whole story smh. It’s just another day at the job to them.

    12:50 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    [Cell phone pic of a distraught black woman being comforted by another as three white cops with pens and clipboards stand nearby.]

    occutord ‏@occbaystreet

    Here’s a transcription of the #AntonioMartin initial Police dispatch call at 11:36pm CST. Will upload sound ASAP

    12:53 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    [Transcript image reads: 11:36pm (CST) “Requesting assistance 6800 N. Hanley. 6800 N. Hanley at the Mobil gas station. I just had a shooting and am requesting assistance for crowd control if you could respond J1. 2205, respond as well so you can advise. It’s 11:35.”]

  27. rq says

    New York: #shutdown5thave Morningside & 125th st #shutitdown #nyc

    Zephyr Teachout, Hands Up United and John Oliver Made Our 2014 Progressive Honor Roll. Who Else Made the List?

    Most Valuable House Member
    Barbara Lee

    St. Louis Rams players got plenty of attention when, after a grand jury failed to indict the police officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, they entered the field with their hands up, highlighting the “Hands up, don’t shoot” message of the protests that erupted nationwide. But they weren’t alone. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus stepped up, with Lee declaring, after a Staten Island grand jury refused to indict the police officer for the chokehold death of Eric Garner, that while the death was a tragedy, the “decision not to indict is an outrage.” That’s typical of Lee, the House’s full-spectrum advocate for peace, civil rights, civil liberties and economic justice. Progressive Democrats of America argues that the way forward for progressives is to develop “inside/outside” strategies that link activists in the streets and members of Congress. It’s a tall order, but Lee meets it by keeping her office door open to advocates—taking up the causes that others neglect and waging the fights that others fear. She has bravely and steadily struggled to force congressional debates on the military interventions of Republican or Democratic presidents. “There is no military solution to the crisis in Iraq and Syria,” she declared in September. “In fact, continued U.S. military action will result in unintended consequences. We must remember the roots of ISIS—President Bush’s ill-begotten war. Congress needs to debate the political, economic, diplomatic and regionally-led solutions that will ultimately be the tools for U.S. and regional security.” […]

    Most Valuable Grassroots Activism
    Millennial Activists United, Hands Up United, Justice League NYC and…

    With the fury over the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner on Staten Island, a new age of protest emerged, and so too did groups that make old demands in new ways: for police accountability, for an end to mass incarceration, for racial and economic justice. In Missouri, groups like Millennial Activists United and Hands Up United stepped up in Ferguson. After a grand jury’s failure to indict in the Garner case, Justice League NYC (a project with roots in singer Harry Belafonte’s Gathering for Justice initiative) expanded its work on behalf of criminal-justice reform to play a coordinating role in organizing protests. They weren’t the only groups trying new approaches and forging fresh alliances in those communities; and those communities weren’t the only places where activists made connections that have the potential to be transformational. That was evident in Richmond, California, where police chief Chris Magnus held a “#BlackLivesMatter” sign as he joined local young people at a mid-December protest. And it was evident in cities across the country on December 4, as striking fast-food workers integrated cries of “I can’t breathe!” with their call for living wages. Campaigns that began at the local level are adding a sense of urgency to the national discourse. After Millennial Activists United co-founder Ashley Yates met with President Obama, she explained, “We have been on the ground making the changes that we can in our community, but these are high-level changes that we need to see. These are systemic issues, and we need systemic solutions for them.” She’s right.

    This on the Native American man who was shot by police: Native American Man Who Attended Anti-Police Brutality Rally Is Killed By Police Next Day

    Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom, who was on sight investigating the shooting, told the Rapid City Journal that Officer Anthony Meirose fired his weapon after Locke allegedly charged him with a knife. Police are saying Locke was shot up to five times by Officer Meirose. Locke was pronounced dead at the scene.

    The day before the shooting, Locke’s family said he had attended the #NativeLivesMatter Anti-Police Brutality Rally and March in Rapid City.

    Says a lot that I haven’t heard of the #NativeLivesMatter movement until now. :(

    One Tweet Captures What People Don’t Get About the NYPD and #BlackLivesMatter

    The death of a police officer is never something to be celebrated in the pursuit of justice, let alone as retribution for a totally unrelated crime. Putting a target on the back of all police officers because of the poor judgement of some members of the force is no better than making unfair and unreasonable assumptions about an entire group people because of the color of their skin. Black lives matter, but so do the lives of police officers.

    Those who are politicizing the deaths of police officers as an ostensible win for #BlackLivesMatter are missing the point of the movement for police reform entirely. The goal of the protests isn’t to eliminate the police force, or to exact bloody vengeance from every police officer who walks the streets. It’s to reform an inherently broken system that’s plagued by institutionalized racism, inequality and the frequent use of unnecessary force by officers who aren’t held accountable by their superiors or the courts, not to arbitrarily mow down hardworking men and women who strive to uphold the law.

    LAPD Investigating Racist Michael Brown Song Performed at Cop Party (VIDEO)

    Los Angeles police Officer Drake Madison told us the party involved an LAPD detective who had retired in 2007. Another source told us the detective was the host of the event, which was the after-party for a charity golf tournament.

    Madison said that Internal Affairs would conduct a “fact-finding” preliminary investigation to determine if any active LAPD officers were involved in misconduct at the party.

    “If so,” he said, “they’ll initiate a formal investigation.”

    He said the department doesn’t believe the event had any formal connection to the LAPD. For example, he said, officials don’t think that any money was raised directly for the force.

    Yes, but still, the PD has been connected to the event. So.

  28. rq says

    Pteryxx
    They left him out there for about 3 hours. And then picked him up in an SUV, not even a medical vehicle (or related). Apparently kept touching the body, too. Makes me question the images of the gun supposedly found on the scene.
    Shee-it.

  29. rq says

    Unarmed Man Shot And Killed By Houston Cop For Wearing A Hoodie While Black (the original story from January).

    The “Special Police Brutality Unit” keeping their eyes on the cops during tonight’s march in NYC. #BlackLivesMatter

    Why protesters are ignoring New York mayor’s plea for a pause (+video)

    Scene where #antoniomartin’s 18 year old body has been laying for 2 hours. A senior in high school, he was. With his gf. :(

    Police want no more protests while they mourn, but they have no intention to stop killing black people. #AntonioMartin #Ferguson #NYPD

  31. rq says

    Yes. Well, ‘keep in our thoughts’, but the thought counts. #Ferguson this is all just too much. Please let’s all pray for this poor mom in Berkeley. I can’t stop crying for her.


    St. Louis Area Police Murder Another Black Teen, Antonio Martin
    0

    Some witnesses say he was unarmed, and that his family was not allowed to see his body when they initially arrived on the scene. There were also reports that say he was still breathing and the police would not call paramedics, and that he was running away when shot.

    Police are trying to block our view of them placing #AntonioMartin’s body in a SVU. People have broken through tape!

    From last night: Can’t wait. RT @deray: And if people are annoyed with the protests now, then they will be absolutely livid when it gets warm again.

  32. Pteryxx says

    rq, you’re not the only one questioning the gun.

    Dr. Cornel Fresh ‏@WyzeChef

    I’m seeing a pic of a gun floating around. Ppl are saying that it wasn’t there when they got here hours ago. #AntonioMartin

    11:50 PM – 23 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

  34. Pteryxx says

    deray mckesson ‏@deray

    Now the @AP and @nytimes are reporting AS FACT that Antonio pulled a gun out on the officer. Did they see the tape? http://mobile.nytimes.com/aponline/2014/12/24/us/ap-us-killings-by-police-berkeley.html

    1:42 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Also @BBCBreaking according to replies in that stream.

    ShordeeDooWhop ‏@Nettaaaaaaaa

    This white reporter took a photo of a gun but it’s photos and vines from ppl who been out here since it happened, no gun.

    1:29 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

  37. rq says

    Giliell Link borked. :( On that tweet you posted.

    And yes, I’m going to post up a series of tweets now, possibly reposts, sorry. No time to filter, lots of info still coming in.

  38. rq says

    We’re calling on all police officers to hold off on killing Black people until #AntonioMartin is laid to rest.

    #AntonioMartin was an 18 yr old black kid who was trying to get his life together. Until the police decided to take it from him.

    Berkeley officer fatally shoots teenager. If you google, other headlines say “Police shoot black man with gun”. Awesome.

    St. Louis County police said the incident started about 11:15 p.m. Tuesday as the Berkeley officer “was conducting a routine business check” at the Mobil gas station at 6800 North Hanley Road.

    The officer saw two people outside the station, got out of his vehicle and approached them. One of the suspects pulled out a handgun and fired at the officer.

    “Fearing for his life, the Berkeley Officer fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him,” the release from the county police said. “The second subject fled the scene.”

    Berkeley police requested that the county department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit handle the investigation of the shooting. Detectives “recovered the deceased subject’s handgun at the scene,” the release from county police said.

    For at least two hours, the body remained on the parking lot just in front of the gas station as police investigated the shooting. Berkeley police cars were on either side. A Berkeley police car was later towed away.

    The station appeared to have security cameras that are trained on the parking lot.

    Toni Martin said her son was with his girlfriend at the time of the shooting. The girlfriend remained at the scene but declined to talk to a reporter.

    If you don’t feel compassion for #AntonioMartin’s Family – Ask yourself Why? Then tell me why you use the HT #AllLivesMatter. That, too.

    On the gun: This white reporter took a photo of a gun but it’s photos and vines from ppl who been out here since it happened, no gun.
    Witnesses reported seeing the cops tamper with evidence at the scene #AntonioMartin

  39. rq says

    Soem stuff to show support:
    And here is the link to donate to the bail fund: Link: http://bit.ly/FERGbailfund #Ferguson
    And here’s the link to support the collective of Livestreamers: Link: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/bv0Kc/sh/548sc7 #Ferguson

    Consequence of police non-indictments in #EricGarner, #MikeBrown and additional killings? Emboldening more police killings. #AntonioMartin

    Already the media is making sure we know that #AntonioMartin dropped out of school and that his mom was a teen when she had him. Despicable.

  40. rq says

    Go media: Just now CNN FINALLY reporting #AntonioMartin death near #Ferguson after multiple repeats of latest on “the Interview”.

    Why does the peacekeeper have a bloody nose “@PDPJ ” #AntonioMartin;
    Man in red sitting on ground was tased by police & is convulsing badly folks are upset.fist fight btwn cops & people;
    Police are tasing an arrestee who appears to be on the ground and handcuffed behind the police line in the crime scene. #AntonioMartin.

    St. Louis Area Police Murder Another Black Teen, Antonio Martin (article).

    Just heard confirmation from a source that there is video of the incident. Let’s see how long before it’s released. #AntonioMartin.

  41. rq says

    Go media: Just now CNN FINALLY reporting #AntonioMartin death near #Ferguson after multiple repeats of latest on “the Interview”.

    Why does the peacekeeper have a bloody nose “@PDPJ ” #AntonioMartin;
    Man in red sitting on ground was tased by police & is convulsing badly folks are upset.fist fight btwn cops & people;
    Police are tasing an arrestee who appears to be on the ground and handcuffed behind the police line in the crime scene. #AntonioMartin.

    St. Louis Area Police Murder Another Black Teen, Antonio Martin (article).

    Just heard confirmation from a source that there is video of the incident. Let’s see how long before it’s released. #AntonioMartin.

    Facebook release from the St Louis PD:

    The St. Louis County Police Department is conducting an investigation into a shooting death involving a Berkeley, Missouri police officer.

    At approximately 11:15 PM on December 23, 2014, a police officer with the City of Berkeley was conducting a routine business check at the Mobile Gas Station located at 6800 N. Hanley when he observed two male subjects on the side of the building.

    The Berkeley Police Officer exited his vehicle and approached the subjects when one of the men pulled a handgun and pointed it at the officer. Fearing for his life, the Berkeley Officer fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him. The second subject fled the scene.

    The Berkeley Police Department requested the St. Louis County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit to handle the investigation. St. Louis County Police Detectives have recovered the deceased subject’s handgun at the scene.

    At this time, we cannot confirm the identity of the deceased subject. The investigation is on-going and further details will be provided as the investigation proceeds.

    A list of PDs present on site: Velda City, Brentwood, Vanita Park, Ferguson, Webster Groves, STL County, Creve Coeur, St. Charles & Woodson Terrace, Fenton PD all here. Pretty impressive list.

    About half of the crowd has left. Some left for medical treatment. #AntonioMartin.

  42. rq says

    Previous in moderation for too many tweets. :P This and that about police tasing an arrestee, who was convulsing for quite some time after the fact.

    Streamer reports 4 arrests at scene of #AntonioMartin shooting | tense standoff now ( @stackizshort live at http://ustre.am/1i2lw ). Don’t know if the livestream is down yet.

    And this: Moment apparent flash bang went off in middle of police-protester clash Link to youtube: Police are seen making arrests in Berkeley, Missouri early Wednesday morning . That is intense. And scary.

    Pics of the gun: Here are the pics–first two before cars moved and last two with gun. #AntonioMartin The first couple are admittedly from a bad angle.

  43. rq says

    Check the photo. #Berkeley #Ferguson #AntonioMartin.

    1,039 = ppl estimated to have been killed by cops in 2014 45 – Cops killed by gunfire in 2014. Think Progress link in the tweet.

    Re: the dispatcher recording – Just listened to recording. According to police dispatch, crowd control was immediately called. Ambulance was not. #AntonioMartin.

    I bet he doesn’t. I don’t think Officer Falzone wants to be here #Berkeley #Ferguson #AntonioMartin.

    A request: If you know #AntonioMartin please tweet positive things, pictures, etc about him. Let’s stop the ‘thug’ narrative. He was a man.

  44. rq says

    And someone hit the local QuikTrip: Damn. #AntonioMartin and Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. #AntonioMartin (some pictures).

    KKK calling on cops to seek revenge, then #Berkeley Police kill a man. Coincidence? Look at location of these tweets. The tweets are from Berkeley, MO. Scary thought, that.

    Wait for the evidence? You’re right, we don’t know all the details. But we know this detail: Antonio is dead. And we know: an officer killed him. #AntonioMartin;
    You’re right, we don’t know exactly what happened. But we know that deadly force should only be used in rare circumstances. #AntonioMartin

  45. rq says

    Oh, and about that QuikTrip: FYI. @PDPJ just confirmed that peaceful PROTESTORS put out the fire at the QT with their bare hands while police stood by and watched.
    Lots of ppl seem to be more upset about broken windows of gas stations & cop cars than are upset about teenagers lying dead in the street.
    I usually cry on New Year’s (it’s tradition), but maybe I’ll jsut do it today for good measure, too.

    Criminal charges for ‘put wings on pigs’ post likely violate the First Amendment

    CBS Boston reports that Charles DiRosa is being charged for a Facebook comment that says, “Put Wings on Pigs” (see this MassLive.com screenshot). That appears to be an allusion to the post by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who murdered two New York police officers, saying that he was “putting wings on pigs.”

    But DiRosa’s Facebook comment is likely protected by the First Amendment, unless there are more facts that aren’t being reported. It isn’t punishable incitement of crime — to fit within the incitement exception, speech must be intended to and likely to produce imminent unlawful conduct, as opposed to just being “advocacy of illegal action at some indefinite future time.” See Hess v. Indiana (1973) and Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969). And this post, even if it is intended as advocacy of murder, is indeed advocacy of murder at some indefinite future time (as opposed to in the coming hours).

    Nor is it likely to be a punishable threat. It is far from clear that it is indeed a statement of what the speaker would do (“I will kill police officers”), which would be subject to the threats test, as opposed to a statement of advocacy (“you should kill police officers”), which would be subject to the incitement test. But even it is a statement of intention, such general statements, with no specificity of victim, place, or time, are not punishable threats.

    The police have ample authority to investigate people who say such things, and see whether such speakers are actually planning something beyond speech. But prosecuting a person based on such a statement is, I think, forbidden by the First Amendment.

  46. rq says

    “Anti-Police Brutality” Does Not Mean “Anti-Police”

    In a rush to assign blame and politicize these murders, some very prominent people (a police union chief, an ex-Governor, etc) have blamed Brinsley’s act on Barack Obama, Eric Holder, Bill de Blasio, and the hundreds of thousands who have recently protested how our communities are policed. This is, to put it bluntly, some dumb-ass fucking shit. It is also predictable. American history is filled with examples of “things a Black person has done” being blamed on “things Black people are doing.” Crimes that have nothing to do with hip-hop are blamed on hip-hop. If a Black kid gets teased for enunciating /a/ sounds, Black people are anti-education. And now, criticism of the police is apparently responsible for the act of an obviously disturbed and violent man.

    Ismaaiyla Brinsley was an anomaly. A tragedy whose history and erratic behavior suggest that, if he didn’t receive some form of help, he was going to kill somebody. Those somebodies happened to be police officers. His Instagram rants read less like a sane person with a vendetta against cops than a deranged man who could have very easily carried the same animus against postal workers or flight attendants or the Milwaukee Bucks. Treating him as anything more, as an example of something bigger, suggests that this movement is “anti-police” instead of “anti-police brutality” or “anti-racial profiling” or “anti-institutional racism” or “anti feeling scared of instead of protected by the police.”

    And, as someone who has four family members, three high school classmates, and several friends and acquaintances who are in some capacity of law enforcement, it’s insulting.

    I want my friends and family who happen to be cops to be safe. I want them to be able to go home at night. I want them to raise their families, retire, and collect their well-earned pensions. I pray for them. I thank them when I get the opportunity, and I appreciate them for doing one of the most difficult jobs you can do. What people like George Pataki and Patrick Lynch and the members of the “I Can Breathe” gang have either failed to realize or realize but don’t want to articulate is that “wanting cops to be able to do their jobs” and “wanting cops to be better at their jobs” are not conflicting concepts. You can protest bad policing while also wanting good police to be protected. You can hate what Darren Wilson did while loving your boy for putting his life on the line every day. You can mourn the death of Eric Garner — and denounce who killed him — while mourning the deaths of Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos — and denouncing who killed them. You can cry for Michael Brown’s parents while shedding tears for Rafael Ramos’ son.

    While flipping through the channels last weekend, I heard someone (I forgot who) suggest the protesters want a “war” on police. They had it backwards. The reason why millions are protesting, sitting in, organizing, demonstrating, speaking, writing, reporting, and boycotting is because they believe the police are at war with them, and we want this war to end.

    [emphasis mine]

  49. rq says

    Photo: A small memorial in Berkeley, Mo., for Antonio Martin, who police say was fatally shot after he pulled a gun on an officer; protesters have dispersed from the gas station where the shooting took place – @JohnHenryKSDK.

    These video cameras on the south west corner of the Mobile station. Plans to release the video at presser 9:30 am ;
    Tomorrow, I’ll know every bad thing #AntonioMartin ever did. The media will say he deserved it. I won’t believe it.

    To my white friends, let me remind you that the reason we don’t stop talking about this is because it doesn’t stop happening. #AntonioMartin;
    #KSDKNews will carry first police comments on #Berkeley shooting live at 7:00 on @ksdknews & http://KSDK.com .
    Anyone vaguely local?

  50. rq says

    #AntonioMartin shooting: Timeline of the cone, the yellow marker, and “the gun”. Interesting timeline – some hazy details between the shooting and about 1.30AM. Incl. an invisible (or hidden, I’ll give them that) gun becoming suddenly visible.

    Memorial for #AntonioMartin set up at the Mobil gas station where cops killed him. #Ferguson #ICantBreathe. The sign says ‘They can’t kill us all’.

    Did I post these photos?

    Al Jazeera (@AJEnglish) chose this old picture to frame Antonio’s killing. We just can’t win. #AntonioMartin;
    Map of police shooting death of #AntonioMartin relative to those of #MichaelBrown, #KajiemePowell, #VonderritMyers;
    Im sure white jesus wont mind if you sit this birthday out. Capitalism may be upset tho. #CancelChristmas.

  51. rq says

    I don’t want to hear anything about the gun being reported stolen. We need that video and it shouldn’t take all day. #AntonioMartin;
    It must be true because the police spokesperson said it and the media reported it! Besides, they have no reason to lie & never make mistakes.

    Speaking of which, media update: Police plan media briefing Wednesday morning

    Meanwhile, Schellman said he has seen video from cameras at the gas station where the shooting occurred. He said that footage will be released soon.

    “You can see the gentleman raise a handgun and the officer fire a shot,” Schellman said.

    He said that, based on footage he has seen, the officer was carrying a flashlight when he approached two people at the Mobil gas station and engaged in a conversation. He also said it appears that the officer did not pull his weapon until one of those people pulled a gun.

    Schellman said police are looking for the second person who was with the person the officer fatally shot. Police have not released that person’s identity.

    This is interesting, because witnesses on scene say he was with his girlfriend, who remained at the scene with his mother to ID the body. Are the police that incompetent, or what? See, the story itself later says:

    Toni Martin said her son was with his girlfriend at the time of the shooting. The girlfriend remained at the scene but declined to talk to a reporter.

    Declined to talk to a reporter, but no word on whether a cop even tried to talk to her.
    Also,

    Others at the scene were pressing police to reveal details about what happened. They questioned why a large contingent of officers could be at the scene yet none of those officers would discuss what had taken place.

    I can understand police not being allowed to disclose details of a crime scene. That’s pretty normal, because not every officer knows the correct story, and it’s best to curtail rumours before they even start. But. A large contingent of officers and no ambulance? Yeah, that kind of reaction deserves some explanation, from SOMEone.

  53. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    I can’t see shit in that footage. The last bit looks like one person rising their hand in direction of another. Claim is they are holding a gun. For all I can see (and the footage, interestingly, ends at that moment), they could be gesticulating.

  56. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Also, what we can see clearly from shitty grainy footage is that the two men approached the police car when it drove in front of the station. That somehow doesn’t strike me as behavior of someone who just robbed a gas station.

  58. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/miles-ferguson-another-black-teen-killed-police

    Mayor Theodore Hoskins spoke Wednesday morning to emphasize that this was not another Ferguson.

    “We’re different than the city of Ferguson,” he said in a press conference, noting that the mayor, city manager, and police chief are all black. ”At this point, it appears – let me say this strongly – it appears that the person, this deceased, was pointing a gun which was found at the scene.”

    “Everybody don’t die the same,” he continued. “Some people die because the police initiated it, some people die because they initiated it. At this point our review indicates that the police did not initiate this like Ferguson.”

    Emphasis mine. Could be just an unfortunate turn of phrase, but there is just something so cold about that sentence.

    There is something seriously wrong with the police force that “needs to” shoot so many (black) people.

  59. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Now it was an ambush:

    Milliken said it’s possible that his client was being set up for an ambush. Store employees called 911 after the suspects stole from the store, Milliken said.

    “Their behavior is certainly bizarre, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all, in the environment we are in, that’s for sure,” Milliken said.

    also

    Milliken would not comment on why his client was not wearing his body camera at the time of the shooting, “There could be some internal issues,” he said.

    source

  61. Pteryxx says

    -_- from STL Today linked by Beatrice @59: (link with pulled-a-gun title)

    While expressing condolences to the family of the man who was killed, [Police Chief Jon] Belmar noted “bad choices were made.”

    “This individual could have complied with the officer. He could have ran away, he could have dropped the gun, all sort of things could have happened. It didn’t have to end with him approaching the officer with an arm extended and a 9 mm pistol in his hand,” Belmar said.

    [The officer’s attorney, Brian] Milliken said his client recounted the details to him several hours after the shooting.

    “The other guy was doing the talking, and as the cop starts talking, the suspect starts walking away again,” Millikan said. “At that point, the cop says, ‘Hey, come back here,’ and he turns around, pulls a gun from his left pant pocket.”

    “He’s trying to process all of this, and the suspect raises it, points it at him. The cop pulls his weapon and starts backpedaling and fired three or four shots. It happened that quickly. He doesn’t understand why the suspect’s gun didn’t fire. I’m not sure if he tried to pull the trigger and it jammed.”

    Not that the dead teen’s family gets to have an attorney on call to speak to the press, though black people in this country sure need one.

    Belmar said the officer was given a body camera at the start of his shift but for whatever reason, hadn’t put it on. The officer, in a debriefing with police, indicated he was doing something else when the body camera was handed to him at roll call.

    “He said he clipped it somewhere in the car, didn’t put it on, and next thing you know you’re here,” Belmar said, adding it can happen, particularly with new equipment if you aren’t used to it.

    Millikan would not comment on why his client was not wearing his body camera at the time of the shooting, “There could be some internal issues,” he said.

    Hoskins said the cameras are new to the officers, but once they are better trained on them, there will be penalties for not putting them on.

    Belmar said he did not believe the car’s dash-camera was activated.

    Hoskins, Millikan and the chief all said they were glad the incident was captured by surveillance cameras. St. Louis County police released one of those videos Wednesday morning.

    “Having video really helps in this situation because it puts to rest all of the false narratives that would be out there,” Millikan said.

    This after saying the officer just happened to have no cameras on, because he’s only human and these things happen with new equipment (what a shame) and speculating on why the dead teen’s supposed gun didn’t fire. But a single camera’s worth of grainy video, that cuts out before shots were fired, is so valuable for putting to rest all those false narratives.

    Millkan said his client was calm, but shaken.

    “On the one hand, you know you have followed proper procedures and policies, and, on the other hand, these guys are human beings, and on the day before Christmas, he had to take somebody’s life,” Millikan said. “He’s no different than anyone else involved in the situation. It’s a traumatic experience and something he’ll be doing a lot of reflecting on for the rest of his life.

    “He did certainly express remorse that the situation happened at all.”

    Well, he’s different from anyone else involved in one major way. He’s alive. While Antonio’s mother at least had her son’s life taken on the day before Christmas. ‘After expressing condolences to the family’ indeed.

    Millkan also represents St. Louis police officer Jason Flanery, who killed VonDeritt Myers, 18, in the city’s Shaw neighborhood in October.

    No comment.

    Martin was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS units. Berkeley police called the county’s crimes against persons unit at 11:45 p.m., and they arrived at the scene at 12:15 a.m., Belmar said.

    The body, which was covered and concealed from the crowd by a partition, was removed from the scene at 1:40 a.m., Belmar said. Officials said the man was first treated by EMS about 25 minutes after the shooting. Belmar said it is pretty standard to have a body at a scene for two hours while police investigate.

    Belmar said the 9 mm gun found on the suspect had five rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber. He said the gun’s serial number had been filed off, which could suggest the gun was stolen.

    Which could suggest the gun had been stolen at some point in its history, among other things. It just means now the gun’s untraceable, whoever had it.

    Belmar said he notified St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch of the shooting, and McCulloch assigned a prosecutor to the case.

    No comment.

    The chief called the shooting a tragedy for both the family of the man killed and for the police officer.

    “These are nothing but tragedies,” Belmar said. “This is a family right now that, regardless of the decisions that this individual made, are without a family member this Christmas season. This is also a tragedy for the police officer. He will carry the weight of this for the rest of his life, certainly for the rest of his career.”

    “This really underscores the task that our police officers across the nation have to deal with day in and day out as they answer these calls in our community,” he added.

    More background follows, about Martin’s record, the police officer’s record, arrests and protesters being dangerous (natch). At the very end is the family’s reaction. This is the same article that, in the top quarter or so, quoted Millikan’s theory that the officer was being set up for an ambush.

    “This doesn’t make any sense for them to kill my son like this,” Toni Martin-Green said early Wednesday from her home near the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus. “I am trying to be calm.”

    Martin was the oldest of four children born to her and Jerome Green.

    “He’s like any other kid who had dreams or hopes,” said Green. “We loved being around him. He’d push a smile out of you.”

    Green described his son as a “follower” who took medication for being hyperactive.

    “It was hard for him to focus,” Green said.

    “He was not a violent person, to our knowledge,” he added. “Around us there weren’t any pistols. It’s hard to believe that.”

    His grandmother, Margret Chandler, was also in disbelief.

    “When he was around me, he knew to do right,” she said. “Why would he pull out a gun against the police? That’s the thing I don’t get. It just doesn’t add up.”

    Gov. Jay Nixon issued a statement: “The events in Berkeley are a reminder that law enforcement officers have a difficult, and often dangerous, job in protecting themselves and law-abiding citizens.”

    Article ends.

  62. says

    rq

    Makes me question the images of the gun supposedly found on the scene.

    There is a widespread concept in policing called the ‘throw down gun’ or ‘drop gun’, which is an unregistered gun carried by an officer for the purpose of dropping next to the body of someone he’s shot, to justify the killing.

  64. Pteryxx says

    The parallel STL Today article, Parents of Antonio Martin say his fatal shooting ‘doesn’t make any sense’, is only about one screen long and has little more information than the previous.

    Martin mainly grew up in the Hyde Park area of North St. Louis before moving with family to unincorporated St. Louis County a few years ago. Martin attended high school in Jennings before dropping out and had also been enrolled in the federal Job Corps program for a spell. He last worked at White Castle and wanted to go back to Job Corps, his father said.

    Police say the man shot had a criminal record, with charges including three assaults, armed robbery, armed criminal action and multiple uses of weapons since he was 17.

    Martin’s parents acknowledged that their son has been arrested before and had “stumbled in the past.”

    “In the last year, he was really trying to find who he was. He was ready to take the world on,” the father said. “He knew he had parents who loved him. He had that support.”

    “He was not a violent person, to our knowledge,” he added. “Around us there weren’t any pistols. It’s hard to believe that.”

    His grandmother, Margret Chandler, was also in disbelief.

    “When he was around me, he knew to do right,” she said. “Why would he pull out a gun against the police? That’s the thing I don’t get. It just doesn’t add up.”

  65. Pteryxx says

    As long as the officers’ attorney Millikan is talking about false narratives and speculating that the dead kid may have planned to ambush this officer, I’ll just throw out there that it’s roughly as plausible that an officer might have wanted to get payback for the two cops shot in New York. No, I don’t think that’s what happened or even that it’s likely. But we’re supposed to all be considering both sides, aren’t we. *spits*

  66. Pteryxx says

    By the way, the most direct sources I could find for a couple of the images linked above via Twitter. The map of St Louis showing how Michael Brown, Kajieme Powell, Vonderrit Myers, and now Antonio Martin died within a few miles of each other, from St Louis Public Radio: (twitter)

    and the picture of the memorial sign reading “They can’t kill us all”, from reporter John Henry of KSDK News: (twitter)

  67. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    What’s with releasing footage piece by piece? Do they want to incite violence?!
    … oh. Silly question.

  68. Pteryxx says

    Few more tweets from the dark of this morning:

    Shaun King ‏@ShaunKing

    FYI. @PDPJ just confirmed that peaceful PROTESTORS put out the fire at the QT with their bare hands while police stood by and watched.

    1:36 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    David Carson ‏@PDPJ

    @KatCapps @search4swag Yes I saw people putting out the fire that appeared not to be police, I think @BradleyRayford had video too

    1:21 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    occutord ‏@occbaystreet

    #AntonioMartin TL: 1) Police report shooting to dispatch 11:35pm 2) Police move body 1:25am 3) Black gun photo 1:26 (2, 3 per @valeriehahn

    2:23 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Shaun King ‏@ShaunKing

    When good folk say “cameras are useless” it’s understood, but misplaced. Imagine if Eric Garner had not been filmed. We’d NEVER know him.

    1:51 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Shaun King ‏@ShaunKing

    An enormous part of the problem in the current climate is that the people feel like we must crowdsource credible crime scene information.

    2:26 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Indeed. These killings by police *shouldn’t* be dropping off the radar with no investigations, oversight, or follow-up, and ordinary people *shouldn’t* have to risk themselves to get cameras on police and get information to the public however they can before official police spin poisons the well.

  69. Pteryxx says

    Shaun King is going *off* on that theme. Starting here: (twitter)

    Shaun King ‏@ShaunKing

    They thought Amadou Diallo’s wallet was a gun. And the courts agreed with them. QUESTION EVERYTHING.

    8:38 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    In spite of video showing us & a report proving to us that Eric Garner was choked to death, they said he wasn’t. QUESTION EVERYTHING.

    8:42 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    A 911 caller said John Crawford was pointing a gun at people. Loading it. LIES that got him killed. QUESTION EVERYTHING.

    8:46 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    Police said Tamir took a gun out of his waistband & pointed it at them. Video shows he did no such thing. QUESTION EVERYTHING.

    8:48 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    Google It. Police said Kendric McDade shot at them 3 times. Said they saw the flash from his gun & heard shots. NO GUN! QUESTION EVERYTHING

    8:55 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    When the lead witness that @FOXNEWS has quoted over 200 times in Darren Wilson’s defense turns out to be white supremacist. QUESTION IT ALL

    9:00 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    And on pasts, starting here: (twitter)

    Shaun King ‏@ShaunKing

    If pasts are relevant, let’s talk about how Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who killed Eric Garner, was sued 3 times for police misconduct.

    9:44 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    If pasts are relevant, let’s talk about how Timothy Loehman, who killed Tamir Rice, was deemed UNFIT FOR DUTY.

    9:47 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    If pasts are fair game, let’s talk about how Bob McCulloch called 2 unarmed men shot 21x by police, “bums”.

    9:52 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    If pasts are fair game, it can’t just be for the people who police shoot, but for the police & the prosecutors who protect them as well.

    9:54 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    Pasts? Let’s talk about how Sean Williams, who shot John Crawford, is the officer in the only other Beaver Creek police killing ever.

    10:00 AM – 24 Dec 2014

  70. Pteryxx says

    They made us wait hours to see a video from the furthest camera they could find on that parking lot. I’m not suprised.

    8:58 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Berkeley PD can’t figure out how to work a camera? They need extensive training to do so? They really believe we’re morons. #AntonioMartin

    9:19 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Not to mention that there were cops there last night using body cams to film us. #AntonioMartin

    9:22 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

  71. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Good God, people are saying Antonio Martin made a threatening gesture, simply by viewing an altered grainy far away in the dark video tape!
    Seriously, i want everyone right now to stop wtf you’re doing, and pretend you’re in front of a cop.. he just asked you where you’re headed, now raise your arm is if to point, and begin to say “right over there”, or “Across the street” or Anything that could cause you to raise your arm while answering a question, perhaps the cop said “where you headed” and he raised his arm to motion he was going with his girlfriend who is seen walking behind him… NOW, stop your arm exactly before it gets all the way up. Freeze it JUST like they to the video…
    According to bootlicking assholes, you just made a threatening gesture to a cop an deserved to be gunned down.
    I am not saying thats what happened, im not saying i know what happened, what i am saying is there is no way anyone can possibly see a gun in his hand from that video (idk if there is or not) and that my scenerio very well coulda been exactly what unfolded.

    source

  72. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    re: third angle video

    “Mr. Martin has been left out of frame out of respect for his grieving family”

    mhm.

  73. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    The three videos released do far:

    First angle: 1
    Second angle: 2
    Third angle: 3

  74. Pteryxx says

    Wesley LoweryVerified account ‏@WesleyLowery

    “This kid had a gun and…it’s an illegal gun.” @MariaChappelleN tells me. “The police officer was justified.”

    8:09 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Wesley LoweryVerified account ‏@WesleyLowery

    Updated: What we know about the Berkeley, Mo shooting — which local officials insist is not another Ferguson [WaPo link in original]

    8:43 AM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    From the article:

    Tuesday night’s shooting in Berkeley — which sits due west of Ferguson, Mo., about five miles from where Brown was killed — left dead a man identified by authorities as Antonio Martin, 18, of St. Louis. Hundreds of people soon gathered at the scene, a gas station parking lot, and four were arrested and charged with assaulting police officers.

    But while many St. Louis area community leaders rushed to Berkeley demanding answers, several local black elected officials rejected comparisons with the death of Brown and other recent police killings of unarmed black people, such as Eric Garner, who died after being put in a chokehold by a New York police officer.

    Berkeley Mayor Theodore Hoskins (D) defended the officer involved in Tuesday’s shooting and said it was likely justified, citing surveillance video that appeared to show Martin pointing a gun at the officer. Police said the officer, who has not been named, fired back in fear for his life.

    “You couldn’t even compare this with Ferguson or the Garner case in New York,” Hoskins said at a news conference. “The video shows the deceased pointed a gun that has been recovered.” The mayor stressed that unlike Ferguson, Berkeley has elected civic leaders and hired a police force largely reflective of the city’s majority black population.

    State Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D), whose districts includes Ferguson and Berkeley, criticized protest leaders for what she called a “rush to judgement.’’

    “Different narrative, completely different narrative,” Chappelle-Nadal said. “This kid had a gun and obviously it is an illegal gun. . . . The police officer was justified.”

    The WaPo article also states that the officer’s attorney Milliken is a former St. Louis police officer himself.

    At a news conference Wednesday, Belmar played surveillance video from the gas station, which appeared to depict a verbal confrontation between an officer and several people. The blurry video, shot from a distance, contains no audio and ends when it appears that one of the men raises his arm at the officer.

    Belmar stressed that the shooting was a tragedy.

    “There are no winners here. There are nothing but losers,’’ Belmar said.

  75. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    “This kid had a gun and obviously it is an illegal gun. . . . The police officer was justified.”

    Police officer was justified because it was* “obviously” an illegal gun? Police officer is psychic, but he doesn’t know how to turn on a fucking body camera.

    * for certain values of was…. like “was probably planted afterwards”

  76. Pteryxx says

    Unrelated to Antonio’s death, via Twitter and the account of a protester arrested last week: Houston PD Orders All Officers Turn Off Body Cameras During Protest (at a site called Everlasting GOP Stoppers)

    “We’re going to go ahead and turn off the personal video devices going forward, so be sure all officers have them turned off when engaging the protesters.” The words cut through me and chilled my spine as I sat, helplessly handcuffed in the back of a Houston Police cruiser after being arrested in the midst of a protest.

    As an activist who has been around the block a few times, I knew that little would endanger a crowd more than a crowd of officers who had just received an order from higher up to disable their own personal accountability.

    Barely into the pilot program, the Houston Police Department’s commanding officers managed to brazenly display how easily the personal video devices can be misused. As per an earlier interview, “Capt. Mike Skillern, who heads HPD’s gang unit and is involved in testing the cameras, said his fellow officers act “a little more professionally” when wearing the devices.” But how do they act when they switch the devices off? If officers had their way, no one would know.

  77. Pteryxx says

    Marchers are holding a vigil for Antonio Martin tonight. Highway 170 is shut down. Pics and updates from @Nettaaaaaaaa ‘s stream. (8 a’s)

    ShordeeDooWhop ‏@Nettaaaaaaaa

    Highway takeover 170 #Ferguson

    5:43 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    ShordeeDooWhop ‏@Nettaaaaaaaa

    Highway 170 Southbound is shut down #AntonioMartin #MikeBrown #Ferguson #Berkeley https://vine.co/v/OHKpFjWuEuT

    5:49 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    ShordeeDooWhop ‏@Nettaaaaaaaa

    #AntonioMartin’s mom has her candle lit #Berkeley #Ferguson http://ift.tt/1xiJSx1

    5:10 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

  78. Pteryxx says

    Pics of Antonio Martin via @Search4swag

    Search4Swag ‏@search4swag

    First photos of #Antonio Martin

    3:32 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    This is #AntonioMartin at 16 with his little brother Jerome 12

    3:30 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    #AntonioMartin mother Toni Martin holding #AntonioMartin baby sister 1yr old Jamiah.

    3:12 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

  79. atheistorganist says

    Just delurking after about a decade of reading this blog to thank rq in particular and everyone else who has posted on this thread.

    I live in St. Louis County and am DREADING our lovely family Christmas gathering tomorrow. Thank you all so much for being here!

  80. says

    And here’s another police shooting: A First Nations man named Allen Locke attended an anti-police brutality rally. He was killed the next day.

    Rapid City Police identified the victim as Allen Locke, 30, of Rapid City. At about 6 p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a subdivision known as Lakota Community Homes to remove a person from a residence there, the Rapid City Journal reported.

    Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom, who was on site investigating the shooting, told the Rapid City Journal that Officer Anthony Meirose fired his weapon after Locke allegedly charged him with a knife. Police are saying Locke was shot up to five times by Officer Meirose. Locke was pronounced dead at the scene.

    The day before the shooting, Locke’s family said he had attended the #NativeLivesMatter Anti-Police Brutality Rally and March in Rapid City.

    On Monday, Locke’s family released a statement calling on the community for peace.

    “We genuinely appreciate the prayer vigils and ceremony circles that are being organized in Allen’s memory; this is a crucial time for our family as Allen is making his spirit journey,” the statement reads, as posted on Last Real Indians. “We feel the community’s hurt; we know you are angry, we know you are sad and we know everyone is on edge as a result of Allen’s violent death coming off the [sic] heals of his participation in the #NativeLivesMatter Anti-Police Brutality Rally and March a day before this horrific incident. There are many details that we will share in time but we are trying very hard to hold it together and to be strong and peaceful in order to send our loved one off and to give our children an appropriate holiday’s memory.”

    The family is asking for privacy during their time of mourning.

    On Monday, the victim’s family was scheduled to meet Rapid City Mayor Sam Kooiker and Police Chief Karl Jegeris at 10 a.m. MST. People were scheduled to gather outside the mayor’s office for a prayer gathering.

  81. says

    Activists say blaming them for police killings is a dangerous distraction

    Activists aligned with protests against police brutality and discrimination said Tuesday that comments linking their peaceful grassroots movement to the recent murder of two New York Police Department (NYPD) officers form a dangerous distraction from the issue the activists have worked so hard to elevate to a national conversation.

    A mentally ill black man fatally shot two NYPD officers at close range in the city’s Brooklyn borough on Saturday, hours after shooting and wounding his ex-girlfriend in Baltimore. The shooter had posted Tweets saying he was taking revenge for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown — unarmed black men killed by white police officers earlier this year.

    After the Saturday killings, Patrick Lynch, the president of New York City’s largest police union, said police reform protesters and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio have “blood on their hands” — and some organizations aligned with the protest movement say they now feel pressure to disavow the murders, even though their actions have been largely peaceful.

    “I think it (Lynch’s comment) reveals the danger of distraction, in part because the issue of police brutality against black people and people of color is being heavily opposed even as cities, states and even the White House are responding to these calls for police reform,” said Akiba Solomon, editorial director of Colorlines, a daily news website focused on racial justice.

    “That was the story up until Saturday; now it’s about the effect these two police officers could have on the movement,” Solomon said, adding that some activists resented being linked to the actions of a “crazy person” who had nothing to do with their protests.

    Expecting the movement against police violence to deny responsibility for the actions of a lone gunman resembles a tactic used earlier against the protests over Brown’s Aug. 9 death in Ferguson, Missouri. There, critics tried to “lump in the violence and looting with legitimate protesters, who have disavowed that behavior,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time NBA champion, wrote in an opinion piece for Time magazine.

    Abdul-Jabbar called such efforts to link the crime with the protests against police brutality “deliberately misleading in a cynical and selfish effort to turn public sentiment against the protesters.”

    “They hope to misdirect public attention and emotion in order to stop the protests and the progressive changes that have already resulted,” he added.

    The anti-protester backlash stemming from the murders of Police Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu is aimed at discrediting the movement as a whole, said Alicia Garza, a founder of Black Lives Matter — an organization working for justice system reform — and special projects director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

    She said the situation bears similarities to what happened during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, when violence by a few was conflated to be representative of the entire group working for racial equality.

    “There was a real attempt to discredit a very righteous struggle for equality, justice and democracy,” Garza said. “We’re seeing a little of that now.”

    Yep. We’ve been seeing attempts to discredit the protesters since the protests began in the wake of Michael Brown’s death.

    ****
    Over at my blog, I wrote about those attempts and the attempts to change the narrative of the movement.

  82. rq says

    Thanks for keeping information posted while I’m busy. I’ll be busy today and then probably through Sunday as I travel to the Land of No Internet. Most of what I had’s been posted, but here’s a few tweet-notes:
    The only thing this video confirmed for me is that I have a lot more unanswered questions. #AntonioMartin;

    Antonio Martin shooting: Mayor says there should be ‘no comparison’ to Ferguson . Because it’s not the same at all (after all, the officer was not in his car anymore).

    Body-cams? The Mayor of Berkeley is NOT concerned by the officer not having his body cam turned on or the dash cam. That speaks volumes. That speaks volumes.

    This was a question/comment at the first press conference, from someone in the audience: “Police are trigger happy… The police have a license to kill. Not indicting police gives them a license to kill” #Berkeley #AntonioMartin

    And this is something the mayor said: “Everybody don’t die the same. Some ppl die because the police initiate it. Some ppl die because they initiate it.” – Mayor #AntonioMartin. And Mayor Hoskins says there will be extra precautions tonight regarding potential unrest. Didn’t elaborate.
    Mayor suggests that the investigation will be over in approximately 1 week. #AntonioMartin A week?

  83. rq says

    Also, re: medical attention.
    From all the pictures and comments from people on the scene. there was no ambulance called. There was no EMS called immediately after the shooting, when witnesses said he may still have been alive. A body – yes, a body may be at the scene for a long time. But before a body is a body it is a living human being and it is that human being that did not get the emergency care it needed. It is this lack of thought and consideration for basic human decency that still shocks me. So callous.

  84. says

    Another post from my blog: Black women’s lives matter.

    I wrote that post after reading this article at Bustle:

    Protestors in New York flooded the streets last week, toting signs that blazed with images and phrases about cruel injustice. Just a week after similar events in Ferguson, a grand jury ruled that Daniel Pantaleo — the NYPD officer who put Eric Garner, a 44-year-old, black, Staten Island man, in a chokehold that led to Garner’s death — should not be brought to trial for his actions. A failure to indict the police officer responsible for Garner’s unjustifiable, illegal, and unnecessary death signifies why there’s been a breach of trust between communities of color and those tasked with enforcing the laws. In black American communities, we are holding our breath, waiting for whoever’s next. There is no guarantee that the next victim will be a black male, but there appears to be a guarantee that the victim will be marginalized or forgotten by the mainstream media if she is a girl or woman of color.

    The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, a non-profit organization whose mission is to defend the human rights of black people, found that every 40 hours, a black man, woman, or child is killed by police, security guards, or self-appointed law enforcers. In fact, since the killing of Mike Brown, more than 14 black teens have been killed by the police, including 12-year-old Tamir Rice, a boy in Cleveland, Ohio who was murdered less than two seconds after police arrived at a playground to answer a 911 call related to a black child carrying a pellet gun. We know another Eric Garner is coming, and it is impossible to prepare for the onslaught of grief that will accompany the next traumatic injustice.

    But one of the largest injustices is how little we collectively discuss the many women of color who are also killed by police.

  85. Pteryxx says

    Chris King, managing editor of the St. Louis American:

    Chris King ‏@chriskingstl

    2nd time today a producer told me “unless there is fresh violence we’re not coming back to the Berkeley story.” Stereotype come to life.

    3:54 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Our mainstream media, everyone.

  86. Pteryxx says

    deray mckesson ‏@deray

    There are at least 60 riot gear police here. At a vigil. Peaceful protesting. #AntonioMartin

    10:10 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    deray mckesson ‏@deray

    My mind is BLOWN that there are this many riot police here. BLOWN. #AntonioMartin

    10:13 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Several photos of riot police, in lines and packs, at that link.

    deray mckesson ‏@deray

    Y’all, the police just followed @Nettaaaaaaaa and I home. You just can’t make this up. #Ferguson

    12:21 AM – 25 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Nettaaaaaaaa has been tweeting Vines of people at the vigil singing.

    ShordeeDooWhop ‏@Nettaaaaaaaa

    More Christmas carols for the police #ferguson https://vine.co/v/OHq0vhFivZx

    10:45 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

  87. Pteryxx says

    Photos from Chris King of the St. Louis American.

    Chris King ‏@chriskingstl

    Tiny lights in the darkness at the new Antonio Martin memorial, Xmas eve (@LBPhoto1)

    11:03 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    [Picture of three toddler-aged children with their parents kneeling alongside, small tealights in their hands, beside the “They can’t kill us all” memorial stacked with teddy bears.]

    Chris King ‏@chriskingstl

    Marching shadows in the night, Berkeley MO, Xmas eve (@LBPhoto1)

    11:05 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    [A row of protesters marching down the closed Highway 170, throwing long shadows from the headlights of cars behind them.]

    Chris King ‏@chriskingstl

    Passing on the light at the memorial, Berkeley MO, Xmas eve (@LBPhoto1)

    11:08 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    [Protesters’ solemn faces lit by candlelight as one candle is kindled from the next.]

    Chris King ‏@chriskingstl

    Protestor gets pepper spray for Xmas eve (@LBPhoto1)

    11:10 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    [A cop in riot gear with his arm extended, aiming a pepper spray canister at a protester whose hands are raised a few feet away.]

    Chris King ‏@chriskingstl

    Police looking like paterollers in the neighborhood, Xmas eve (@LBPhoto1)

    11:12 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    [A squad of a dozen riot police, with shields and billy clubs in hand, walking along the sidewalk in front of the yard of a house with an American flag in front.]

    Chris King ‏@chriskingstl

    POLICE: they can’t kill us all, Berkeley, MO, Xmas eve (@LBPhoto1)

    11:13 PM – 24 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    [Behind the legs and shields of a line of riot police, the memorial for Antonio Martin sits unattended, a heap of dozens of small stuffed animals and a few balloons around the handwritten sign “They can’t kill us all”.]

  88. rq says

    Sign says: “Queers say There are no good cops in a racist system!”

    4people shot near 18th and Pine #stl police on the scene 1 person dead (not sure if this is somehow related or not).

    Christmas message: Your Jesus was a 33-year-old unarmed man of color wrongfully charged, executed publicly by an unjust militarized state. #MerryChristmas

    And Im seeing medics didn’t arrive till hours later for #AntonioMartin. That’s administrative homicide on top of the actual shooting.

    Re: “he pointed a gun at the officer” Does the way the protester holds his phone while filming the police look familiar? #AntonioMartin
    Because It just seems implausible to me that a Black man in 2014 would pull a concealed weapon when standing in front of a cop. #AntonioMartin

  92. Pteryxx says

    Two from HuffPo today:

    Keanna Brown, Antonio Martin’s Girlfriend, Grieves: ‘He Didn’t Deserve To Die’

    Brown said she arrived to the scene after Martin had been shot. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said Martin pointed a gun at the officer, a six-year veteran of the Berkeley Police Department who was responding to reports of a theft at the gas station when he confronted Martin and another person.

    The officer soon fired three shots, one of which struck Martin. The other person reportedly fled the scene.

    It took close to 30 minutes for ambulances to arrive, according to Brown, who also said responders hung up on her own phone call to request emergency medical help.

    Brown said she was prohibited by police officers from comforting or providing help to Martin as they awaited the arrival of the medical response team. When she told one nearby police officer that she was Martin’s girlfriend, Brown said, the officer told her she didn’t care.

    “You can’t tell me you don’t care about my baby being dead over there and you still got his body down,” Brown said.

    Martin stayed at Brown’s home often, and she said she was with him earlier in the day before he was killed. She said the two were at home when Martin decided to walk to the gas station but, after some time had passed without his return, she grew worried. She walked down to the Mobil, where she found him bleeding on the concrete.

    “I should’ve been there to protect him, that’s all I wanted,” Brown said. “That was my baby.”

    Protesters Mourn Antonio Martin, Shut Down Missouri Highway On Christmas Eve

    Minutes before Christmas Day officially started, a few dozen activists stood outside the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis, Missouri, with lit candles and posters in memory of Antonio Martin, a black 18-year-old who was fatally shot by a police officer Tuesday night in the St. Louis suburb of Berkeley.

    “The intent is to gather people in honor of him and other people who have been slain by police,” Lydia Marie, 23, an intern for Amnesty International who coordinated the demonstration, told The Huffington Post. “This is another Christmas Eve a family is spending without their child who was lost to police violence.”

    “As a black man, I’m trying to consistently deal with this, waking up and seeing slayings on the news,” said Michael Anthony, 29, a cinematographer from St. Louis. “Hopefully things like [this event] will spearhead overall connectivity, and by next summer we’ll be one unified movement.”

    […]

    In addition to events in St. Louis and New York, protests over police brutality have taken place in other major cities over the past several weeks, including Washington, D.C., and Berkeley, California, which experienced several days of violence earlier this month.

    On Tuesday, a grand jury in Texas declined to indict a Houston police officer in the shooting death of 26-year-old Jordan Baker, who was black and unarmed.

    Along with Martin, two other black men have been killed by St. Louis-area cops since Brown’s death in August, including one unarmed teenager who was allegedly shot eight times by an officer moonlighting as a security guard.

    “This is something that has been happening in the city for a really long time, and it doesn’t feel like it’s out of nowhere,” Andie Glik, 22, a student who grew up in St. Louis, told HuffPost outside the church Wednesday night. “When you bring light to something, people notice, but this has been happening forever.”

  93. rq says

    So now that Mike Browns death has forced police to wear body cams, now we must fight to get them to actually turn them on? #AntonioMartin

    Interesting. @seanjjordan @deray the response ‘you cannot compare this to Ferguson/Garner’ comes across as ‘we can justify this, we cannot justify those’

    The Terrain of Police Violence. STL. Map at the link. They’re all so young. Younger than me. :(

    The best video I’ve seen put together for #AntonioMartin is in this article: [link redacted but to follow] And I STILL think he’s holding a phone. Link redacted: Another police-involved shooting death of black teen sparks tensions in St. Louis

    But while many St. Louis-area community leaders rushed to Berkeley demanding answers, several local black elected officials rejected comparisons with the death of Brown and other recent police killings of unarmed black people, such as Eric Garner, who died after being put in a chokehold by a New York police officer.

    Berkeley Mayor Theodore Hoskins (D) defended the officer involved in Tuesday’s shooting and said it was probably justified, citing surveillance video that appeared to show Martin pointing a gun at the officer. Police said the officer, who has not been named, fired back in fear for his life.

    “You couldn’t even compare this with Ferguson or the Garner case in New York,” Hoskins said at a news conference. “The video shows the deceased pointed a gun that has been recovered.” The mayor stressed that unlike Ferguson, Berkeley has elected civic leaders and hired a police force largely reflective of the city’s majority black population. […]

    Fearing for his life, the officer then drew his weapon and stepped backward, firing three shots — one of which struck the suspect, police said. […- emphasis mine, previous reports had this at five]

    The victim’s mother, Toni Martin, told reporters at the scene that her son had not been carrying a gun and was walking to visit his girlfriend at the time of the shooting. “This doesn’t make any sense for them to kill my son like this,” she later told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. [… – this is for clarification, as earlier I posted from what I understood that he was WITH his gf at the time, but apparently not, after all, as she arrived shortly after the shooting, as in Pteryxx’ link above]

    Milliken, a former St. Louis police officer himself, said the officer involved in the shooting had encountered two men at a gas station. “The other guy was doing the talking, and as the cop starts talking, the suspect starts walking away again,” Milliken said. “At that point, the cop says, ‘Hey, come back here,’ and he turns around, pulls a gun from his left pant pocket.”

    “He’s trying to process all of this, and the suspect raises it, points it at him,’’ Milliken said. “The cop pulls his weapon and starts backpedaling and fired three or four shots. It happened that quickly. He doesn’t understand why the suspect’s gun didn’t fire.”

    Milliken did not return telephone calls from The Washington Post on Wednesday. […]

    At a news conference Wednesday, Belmar played surveillance video from the gas station, which appeared to depict a verbal confrontation between an officer and several people. The blurry video, shot from a distance, contains no audio and ends when it appears that one of the men raises his arm at the officer.

    Belmar stressed that the shooting was a tragedy.

    “There are no winners here. There are nothing but losers,’’ Belmar said.

    Well, he said one thing right.

  94. rq says

    A hypothesis:
    My hypothesis: 1) Officer confronted #AntonioMartin about robbery in a rude, beligerant fashion. 2) Martin, who’d done nothing, got angry.;
    3) In the exchange, #AntonioMartin pulled out his phone to record the officer’s behavior. 4) The officer perceived it as a threat, fired.;
    5) The officer realized #AntonioMartin was holding a phone, not a gun, panicked. 6) Police union was called first. 7) Martin was left to die;
    8) Police on site (with the help of the union) quickly planted a “recovered” gun on the scene 9) The narrative of pulling a gun was released.
    It’s only a hypothesis, but honestly, I’m having a lot of trouble believing in the gun. A lot. And EVEN IF THERE WAS ONE, it’s been pointed out multiple times that WHITE people who ACTUALLY SHOOT their guns at cops are routinely brought in alive… while BLACK people who only supposedly do the same end up dead.
    Funny, that.

    Only not really.

  95. rq says

    Yeah, just this week, right before christmas, they shut down a homeless shelter in Ferguson. Because it was a nuisance. Larry Rice and the homeless people from the shelter slept on the steps of city hall last night chanting “homeless lives matter!”

    .@AntonioFrench I want you to know this news segment you did? This is the reason why folks on the ground don’t trust you. Merry Christmas. Still waiting on an article on that, with some quotes. Because apparently he talked down to people angry over yet another shooting. *shrug*

    Oh, a short exchange on violence vs. property damage, ref. a discussion had earlier in this thread (perhaps previous iteration):
    Violence and property damage are different. Violence is the police killing unarmed black men. Property damage is broken windows and fires.
    @deray Conflating damage to property with loss of human life is another achievement of white privilege..
    Violence is fundamentally about hurting people, about the threat to lives. Let’s be precise with our words.

  96. rq says

    Ferguson Responsibility with some stats, of the white vs. black kind. Some very disparate numbers there.

    And from the International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, White Fragility. It’s a document at thel ink, hadn’t had a chance to read it all yet, but..

    White people in North America live in a social environment that protects and insulates them from race-based stress. This insulated environment of racial protection builds white expectations for racial comfort while at the same time lowering the ability to tolerate racial stress, leading to what I refer to as White Fragility. White Fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium. This paper explicates the dynamics of White Fragility.
    I am a white woman. I am standing beside a black woman. We are facing a group of white people who are seated in front of us. We are in their workplace, and have been hired by their employer to lead them in a dialogue about race. The room is filled with tension and charged with hostility. I have just presented a definition of racism that includes the acknowledgment that whites hold social and institutional power over people of color. A white man is pounding his fist on the table. His face is red and he is furious. As he pounds he yells, “White people have been discriminated against for 25 years! A white person can’t get a job anymore!” I look around the room and see 40 employed people, all white. There are no people of color in this workplace. Something is happening here, and it isn’t based in the racial reality of the workplace. I am feeling unnerved by this man’s disconnection with that reality, and his lack of sensitivity to the impact this is having on my co-facilitator, the only person of color in the room. Why is this white man so angry? Why is he being so careless about the impact of his anger? Why are all the other white people either sitting in silent agreement with him or tuning out? We have, after all, only articulated a definition of racism.

    White people in North America live in a social environment that protects and insulates them from race-based stress. Fine (1997) identifies this insulation when she observes “… how Whiteness accrues privilege and status; gets itself surrounded by protective pillows of resources and/or benefits of the doubt; how Whiteness repels gossip and voyeurism and instead demands dignity” (p. 57). Whites are rarely without these “protective pillows,” and when they are, it is usually temporary and by choice. This insulated environment of racial privilege builds white expectations for racial comfort while at the same time lowering the ability to tolerate racial stress.

    Those are the first three paragraphs. Going to read the rest tomorrow.

  97. rq says

    The fact that you know about the protests means that they “are working.” This conversation about racism is now front and center. Protests.

    Officers quicker to shoot black targets in simulations, even when unarmed. #AntonioMartin Link: The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men

    Taking the IAT, one of the most popular tools among researchers trying to understand racism and prejudice, is both extremely simple and pretty traumatic. The test asks you to rapidly categorize images of faces as either “African American” or “European American” while you also categorize words (like “evil,” “happy,” “awful,” and “peace”) as either “good” or “bad.” Faces and words flash on the screen, and you tap a key, as fast as you can, to indicate which category is appropriate.

    Sometimes you’re asked to sort African American faces and “good” words to one side of the screen. Other times, black faces are to be sorted with “bad” words. As words and faces keep flashing by, you struggle not to make too many sorting mistakes.

    And then suddenly, you have a horrible realization. When black faces and “bad” words are paired together, you feel yourself becoming faster in your categorizing—an indication that the two are more easily linked in your mind. “It’s like you’re on a bike going downhill,” Amodio says, “and you feel yourself going faster. So you can say, ‘I know this is not how I want to come off,’ but there’s no other response option.”

    You think of yourself as a person who strives to be unprejudiced, but you can’t control these split-second reactions. As the milliseconds are being tallied up, you know the tale they’ll tell: When negative words and black faces are paired together, you’re a better, faster categorizer. Which suggests that racially biased messages from the culture around you have shaped the very wiring of your brain. […]

    Science offers an explanation for this paradox—albeit a very uncomfortable one. An impressive body of psychological research suggests that the men who killed Brown and Martin need not have been conscious, overt racists to do what they did (though they may have been). The same goes for the crowds that flock to support the shooter each time these tragedies become public, or the birthers whose racially tinged conspiracy theories paint President Obama as a usurper. These people who voice mind-boggling opinions while swearing they’re not racist at all—they make sense to science, because the paradigm for understanding prejudice has evolved. There “doesn’t need to be intent, doesn’t need to be desire; there could even be desire in the opposite direction,” explains University of Virginia psychologist Brian Nosek, a prominent IAT researcher. “But biased results can still occur.”

    The IAT is the most famous demonstration of this reality, but it’s just one of many similar tools. Through them, psychologists have chased prejudice back to its lair—the human brain.

    We’re not born with racial prejudices. We may never even have been “taught” them. Rather, explains Nosek, prejudice draws on “many of the same tools that help our minds figure out what’s good and what’s bad.” In evolutionary terms, it’s efficient to quickly classify a grizzly bear as “dangerous.” The trouble comes when the brain uses similar processes to form negative views about groups of people.

    But here’s the good news: Research suggests that once we understand the psychological pathways that lead to prejudice, we just might be able to train our brains to go in the opposite direction. […]

    But now consider white and black people. Like other human attributes (gender, age, and sexual orientation, for example), race tends to be strongly—and inaccurately—essentialized. This means that when you think of people in that category, you rapidly or even automatically come up with assumptions about their characteristics—characteristics that your brain perceives as unchanging and often rooted in biology. Common stereotypes with the category “African Americans,” for example, include “loud,” “good dancers,” and “good at sports.” (One recent study found that white people also tend to essentialize African Americans as magical—test subjects associated black faces with words like “paranormal” and “spirit.”) Of course, these assumptions are false. Indeed, essentialism about any group of people is dubious—women are not innately gentle, old people are not inherently feebleminded—and when it comes to race, the idea of deep and fundamental differences has been roundly debunked by scientists. […]

    As these experiments suggest, it is not that we are either prejudiced or unprejudiced, period. Rather, we are more and less prejudiced, based on our upbringings and experiences but also on a variety of temporary or situational prompts (like being told we’re on the green team).

    One simple, evolutionary explanation for our innate tendency toward tribalism is safety in numbers. You’re more likely to survive an attack from a marauding tribe if you join forces with your buddies. And primal fear of those not in the in-group also seems closely tied to racial bias. Amodio’s research suggests that one key area associated with prejudice is the amygdala, a small and evolutionarily ancient region in the middle of the brain that is responsible for triggering the notorious “fight or flight” response. In interracial situations, Amodio explains, amygdala firing can translate into anything from “less direct eye gaze and more social distance” to literal fear and vigilance toward those of other races. [..]

    Remarkably, subjects who’d read the nonessentialist essay about race fared considerably better on the creativity test. Their mean score was a full point—or 32 percent—higher than it was for those who read the essentialist essay.

    It’s not like the people in this study were selected because of their preexisting racial prejudices. They weren’t. Instead, merely a temporary exposure to essentialist thinking seemed to hamper their cognitive flexibility. “Essentialism appears to exert its negative effects on creativity not through what people think but how they think,” conclude Tadmor and her colleagues. That’s because, they add, “stereotyping and creative stagnation are rooted in a similar tendency to overrely on existing category attributes.” Those quick-judgment skills that allowed us to survive on the savanna? Not always helpful in modern life.

    So, yes: Prejudice and essentialism are bad for your brain—if you value creative thinking, anyway. But they can also be downright dangerous. […]

    I’m sorry to ruin the suspense: I don’t know what my score was on the Weapons Identification Task. The test ruffled me so much that I messed up badly. It is stressful to have to answer quickly to avoid being rebuked by the game. And it’s even more upsetting to realize that you’ve just “seen” a gun that wasn’t actually there, right after a black face flashed.

    This happened to me several times, and then I suddenly found myself getting “TOO SLOW” messages whenever the object to be identified was a gun. This went on for many minutes and numerous trials. For a while, I thought the test was broken. But it wasn’t: I finally realized that rather than pressing the right shift key, I had somehow started pressing the enter key whenever I thought I saw a gun. It’s almost like I’d subconsciously decided to stop making “gun” choices at all. (Psychoanalyze that.)

    But don’t take that as a cop-out: Before I (arguably) tried to dodge responsibility by pressing the wrong key, I clearly showed implicit bias. And it was horrifying.

    The upshot of all of this research is that in order to rid the world of prejudice, we can’t simply snuff out overt, conscious, full-throated racism. Nor can we fundamentally remake the human brain, with its rapid-fire associations and its categorizing, essentializing, and groupish tendencies. Instead, the key lies in shifting people’s behavior, even as we also make them aware of how cultural assumptions merge with natural cognitive processes to create biases they may not know they have. […]

    The single best intervention involved putting people into scenarios and mindsets in which a black person became their ally (or even saved their life) while white people were depicted as the bad guys. In this intervention, participants “read an evocative story told in second-person narrative in which a White man assaults the participant and a Black man rescues the participant.” In other words, study subjects are induced to feel as if they have been personally helped or even saved by someone from a different race. Then they took the IAT—and showed 48 percent less bias than a control group. (Note: The groups in these various studies were roughly three-fourths white; no participants were black.) […]

    When it comes to weakening racial essentialism, Carmit Tadmor and her colleagues undertook a variety of experiments to try to produce what they called “epistemic unfreezing.” Subjects were exposed to one of three 20-minute multimedia presentations: one exclusively about American culture, one exclusively about Chinese culture, and one comparing American and Chinese cultures (with different aspects of each culture, such as architecture or food, presented back to back). Only in the last scenario were subjects pushed to compare and contrast the two cultures, presumably leading to a more nuanced perspective on their similarities and differences.

    This experimental manipulation has been found to increase creativity. But surprisingly, it also had a big effect on reducing anti-black prejudice. In one study, Tadmor et al. found that white research subjects who had heard the multicultural presentation (but not the American-only or Chinese-only presentation) were less likely than members of the other study groups to endorse stereotypes about African Americans. That was true even though the subjects had learned about Chinese and American cultures, not African American culture. […]

    These studies clearly suggest that, at least for the relatively short time span of a psychology experiment, there are cognitive ways to make people less prejudiced. That’s not the same as—nor can it be a substitute for—broader cultural or institutional change. After all, there is ample evidence that culture feeds directly into the mind’s process of generating prejudices and adopting stereotypical beliefs.

    Nonetheless, if prejudice has both a psychological side and a cultural side, we must address both of these aspects. A good start may simply be making people aware of just how unconsciously biased they can be. That’s particularly critical in law enforcement, where implicit biases can lead to tragic outcomes. […]

    Unsettling though it is, the latest research on our brains could actually have some very positive outcomes—if we use it in the right way. The link between essentialism and creativity doesn’t just tell us how we might reduce prejudice. It could also help us to become a more innovative country—by prioritizing diversity, and the cognitive complexity and boost in creativity it entails. The research on rapid-fire, implicit biases, meanwhile, should restart a debate over the role of media—the news segment that depicts immigrants as hostile job snatchers, the misogynistic lyrics in a song—in subtly imparting stereotypes that literally affect brain wiring. Indeed, you could argue that not only does the culture in which we live make us subtly prejudiced, but it does so against our will. That’s a disturbing thought.

    Especially when you consider how biases affect government policy. Consider this: In October 2012, researchers from the University of Southern California sent emails asking legislators in districts with large Latino populations what documentation was needed in order to vote. Half the emails came from people with Anglo-sounding names; the other half, Latino-sounding names. Republican politicians who had sponsored voter ID laws responded to 27 percent of emails from “Latino” constituents and 67 percent of emails from “white” constituents. For Republicans who’d voted against voter ID laws, the gap was far less dramatic—the response figures were 38 percent for Latino names and 54 percent for white names.

    You can imagine how this kind of thing might create a vicious cycle: When biased legislators make it harder for certain communities to vote, they are also less likely to serve alongside lawmakers from those communities—thus making it less likely for a coalitional experience to change their biases.

    So how do we break the cycle? We could require lawmakers to engage in exercises to recognize their own unconscious prejudice, like the Fair and Impartial Policing program does. Or we could even go a step further and anonymize emails they receive from constituents—thus taking implicit bias out of the equation.

    Short of that, you can do something very simple to fight prejudice: Trick your brain. UNC-Chapel Hill’s Payne suggests that by deliberately thinking a thought that is directly counter to widespread stereotypes, you can break normal patterns of association. What counts as counterstereotypical? Well, Payne’s study found that when research subjects were instructed to think the word “safe” whenever they saw a black face—undermining the stereotypical association between black people and danger—they were 10 percent less likely than those in a control group to misidentify a gun in the Weapons Identification Task.

    To be sure, it will take more than thought exercises to erase the deep tracks of prejudice America has carved through the generations. But consciousness and awareness are a start—and the psychological research is nothing if not a consciousness-raiser. Taking the IAT made me realize that we can’t just draw some arbitrary line between prejudiced people and unprejudiced people, and declare ourselves to be on the side of the angels. Biases have slipped into all of our brains. And that means we all have a responsibility to recognize those biases—and work to change them.

    So much good stuff in that article, incl. charts and graphs. And by ‘good’, I also mean scary, in the implications of what goes on in our own (read: my) brains. Going to have to read it over more carefully, but the impression I get (for myself) is that combatting my internal prejudices requires constant, conscious vigilance and acknowledgement of the unconscious biases I may still harbour within my thoughts and reactions. And this is by no means easy. But it can be done, and that is what matters. Never give up?

  98. says

    Gun used in NYPD murders was sold at pawn shop where guns regularly end up in criminals’ hands

    Federal investigators have traced the semiautomatic handgun that Ismaaiyl Brinsley used to kill two police officers in Brooklyn, New York this weekend to a Jonesboro, Georgia pawn shop, one of a small number of gun dealers that sell the weapons used in a majority of U.S. crimes.
    Investigators are still trying to determine how Brinsley obtained the gun through a series of transactions following the 1996 purchase from Arrowhead Pawn Shop, according to a New York Times interview with an anonymous police official. Because of his criminal record which included multiple felony convictions for theft, shoplifting and firing a stolen handgun, the shooter would not have legally been able to purchase a firearm for himself.
    Although 57 percent of guns recovered and traced to crimes originate from just 1.2 percent of the nation’s gun dealers including Arrowhead, the government has taken little action to prevent illegal sales. Lawsuits against individual dealers are usually settled when the stores agree to short-term monitoring or minor changes in their sales policies.
    For the last eight years, Georgia has been a top five source for guns recovered in crimes in New York state. In 2006, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration sued 27 gun dealers which were providing multiple guns that turned up in crimes throughout the city. Most of the dealers settled and agreed to just three years of a federal monitor overseeing their businesses, according to the New York Times. Arrowhead was not among the sellers targeted in the two lawsuits.
    Though he was not legally permitted to purchase a hand gun through a licensed dealer, Brinsley could have bought the weapon at a gun show or in a private transaction through the private sale loophole. Private dealers in many states do not have to conduct background checks on buyers despite the more strict federal law that mandates licensed dealers to run background checks. In 2013, the U.S. Senate defeated a proposal to expand background checks, although a majority of senators favored the legislation.

  99. rq says

    Deray has been going on on twitter with definition, but I really liked this one: press conference, n.: an event designed to distract us from the truth; a public declaration of misinformation #BlackDictionary. Yes, the hashtag #BlackDictionary will have more of similar.

    Newly released videos in #AntonioMartin shooting death by Berkeley, MO police are cropped, removing crucial evidence Link: http://bit.ly/1rlF6vS Haven’t watched, sorry. Story:

    St. Louis County police have released an additional two video clips from the Tuesday night police shooting of an 18-year-old black man whom they say had pulled a gun on an officer.

    The new clips, one which is a continuation from the first clip they released, the other a clip from a difference surveillance camera, still do not show the alleged gun that Antonio Martin had pulled out on the Berkeley police officer before he was shot.

    But one shows the officer reeling backwards as he fires his gun, falling on his back as his flashlight goes sprawling. The officer quickly hops back up and runs behind gas pumps, indicating that Martin either had a gun or that the officer truly believed he had a gun.

    St. Louis County police, which is investigating the incident, said they cut out the portion where Martin’s body falls to the ground out of respect for his family, but in doing so, they also cut out the portion where we might be able to see the gun falling from his hands as police said they found it near his body.

    The second video released is from a different angle and doesn’t show the actual shooting but does capture Martin’s friend running from the scene into the store, indicating he was looking for cover rather than just trying to escape.

    The dimensions of the two new videos are 640 x 360 while the dimensions of the first video is 640 x 480, meaning they cropped 25 percent from the height of the newly released videos.

    In the video from the second camera, this would be the portion where Martin’s body falls to the ground as well as give us a better view of the alleged gun.

    I’ve included screenshots showing the actual dimensions on Youtube below.

    Police also released two videos from a press conference but the audio is so horrendous that it’s impossible to listen to from my end.

    Meanwhile, demonstrators continue to protest the shooting, including some who threatened a news crew, ordering them to leave the area.

    There is no word yet on the identity of Martin’s friend who ran into the store after the shooting, who would probably be able to provide the most accurate account of what took place, given the fact that police are purposely manipulating the video evidence in the name of compassion and respect towards Martin’s family.

    But Martin’s family is saying they want to see the actual evidence because they are not buying the official story. So police would be doing everybody a favor, including Martin’s family, by releasing all the footage without it being cropped.

    (title: “Newly Released Videos in Berkeley Antonio Martin Shooting Death are Cropped, Removing Crucial Evidence”)

  100. rq says

    Two more NY men arrested for threatening police after officers killed. In case anyone’s interested.

    Threats to New York police stream in after fatal shooting putting department on edge. In case anyone’s interested.

    More protests sparked after shooting near Ferguson, in case anyone’s interested.

    Vigil, protests follow police shooting of young black man in St. Louis suburb. (Toronto Star)
    Police shooting: White Missouri officer shoots, kills black man who pulled gun near Ferguson (CBC). Note headline.

  101. says

    This is a story of police harassment and abuse of power from earlier this year. Police SWAT-Raid Innocent Man’s Home Because He’s Muslim, Civil Rights Group Claims (VIDEO)

    Around midnight on February 10th, police knocked on Mohammed Moneed’s door without a search warrant, then shoved their way into his Santa Clara, CA home. They thought he had a dashboard camera that his uncle was accused of stealing. Moneed asked the police officers to leave, and they did.

    But Moneed hadn’t seen the last of them. Tracey Kaplan from the San Jose Mercury News reports Santa Clara’s finest returned six weeks later with a vengeance:

    More than a dozen police officers armed with assault rifles and pistols stormed into a Santa Clara man’s front yard in late March, used a battering ram to bust into his house and ransacked the place looking for property they never found.

    While supposedly searching for this dash cam at Moneed’s place, police scattered things — including a now-disheveled Koran — all over the floor and even went so far as to open containers of deodorant, squeeze out entire tubes of toothpaste (can one possibly hide a 7-inch dash cam in a tube of toothpaste?), and take photos of religious wall hangings with Arabic script. The overly-thorough search and level of force used in this SWAT-style raid on Moneed’s home seems bizarre and excessive, considering that the dash cam is only worth between $268 (according to the San Jose Mercury News) and $400 (according to CBS San Francisco).

    Despite finding absolutely nothing, Santa Clara police seized computer equipment and handed it over to the Secret Service, and then charged Moneed with a felony count for allegedly receiving the stolen property they never found. That felony count got automatically downgraded to a misdemeanor in November, when voters passed Proposition 47 to reduce penalties for some crimes. Criminal.

    It all started when Moneed’s uncle got into an accident while driving a car he subleased from Muhammad Choudhry, and the car’s dash cam (which would have provided a record of the accident) went missing. When Choudhry filed a complaint with police, he mentioned that the dash cam may have wound up in Moneed’s home. Although Choudhry later dropped charges, Santa Clara police continued pressing the case.

    To add insult to injury, Moneed himself works in law enforcement in the Customs and Border Protection division of the Department of Homeland Security for the San Francisco Bay Area’s three airports. The 26-year-old’s parents emigrated from Pakistan, but Moneed was born here and is a US citizen.

  102. rq says

    This GIF image appears to show #AntonioMartin holding a cell phone in his hand with a lit screen, not a gun. Link: http://i.imgur.com/lT5q3DA.jpg (see moving light around his feet)

    #Oakland Police looking on as the party blocks the road under the bridge. With music & food!

    Someone destroyed the Michael Brown memorial on Canfield Drive: Another angle of the destroyed Canfield street memorial. #Ferguson (via @therealjosh95); Just got to #MikeBrown memorial and it’s been ran over. Someone who saw it on video said it was intentional.

  105. says

    Here’s another non-indictment:
    http://thegrio.com/2014/01/23/grand-jury-declines-to-indict-nc-cop-who-killed-former-famu-footballer-looking-for-help/

    In a handwritten note, Mecklenburg County grand jurors said there wasn’t enough evidence to indict Officer Randall Kerrick, 28, for voluntary manslaughter and asked the state attorney general’s to refile the case with lesser charges.

    But prosecutors immediately said they would resubmit the case after they learned that not all of the grand jurors were present for the decision. They didn’t specify whether they would stick to the original voluntary manslaughter charge or would seek lesser charges.

    Jonathan Ferrell, 24, in an undated photo provided by Florida A&M University, where he played college football.

    No explanation for why the grand jury voted with fewer than 18 members — 12 of whom must agree — was offered.

    Kerrick, a three-year veteran of the Charlotte force, shot Jonathan Ferrell, 24, 10 times in a confrontation in September. Ferrell had crashed his car and staggered to a nearby home for help. Kerrick has been on unpaid leave ever since.

    George Laughrun, Kerrick’s attorney, told The Charlotte Observer that Kerrick “feels like the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders.”

    “He’s extremely relieved that the grand jury members saw fit to keep an open mind and not listen to all the propaganda on all the things he did wrong,” Laughrun said.

  106. says

    http://countercurrentnews.com/2014/12/sheneque-proctor-the-female-eric-garner/

    That headline is insulting and sexist. Sheneque Proctor was her own person. She should not be defined in relation to anyone else.

    A new petition is circulating in response to death of an African American citizens at the hands of police officers who many are calling the “female Eric Garner.” The petition demands is demanding a federal and state investigation into the death of 18-year-old Sheneque Proctor.

    Proctor was kill in the Bessemer City Jail after she was arrested on November 1st. She was at a Bessemer hotel at a part with friends when police arrived and arrested her for “disorderly conduct,” according to her aunt, Tracy Rodda.

    Early the next morning, Proctor was found dead in her jail cell, after having complained of problems with asthma which police apparently refused to take seriously.

    Bessemer City Attorney Shan Paden commented, “I know the case. I know we had a death in the jail. Erring on a conservative side, not to protect the city but to protect the rights of an 18-year-old, the city of Bessemer will not disclose any information.”

    The petition was created on Change.org last Monday, but has received relatively little attention. The petition explains the following about Sheneque Proctor’s death and links it to unrest throughout the nation.

    “The death of Black Men like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice is a clear indication that Black Lives are in jeopardy from Police who have declared it open season on Black Men,” Karen Jones of Montgomery Alabama writes, in her description of the petition.

    “Insult over injury no indictment and a video which clearly shows officers using a choke hold on Eric Garner who loudly and clearly stated that he could NOT breathe was not enough to save his life.

    “Yet in Alabama where most of the historical landmark Civil Right Movements and cases we have lost an 18 year old Black young woman under the hands of Bessemer Police,” the petition continues.

    Proctor’s family says that she suffered from asthma, and had complained of being treated violently by Bessemer Police officers who made the arrest.

    After making her complaints, she was found dead in her jail cell the next morning. But Bessemer authorities have refused to so much as comment on the case. All media inquires have been referred to the State Bureau of Investigations, which spokeswoman Robyn Bryan says “is looking into the case.”

    “This family deserves some answers,” the petition declares. “We don’t need another ‘I can’t breathe’ story. Her life mattered and still matters to her family. They deserve answers from the State Bureau of Investigations and the FBI.”

    The petition demands that State Senator Quinton Ross, State Representative Alvin Holmes and U.S. Representative Terri Sewell “request both State and Federal investigations in the death of this 18 year old Black female.”

    (hat tip to Sally Strange)

  107. says

    Concert fundraisers for John Crawford

    Far from momentum dying in the fight for justice for John Crawford, the movement is picking up steam and proving to be a “slow burn” instead of a “flash in the pan.” Now, with 2015 just around the corner, two new concerts have been announced to help raise funds for John Crawford’s family.

    The first of the two fundraiser shows is the Gem City Get Down.

    Saturday, January 10, 2015
    at 10:00pm – 2:00am
    Jan 10, 2015 at 10:00pm to Jan 11, 2015 at 2:00am

    The event page for the show says the following:

    “You already know!!! The premier Hip Hop event in Dayton, OH is back at Blind Bob’s Bar January 10th, 2015. The formula is simple: we provide the jams, you provide the party. This Get Down will directly benefit the children of John Crawford. We are working with the Ohio Student Association and if you’ve never attended a Get Down, now is the time!!! See you January 10th!”

    In May, the massive, weekend-long Justice Fest will kick off. While planning for the huge event is still in the works, being coordinated with bands all over the country, the month of May has been fixed, and the planners are working hand-in-hand with the Gem City Get Down to make sure the event features the best of local and national music. There will be multiple styles and genres of music, including hip hop, reggae, ska, punk, metal, hardcore and perhaps more.

    Political speakers will take to the microphone in between sets, including members of the alternative media like The Free Thought Project, Anti Media and Counter Current News. This event will take place right in the heart of Beavercreek, Ohio so the police and citizens will never be able to sweep the shell casings from Officer Sean William’s assault rifle under the proverbial rug.

    If you are a musician who is interested in performing at Justice Fest, inbox them at their Facebook page and let them know. The event will be free to all, with a request for donations. All donations go to help the family of John Crawford out.

    Come out to these concerts in Beavercreek, and Dayton Ohio. Tell everyone you know who loves good music and who believes in the cause of justice. If you would like to support the John Crawford family before then, there is a fundraiser page which we have confirmed with John’s mother, goes directly to help his family out (link). Why not kick them $1, $5 or even more if you can?

  108. says

    Ex-NYPD police officer ‘We planted evidence, framed innocent people’ for arrest quota

    This comes as an a former New York City narcotics detective, Stephen Anderson, testified in court that the NYPD routinely plants drugs on innocent people. He described this as a “common practice,” a “quick and easy” way for officers to reach arrest quotas.

    The practice is known among NYPD cops as “flaking.”

    Anderson was busted, along with four other officers, “flaking” four men in Queens back in 2008. He has cooperated with prosecutors, and is admitting that far from a few “bad apples,” this is the modus operandi of the NYPD.

    “It was something I was seeing a lot of, whether it was from supervisors or undercovers and even investigators,” Anderson testified.

    “It’s almost like you have no emotion with it, that they attach the bodies to it, they’re going to be out of jail tomorrow anyway; nothing is going to happen to them anyway.”

  109. says

    FBI keeps lid on sniper plot to kill Occupy Wall Street organizers

    Heavily redacted FBI memos confirm that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was aware of a plot to assassinate the Houston organizers of “Occupy Wall Street,” but the agency has managed to withhold the details from the American public using the worn-out excuse that transparency compromises national security.

    According to the agency’s official memos, an unnamed party or agency “planned to engage in sniper attacks against protestors in Houston, Texas, if deemed necessary… [Redacted] planned to gather intelligence against the leaders of the protest groups and obtain photographs, then formulate a plan to kill the leadership via suppressed sniper rifles.”

    The plot was allegedly devised in October 2011, shortly after the national debut of Occupy Wall Street in September of the same year. It wasn’t until 2013 that any mention of the plot was made known to the public, when Massachusetts Institute of Technology doctoral student Ryan Noah Shapiro noticed startling references in the course of his extensive efforts to pursue transparency in the FBI. Mr. Shapiro subsequently filed a Freedom Of Information (FOIA) request for additional details.

  110. Pteryxx says

    deray mckesson ‏@deray

    Baltimore Officer reports officers assaulting citizen. A rat is placed on his car and his house. Then this.

    12:04 PM – 27 Dec 2014

    (twitter)

    Original article in the Baltimore Sun, Dec 23: Whistle-blower officer files lawsuit against Batts, BPD

    Detective Joseph Crystal, who resigned in August, came forward in 2012 and told prosecutors he had observed fellow officers assaulting a man. Crystal said word spread within the department that he was cooperating, and one morning he found a rat on the windshield of his car outside his home.

    […]

    Crystal also alleges that other officers refused to back him up on the streets. He alleges that in November 2012, no one from his unit responded to a call he put out over the radio that he was involved in a foot chase as part of a drug investigation.

    Two days later, he stopped two suspects and called for backup. He contends his supervisor called his cellphone and “gave him a direct order to return back to the district and that he would not be given backup.”

    “Nobody wants to ride with you,” a detective told him later, according to the lawsuit.

    Crystal also alleges that a detective once pulled up alongside his police car and asked if he was “having a cheese party. I know rats like cheese.” And he says a union official told him he should “look into going to another agency.”

    The former president of the Fraternal Order of Police declined to comment.

    Crystal contends the incidents were fallout from him coming forward about a beating he said he observed during an October 2011 drug arrest.

    Officers saw a man throw away suspected drugs and tried to chase him, then later found him hiding in the home of a police officer’s girlfriend. Prosecutors said that after the suspect was handcuffed and put in a wagon to be taken away, police took him back into the house, where Officer Anthony Williams, who was off duty, beat him.

    Williams was convicted of assault and obstruction of justice, and Sgt. Marinos Gialamas was found guilty of misconduct.

  111. rq says

    Whew! 1700+ tweets to sort through!
    Cops Turn Their Backs On De Blasio At Funeral For NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos;
    Hundreds of NYPD officers turn backs on de Blasio during funeral address;
    Protestors told for the past week to take a hiatus to allow for healing. NYPD stages a protest at the funeral. Incredible.

    Ferguson officer placed on leave over remarks about damaged memorial;
    Police arrest two men who fired a BB gun inside an Idaho Walmart (this can’tpo ssibly be a double-standard, can it?);
    New Guidelines on Government Profiling Announced

    The Department of Justice has updated federal guidance on the consideration of race and other attributes when performing law enforcement activities. Federal law enforcement agencies are now prohibited from using race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity when making “routine or spontaneous law enforcement decisions, such as ordinary traffic stops.” The guidance permits federal law enforcement to consider these factors when engaged in national security, intelligence, immigration law, and organized crime investigation. Federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Customs and Border Protection routinely use immutable characteristics, like race and ethnicity, to assign “risk-assessment” profiles on individual who are not suspected of any crime. EPIC has previously urged the government to end this practice and to suspend the Automated Targeting System’s “risk assessment” scoring EPIC said that the use of factors such as race and nationality to profile individuals is unconstitutional. For more information, see EPIC: Automated Targeting System, EPIC: Passenger Profiling, and EPIC: EPIC v. Customs and Border Protection (Analytical Framework for Intelligence).

  112. rq says

    pix from hit&run vehicle that hit livestreamer Bryan Hayes tonite in LA. attn @globalrevlive @CassandraRules ;
    Silent March downtown.;
    1948 postcard depicting the killing of African American Herman Burns by LA police. Some things never change.;
    The Black officer in this picture gets it, that’s why he isn’t turning his back on the Mayor. ;
    Worse than shooting a kid- shooting off your mouth. I can’t even. via @deray Officer Zoll on unpaid leave: #Ferguson (tweet contains the statement from the Ferguson PD regarding the officer who mouthed off – more on this later);
    Mendocino High School Basketball Players Disinvited From Fort Bragg Tournament For Wearing ‘I Can’t Breathe’ T-Shirts.

  113. rq says

    Check @coryprovost’s experience with overly-aggressive “policing” in FL tonight. Read. America. Storify link: Cory Provost PD incident.

    Ferguson business owners take boards down, hopeful for future.

    So many people I can’t see the beginning or end of the march. Random shoppers coming out in solidarity with their hands up #MillionsMarchLA

    This “NYPD Funeral” Photo Being Shared On Twitter Is Not From Today. Just in case anyone is interested.

    Who Police Killed In 2014

    Below is a list of 21 people of color and/or mentally ill persons who were killed by cops in 2014. Some cases are more clear-cut than others, but all of them raise questions about the use of force — like shooting to kill — in policing. They also prompt scrutiny of how cops confront people with mental illnesses:

    1. Darrien Hunt; Saratoga Springs, UT: Hunt was shot six times and killed after someone reported a man with a suspicious sword. Hunt, who had a fascination with Japanese anime characters, was carrying a toy sword. A recent autopsy report found the shots hit him in the back, suggesting he was running away from police on the scene.

    2. Ezell Ford; Los Angeles, CA: In what was described as “an execution” by family members, Ford was unarmed when LAPD shot him last August. Officers stopped him on the street, in response to a possible officer-involved shooting. One witness contends that officers beat the 25-year-old disabled man while saying “shoot him.” Others maintain that Ford was laying on the ground when he was shot.

    3. Omar Abrego; Los Angeles, CA: Abrego died a mere four blocks from where Ezell Ford was shot. A father of three, Abrego was beaten to death by LAPD after a car chase last August. Witnesses allege that officers punched Abrego in the face continuously, and also hit him with a baton.

    4. Tamir E. Rice; Cleveland, OH: Police responded to a 911 call about a boy with a gun in the park. Within seconds of arriving at the park, police opened fire, killing the 12-year-old who had been holding a toy gun. Officers on the scene refused to administer first aid for four minutes, and left him laying on the ground. They allegedly handcuffed his 14-year-old sister.

    5. Tanesha Anderson; Cleveland, OH: Anderson, a schizophrenic and bipolar women, died after police allegedly slammed her onto the pavement outside her family’s home. Officers had approached Anderson after a caller reported her for “disturbing the peace.” Police claim that they planned to take her to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, and that she went limp in an officer’s arms. But Anderson’s brother and daughter deny the cops’ story and contend that the 37-year-old was slammed to the ground.

    6. Rumain Brisbon; Phoenix, AZ: Brisbon was killed earlier this month, after an officer mistook a pill bottle for a gun. The officer approached Brisbon’s car after someone reported a drug deal happening near the vehicle. When asked to raise his hands, Brisbon put them in his pockets. A quick chase on foot ensued after the officer pulled out a weapon. There was a brief scuffle when the cop caught up to Brisbon, during which the latter reached into his pocket. The officer shot him, and explained later that he thought he felt a gun in the pocket. The perceived gun was actually a pill bottle.

    7. John Crawford III; Beavercreek, OH: Crawford was shot by police officers in a Walmart, who were responding to a 911 call about an armed man. The caller, who originally stated that Crawford was pointing the gun at people, changed his statement later on. In a video released after the incident, Crawford was walking down a store aisle while holding a BB gun that he was buying for his children, and then swung it over his shoulder. All the while, he was talking on a phone and looking at the shelves. Officers descended upon him and fired two shots.

    8. Keith Vidal; Southport, NC: Police responded to a 911 call for assistance from the parents of Vidal, a schizophrenic 18-year-old, who was in the middle of an episode. Although Vidal picked up a screwdriver, two officers were able to calm him down. But the situation turned deadly when a third cop tased the teenager shortly thereafter. That officer allegedly said “we don’t have time for this” before shooting and killing Vidal on the spot.

    9. Kajieme Powell; St. Louis, MO: Just days later and a few miles away from where Mike Brown was shot, officers gunned down Kajieme Powell, who had stolen energy drinks and pastries from a convenience store. Officers said they shot Powell after he approached them wielding a knife with an “overhand grip,” and that he was within three or four feet of them. But video from a cell phone showed the 25-year-old standing farther away and with his hands by his sides.

    10. Akai Gurley; Brooklyn, NY: A police officer accidentally shot Gurley, who was walking down a dark flight of stairs. The officer fired his gun while he was performing a vertical patrol, and texted a union rep as Gurley was dying. Police Chief Bill Bratton confirmed that Gurley was a “total innocent.”

    11. Eric Garner; Staten Island, NY: NYPD officers stopped Garner, who was selling untaxed cigarettes, on the sidewalk. The encounter turned deadly when Officer Daniel Pantaleo put Garner, an asthmatic, in an illegal chokehold. Garner repeatedly said ‘I can’t breathe’ before dying on the scene. The entire incident was caught on camera, but a grand jury decision refused to indict the officer.

    12. Mike Brown; Ferguson, MO: Brown was shot by Officer Darren Wilson, after the police stopped him and friend Dorian Johnson, who were walking in the street. After he stopped them, Wilson realized that Brown matched the description of a suspected thief who the officer was trying to find. Wilson claimed there was a physical altercation, and that Brown tried to grab his gun and charged at him. Witnesses say Brown was running away with his hands up when the officer shot him. Police kept the body in the street for 4.5 hours. A grand jury chose not to indict Wilson.

    13. Michelle Cusseaux; Phoenix, AZ: Frances Garrett called Southwest Behavioral Health Services to transport her 50-year-old daughter, Michelle Cusseaux, to an in-patient facility. Cusseaux, who was schizophrenic, bipolar, and had depression, was showing signs of threatening behavior. But when officers came to take her away, the incident escalated. Cusseaux threatened them with a hammer, and was shot in her home when she wouldn’t put it down. Later Garrett said, “They knew (who) they were going to work with — a person with a mental illness. You don’t come with guns drawn, guns at her door. I’m sure it frightened her.”

    14. Jack Jacquez; Rocky Ford, CO: When Jacquez returned home after babysitting with a friend, officers showed up unexpectedly and burst into the home. According to his sister in law, Jacquez was standing next to his mom with his back to the cops, when Officer James Ashby shot him two times. His fiance was woken up by gun shots. Details haven’t emerged about why officers were at the house.

    15. Jason Harrison; Dallas, TX: When Harrison’s mother dialed 911, she was seeking help for her son who had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. But the officers who responded to the call shot and killed Harrison on the front porch of his mother’s home, when he didn’t obey orders to put a screwdriver down. Police claimed Harrison was acting aggressively, but the victim’s family filed a lawsuit stating that excessive force was used. Harrison’s father also alleges that cops were previously called to subdue the victim. Video of the shooting, recorded by a body cam, has not been released to the public.

    16. Yvette Smith; Bastrop County, TX: Police were called to a house where a disturbance call was placed, although a dispatcher misinformed them that the disturbance was about a gun. Officers allege that people inside the house ignored demands to step out of the home. The Sheriff’s Department originally said that Smith eventually opened the door with a gun in her hand and refused to listen to orders, which is when Deputy Daniel Willis shot her in her abdomen and hip. But the department backtracked on the gun claim hours later. Witnesses say the disturbance call was about money and not a gun, and that Smith was compliant. The 47-year-old woman died at the hospital, and Willis was indicted for murder.

    17. Louis Rodriguez; Oklahoma City, OK: Police were called about a domestic dispute between a mother and daughter, but wound up killing the father outside of a movie theater. Rodriguez was trying to calm his wife down when he was approached by police and security guards from the theater. Officers began to beat him when, in an attempt to stop his wife from driving away, Rodriguez bypassed the officers. Although an autopsy conducted by the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that the victim died from “cardiac arrhythymia due to physical constraint,” a private autopsy concluded that he died of asphyxia as a result of a maneuver that restricted his breathing. The daughter, Lunahi Rodriguez, recorded the incident.

    18. Matthew Pollow; Palm Beach, FL: Police were called to investigate an “armed disturbance,” when they approached Matthew Pollow standing next to a car. Pollow complied when he was ordered to remove everything from his pockets. Then Deputy Evan Rosenthal drew his weapon, alleging that the victim looked “very disturbed.” Pollow, who had a history of mental illness, grabbed a screwdriver and charged at the officer. Rosenthal shot Pollow, who died at the scene.

    19. Dontre D. Hamilton; Milwaukee, WI: Hamilton, a 31-year-old schizophrenic man, was sleeping in a park when Officer Christopher Manney approached him for a standard welfare check. After assessing that Hamilton was mentally ill, Manney approached him from the back and started to pat him down. The two exchanged punches before, Manney eventually used his baton to hit the victim in the neck. Manney then shot Hamilton 14 times. Chief Edward Flynn of Milwaukee said that Manney disregarded police policy after correctly determining that Hamilton was mentally unstable. “You don’t go hands-on and start frisking somebody only because they appear to be mentally ill,” said Flynn.

    20. David Latham; Northfolk, VA: According to Latham’s family, his mother and sister called 911 when he threatened his brother with a knife. Latham had stopped taking his medication for schizophrenia, which explained his behavior. When he didn’t immediately put down his knife, an officer shot Latham, who was standing in a doorway, nine times.

    21. Maria Godinez; Orlando, FL: Officer Eduardo Sanguino accidentally shot and killed Godinez, a 22-year-old college student. The officer was shooting at Kody Roach, who was a caller reported for waiving a gun outside of a bar. Police attempted to tase Roach, but that didn’t work. And when Roach turned around, Sanguino shot his firearm nine times. Godinez was inside when she was hit by a stray bullet.

    But the total is over 1000.

  114. rq says

    Beginning the die-in in the food court #blacklivesmatter #justice4dontre;
    #AkaiGurley family lays down outside police service area #2 in Brooklyn to protest their sons murder by NYPD #NyC;
    #AkaiGurley protesters turn backs on the 75th precinct and demand justice for his murder #Brooklyn #NYC:
    Put together a reading list w/ some friends via @STLinSolidarity – Check it out, yo. Read & Share! #BlackLivesMatter < – good stuff wthin!
    Those good cops? Baltimore Officer reports officers assaulting citizen. A rat is placed on his car and his house. Then this.;
    Yup @Russian_Starr: This is why the NYPD, Giuliani and Pat Lynch hate Bill de Blasio so much. “.

  115. rq says

    Protester who advocates peace charged with setting fire at Berkeley QT

    Woman charged after throwing bacon, sausage in Framingham police station

    An Ashland woman accused of walking onto the Framingham Police Department and throwing sausage and bacon says God told her to go “feed the pigs.”

    …

    Civil rights leaders at odds as Ferguson protests grow

    Activists who spurred demonstrations across the country after a white police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man in Ferguson, Mo., now demand a prominent voice in a national conversation about race, challenging the primacy of established civil rights organizations such as Al Sharpton’s National Action Network and the NAACP. While the newer activists may share goals with more experienced groups, they have clashed with them in attempts at joint efforts.

    That divide went on public display earlier this month at a march organized by Sharpton in Washington, D.C. when activist Johnetta Elzie, 25, and other protesters pushed to the front of the stage and demanded a share of the spotlight.

    “This movement was started by the young people,” Elzie, of St. Louis, said at the Dec. 13 march. “We started this. There should be young people all over this stage. This should be young people all up here.”

    It was the second time in the last five months that Ferguson protesters had chastised the old guard. In October, during an interfaith service in St. Louis, young activists interrupted the program by heckling speakers and shouting for a place on stage. Eventually, several clergy members ceded their spots to protesters, who told the crowd that NAACP President Cornell William Brooks was out of touch.

    “This ain’t your grandparents’ civil rights movement,” rapper and activist Tef Poe said while on stage. “A lot of us are not scholars. We’re not trained organizers. We are not professional activists. We are just real people who identified a problem and decided to do something about it.”

    The tactics employed by Ferguson protesters demonstrate a shift toward more daring actions for civil rights, said William Chafe, a history professor at Duke University who wrote a book on North Carolina’s sit-in movement. Similarly, he said, in the early 20th century, activists moved from polite letter-writing campaigns pleading for an end to segregation to boycott and civil disobedience.

    Black NYPD cops expose climate of rampant racial profiling in force

    An overwhelming majority of injustices perpetrated by one police officer against another involved black cops being mistaken for criminals by their white colleagues. But the statistic only emerged in a task force report in 2010, when the first comprehensive study of the problem was carried out, Reuters reports.

    The fresh disclosure to the news agency of a slew of accusations and complaints of racial profiling filed by black officers comes at a difficult time for America, which is already preoccupied with allegations of police brutality – largely white-on-black.

    The current tension in race relations in American society has even escalated to a black gunman murdering NYPD cops in retaliation amid nationwide protests over the question of police using disproportionate violence against unarmed black men. […]

    One of the most severe allegations involved a black police veteran of 30 years, who was leaving a party wearing civilian clothes and some flashy jewelry. Exiting a New York nightclub sometime before 1am in 2012 he was involved in an altercation with white cops who pushed him up against his Escalade and took him away in handcuffs.

    “If I was white, it wouldn’t have happened,” Harold Thomas, formerly of the elite Joint Terrorism Task Force, said. […]

    However, an African-American colleague of Blaize’s from Los Angeles believes things aren’t as clear-cut.

    “It makes good headlines to say this is occurring, but I don’t think you can validate it until you look into the circumstances they were stopped in,” Bernard Parks, former chief of the LA Police Department, told Reuters.

    What is clear to Parks is that most offenders are, after all, racial minorities. Therefore their ill-treatment is pretty much down to statistics.

    According to those defending the NYPD’s treatment of both black civilians and cops, the practice of racial profiling that often ends in being roughly tripped up, slammed against the wall and handcuffed is justifiable, borne out by the fact that New York is no longer the murder capital of the United States.

    Moreover, while they comprise 23 percent of New York’s population, black people were responsible for 72 percent of shooting attacks in New York in 2011. […]

    And yet all 25 of the interviewed officers reported being racially profiled. Of those, only a third filed complaints, officially or unofficially.

    Twenty-four of the interviewed officers reported being racially profiled by their white peers when off-duty and not in uniform.

    Similarly, 24 said that some form of punishment for complaining ensued, either in the form of disciplinary action, denial of overtime, promotions, or specific choice assignments. They say there is a sense among black officers that reporting is more trouble than it’s worth. […]

    “There’s no real outlet to report the abuse,” he says, telling the agency about the gross misconduct inherent even in Internal Affairs.

    With the current focus on police racial profiling of suspects across the US, the plight of black officers may shed further light on the issue – if these cops can find support within their departments to do so.

  116. rq says

    A Message From a Protestor and Former Cop: We Are Not Anti-Cop. We Are Pro-Life. (from the Lounge via birgerjohansson). Co-opting language the right way? Or crossing purposes?

    RT @joejackson: #AkaiGurley protesters turn their backs on officers imitating cop demo against mayor.

    NYPD’s helicopter flyover tribute to fallen officer.

    ‘A Long Hungry Look’: Forgotten Gordon Parks Photos Document Segregation.

    More good cops? Whistle-blower officer files lawsuit against Batts, BPD

    Detective Joseph Crystal, who resigned in August, came forward in 2012 and told prosecutors he had observed fellow officers assaulting a man. Crystal said word spread within the department that he was cooperating, and one morning he found a rat on the windshield of his car outside his home.

    When the incident became public, Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts vowed to protect Crystal and investigate. But Crystal, who now lives in Florida, contends in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit that a continued hostile workplace environment forced him to leave.

    His lawsuit alleges that the retaliation violated his free-speech rights, that the department broke state wage and hour laws, and that he was forced to resign.

    The Police Department said an outside investigation of the intimidation that Crystal alleged is not complete and declined to comment on the lawsuit.

    Crystal also alleges that other officers refused to back him up on the streets. He alleges that in November 2012, no one from his unit responded to a call he put out over the radio that he was involved in a foot chase as part of a drug investigation.

    Two days later, he stopped two suspects and called for backup. He contends his supervisor called his cellphone and “gave him a direct order to return back to the district and that he would not be given backup.”

    “Nobody wants to ride with you,” a detective told him later, according to the lawsuit.

    Crystal also alleges that a detective once pulled up alongside his police car and asked if he was “having a cheese party. I know rats like cheese.” And he says a union official told him he should “look into going to another agency.”

    The former president of the Fraternal Order of Police declined to comment.

    (this is the article on rats found on the car previously mentioned)

  117. rq says

    Baltimore settlements on police brutality more restrictive than in other cities

    When Baltimore residents settle lawsuits alleging police brutality or other misconduct, they must promise to keep silent about the incidents that sparked the suits — an arrangement that shields key details from the public. The penalty for disobeying: Lawyers for the city may try to recoup tens of thousands of dollars from the settlement.

    But many other cities — including Washington, Philadelphia and Las Vegas — have rejected the use of such confidentiality clauses in an effort to increase the transparency of government operations.

    “The plaintiff can publicly discuss the case — no restrictions,” Ted Gest, spokesman for the attorney general’s office in Washington D.C., said as he described that city’s policy.

    Jeffrey Furbee, assistant city attorney in Columbus, Ohio, said such clauses in public lawsuits “would be illegal. We are an open-records state.”
    Sun Investigation: Undue Force
    Sun Investigation: Undue Force

    Baltimore’s standard settlement agreement has drawn criticism from defense lawyers and some city officials after it was highlighted in an investigation by The Baltimore Sun. The investigation revealed the city spent $5.7 million on 102 court judgments and settlements for alleged police misconduct since 2011, and critics said the nondisparagement clause helped keep the scope of misconduct allegations from becoming widely known. The clause states that limitations on “public statements shall include a prohibition in discussing any facts or allegations … with the news media,” except to say the suit has been settled.

    In recent years, a wide range of residents have settled civil suits for significant amounts. For example, an 87-year-old woman who alleged that an officer shoved her against a wall received $95,000. A pregnant accountant was awarded $125,000 after alleging that an encounter with an officer left her facedown — bleeding and bruised — on a sidewalk. In those and other settlements, the city and officers do not acknowledge any wrongdoing.

    But the risks of violating terms of the agreement became clear in October, when city lawyers cut the amount of another settlement. They withheld $31,500 — about half the settlement — from a woman who had posted online comments about her allegations of police brutality.

    Michael Brown memorial destroyed overnight

    Officer Timothy Zoll, the Ferguson Police Department’s public relations officer, said that no crime had been reported in connection to the memorial’s destruction. He suggested that the department would look at any video of the incident, but he did not specify whether the department would investigate.

    “I don’t know that a crime has occurred,” Zoll said Friday. “But a pile of trash in the middle of the street? The Washington Post is making a call over this?”

    Yup, he called it a pile of trash. Hence the leave without pay.

    The Brutality of Rudy Giuliani – on Twitter introduced as what Cheney is to torture, Giuliani is to police brutality.

  118. rq says


    Protesters Planning Massive Rally In Front Of Fox News Headquarters After Non-Stop Racist Coverage

    On January 2, protesters are meeting in front of the News Corporation headquarters (home of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire) right outside of Fox News’ studios to hold a “die-in” shutdown. While Fox tries to record their usual garbage inside, outside hundreds will be letting the company and the world know that what Fox is doing is not okay.

    Relatedly, Journalism Magazine Calls Don Lemon The Worst

    The Columbia Journalism Review’s recap of the year’s “most cringeworthy news blunders” included the out anchor because of a series of off kilter moments that made headlines this year.

    “Live television is exceedingly difficult to produce, of course, but Lemon’s gaffes this year offer a case study in how to choose words wisely — or not,” wrote David Uberti.

    Some examples at the link.

    Interlude: The Reality of Dating White Women When You’re Black.

    Related to the NYPD racism towards black officers, Black cops fear other cops

    In the article, Reuters equates what they experience as the same type of racial profiling that cost Eric Garner his life after he was swarmed by police officers and one applied a choke hold to him.

    The black police officers said their experiences included being pulled over by police for no reason (multiple times for most), being stopped and frisked, thrown into prison vans, and being physically assaulted and threatened. Black cops say that they’ve had their heads slammed against vehicles and guns brandished in their faces.

    “The black officers interviewed said they had been racially profiled by white officers exclusively, and about one third said they made some form of complaint to a supervisor.”

    “All but one said their supervisors either dismissed the complaints or retaliated against them by denying them overtime, choice assignments, or promotions. The remaining officers who made no complaints said they refrained from doing so either because they feared retribution or because they saw racial profiling as part of the system.”

    White American have been brainwashed about race: Lies we tell ourselves about black women . Can’t blockquote, but there’s 4 pages of stuff about the erasure of black women and also their presentation (or lack thereof) n the media.

  119. rq says

    Ferguson’s other tragedy: School segregation still leaves a mark in Missouri.

    Cops Threaten a Blue Coup in New York City

    On Internet message boards, police union activists instructed the rank and file to refuse to respond to incidents unless two units were dispatched to the scene, and to double up even if given orders to the contrary. Under this “wartime” footing, the police would simply seize the power to deploy and assign themselves, as they liked – and to hell with the chain of command and civilian authorities.

    To hell, especially, with Mayor de Blasio, who now travels nowhere except under the protective custody of police commissioner Bill Bratton, a “cop’s cop” and architect of the “Broken Windows” policing strategy that begat stop-and-frisk. Bratton translates de Blasio’s words into cop-speak, and has forged a tense truce between the uniformed legions and the man who won 95 percent of the Black vote on the promise to put a leash on the gendarmes.


    Alabama Senator Teaches Charles Barkley How Bad Slavery Was In Epic Open Letter

    “I don’t think anytime anything bad that happens in the black community we have to talk about slavery,” Barkley said. “Listen, slavery is, uh, well, I shouldn’t say one of the worst things ever, because I don’t know anything about it other than what I read or what my grandmother told me.”

    According to Barkley, slavery wasn’t so bad. It’s a statement that many white supremacists are probably pinning to bulletin boards in glee. But Alabama Senator Hank Sanders was deeply hurt by what Barkley said, and composed an epic open letter to teach Sir Charles just how bad slavery was and how it still affects us today. […]

    I write you out of love. I write you out of profound pain. I write you out of deep concern. I hope you accept this letter in the spirit that I write.

    Mr. Barkley, I understand that you said, in so many words, that slavery was not so bad and that you were tired of people bringing up slavery. I was shocked by both statements. Then I was mad. Then I was terribly disappointed. Finally, I was just in deep hurt and great pain. Now, I am trying to help you and all those who may think like you.

    Mr. Barkley, allow me to tell you why slavery was “not so bad,” but very, very bad. First, African people were snatched from their families, their villages, their communities, their tribes, their continent, their freedom. African people were made to walk hundreds of miles in chains. They were often beaten, poorly fed and abused in many ways. Women and girls were routinely raped. The whole continent was ravaged and still suffers to this day. Mr. Barkley, this is very, very bad.

    Second, African people were placed in “slave dungeons” for weeks and sometimes months until the slave ships came. They were often underfed, terribly beaten, raped and stuffed together so tightly they could hardly move. African people were packed in the holds of ships with little space to even move. They performed bodily functions where they lay and then lived in it. They were oftentimes beaten, raped and abused mentally, physically and emotionally. Many died from disease and broken spirits. Some were so terribly impacted that they jumped overboard and drowned when brought to the deck of the ships. Millions died during the Middle Passage from Africa to the Americas. Mr. Barkley, this is very, very bad.

    Third, African people were broken like wild animals. They were stripped of every element of their identity. Their names were taken. Their languages were taken. Their religions were taken. Their histories were taken. They were forbidden to have family. They had no rights to own anything. They were considered property. Their personalities were permanently altered. Their freedom was taken. They became chattel sold from “slave blocks.” This crushing of identity impacts us to this day. I call it the psychology of the oppressed. Mr. Barkley, this is very, very bad.

    Fourth, African Americans were worked from “kin to can’t;” that is from “can see” in the morning to “can’t see” at night. There was no pay for their long, hard labor. Many were poorly fed. Most felt the lash of the whip. All felt the lash of the tongue. Many were repeatedly raped. Their children and other loved ones were sold at will. Some mothers killed their baby girls so they would not have to endure the ravages of slavery. Mr. Barkley, this is very, very bad.

    Fifth, African Americans had no right to defend themselves no matter what was done and how wrong it was. By law, they could not even testify against their abusers. As U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Toney said in the 1857 Dred Scott case, “A Black man has no rights a White man is bound to respect.” This became the law of the land and its legacy bedevils us to this day. Mr. Barkley, this is very, very bad.

    Sixth, African Americans were perceived and treated as sub human. The only way enslavers could square this terrible treatment with their Christian beliefs was see us as less than human. Therefore, they could proudly place such beautiful words in the Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution with impunity: i.e. – “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” To them, African Americans were not human so these beautiful words did not apply. Even the U.S. Constitution designated us as 3/5 of a person. That’s why White terrorists, in and out of uniforms, can kill us without punishment. The legacy of being less human lingers with us today. Black lives are worth much less than White lives. Mr. Barkley, this is very, very bad.

    Seventh, it required great violence to implement and maintain the worse form of human slavery known to humankind. It required unbridled violence by enslavers, slave catchers, local, state, federal governments and the entire society. Maintaining the institution of slavery created a very violent society that infests us to this day. That’s why the United States has far more violence than any country in the world. Mr. Barkley, this is very, very bad.

    Eighth, even after slavery formerly ended, we still had Jim Crow. These same imbedded attitudes generated state-sanctioned terrorism for nearly another 100 years. The Ku Klux Klan and other terrorist groups hanged, mutilated, maimed and murdered without any punishment. It was state sanctioned terrorism because the “state” did not do anything to prevent it. That’s why even during the Civil Rights Movement murders took many years before even a modicum of justice was forged. Just look at the deaths of Medgar Evers, James Chaney, the three little girls murdered by the bombing of a Birmingham Church and so many others. That is why today Trayvon Martin could not walk the streets of his neighborhood and Jordan Davis could not play loud music in his car and Eric Garner was choked to death and Michael Brown was gunned down. Mr. Barkley this is very, very bad.

    Mr. Barkley, if you knew your history, you would not say slavery is not so bad and you are tired of people bringing up slavery. The legacy of slavery is everywhere. However, you are not totally to blame because you were deliberately denied the opportunity to learn your history. That is one more legacy of slavery. I hope you will seek the full history for yourself so that you will not ever say such things again.

    In deep concern,

    Hank Sanders

    For some reason, the media gravitates toward Charles Barkley to seek his comments on social and political issues that he clearly knows nothing about. He’s a jock, not a historian. His only expertise is basketball and awkward golf swings. Clearly, if he had pursued academic achievement instead of spending hours putting a ball through a hoop, he would know that slavery is indeed, one of the worst travesties in world history. But like a lot of jocks, Barkley no longer has to study hard to find out how evil slavery was. All he has to do is read the open letter written to him by the smart person in the class.

    Nothing New: The Last Time An NYC Mayor Tried To Rein In NYPD, Cops Rioted. (A number of links via Tony, thank you very much!!!)

  120. rq says

    Something we’ve all heard before, though in a different context:
    I will never be okay with folks wanting to play devil’s advocate in the midst of a political movement about black people’s lives.
    I’m not a thought experiment. This movement is not a thought experiment. The systematic killing of blk folks is not a thought experiment.

    How Many KKK Chapters Are In Your Area? With map.

    Nashville police chief shares message, responds to questions

    To All Employees:

    It is the holiday season and this has been a good year. My sincere thanks for the work you do every day to make this a successful police department. The Nashville public is especially pleased with the work you do and has even more confidence in you as events have unfolded over the last few weeks.

    Over the last weeks, across the nation, and here in Nashville, we have witnessed many protests and demonstrations. Some of the demonstrations have been peaceful. Some have been violent, with significant property damage. Here in Nashville, persons have gathered to express their thoughts in a non-violent manner. I thank all involved for the peaceful manner in which they have conducted themselves.

    I also thank you. As a member of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, you have responded to these events in a manner that clearly shows that this is a professional police department staffed by professional individuals who respect the points of view of all persons. Again, thank you for showing the Nashville public that, individually and collectively, they have a police department they can be proud of.

    Obviously, as you have come to know over your police career, not everyone will understand or agree with the manner in which we have responded during these demonstrations. In any endeavor we undertake, decisions should be made with a view toward producing the best outcome for all of Nashville. Our decisions must be made with this in the forefront. However, in that we work for the public, public opinion should be given consideration in the decision making process in matters such as this.

    Overwhelmingly, in comments that have been directed to me, the public is supportive of your actions. Obviously, some have expressed disagreement. Most have stated their disapproval in a well thought out and rational manner. Their thoughts should be respected and given consideration.

    However, as in any similar issue, there is a fringe, generally about 5 percent, on either end of the approval spectrum that have very strong views. It is readily apparent that their thought processes are driven, not by what has occurred during the demonstration, but more by the social positions taken by the demonstrators. Clearly, they are more angry at the thoughts expressed by the demonstrators than how the demonstrations are being conducted. While I respect their right to take that position, we cannot allow those views to be a part of our decision making process. Decisions need to be made with a view toward what is best for all of Nashville.

    Below is my reply to one such email I received. I have removed the name and other identifying information from the email in order to respect the privacy of the individual.

    Again, the Nashville public is very proud of you and the work you have done over the last years. The confidence and support of the public is continually and loudly expressed to both me and the Mayor at any time we are out in the public. Thank you for making this a very impressive police department–another thing we can celebrate during this holiday season.

    I wish you and your family well during the holidays and I am predicting, thanks to the work that you do day in and day out, that we will have another very successful year.

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    [Email Received]

    Chief Anderson,

    I wanted to send you this email to express my frustration and outrage at how the situation of these protesters is being handled in Nashville. The first night protesters marched here after the incidents in Ferguson they never should have been allowed to shut down the interstate. Instead of at least threatening to arrest them, they were served coffee and hot chocolate. I don’t feel that is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. It sends a message that they can do whatever they want and will be rewarded. Then, this past week, more protesters march around downtown for 3 or more hours and once again, no arrests, and it took THP to keep them from getting on the interstate again. Saturday night, marching and “die ins” at Opry Mills mall. How long are we going to allow these people to disrupt our city?

    I have a son who I have raised to respect police officers and other authority figures, but if he comes to me today and asks “Why are the police allowing this?” I wouldn’t have a good answer. If any other group of people wanted to march around the streets they would have to get a permit weeks or months in advance, and I know it’s not possible to get a permit to obstruct traffic and walk on the interstate.

    Please understand I am not trying to disrespect you or your department, I just want myself and my family to feel that our city is safe, and right now we don’t feel that way. Is this going to be allowed to continue until someone gets hurt? Protection of the city should be coming from MNPD, not THP. I also understand that you get direction from the mayor’s office, but these actions are putting the department at disharmony from the majority of the citizens. At some point you are going to have to answer this question to yourself – “Am I following or giving orders that help or hurt the community?” In closing, if these recent actions have been due to pressure from the mayor’s office, please reach out to the people of Nashville, there are many who will gladly contact the mayor’s office as well.

    Sincerely, ________ __________

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    [Reply to Email]

    Mr. _____________

    While I certainly appreciate your offer to intercede on my behalf with our Mayor, you should know that the Mayor has not issued any order, directive or instruction on the matter with which you take issue. All decisions concerning the police department’s reaction to the recent demonstrations have been made within the police department and approved by me. Therefore, any reasons or rationale supporting your proposal as what would be the best approach for all of Nashville, and not just a method of utilizing the police department to enforce a personal agenda, should be directed to me.

    In that your thoughts deserve consideration, I will attempt to address some of the issues you have raised:

    • Has consideration been given as to whether the response of the police department “help or hurt the community.”

    It is our view that every decision made within the police department should be made with the community in mind. Obviously, there are some matters in which we have no discretion. On matters in which we do have discretion, careful consideration is given as to the best course of action, always with the welfare of the general public in mind.

    That has been the consideration on this issue. Certainly, in comparing the outcome here in Nashville with what has occurred in some other cities, the results speak for themselves. I stand on the decisions that have been made.

    • “These actions are putting the department at disharmony from the majority of the citizens.”

    While I don’t doubt that you sincerely believe that your thoughts represent the majority of citizens, I would ask you to consider the following before you chisel those thoughts in stone.

    As imperfect humans, we have a tendency to limit our association with other persons to those persons who are most like us. Unfortunately, there is even more of a human tendency to stay within our comfort zone by further narrowing those associations to those persons who share our thoughts and opinions. By doing this we can avoid giving consideration to thoughts and ideas different than our own. This would make us uncomfortable. By considering only the thoughts and ideas we are in agreement with, we stay in our comfort zone. Our own biases get reinforced and reflected back at us leaving no room for any opinion but our own. By doing this, we often convince ourselves that the majority of the world shares opinion and that anyone with another opinion is, obviously, wrong.

    It is only when we go outside that comfort zone, and subject ourselves to the discomfort of considering thoughts we don’t agree with, that we can make an informed judgment on any matter. We can still disagree and maintain our opinions, but we can now do so knowing that the issue has been given consideration from all four sides. Or, if we truly give fair consideration to all points of view, we may need to swallow our pride and amend our original thoughts.

    And, it is only by giving consideration to the thoughts of all persons, even those that disagree with us, that we can have an understanding as to what constitutes a majority.

    • “I just want myself and my family to feel that our city is safe, and right now we don’t feel that way.”

    I have to admit, I am somewhat puzzled by this announcement. None of the demonstrators in this city have in any way exhibited any propensity for violence or indicated, even verbally, that they would harm anyone. I can understand how you may feel that your ideologies have been questioned but I am not aware of any occurrence that would give reason for someone to feel physically threatened.

    • “I have a son who I have raised to respect police officers and other authority figures, but if he comes to me today and asks “Why are the police allowing this?” I wouldn’t have a good answer.”

    It is somewhat perplexing when children are injected into the conversation as an attempt to bolster a position or as an attempt to thwart the position of another. While this is not the type of conversation I ordinarily engage in, here are some thoughts you may find useful as you talk with your son.

    First, it is laudable that you are teaching your son respect for the police and other authority figures. However, a better lesson might be that it is the government the police serve that should be respected. The police are merely a representative of a government formed by the people for the people—for all people. Being respectful of the government would mean being respectful of all persons, no matter what their views.

    Later, it might be good to point out that the government needs to be, and is, somewhat flexible, especially in situations where there are minor violations of law. A government that had zero tolerance for even minor infractions would prove unworkable in short order.

    Although this is unlikely, given your zero tolerance stance, suppose that, by accident or perhaps inattention, you found yourself going 40 miles per hour in a 30 miles per hour zone and that you were stopped by a police officer. Then, after making assurances that licenses were in order and that there were no outstanding warrants, the officer asked you not to speed again and did not issue a citation, but merely sent you on your way.

    As you have suggested, a question may come to you from the back seat, “How can I respect the police if they will not enforce the law?” In the event this does occur, here are some facts that might help you answer that question.

    In the year 2013, our officers made over four hundred thousand vehicle stops, mostly for traffic violations. A citation was issued in only about one in six of those stops. Five of the six received warnings. This is the police exercising discretion for minor violations of the law. Few, if any, persons would argue that the police should have no discretion.

    This is an explanation you might give your son. Take into account, however, that the innocence of children can produce the most profound and probing questions. They often see the world in a very clear and precise manner, their eyes unclouded by the biases life gives us. This could produce the next question. “If you believe that the police should enforce the law at all times, why didn’t you insist that the officer write you a ticket?”

    I don’t have a suggestion as to how that should be answered.

    I do know, however, that this is a very diverse city. Nashville, and all of America, will be even more diverse when your son becomes an adult. Certainly, tolerance, respect and consideration for the views of all persons would be valuable attributes for him to take into adulthood.

    Mr. ______, thank you for taking the time to express your position on this matter. I assure that your thoughts will be given all due consideration. We will continue, however, to make decisions, on this and all matters, that take into account what is best for all of Nashville.

    Steve Anderson
    Chief of Police

    (Yes, it’s rather long, but oh well, I’ve been away for a few days!)

    @ChipotleTweets <<<— please do not eat or support this company till they release a apology to the NYPD thank you. Protestors, however, say boycott if they DO apologize. Because some employees greeted entering police officers with their hands up and the words, “Hands up, don’t shoot!”, and the company refuses to apologize. Ha!

  121. rq says

    NYPD head William Bratton calls for less rhetoric, more dialogue

    Speaking on NBC’s Meet The Press, Commissioner William Bratton said the “pent-up frustrations” that have caused people to take to the streets in recent weeks go far beyond policing policies across the nation.

    “This is about the continuing poverty rates, the continuing growing disparity between the wealthy and the poor. It’s still about unemployment issues. There are so many national issues that have to be addressed that it isn’t just policing, as I think we all well know,” he said.

    Bratton said rank-and-file officers and much of America’s police leadership feels under attack, including “from the federal government at the highest levels.”

    He urged: “See us. See the police. See why they have the anxieties and the perceptions they have.”

    Bratton also appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation, where he defended Mayor Bill de Blasio, saying it was wrong for hundreds of police officers to turn their backs to a video monitor outside a Queens church as de Blasio spoke at the funeral of Officer Rafael Ramos.

    “I certainly don’t support that action,” he said. “That funeral was held to honour Officer Ramos. And to bring politics, to bring issues into that event, I think, was very inappropriate.” […]

    After Bratton, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani told the CBS program that it was wrong for officers to turn their backs on de Blasio or to try to blame him for the deaths of the officers.

    But he also said de Blasio should apologize to the police department because he “created an impression with the police that he was on the side of the protesters.”

    “Say you’re sorry,” Giuliani urged.

    De Blasio stayed out of sight Sunday, staging no public events and continuing to let Bratton hold centre stage in the week since the double murder.

    I can’t imagine what de Blasio’s wife is feeling during this time.

    Rafael Ramos, slain NYC police officer, honoured with huge funeral

    Ferguson officer suspended after calling Michael Brown memorial a ‘pile of trash’

    Zoll is being placed on unpaid leave while disciplinary proceedings begin, according to the statement.

    “The City of Ferguson wants to emphasize that negative remarks about the Michael Brown memorial do not reflect the feelings of the Ferguson Police Department and are in direct contradiction to the efforts of city officials to relocate the memorial to a more secure location,” the statement reads. The department noted that even after the officer’s initial denial, it “continued the investigation until the truth was discovered.”

    Before Saturday’s statement, Jeff Small, a spokesman for the city, told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Zoll had been misquoted and denied questioning why The Washington Post reporter made the call.

    DelReal stuck by his story, tweeting Friday afternoon: “The department told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the quote is a misunderstanding. The quote is accurate.”

    Kill a black boy, though, and you get paid leave for weeks and weeks. Huh.

  122. says

    Tony! 108
    The fact that there even is such a thing as fucking ‘arrest quotas’ is a pretty major fucking problem all by itself, and would be regardless of how it was applied. Given the existing context, however, it’s even worse, because they’re pretty much being told, straight out :’ go find at least X n-words to lock up tonight.’
    rq

    How Many KKK Chapters Are In Your Area? With map.

    I’d feel better about the fact that there aren’t any in my neck of the woods (Oregon, Washington and Idaho are all clear of markers) if I didn’t know why that’s the case. Around here, we get neo-Nazis and Christian Identity types, who consider the KKK to be a bunch of wimps and backsliders.

    Bill Bratton, a “cop’s cop” and architect of the “Broken Windows” policing strategy that begat stop-and-frisk

    NYPD head William Bratton calls for less rhetoric, more dialogue.

    Gee, Bill. I wonder what could possibly make the protestors beleive that dialogue with you on matters of race and policing might not be the most fruitful course of action. Any thoughts?

  123. rq says

    Ezell Ford: The Timeline. They’re finally releasing his autopsy results tomorrow.

    #BlackLivesMatter: From Ferguson October to Chicago’s Union Station, a personal account of someone participating in Ferguson and Chicago in support of BlackLivesMatter.

    History: Fleeing To Dismal Swamp, Slaves And Outcasts Found Freedom.

    For Hollywood, ‘Selma’ Is A New Kind Of Civil Rights Story. Anyone see it yet?

    Cleveland pro-police rally draws thousands, including family members of fallen officers. As twitter remarked, it was about 90% white.

    The rally on Saturday was organized to contrast nationwide unrest over fatal police shootings, including the Nov. 22 shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice at Cudell Recreation Center by a rookie Cleveland police officer.

    People wearing blue to support the police enveloped Public Square on Saturday. The group silently marched to the Greater Cleveland Peace Officers Memorial across on Lakeside Boulevard and West 3rd Street.

    Some carried signs that said “All lives matter” and “Police lives matter.”

    About 20 members of the group CLEdemands formed a counter-protest across the street from the Sea of Blue rally.

    “It’s a love campaign,” said protester Dylan Sellers. “We’re here because of the lives lost in the struggle. This is a silent march. We’re not engaging the other group.”

  124. rq says

    Detroit Won’t Restore Police Review Board Even Though Abuses Continue . Video at the link, with a full transcript, too.

    Protest For Akai Gurley Held In Brooklyn

    Today, however, standing three stories on a rooftop with the Stars and Stripes waving behind him at half-mast, one cop grinned and others puffed stogies as the protesters filed past. The whir of the circling NYPD helicopter muffled their chants calling for unity and calling out police brutality. They seemed to sense that the mood of the city, which once had sympathized with the protesters and Mayor Bill De Blasio, had shifted to support the police after the murders of Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu on Dec. 20 by a deranged Ismaaiyl Brinsley.

    LAPD set to release Ezell Ford autopsy report.

    “We’re asking for two things,” said Hutchinson, standing Sunday in front of a mural of Ford painted on the side of a corner mini-mart. “We want to make sure that this is an autopsy report without opinion, and if the report shows a discrepancy in how officers explain Ford was killed, then it has to be turned over to L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey for possible prosecution of these officers.”

    Hutchinson was joined by Pedro Baez, who writes a weekly blog called Voice of the People, and Waymon Baker, with the gang intervention program Cease Fire. Standing to the side were family members of Ford.

    “We are issuing a call for peace,” Baker said. “We are calling for peace — and let the killing cease.” […]

    But the chief of investigations at the coroner’s office told The Times that it was unusual to see a months-long security hold on an autopsy involving a police shooting. Such holds generally last only a few weeks.

    The delay prompted Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in November to order the LAPD to release the report. Since then, demonstrations have continued to occur on the streets of the city. The protests have been mostly peaceful, but last month a march resulted in the injury of one police officer.

    Hutchinson supports continued demonstrations as long as they are nonviolent and focused on the issue. “Anyone can get into the street, and that’s chaos and we oppose that,” he said. “We need a clear focus. Any misconduct on the behalf of the police must result in disciplinary action against the officers. That is the end game. That is the message.”

    The release of the report — and the LAPD’s handling of the findings — is a litmus test for the department, Hutchinson said.

    “If these officers engaged in an abuse of force out of the color of the law,” he said, “then there must be real discipline imposed upon them, including legal action.”

    In Black Lives Matter Protest, Corporate Rights Trump Free Speech

    “Youth leaders of color [are] under attack,” Black Lives Matter-Minnesota said in a statement. “It’s clear that the Bloomington City government, at the behest of one of the largest centers of commerce in the country, hopes to set a precedent that will stifle dissent and instill fear into young people of color and allies who refuse to watch their brothers and sisters get gunned down in the streets with no consequences.”

    Around 3,000 people flooded the mall on Saturday, December 20, to sing carols and chants following police killings of unarmed African-American men like Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Dontre Hamilton. The protests were peaceful, and some mall workers stepped outside of their businesses and raised their hands in support. Police closed around 80 stores during the two-and-a-half hour protests, and locked down several mall entrances.

    Days after the action, Bloomington City Attorney Sandra Johnson announced that she will not only seek criminal trespass and unlawful assembly charges against the protesters, but will also seek to have them pay for the mall’s lost revenue and overtime for police officers–a cost that she says will be “staggering.”[…]

    Mall of America’s status as a public space under the Minnesota state constitution was challenged in the 1990s by anti-fur activists who wanted to protest outside Macy’s. A Minnesota trial court initially found that, thanks to the Mall’s substantial public subsidies, the Mall of America was “born of a union with government” and could only impose reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on protest.

    The Minnesota Supreme Court, though, reversed the lower court in 1998 and declared that the state constitution’s protection of free speech “does not apply to a privately owned shopping center such as the Mall of America, although developed in part with public financing.” […]

    In 1968, in an opinion authored by Justice Thurgood Marshall, the Court held that suburban shopping malls were serving the same public function as a town square, and therefore should be subject to similar constitutional constraints.

    “The shopping center premises are open to the public to the same extent that as the commercial center of a normal town,” Marshall wrote in the case, which involved the Logan Valley Mall in Pennsylvania. “So far as can be determined, the main distinction in practice between use by the public of the Logan Valley Mall and of any other business district … would be that those members of the general public who sought to use the mall premises in a manner contrary to the wishes of the [owners] could be prevented from so doing.”

    Subsequent decisions, however, chipped away at that “public function” doctrine, most notably in a 1972 decision authored by Justice Louis Powell. […]

    In recent years, the First Amendment has undergone a revolution in the U.S. Supreme Court–in cases like Citizens United, Hobby Lobby, and McCutcheon–but largely in favor of expanding the “free speech rights” of corporations and the wealthy few, rather than protecting what Justice Hugo Black described in 1945 as “the poorly financed causes of little people.” When average Americans raise their voices in protest, they can still be muffled by corporate interests.

    I think that’s rather interesting, town mall as public market. Huh.

  125. rq says

    Cops behaving horribly. Boy Struck, Killed by Police Cruiser Responding to Call: Police

    The child’s family told NBC10 the boy was walking with two of his friends on Delsea Drive and Paul Street. The boy was crossing the street to attend a sleepover when he was suddenly struck by a Franklin Township Police cruiser passing by. Police told NBC10 the officer was responding to a call.

    The boy later died from his injuries. The boy’s two friends were not hurt and are currently being interviewed by detectives.

    Family members and a witness claimed the police cruiser was traveling fast and did not have on any lights or a siren at the time of the accident. Investigators have not yet confirmed this however.

    Again re: Mall of America, Milwaukee WI: Police Issue Arrest Orders For Protest Organizers

    For three years now dating back to the in custody death of Derek Williams, I have been a vocal activist for the group Occupy the Hood Milwaukee. Within these three years we have faced four very influential cases of injustice; Darius Simmons, Derek Williams, Corey Stingley, and now a national case with Dontre Hamilton.

    Just recently, I have been arrested three times for civil disobedience, have been personally called out by our chief of police and now am wanted (without a warrant issued) for ‘interrogation and desire to charge’ by Milwaukee Police Department. They have searched for me for two days now using the Fugitive and Apprehension Division.

    Since December 26, after our rally on 27th & Burleigh, targets were identified for arrest. On December 29th, we will be releasing information to the public regarding these “temporary warrants” issued. Our goal is to develop a community where we can police ourselves, correct ourselves, and have a community response team in place throughout identified neighborhoods.

    We believe that these are intimidating and harassment tactics by MPD to isolate protesters and die down the movement. We stand against community repression, suppression and oppression. Milwaukee has been unjust for years and years, and we must bring a spotlight to this crisis of police violence.

    “HANDS UP!” at Grambling State University’s fall graduation on December 19th.

    “I Can’t Breathe” 25 Year Old Michigan Man Dies After Being Suffocated To Death By 3 Security Guards!

    Not allowed on the arch? Guardians of the Arch, downtown STL, Dec 27 (@LBPhoto1); Mike Brown on the Gateway Arch, downtown STL, Dec 27 (@LBPhoto1).

  126. rq says

    Police shoot burglary suspect in East Baltimore.

    3 White Officers In S.C. Indicted For Shooting Unarmed Black Men – baby steps?

    Combs was removed from his position and charged with murder. Groubert was fired and indicted for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Craven was indicted with a charge of misconduct in office, even though the prosecutor initially sought a manslaughter charge.

    Recently, the difficulty of indicting a police officer has been highlighted in media stories and by protesters across the nation, with much focus on the secrecy of grand jury proceedings.

    University of South Carolina law professor Seth Stoughton told Al Jazeera America: “I think there’s something different happening in South Carolina in prosecutors’ and solicitors’ offices who are asking for and receiving these indictments.”

    Stoughton said the indictments may have been influenced by the Brown and Garner cases.

    “I don’t know if we would have seen the three indictments that we’ve seen recently here in South Carolina if we had gone back a year or so, prior to August,” he said.

    Throw-away Weapons: A Cop Insurance Policy or an Abuse of Power?

    By way of an example, what would happen if an officer were confronted with an assailant aiming a toy pistol at the officer? The answer would be that the officer would hopefully aim for center-mass, thereby ending the perceived threat. Well, okay, but that’s when the officer’s troubles begin.

    The very next step would be for the officer to face his or her internal affairs division’s investigations. “What, you mean even in the dark you couldn’t tell that the gun was really a plastic toy?“ There would sure to be a judicial review board, followed, at the very minimum, by a lengthy unpaid suspension, a stain on the officer’s perhaps otherwise stellar personnel record, thereby preventing future promotions, perhaps even termination, perhaps even criminal prosecution with the possibility of incarceration. So what were those aforementioned preparations put in place by some very well-meaning veteran officers? Well, many, if not most, carried, what became known as, “throw-away weapons.”

    Those weapons had any and all possible serial numbers removed, were impossible to trace back to the officers, and were concealable. The weapons in question ranged from switchblades to daggers, derringers to small caliber two-inch revolvers, to the smallest of semi-automatic pistols, and just about anything else thrown in for good measure. The common denominator was that they could all be used if and when the unimaginable were to happen. In the case of the plastic toy gun, in the frantic seconds after the fact, the throw-away derringer, sans serial numbers, could be substituted for that toy gun, thereby ensuring that disciplinary actions would be prevented. And just where does one acquire such a strange and assorted mix of weapons? Well, if you work on the streets long enough, they just somehow place themselves in your hands. You come across those items on nearly a daily basis, and not all of them get turned over to the evidence division.

    Yes, I know, I’m a dinosaur, and I’m relatively sure I couldn’t manage to fit in with today’s new breed of highly trained law enforcement professionals. But just give them a few years out in patrol, and, dollars to donuts, I’ll be willing to bet that a high percentage of them will be carrying throw-away weapons as well.

    Vocal Ferguson Protester Arrested on Arson Charge

    Joshua Williams, vocal in Ferguson, Mo., protests, has been arrested on an arson charge in nearby Berkeley, police say.

    (With autoplay video.)

    And I really liked this article: The Root Names 2014 The Year of the Protester

    The fury over these state-sanctioned killings, however, would reach the tipping point on August 9, two days prior to Ford’s death, on Canfield Drive in Ferguson, Missouri.

    It was there that now former police officer Darren Wilson gunned down unarmed, 18-year-old Michael Brown as he reportedly begged for his life in the middle of the street. It was there that Brown’s bullet-riddled body would be left to lie in the sweltering heat for four hours as his mother’s wails of rage and grief pierced the air. It was there that protesters stood unbowed before a militarized police force armed with tear gas, dogs, sonic grenades, armored tanks and rubber bullets.

    And it was there that the justifiable rage and resentment would explode in a firestorm after a grand jury announced on November 24 that Wilson would not be indicted in Brown’s killing. Governor Jay Nixon had declared a state of emergency the previous week in order to preemptively intimidate protesters into submission—it didn’t work. The revolution was live-streamed and images of law enforcement officers engaging protesters as if they were enemy combatants flooded social media.

    The #Ferguson hashtag became the cyber headquarters of the Twitter arm of the movement and everyone gathered to get information that mainstream media would not cover. As tensions fueled by anti-protester sentiment continued to escalate, Attorney General Eric Holder weighed in with what has become his go-to response in these miscarriages of justice: reiterating that the Justice Department’s civil rights investigation would be ‘thorough.’ President Obama eventually joined the chorus of voices demanding that protests remain calm but his words did not sway the Ferguson protesters. For 139 days and counting, they have continued despite naysayers who doubted their dedication and miscalculated the depth of their commitment. They continue to stand in solidarity, refusing to prioritize peace over justice, while boldly chanting the words of Assata Shakur:

    “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

    On December 3, barely one week after the Wilson decision, a grand jury in New York City declined to indict Garner’s killer. The psychological and emotional trauma inflicted with that vicious 1-2 punch caused tens of thousands of people to stage protests and “die-ins” around the world. Politicians such as former and current NYC mayors Rudy Giuliani and Bill de Blasio have tried to suppress protesters’ voices in the wake of the recent shooting deaths of two NYPD officers, but they have remained steadfast in their refusal to allow them to reframe black love as anti-cop hate.

    They have forced this nation to reckon with the fact that it was forged in protest and that Americans—yes, even black Americans—have the right to dismantle systems of oppression that destroy the lives of our people. Sparked by the Ferguson uprising, a generation of protesters from around the country—including Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Houston, Oakland, Birmingham, Chicago, D.C. and Berkley, Ca.—have been baptized in radical fire, refusing to sell out or buy into a corrupt system that allows police officers to kill with impunity.
    […]

    It belongs to the youth who refuse to romanticize the presence of an African American president who has positioned the relentless killing of black people as a manifestation of the mistrust between communities and law enforcement, instead of the continuation of this country’s legacy of lynching black bodies who are perceived as dangerous threats when not in shackles.

    Legendary poet and activist Amiri Baraka taught us that if we ever find ourselves surrounded by enemies who won’t let us speak our own language, who ban our oom boom ba boom, then we’re in trouble so deep that it will probably take us several hundreds of years to get out.

    This is a generation of activists that recognizes we’re in deep trouble.
    […]

    They continue to speak hard truths to morally bankrupt power–bravely, consistently and unapologetically—and we are in their debt.

    The Root proudly salutes our person of the year: The Protester.

  127. rq says

    I haven’t been following Butterflies & Wheels as much as I used to, but here’s five pieces from Ophelia Benson, commenting on the latest NYPD behaviour:
    1) “Our backs have turned to you”;
    2) Hundreds of officers outside turned their backs;
    3) The occupying-force mentality;
    4) No use of force by the police can ever seem too excessive;
    5) Somebody has to do the managing.
    She’s got some good links within the OPs themselves, good reading.

    Here’s one more from Mano:
    6) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the police shootings.

    I doubt I’ll be focussing on the police shootings so much from now on, though – until and as much as they don’t have any direct bearing on the protesting and general movement-building. But we’ll see, who knows what interesting things will pop up.

  129. rq says

    #TakeBlackChi #RahmRepNOW rally for reparations for #CPD torture survivors, part of @BYP_100’s wk of #BlackHolidaze.

    Of 3,200 children’s books published in 2013, just 93 were about black people. #LetThatSinkIn

    Building with Millennial family in The Movement family from across the country at American Baptist College #Nashville .

    Regarding the protestor arrested in Berkeley, I don’t blame josh at all. I blame the world that he has to wake up to everyday. A world where he has to chant “black lives matter”;
    I do not blame Josh. 140+ days of constantly being shown that our lives don’t matter to the police? Every one has a breaking point.

    Mornin, @deray Seen this and thought of you. Keep up the great work. You’ve inspired me to act. #muchlove Quote in the pic says: “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war”. MLK.

  130. rq says

    Ferguson officer placed on leave over remarks about damaged memorial;
    After calling Mike Brown memorial ‘pile of trash,’ Ferguson police spokesman let go.

    A Conversation With Ferguson’s Only Black City Councilman. Yup, there’s just the one. Audio at the link.

    Black women and girls killed by the police. Speak their names, see their faces and know their stories. A whole stack of links and pictures at the link, please make an effort to check this one out and to reduce the erasure of black women killed by cops!


    Guess Who Took A BB Gun Off A Walmart Shelf, Loaded It, Ran Around Shooting, And Lived?

    One can’t help but wonder if the outcome would have been different, had these men been black. Of the three men who recently dealt with police after picking up a BB gun in a Walmart, the only one who is dead is the one who intended to buy it — yet the two who are alive actually fired inside the store and made further threats.

    Once again, this kind of comparison is stark and frightening.

    We fabricated drug charges against innocent people to meet arrest quotas, former detective testifies

  132. rq says

    They’ve released Ezell Ford’s autopsy results.
    Ezell Ford’s Autopsy Shows LAPD Shot Him Three Times, Once In The Back

    The report reveals that Ford was shot three times: once in the abdomen, once in the back and once in the right arm. The wounds to abdomen and back were ruled fatal. The wound to back showed a muzzle imprint, suggesting it occurred from very close range.

    A muzzle imprint suggests contact when fired. Gunshot residue or soot suggests close range firing. A muzzle IMPRINT means that gun was pressed to his skin & then fired. #EzellFord @deray

    The police claim that Ford tackled one of the officers and tried to grab one of the officer’s guns, causing his partner to shoot Ford. The city supported the officers’ claims in their response to the Ford’s lawsuit, saying they acted in self-defense.

    The shooting led to months of protests in the community as Ford’s death garnered national media attention and was compared to the police killings of other unarmed black men such as Eric Garner and Michael Brown, who was killed by a police officer just two days before Ford was.
    The LAPD initially delayed the release of Ford’s autopsy for months, arguing it was part of its ongoing investigation into his death. On Nov. 14, Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered police to release the autopsy results before the end of the year.

    Yeah, that was a no indictment.
    The document is here: in scanned pdf.

    Ezell Ford autopsy: Black man shot in back, side, arm by L.A. police.

    A timeline: Aug. 11 Shot – 8:10pm Died – 10:10pm Aug. 12 Coroner Called – 3:15pm Aug. 13 Body Delivered to Coroner – 3pm Body Processed – 4pm #Ezell.
    Ezell did not immediately die. They attempted to save his life. “Evidence of Therapeutic Intervention.” #EzellFord

  133. rq says

    The Year In Police Killings

    The killings of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and John Crawford III, among others, by police officers this year focused national attention on race, police violence and the apparent unwillingness of grand juries to indict those who carry a badge.

    The incidents spurred research that found black men are 21 times more likely to be killed by police than their white counterparts. And recent reports have found an accurate count of all police killings is nearly impossible because of the way records are kept.

    As the year ends, mass protests against the killings continue, undeterred by claims that protesters have blood on their hands.

    A list of the better-known, most controversial incidents follows. No, not incidents, murders. Incl. Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Samantha Ramsey. Among others.

  134. rq says

    In web video, 911 operator defends comments on police

    Murray said in the video that after her comments were widely shared and became the topic of news stories, she has felt harassed and fearful.

    Murray worked with Leaders of Beautiful Struggle to produce the video. A member of the group said Murray was not immediately available Monday for additional comment.

    The initial Facebook post surfaced at a time of heightened tension about the relationship between police and minority communities after the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown at the hands of police, and fears among officers that they have become the target for retaliatory attacks.

    Murray posted to Facebook before two NYPD officers were gunned down in Brooklyn earlier this month. The Facebook page has since been taken down.

    In the video, Murray said thoughts about her black son and the fate he might face if he ever got into trouble were on her mind when she wrote the post.

    “I gave birth to a son that I want to see grow up,” she said. “I can’t imagine him being shot down like that.”

    A Majority of Cop Killers Have Been White

    But, while every killing of an officer is a tragedy, it is worth noting, as my colleague Shane Bauer reported in the context of another story, assaults and felony killings of police officers in the US are down sharply over the past two decades. Attention has also been focused on Brinsley’s race, but FBI data shows that, though African Americans are arrested and incarcerated at a higher rate than whites, the majority of assailants who feloniously killed police officers in the past year were white.

    Some nice graphs at the link.

    10:30am Mayor of Berkeley, MO will tell lies about cops murdering #AntonioMartin (evidence suggests cops planted gun)

    Protesters #ShutItDown on #Highway170! #Ferguson #FreeJosh

    Group of #EzellFord protesters at 65th & Broadway, on the 110 Fwy were met by CHP & LAPD. The link in the tweet: African-American Community Leaders React to the Ezell Ford Autopsy Report

  135. rq says

    Cali basketball tournament changes mind on banning Mendocino High School girls team over “I Can’t Breathe” shirts (with photo).

    America tweeted about Ferguson more than any other news story in 2014

    The Michael Brown shooting: According to Twitter mentions, the August 9 shooting of unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, was by far the year’s biggest news event. After three months, a grand jury in Missouri decided not to indict Darren Wilson, then a Ferguson police officer, for the shooting. The shooting and the grand jury’s decision led to a wave of protests around the country against what many view as racial disparities in the criminal justice system, further bolstered by another grand jury’s decision not to indict the New York City police officer who killed Eric Garner, who was also unarmed at the time of this death.

    From the BBC: Ezell Ford shot in back by LA police – coroner.

    Protesters stand-off w/#Berkeley pd 63134.

    Emails and racist chats show how cops and GOP are teaming up to undermine de Blasio. Can’t copy-paste from the link, but it’s full of a lot of exposed racist bullshit. Like a LOT of it.

    Die-in happening at grand central #NYC! #BlackLivesMatter #ThisStopsToday #Icantbreathe #shutitdown.

  136. rq says

    thisisthemovement, installment #68:

    Ferguson
    McCulloch Has No Regrets “I did what I thought was right under the circumstances in presenting everything to the grand jury,” said McCulloch. A legislative panel has asked a committee to look into McCulloch’s actions and have filed proposals to change how police shootings are handled.

    Silent March to the Arch Protestors silently marched from Union Station in downtown STL to the Arch and placed colored tape on the gates at the Arch in memory of those killed by police.

    Protesters Gathered Outside Midnight Mass, Police in Riot Gear Did Too Around 75 people gathered outside the Cathedral Basilica before Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve to stage a quiet protest. St. Louis City police stood on the steps of the church in full riot gear.

    Rebuilding The Mike Brown Memorial The street memorial on Canfield was vandalized over the weekend and rebuilt by protestors. This is the second time that a Mike Brown memorial has been vandalized.

    Antonio Martin
    Antonio Martin killed by a Berkeley Police Officer, Minutes From Ferguson
    Late Wednesday night a young man, Antonio Martin was shot and killed by a Berkeley police officer. The officer’s dash cam and body cam were not on to record the interaction. St. Louis County police released 3 surveillance videos that are blurry and don’t show much of what possibly happened at the scene.

    Ezell Ford
    Ezell Ford’s Autopsy Is Released After months of waiting, Ezell Ford’s autopsy has been released. You absolutely must read this. Now.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    Federal Officials May Use Little Known Civil Rights Statute in Police Shooting Cases Department of Justice and FBI have been looking into the deaths of Michael Brown Jr, Eric Garner, John Crawford III and Dontre Hamilton. Title 18, section 242 of the US code, also known as the “color of law” statute could be used in their cases. “The government does not have to prove any racial bias for a successful prosecution and cases involving the death of a victim can theoretically be punished with life imprisonment or even a death sentence.”

    Understanding Bias This resource importantly helps readers understand the nuance of implicit bias and therefore helps readers understand how to think about race more deeply. Important read.

    Nashville Police Chief The Chief of Police in Nashville offered helpful commentary from the police perspective on the current unrest. Must read.

    The Lessons of Ella Baker Ella Baker served an important organizing for during the Civil Rights Movement and this article helps readers better understand the way(s) in which she functioned during this time. Important read.

    Every 28 Hours, Fact or Fiction? This article calls into question the “every 28 hours” stat. Absolute must read.

    Campaign against twitter activism: RT @Trap_Jesus: I need to be in on this. RT @Nettaaaaaaaa: This is. RT @CassandraRules: Honored to be included. (see photo).

    Women Are Leading and Will be leading this movement. Ashe to these powerful sisters. #chi2ferguson

    And Ezell couldn’t even be an organ donor because they let his body sit for so long. Autopsy. #EzellFord

  137. rq says

    This is a protest in 1936. In case you’re not good at math, that’s 78 years ago. Great photo, possible re-post.

    Protest in Nashville today, random inserted pictures to follow. Ferguson, Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland, and New York to #Nashville. We just took the mayor’s office! @LiberateNville @BYP_100 @MillennialAU.

    Y’all, Wal-Mart just isn’t safe. Cops: Tot accidentally shoots, kills woman in Idaho Wal-Mart.

    A 2-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed a woman after he reached into her purse at an Idaho Wal-Mart and her concealed gun fired, authorities said Tuesday.

    The woman was shopping with several children, and it is unclear how they are related, sheriff’s spokesman Stu Miller said.

    Authorities originally said the boy was the woman’s son.

    The woman, whose identity was not released, had a concealed weapons permit.

    Miller said the shooting was accidental and occurred in the Wal-Mart in Hayden, Idaho, a town about 40 miles northeast of Spokane, Washington.

    This picture has been going around on twitter here and there, with the idea that, if she were black, she would never get away with this. Here’s the article: What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face?

    Unfortunately, those demonstrations have also exposed a disturbing truth—that even among those bound together in the quest for social justice, unexamined privilege is prevalent.

    The best example of this came in the form of a single photograph, published by the New York Daily News, of a 20-something white woman standing fearlessly, pressed breasts-to-chest with a New York City police officer. From her expression, we know she is passionately shouting in unchecked defiance as another officer looks on passively from a few paces away. Neither seems bothered that she is in his face. Neither is unnerved by her apparent anger, nor do they see her as threatening.

    Like most of the protesters, maybe she’s challenging the belief that equal protection is a reality, or maybe she is demanding that the justice system end over-policing in black neighborhoods, dismantle mass incarceration, and end the school-to-prison pipeline. Maybe, she—like me—is frustrated that two separate grand juries, in two different states, failed to hold police officers accountable in the deaths of two African American men. Maybe (and I amuse myself) she’s shouting: Black lives matter!

    My amusement doesn’t last.

    I know I cannot be the woman in that photograph. I cannot be indignant, no matter how righteous my fury. And even if I were inclined, I couldn’t shout at a police officer—not in his face, not from across the street. I couldn’t grip my waist and jam my chest against his. “I would not make it home,” I tweeted a few nights ago.

    The truth is while I don’t know what she was saying, I do know this: Similar actions by a person of color, specifically a black woman like me, would likely end up with us in jail, in a hospital or who knows—like Eric Garner, on a medical examiner’s table.

    6-year-old K, daughter of @bdoulaoblongata, leads us in the Assata quote at the direct action today. #ItIsOurDuty

  138. rq says

    Nashville is empowered. #Ferguson2Nashville;
    #Ferguson2Nashville;
    Die-in at one of the only locations still standing where earlier Nashville sit-ins took place in the civil rights era;
    #Ferguson2Nashville happening now in Downtown Nashville.

    The NYPD Is an Embarrassment to the City of New York

    Those symbolic displays of contempt were intended to demonstrate the department’s lack of faith in its democratically elected leader. What they have communicated instead is that the New York Police Department is too childish and entitled to deserve its privileged status, and too aggrieved and resentful to be called “New York’s Finest.” The New York Police Department is an embarrassment to the city of New York.

    After the non-indictment of Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who killed unarmed Staten Island man Eric Garner, the department has embarked on an apparent mission to make itself look as juvenile as possible. In addition to the turned backs, the union representing NYPD officers recently pushed a petition to bar the mayor from attending cops’ funerals, then all but instructed officers to participate in a work stoppage.

    Why? Because de Blasio had the temerity to admit in public that his son is at a higher risk of being killed by the NYPD because his son is black. Because de Blasio said out loud, as mayor of New York city, what American parents of black and Latino children have said in private for decades. (There was also an incomprehensible dustup about de Blasio’s use of the word “allegedly.”) […]

    But if the deaths of Liu and Ramos gave the police department a moment to solemnly reflect and an opportunity to reconnect with a citizenry it had alienated with abuse and violence, they were squandered within only a few hours, when Patrick Lynch, the head of the police department’s largest union, told reporters that there was “blood on the hands” of the mayor and protesters. The willfully ignorant dolchstosslegende of de Blasio’s culpability in the murders was ridiculous to anyone with even passing understanding of the story: Ismaayil Brinsley allegedly shot and wounded his girlfriend before the murder-suicide; he’d had a long list of past weapons and robbery charges; he was obviously sick and hurting.

    And so while Lynch brayed, the rest of the city kept moving. De Blasio, recognizing the gravity of the moment, called for a temporary halt to the public protests that have filled streets around the city all month. Protesters declined to heed de Blasio’s call, and returned to the streets a few nights later, some singing “This Little Light of Mine” and paying their respects at an impromptu memorial for officers Liu and Ramos. In a tremendous showing of grace, Eric Garner’s daughter Emerald visited the memorial, telling reporters, “I just had to come out and let their family know that we stand with them, and I’m going to send my prayers and condolences to all the families who are suffering.” […]

    Not moving: The cops. Days before the murders, Lynch proudly said at a police union meeting that officers should respond to gentle criticism from the mayor and demonstrators by deliberately slowing down their patrols: “We’re going to take that book, their rules and we’re going to protect ourselves because they won’t. We will do it the way they want us to do it. We will do it with their stupid rules, even the ones that don’t work.” Another PBA spokesman denied that Lynch was calling for a slowdown, but the union chief’s language is clear enough.

    That apparent slippage in enforcement is addressed in a pair of New York Post articles published this week. According to the emphatically pro-cop tabloid, since December 22, tickets and minor summonses are down 94 percent and overall arrests down 66 percent compared to the same period last year. But instead of framing the lack of action in terms of Lynch’s raging ego, the Post and its sources posit that the recent unrest and the Liu-Ramos murder have left cops feeling afraid of being hurt on the job.

    In truth, it’s probably a little bit of both. Whether you’re a good cop or a bad cop, waking up and starting your patrol in a city where two of your colleagues were killed on the job and where throngs of people express their displeasure with you every single night is surely a source of enormous anxiety and discomfort, and rightfully so.

    But fearful as it may be, this is the job the cops signed up for: to protect and serve, as the motto on the side of every squad car in New York says, with courtesy, professionalism, and respect. This is why the angle that Lynch’s vituperative rhetoric is really about a union contract dispute is so unconvincing. Despite what the NYPD would have you believe, a police officer is not an oppressed minority, but a special, protected class of person—just look at what happened to Daniel Pantaleo after he killed a man on video for clear evidence of that. And if the pressures of being a police officer ever become too great, cops are welcome to relieve themselves of that special status by turning in their guns and badges and quitting the force.

    Eric Garner wasn’t so privileged. When the pressures of being a black man in a racist police state became too great for him to bear, he didn’t have the luxury of quitting. The greatest tool at his disposal in the moments before his death was his voice, and he used it. “I’m tired of it! This stops today,” he pled with officers as they questioned him about allegedly selling a single loose cigarette. “Please, just leave me alone.” For that simple request, he was executed in public without a trial. […]

    But the world is changing. Stop-and-frisk has slowed, if not entirely ended. Thanks to collective action in the wake of Garner’s death, outcry over the NYPD’s brutality and recklessness became too loud for the department or the city or its white establishment to ignore this year. Mayor de Blasio’s experience raising a son at high risk of NYPD killing makes him a compassionate and impassioned, if not always effective, advocate for change. His administration, the incisive editorials in the New York Times and the New York Daily News, and, most of all, the thrilling sight of people taking to the streets to demand justice have made New York feel like the city it wants to be—the greatest city in the world.

    The infantile response from the NYPD and the unions that represent it is not worthy of it. It is hardly worthy of a schoolyard bully who can’t believe he’s finally been called on his bullshit.

    Reports: Enjoy Yourself, Sulky NYPD Is Refusing to Enforce the Law

    Arrests, the Post reports, were down 66% in the week following the deaths of officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, compared to the same period in 2013.

    The arrest numbers are reportedly even lower for certain low-level offenses. From the Post:

    Citations for traffic violations fell by 94 percent, from 10,069 to 587, during that time frame.

    Summonses for low-level offenses like public drinking and urination also plunged 94 percent — from 4,831 to 300.

    Even parking violations are way down, dropping by 92 percent, from 14,699 to 1,241.

    Drug arrests by cops assigned to the NYPD’s Organized Crime Control Bureau — which are part of the overall number — dropped by 84 percent, from 382 to 63.</blockquote?

    The Daily News reports that the 84th Precinct, where officers Ramos and Liu worked, and the 79th Precinct, where they were killed, issued only one summons combined last week, compared to 626 the week before.

    Why the drop? One of the Post's sources says its partly out of safety concerns and partly a continuation of the childish and embarrassing protest against Mayor de Blasio's response to the non-indictment of Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who killed Eric Garner last summer.

    From the Post:

    “The call last week from the PBA is what started it, but this has been simmering for a long time,” one source said.

    “This is not a slowdown for slowdown’s sake. Cops are concerned, after the reaction from City Hall on the Garner case, about de Blasio not backing them.”

    NYAH, says the NYPD, while the general public… gets on with their lives?

  139. rq says

    Meh, borkquote.
    Boehner Stands by Steve Scalise, even though he’s a supporter of white supremacy. Yay.

    Idaho appeals court overturns conviction of black man in case where prosecutor recited Confederate anthem

    “Nothing in the record suggests that the jurors harbored any racial prejudice or that they were actually influenced by the prosecutor’s recitation of ‘Dixie,’ but the risk of prejudice to a defendant is magnified where the case is as sensitive as this one, involving alleged sexual molestation of minors,” Lansing wrote. “Although the state’s case here was a strong one, it was not so compelling that no rational juror could have voted to acquit.”

    The Appeals Court ordered Kirk’s conviction overturned and sent the case back to Canyon County for another prosecution. Decker said the county is waiting to see whether the Attorney General’s Office will appeal the opinion to the Idaho Supreme Court.

    Oh, this belongs with the previous comment: “Know how we’ll get back at De Blasio? Stop arresting people for bullshit charges!” – NYPD. GREAT JOB GUYS KEEP IT UP I SUPPORT YOU.

    Ezell Ford autopsy report: Four questions that remain unanswered

    “The other fatal wound, the back to front one, is very strange. One thing I’ve learned about muzzle imprints is that they don’t necessarily mean the muzzle was touching skin when the shot was fired, because the gun shoots out a lot of gas that can cause the skin to inflate. But if it wasn’t a contact wound, it was fired from just millimeters away.”

    He says some of the questions could include:

    If the flank shot wasn’t at close range, then how do police account for one distant shot and one contact wound occurring simultaneously? “If Officer B was holding a gun to Ford’s back, what was Officer A even shooting in their direction? That put Officer B in extreme danger,” says Jacobsen.
    Which fatal shot came first? “After the first, would Ford still have been able to act voluntarily or pose a threat? Not all fatal wounds are immediately incapacitating,” says Jacobsen.
    What is the timing of the shots? “If the shots weren’t simultaneous, then it could mean that Ford fell onto his face after the flank shot and the back contact wound was a coup de grace,” he said.

    But Islamic H.O.P.E.’s Ali says the most burning question of all will likely remain: Why was Ford stopped in the first place?

    That question touches on the same vein that has spurred protests in the wake of two other high-profile police shootings of black men in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, N.Y.

    Berkeley mayor to give update this morning on investigation into fatal police shooting. I think the update already happened, and a lot of time was spent speaking about the arrested protestor Joshua, rather htan the shooting itself.

    Erasing black victims? This 16 yr old boy was raped and murdered by white men. They are trying to toss out the rape. #justiceforDionePayne. Or just part of their suffering. Same thing.

  140. rq says

    The NYPD is Essentially Refusing to do Its Job and Yet New York Hasn’t Collapsed into Chaos. Seems like they’re just digging their own deep hole to me.

    Mayor de Blasio is to meet face-to-face with the heads of five police unions today. If there is one thing that we can rest assured will not be brought up at this meeting, it is that this sharp drop in the enforcement of certain offenses has not created the Mad Max scenario that so many people predict would happen if police loosen their grip.

    Drug offenses, parking violations, traffic citations; these are not so much crimes as they are streams of revenue for the city. They are also the reason for the majority of police harassment within certain communities.

    Without the war on drugs and without police shaking down every young person who they suspect is carrying an illegal plant, the quality of life for so many people would instantly increase, as it likely already has.

    Ending prohibition would also effectively and drastically reduce the amount of crime in communities derived from the black market sale of drugs and the gang-related monopolies which arise from making certain substances illegal.

    These are real solutions to real problems and we have an opportunity now to show how many of these laws are based in irrational fear or simply designed for revenue generation.

    Sure, if police start refusing to arrest murderers and rapists, things will probably get really bad, especially since most of the residents in New York City have been disarmed. But this lawlessness would likely be a temporary reality. As we’ve seen with the economic collapse in Detroit and the subsequent lack of government policing, solutions like the Threat Management Center arise, which provide a more efficient and much more peaceful means of societal security.

    As Reason Magazine’s Scott Shackford said, presumably, next year, after this all dies down, the NYPD may note a big drop of crime in December entirely because they stopped finding reasons to charge people with crimes.

    Police unions could use the experience to decry all the petty, unnecessary reasons they’re ordered to cite and arrest people in the first place, but that’s not going to happen because they love the drug war and the money that comes into the departments from fighting it.

  141. says

    Man assaulted by NYPD for dancing on Christmas Eve

    The New York Police Department once again is proving they are out of control. They detained, choked, and threw a man to the ground, simply because he was taking part in a dance challenge offered by talk show host Ellen Degeneres.

    The idea behind #DanceDares is that people dance behind random people. That’s it. It’s harmless and fun, unless you’re a black man and you dance behind a New York Police Officer.

    Alexander BOK, a YouTube prankster, saw opportunity when Ellen presented the challenge.

    BOK spent Christmas Eve dancing “Gangnam Style” behind random New Yorkers. Most responded either with confusion, obliviousness or amusement, but when BOK encountered several New York Police Officers, things turned ugly.

    The police were clearly not feeling threatened. They acknowledged that BOK was dancing but insulted him nonetheless, they pressed him up against the van with an officer’s hand on his neck, asking “what’s wrong with you,” and even calling him a “fucking asshole.”

    At first, according to BOK, the police threatened to arrest him, but with no cause, they decided instead to throw him to the ground.

    Video at the link.

  142. Pteryxx says

    via The Mary Sue, the director of the new movie Selma responded to a WaPo op-ed’s claims of historical inaccuracy.

    In his critique of the film, Califano claims the Voting Rights Act was LBJ’s “greatest legislative achievement” and calls the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama “LBJ’s idea.” As punishment for Selma‘s depiction of LBJ, Califano also called on audiences to boycott the film, saying it “should be ruled out this Christmas and during the ensuing awards season.”

    Thankfully, Selma director Ava DuVernay took to Twitter yesterday to respond to Califano’s claims, encouraging audiences to “interrogate history” rather than accept Califano’s revisionist version of events:

    I can argue, @HitFixGregory. Notion that Selma was LBJ’s idea is jaw dropping and offensive to SNCC, SCLC and black citizens who made it so.

    — Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) December 28, 2014

    Ava DuVernay also linked to this excellent New Yorker longread on the detailed history of the voting rights movement, published last July after the Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act. Much of it should sound extremely familiar when compared to events of just the past few weeks. All of it’s worth reading.

    The Color of Law

    On February 18, 1965, a civil-rights worker named James Orange was arrested in Marion, Alabama, on charges of disorderly conduct and contributing to the delinquency of minors, and was thrown into the local jail. Orange had organized a march by young people (“minors”) in support of a voter-registration drive being run by several groups, including the one he worked for, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, whose president was Martin Luther King, Jr.

    That night, four hundred people gathered in Zion’s Chapel Methodist Church, in Marion, and prepared to walk to the jail, about a block away, and sing freedom songs. They left the church at nine-thirty and ran into a police blockade. Ordered to disperse, they were attacked by fifty or more state troopers and other law-enforcement officials wielding clubs. Street lights had been turned off or shot out; white vigilantes were on the scene; reporters were attacked and cameras were smashed. No photographic record of the night survives.

    As Gary May tells the story, in “Bending Toward Justice” (Basic), people still in the church, hearing the screams outside, ran out the back, chased by the troopers. One of those who fled, Cager Lee, was struck on the head, fell to the ground, and was kicked. Lee was eighty-two; he was five feet tall and weighed a hundred and twenty pounds. But he escaped, and ran into a café, where he saw his daughter Viola and two grandchildren, Emma Jean and Jimmie Lee Jackson. When troopers stormed the café and began beating people, Jackson tried to protect his mother. He was shoved up against a cigarette machine and shot twice in the stomach by a trooper named James Fowler. Jackson managed to get out of the café but was beaten over the head until he collapsed on the street. He lay there, bleeding, for thirty minutes. Eventually, after a nearby hospital was unable to treat him, he was driven by a black undertaker, in a hearse, to a hospital in Selma, thirty miles away.

    Jackson was twenty-six years old, and an Army veteran. He had tried five times to register to vote, without success. While he was in the hospital, Colonel Al Lingo, the director of public safety for the state of Alabama, placed him under arrest for assault and battery with intent to murder a peace officer. But on February 26th, eight days after the shooting, Jackson died. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, generally regarded as the greatest legislative achievement of the so-called “classical phase” of the civil-rights movement—the phase that began in 1954 with the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education—had three martyrs. Jimmie Lee Jackson was the first.

    […]

    Convicting Southern registrars of racial discrimination was not easy, though. One reason, as Taylor Branch explains in “Parting the Waters” (1988), the first volume of his stupendous history of the King years, was Screws. Claude Screws was a Georgia sheriff who, in 1943, arrested an African-American named Robert Hall and, with two other white men, drove him to a courthouse and beat him to death in public view. The State of Georgia declined to prosecute, but the Justice Department secured a conviction under a Reconstruction-era statute that made it a federal crime willfully to deprive someone of his civil rights under color of law.

    Screws argued that his actions were not covered by the statute, because he had not killed Hall under color of law. He had killed Hall in violation of the law. It was Georgia’s business, not the federal government’s, to prosecute him for it. The Supreme Court rejected this argument, but it reversed Screws’s conviction on a theory of its own. In an opinion by Justice William O. Douglas, the Court ruled that it was not enough to show that a white sheriff had brutally murdered a handcuffed black man. The government had to prove that he did so with the willful intention of depriving the prisoner of his rights. The case was remanded, and Screws was duly retried and acquitted.

    Screws v. United States was a jurisprudential tease. It said that discriminatory acts were covered by federal statute but that the government had to show intent, a state of mind notoriously difficult to prove. The shooting of Jimmie Lee Jackson was perfectly analogous. If Fowler killed Jackson with the intention of depriving him of a constitutional right (the right to a fair trial) but claimed to have done so in the line of duty, then the act fell under the federal statute. But, to obtain a conviction, the government would have to establish what was in Fowler’s mind when he pulled the trigger.

    In cases of voting, Southern states made things even more difficult by having registrars in suspect counties resign, so that, when the Justice Department came calling, there were no officials around to charge. Also, in some Southern counties, almost no African-Americans in the twentieth century had ever even attempted to register, so there were few cases to litigate. One goal of voter-registration drives was to build up the inventory of litigable cases.

    The primary goal, though, was to provoke official reaction sufficiently violent to compel the White House to produce a voting-rights bill with enforcement bite. The provocation part proved amazingly easy. All that the protesters had to do was to walk to the courthouse and ask to register. There was nothing covert about the strategy—“We are going to bring a voting bill into being in the streets of Selma,” King proclaimed from the pulpit of Selma’s Brown Chapel—yet Southern police, troopers, sheriffs, and deputies clubbed, sicced police dogs on, blasted fire hoses at, teargassed, and shocked with cattle prods nonviolent demonstrators, many of them clergymen and children, with an indifference to national and international opinion that was almost blithe. Their tactics were encouraged, defended, and sometimes ordered by Southern city halls and statehouses.

    But in Birmingham, when the Commissioner of Public Safety, Eugene (Bull) Connor, brought out the police dogs and fire hoses, and in Selma, when Sheriff Jim Clark socked a black minister, C. T. Vivian, in the face, reporters and cameramen were right there. Many white Americans who saw or read about the violence blamed the demonstrators, but the world blamed the American government. That got the attention of the White House.

    […]

    Before African-Americans were disenfranchised, they were enfranchised by the Fifteenth Amendment. The era of Jim Crow began, around 1890, with states erecting obstacles to voting, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, with loopholes exempting many whites. In 1896, in Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was constitutional; in 1898, in Mississippi v. Williams, and, in 1903, in Giles v. Harris, it upheld voting laws that operated to disenfranchise African-Americans. Those were the judicial pillars of legal segregation. Their effect was immediate. In 1896, there were 130,334 African-Americans registered to vote in Louisiana. In 1904, there were 1,342. Estimated black turnout in Virginia and South Carolina in the 1904 Presidential election was zero.

    The greatest voter suppression was often in areas where blacks were in the majority. Selma was more than fifty per cent black; in 1965, only 383 of the fifteen thousand African-Americans living there were registered to vote. Marion (where Coretta Scott King went to school) had no black voters. In nearby Lowndes County, where almost half of the lynchings in Alabama between 1880 and 1930 took place, and where stores refused to sell Marlboro cigarettes because of rumors that the company had donated to the N.A.A.C.P., four out of five residents were black. None could vote. Mississippi was almost fifty per cent black; 6.4 per cent of eligible African-Americans there could vote.

    One consequence was the near-ubiquity of all-white juries—since jurors were typically drawn from the pool of registered voters. The Southern judicial system, as Claude Screws appreciated, was turned into a rubber stamp of approval for police and vigilante actions against African-Americans. The system also produced some astonishing verdicts. In 1958, a black handyman named James Wilson was convicted of stealing a dollar ninety-five in change from the white woman he worked for in Marion, and was sentenced to death. The Alabama Supreme Court upheld the sentence, but the international outcry was so intense that the governor, James (Big Jim) Folsom, commuted it.

    The South became a one-party bloc, standing for one principle above all, expressed by the logo of the Alabama Democratic Party: a white rooster with a banner above it reading “White Supremacy.” It was as though the purpose of holding elected office was to perpetuate the system that made one’s election possible. Voting rights went to the very heart of the Southern “way of life.”

    Officials were therefore ingenious in coming up with ways to thwart registration efforts. In response to an S.C.L.C. registration drive in Louisiana, the state reviewed voter rolls and found cause to remove ten thousand African-Americans. Mississippi cut off the distribution of federal food surpluses to two counties in the Delta: Sunflower, where 161 of 13,524 African-Americans were registered to vote, and LeFlore, where fourteen-year-old Emmett Till had been lynched, in 1955. In LeFlore alone, twenty-two thousand people lost their relief. In Alabama, Circuit Court Judge James Hare enjoined virtually every civil-rights leader from gathering in groups of more than three.

    And there were methods of discouragement that did not bother with the color of law—that is to say, terror. In 1963, Hartman Turnbow became the first African-American of the century to try to register to vote in Holmes County, Mississippi. A month later, his farmhouse was firebombed. Turnbow engaged in a gunfight with men surrounding the house and drove them off. When the sheriff arrived, he arrested Turnbow and charged him with bombing his own house.

    […]

    There were, in the end, three marches from Selma. Each was momentous. King was not present at the first, which took place on March 7, 1965—“Bloody Sunday.” Some six hundred marchers, led by John Lewis, of SNCC, and Hosea Williams, of the S.C.L.C., set off from Brown Chapel and crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge (Pettus was a Confederate general, later a Grand Dragon of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan), over the Alabama River. At the far end, they found arrayed before them more than a hundred and fifty armed men: state troopers, under Lingo’s command, and Sheriff Clark’s posse, some on horseback. Wallace had ordered Lingo to take “whatever steps necessary” to stop the march. The troopers wore gas masks and carried nightsticks; Clark’s men were armed with clubs, whips, and cattle prods. One carried a rubber hose wrapped in barbed wire. A number of white Alabamans had come out to watch the sport.

    So had the press. It’s all on film. The marchers halt fifty feet from the line of troopers. They are told that they have two minutes to turn around and go back to their homes and churches, but, well before two minutes have passed, the troopers charge into the line, beating everyone in sight. They are followed by Clark’s men on horseback, then by the tear gas.

    Forty tear-gas cannisters were fired that day. The marchers were chased for a mile back to Selma. Troopers fired tear gas into the Carver housing project; posse men rode their horses up the steps of Brown Chapel. That evening, forty-eight million television viewers watching “Judgment at Nuremberg” on ABC had the movie interrupted for a fifteen-minute film of the attack. There was no voice-over. The only sounds were the thuds of clubs, reports of tear-gas cannisters being fired, the rebel yells of Clark’s posse, and the constant, hysterical screams of the victims.

    At least ninety marchers were wounded, and Lewis had a fractured skull, but the effect was achieved. The film left no room for hairsplitting about provocation. Unarmed men and women on a highway were set upon by uniformed men wearing gas masks and riding horses. The Pettus Bridge was a turning point in American race relations and American history. Branch calls it “the last great thrust of a movement built on patriotic idealism.” Many years later, Lewis said that Barack Obama “was what comes at the end of that bridge.”

  144. rq says

    Milwaukee Police Up the Organizer Intimidation with Late Night Home Visits .

    Really? REALLY?? Berkeley, MO Mayor says he thinks the officer who shot and killed Antonio Martin should return to work

    The unnamed officer still has to wait for St. Louis County to finish its independent investigation, but Mayor Hoskins said it can`t be any more clear. He said, ‘The biggest piece is the young man that was next to the car in the video. He indicated that he saw a gun.’

    Police say it was not a flashlight or a cell phone, as some have speculated after seeing surveillance video from the Mobile on North Hanley. They say it was a 9 millimeter gun. At a news conference, Berkeley Police Chief Frank McCall addressed the evidence photo showing the safety on. He said, ‘If the safety had been released off the weapon there`s a possibility we might be talking about more than one death, maybe even two.’

    Another long read: What your first-grade life says about the rest of it

    Later, as the children grew and dispersed, some falling out of the school system and others leaving the city behind, the conversations took place in McDonald’s, in public libraries, in living rooms or lock-ups. The children — 790 of them, representative of the Baltimore public school system’s first-grade class in 1982 — grew harder to track as the patterns among them became clearer.

    Over time, their lives were constrained — or cushioned — by the circumstances they were born into, by the employment and education prospects of their parents, by the addictions or job contacts that would become their economic inheritance. Johns Hopkins researchers Karl Alexander and Doris Entwisle watched as less than half of the group graduated high school on time. Before they turned 18, 40 percent of the black girls from low-income homes had given birth to their own babies. At the time of the final interviews, when the children were now adults of 28, more than 10 percent of the black men in the study were incarcerated. Twenty-six of the children, among those they could find at last count, were no longer living.

    A mere 4 percent of the first-graders Alexander and Entwisle had classified as the “urban disadvantaged” had by the end of the study completed the college degree that’s become more valuable than ever in the modern economy. A related reality: Just 33 of 314 had left the low-income socioeconomic status of their parents for the middle class by age 28. […]

    We like to think that education is an equalizer — that through it, children may receive the tools to become entrepreneurs when their parents were unemployed, lawyers when their single moms had 10th-grade educations. But Alexander and Entwisle kept coming back to one data point: the 4 percent of disadvantaged children who earned college degrees by age 28.

    “We hold that out to them as what they should work toward,” Alexander says. Yet in their data, education did not appear to provide a dependable path to stable jobs and good incomes for the worst off.

    The story is different for children from upper-income families, who supplement classroom learning with homework help, museum trips and college expectations. Alexander and Entwisle found one exception: Low-income white boys attained some of the lowest levels of education. But they earned the highest incomes among the urban disadvantaged.

    They were able, Alexander and Entwisle realized, to tap into what remains of the good blue-collar jobs in Baltimore. These are the skilled crafts, the union gigs, jobs in trades traditionally passed from one generation to the next and historically withheld from blacks. These children did not inherit college expectations. But they inherited job networks. And these are the two paths to success in the Beginning School Study.

    David Duke: I’ve Met With Steve Scalise Several Times, So What?

    “If Scalise is going to be crucified — if Republicans want to throw Steve Scalise to the woods, then a lot of them better be looking over their shoulders,” Duke told Fusion. He added that he wasn’t afraid to release a list of names of politicians he has connections to.

    Duke also disputed accusations that he was a “racist” or “white supremacist,” saying the political scorn being directed at him was “all bullshit.”

  145. rq says

    Durham mayor reminds citizens of protest rules

    Those rules, adopted in February, include:

    • Demonstrators must get a parade permit and may not march at night.

    • Demonstrators must not wear masks, hoods or other devices to hide their identity.

    • Demonstrators “shall not damage property, commit assaults, participate in disorderly conduct, possess or use pyrotechnics, or possess dangerous weapons such as rocks, bricks etc.”

    • Demonstrators must stay off police parking lots and grassy areas next to police buildings.

    “I think it’s really important that we get that resolution that we passed unanimously as a council out into the public once again as well as to the police,” said Councilman Eugene Brown.

    The regulations were a response to protests after Durham teenager Jesus Huerta fatally shot himself while in police custody in November 2013.

    WTF? STL 250 Birthday Cakes Voted 2014 St. Louis Person of the Year in Mayor’s Poll. At least it wasn’t McCullogh.

    Walgreens we protested at today was once a diner where the #Nashville sit-ins of 1960 took place. The movement lives.

  146. rq says

    .@YourAnonNews Full list of cities going all out for #NYE2015PROTEST to Stop Police Brutality & End ALL oppression Link: https://sites.google.com/site/weekofoutrage/rock-in-the-new-year-with-resistance-to-police-murder-3

    Albuquerque
    Albuquerque, NM- Protest The Governor’s Inaugural Ball
    Jan. 01, 2015
    6:00 pm
    1 Civic Plaza (West side of Convention Center)
    facebook

    Atlanta
    December 31 Downtown Atlanta Peach Drop New Year’s Celebration @ Underground Atlanta
    9:30 – midnight
    HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Text message @ATLcantBREATHE2015 to 23559
    Details will be announced via text message leading up to the day and more minutes before the event begins. Show up at Underground and Rock in the New Year with Resistance to Police Murder!
    CONTACT:
    Atlanta Revolution Club
    [email protected]
    New Years Eve Dec 31
    At the Idaho Capital Building. 9pm

    Boston
    December 31, 5pm, Copley Square in Front of Boston Public Library
    protest called by First Night Against Police Violence
    Look for NO NEW YEAR UNDER THIS OLD SYSTEM! WE CAN’T BREATHE! banner
    join with staff of Revolution Books and others

    Chicago
    December 31, 10 pm
    Chicago Tribune Tower (Plaza), 435 N. Michigan Ave, just north of bridge on Michigan
    FacebookCleveland
    Assemble 9:30 pm, Public Square
    Rock in the New Year with Resistance to Police Murder! NO NEW YEAR UNDER THIS OLD SYSTEM! WE CAN’T BREATHE!
    Facebook

    Houston
    New Year’s Eve Dec 31
    8:30 pm: Meet up at Market Square Park, (Preston & Travis)
    We will march through downtown, and beyond, saying loud and clear: NO NEW YEAR UNDER THIS OLD SYSTEM!
    WE CAN’T BREATHE!
    Download Flyer Ċ12 31 FLYER.PDF

    Los Angeles
    New Year’s Eve Dec 31
    9pm Entrance to Grand Park

    New Year’s Day
    MEET AT 7AM @ MEMORIAL PARK, 30 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103
    Take the Gold Line from Union Station to Memorial Park Metro Stop In Pasadena
    Assemble from 7am – 8am and march from Memorial Park to Fair Oaks and Colorado Blvd.
    Bring banners, posters, signs, whistles and noisemakers! WEAR BLACK
    Contact Stop Mass Incarceration Network, So Cal @ 213-840-5348;
    Download Flyer NO NEW YEAR UNDER THIS OLD SYSTEM!

    New Haven and Ct
    Gather on December 31, 3:00 pm At the New Haven Green
    (Corner of Chapel and Church Streets)
    Bring banners, signs, whistles, noise makers
    [email protected] Flyer download NEWYEAREVE–NEWHAVENR.PDF

    Pittsburgh
    8pm December 31st: Fifth and Washington, outside Consol Energy Center
    march to the Allegheny County Jail
    Bring kazoos, bells, and pots and pans.

    San Diego
    December 31 9:00 pm meet at Hall of Justice March through Downtown at 9:30pm
    Rock in the New Year With Resistance to Police Murder!
    Hosted by United Against Police Terror – San Diego
    Facebook event

    San Francisco/Bay Area
    December 31 at 9:00pm
    Embarcadero BART exit on Market Street
    New Year’s Day
    Memorial for Oscar Grant and all victims of Police Murder
    Fruitvale BART Station, Oakland, 12 Noon-4pm, then march

    Seattle
    December 31, 2014 at 10:00 pm
    Denny Way & Broad Street (Seattle Center side)
    Facebook Event Page

    St. Louis
    December 31, 2014 from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM
    All Out for Rock in the New Year with Resistance to Police Murders!
    Gather at Washington Ave & 14th Street, St Louis 63103 and march down Washington Ave.
    [email protected]
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/014Downey

    Wailuku, HI
    December 31, 10pm to midnight+?
    New Years Eve Drum Circle at Maui Community Correctional Center
    600 Waiale Drive
    Global Noise Demo for Prisoner Solidarity, New Years Eve 2014/2015
    Facebook event

    #NYE2015PROTEST. The difference between wanting in on this system or wanting out! #blacklivesmatter #AntonioMartin

    ‘You’re either a cop or little people’: The American police state in 2014

    The lesson of 2014 is simply this: in a police state, you’re either a cop or you’re one of the little people. Right now, we are the little people, the servants, the serfs, the grunts who must obey without question or suffer the consequences.

    If there is to be any hope in 2015 for restoring our freedoms and reclaiming our runaway government, we will have to start by breathing life into those three powerful words that set the tone for everything that follows in the Constitution: “we the people.”

    It’s time to stop waiting patiently for change to happen and, as Gandhi once advised, be the change you want to see in the world.

    Get mad, get outraged, get off your duff and get out of your house, get in the streets, get in people’s faces, get down to your local city council, get over to your local school board, get your thoughts down on paper, get your objections plastered on protest signs, get your neighbors, friends and family to join their voices to yours, get your representatives to pay attention to your grievances, get your kids to know their rights, get your local police to march in lockstep with the Constitution, get your media to act as watchdogs for the people and not lapdogs for the corporate state, get your act together, and get your house in order.

    In other words, get moving. Time is growing short, and the police state is closing in. Power to the people!

  147. rq says

    Previous in moderation, oh well.

    Could be relevant, should the movement remain alivE: Revealed: how the FBI coordinated the crackdown on Occupy

    Comment is free
    On making change

    Series: On making change
    Previous | Next | Index
    Naomi Wolf: On making change
    Revealed: how the FBI coordinated the crackdown on Occupy
    New documents prove what was once dismissed as paranoid fantasy: totally integrated corporate-state repression of dissent

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    Naomi Wolf
    Naomi Wolf
    theguardian.com, Saturday 29 December 2012 14.58 GMT
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    Occupy Oakland clashes
    Police used teargas to drive back protesters following an attempt by the Occupy supporters to shut down the city of Oakland. Photograph: Noah Berger/AP

    It was more sophisticated than we had imagined: new documents show that the violent crackdown on Occupy last fall – so mystifying at the time – was not just coordinated at the level of the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and local police. The crackdown, which involved, as you may recall, violent arrests, group disruption, canister missiles to the skulls of protesters, people held in handcuffs so tight they were injured, people held in bondage till they were forced to wet or soil themselves –was coordinated with the big banks themselves.

    The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, in a groundbreaking scoop that should once more shame major US media outlets (why are nonprofits now some of the only entities in America left breaking major civil liberties news?), filed this request. The document – reproduced here in an easily searchable format – shows a terrifying network of coordinated DHS, FBI, police, regional fusion center, and private-sector activity so completely merged into one another that the monstrous whole is, in fact, one entity: in some cases, bearing a single name, the Domestic Security Alliance Council. And it reveals this merged entity to have one centrally planned, locally executed mission. The documents, in short, show the cops and DHS working for and with banks to target, arrest, and politically disable peaceful American citizens.

    The documents, released after long delay in the week between Christmas and New Year, show a nationwide meta-plot unfolding in city after city in an Orwellian world: six American universities are sites where campus police funneled information about students involved with OWS to the FBI, with the administrations’ knowledge (p51); banks sat down with FBI officials to pool information about OWS protesters harvested by private security; plans to crush Occupy events, planned for a month down the road, were made by the FBI – and offered to the representatives of the same organizations that the protests would target; and even threats of the assassination of OWS leaders by sniper fire – by whom? Where? – now remain redacted and undisclosed to those American citizens in danger, contrary to standard FBI practice to inform the person concerned when there is a threat against a political leader (p61).

    F.B.I. Evidence Is Often Mishandled, an Internal Inquiry Finds

    The report’s findings, based on a review of more than 41,000 pieces of evidence in F.B.I. offices around the country, could have consequences for criminal investigations and prosecutions. Lawyers can use even minor record-keeping discrepancies to get evidence thrown out of court, and the F.B.I. was alerting prosecutors around the country on Friday that they may need to disclose the errors to defendants.
    Continue reading the main story
    Related Coverage

    F.B.I. Faces New Setback in Computer OverhaulMARCH 18, 2010

    Many of the problems cited in the report appear to be hiccups in the F.B.I.’s transition to a computer system known as Sentinel, which went online in 2012 and was intended to move the bureau away from a case-management system based on paper files. But other problems, including materials that disappeared or were taken from F.B.I. evidence rooms and not returned, are more serious.

    “A majority of the errors identified were due in large part to human error, attributable to a lack of training and program management oversight,” auditors wrote in the report, which was obtained by The New York Times.

    F.B.I. officials on Friday said that they decided on their own to conduct the review after discovering during an internal audit that there might be issues with the record keeping for evidence.

    “The FBI identified issues primarily related to the migration of its earlier record-keeping process to its updated case management system,” said Michael Kortan, the F.B.I.’s chief spokesman. “The bureau is now strengthening procedures in field offices across the country to improve administrative consistency and record-keeping.”

    The F.B.I. is separately dealing with the fallout from a case at its Washington office, where an agent is under investigation for tampering with evidence. That has led to the dismissal of convictions in some drug cases. Though the internal review is unrelated to that matter, the issues are so entwined that the F.B.I. plans to distribute the report to dozens of lawyers involved whose cases were affected by the Washington investigation, officials said.

    The errors cited in the audit range in severity from computer glitches and duplicate bar codes to evidence that could not be located. The investigation found that federal agents had removed 1,600 pieces of evidence from storage and had not returned them for more than four months. One piece of evidence in a drug case has been signed out since 2003. Another piece of evidence has been out since 2006, the report found.

    Because the audit was based on a sample, the actual number of items that have been checked out and not returned is probably much higher.

    I’m sure the FBI is not alone in this.

    Recap of the Antonio Martin press conferene: Police: Multiple witnesses say Antonio Martin pulled gun on officer

    “Mr. Martin was armed, Mr. Martin did attempt to fire when he pulled a weapon on the officer,” said Berkeley Police Chief Frank McCall, who added that several witnesses including the man who is seen walking with Martin moments before the shooting have confirmed that Martin drew a weapon on the officer before being shot. [… – protestors have been asking, which witnesses? how many?]

    But top officials in Berkeley have insisted that the shooting of Martin should not be lumped together with that of Brown and the deaths of Eric Garner in New York and Tamir Rice and John Crawford in Ohio – all black men who were unarmed when they were killed by white officers – because Martin allegedly pulled a weapon on the officer.

    Police in Berkeley have released several partial video clips that appear to show Martin approaching the officer, then walking away before lifting his arm. In a second video clip, the officer can be seen scurrying backward and falling down – his weapon discharging – before he ran for cover.

    Mayor Theodore Hoskins said that groups that continue to protest the shooting have no “objective,” and said that demonstrations that attempt to “disrupt” the city such as one on Monday night that closed a local freeway, will not be tolerated.

    According to police, they first received a call about shoplifting at a Mobil gas station at 11:11 p.m., with an officer arriving on the scene and confronting Martin – who police say matched the description of the suspected shoplifter – at 11:14. [… – matched the description, i.e. was black?]

    A common criticism and question from protest groups has concerned whether Martin was given medical attention after being shot. Within 20 minutes of the shooting, many of the protesters who have demonstrated in Ferguson had shown up at the scene of the shooting – including at least one who provided livestream video footage. Many online have questioned why no paramedics were seen tending to Martin by the protesters who arrived.

    However, city officials insisted that paramedics arrived at the scene of the shooting at 11:21 p.m. – approximately six minutes after the shooting – and had declared Martin dead, covering his body, by 11:28 p.m.

    Hoskins and McCall declined to provide the name of the officer involved in the shooting, saying only that he remains on paid leave and is dealing with anxiety related to the shooting.

    The news conference came one day after protesters shut down the freeway near the site of the shooting, prompting police response. […]

    “Mayor says that blocking highways and streets ‘will not be acceptable from this day forward.’ That sounds like a challenge,” declared protest organizer DeRay Mckesson, who live-tweeted his reaction to the news conference. “This Mayor has just re-ignited the protests in Berkeley. I hope that we’re all ready for what he just started with that statement.”

    Police also confirmed information about the arrest of Joshua Williams, a well-known 19-year-old Ferguson protester who they say has confessed to starting a fire at the QuickTrip gas station across the street from where Martin was killed on the night of the shooting.

    Williams, who has been a near-constant presence at the Ferguson protests, has been charged with arson and burglary after store surveillance cameras and media footage captured images that appear to show Williams entering the gas station and attempt to start fires both inside and outside.

    While Williams has never been a key organizer or leader of any of the protest groups that have emerged in the months since the Brown shooting, his energy – often among those yelling loudest at elected officials and police during demonstrations – has made him one of the most photographed and interviewed of the protest regulars.

    Critics of the budding protest movement have seized the charge – which appears to be the first charge of arson related to any of more than two dozen buildings that have been at least partially damaged on nights when protests have turned violent – to fuel their claim that the Ferguson demonstrators were never, in fact, peaceful protesters. Many of the most vocal and prominent protesters, however, have stood by Williams – beginning online fundraising efforts for his bail. Several expressed anger that Berkeley officials brought up Williams’s charges while providing relatively few new details about Martin’s fatal encounter with officers.

    “It’s amazing how clear they can be about Josh and yet the events leading to Antonio Martin’s death are fuzzy,” tweeted Charles Wade, who has helped organize many of the Ferguson protests. “A press conference about Antonio Martin should be about Antonio Martin… Josh had nothing to do with Antonio Martin’s death.”

  149. rq says

    They were greeted with tasers: https://twitter.com/deray/status/550347372140580864

    Oh, the bogus story about the kill-the-cops protest chant? Fox 45 fires crew behind the bogus ‘kill a cop’ story

    YouTube footage later showed Jones and others were chanting “We won’t stop/ We can’t stop/ Till killer cops/ Are in cell blocks.” The station invited Jones on the air to offer an apology—albeit a botched one.

    But it seems there has been further fallout, as reporter Melinda Roeder and cameraman Greg McNair have been released, and news director Mike Tomko and a producer who expressed his discomfort with the story have been suspended one and two days, respectively.

    An insider told FTVLive Tomko was the one who pushed doing the story. “It was found by him, assigned by him and ultimately proofed by him,” the source said.

    Now a person familiar with the situation tells City Paper the news director is losing control of the newsroom, with photographers threatening to stage a “sick out.”

    Think of the children!!!! ‘Die In’ Activists Urged Not to Traumatize Kids at Boston’s First Night

    Activists planning a “Die In” demonstration at this city’s historic First Night festivities will be allowed to protest, but Boston public safety officials urged them not to disrupt the family event that draws hundreds of small children for New Year’s Eve.

    “We’re going to accommodate the protesters if they choose to do so. But we will not let it disrupt the events,” Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said at a City Hall news conference today where he was flanked by officials, including Mayor Martin Walsh and Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn.

    “I can only appeal that if people are going to demonstrate, just realize there are a lot of young kids out there, a lot of families.

    Yes, think of the poor families being forced to watch activists doing their thing. Never mind those parents who were forced to watch their children die or see their dead children. Never mind them, others are trying to have fun.

    The Benefits of Fewer NYPD Arrests

    The Post, which enthusiastically championed the NYPD during this year’s turmoil, portrayed this slowdown in near-apocalyptic terms—an early headline for the article above even read “Crime wave engulfs New York following execution of cops.” But the police union’s phrasing—officers shouldn’t make arrests “unless absolutely necessary”—begs the question: How many unnecessary arrests was the NYPD making before now?

    Policing quality doesn’t necessarily increase with policing quantity, as New York’s experience with stop-and-frisk demonstrated. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg asserted that the controversial tactic of warrantless street searches “keeps New York City safe.” De Blasio ended the program soon after succeeding him, citing its discriminatory impact on black and Hispanic residents. Stop-and-frisk incidents plunged from 685,724 stops in 2011 to just 38,456 in the first three-quarters of 2014 as a result. If stop-and-frisk had caused the ongoing decline in New York’s crime rate, its near-absence would logically halt or even reverse that trend. But the city seems to be doing just fine without it: Crime rates are currently at two-decade lows, with homicide down 7 percent and robberies down 14 percent since 2013.

    The slowdown also challenges the fundamental tenets of broken-windows policing, a controversial strategy championed by NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton. According to the theory, which first came to prominence in a 1982 article in The Atlantic, “quality-of-life” crimes like vandalism and vagrancy help normalize criminal behavior in neighborhoods and precede more violent offenses. Tackling these low-level offenses therefore helps prevent future ones. The theory’s critics dispute its effectiveness and contend that broken-windows policing simply criminalizes the young, the poor, and the homeless.

    Public drinking and urination may be unseemly, but they’re hardly threats to life, liberty, or public order. (The Post also noted a decline in drug arrests, but their comparison of 2013 and 2014 rates is misleading. The mayor’s office announced in November that police would stop making arrests for low-level marijuana possession and issue tickets instead. Even before the slowdown began, marijuana-related arrests had declined by 61 percent.) If the NYPD can safely cut arrests by two-thirds, why haven’t they done it before?

    <a href="http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/newcomers-reflect-their-first-months-st-louis&quot;?Newcomers Reflect On Their First Months In St. Louis

    This summer, the newsroom of St. Louis Public Radio hired five people who had never lived in St. Louis. As 2014 draws to a close, we asked each to reflect on what they’ve discovered in their five months here.

    News producer Stephanie Lecci has been surprised by crime and race relations while also finding hope.
    Reporter Emanuele Berry, who was brought in on a fellowship focusing on race, culture and diversity, has had unexpected questions about race and Ferguson thrown her way.
    Reporter Willis Ryder Arnold is searching for creativity and invention in the arts, finding talent.
    Reporter Durrie Bouscaren set aside her list of ideas for health and science stories to cover Ferguson and document a search for change.
    Newscaster Wayne Pratt has brought their work together in the mornings and talks about an “impressive roster” of colleagues.

  154. rq says

    Police Pepper Spray Protesters Who Try To Rush Station Lobby, autoplay video.

    When I was little, I was at a balloon vigil/protest, though back then, it was in honour of the Baltic states. Always left an impression, those balloons going up in the air, and what my parents said they stood for. Black balloons, that time.
    Dotson and Belmar. Balloon vigil. America.

    Pics & Video from protesters attempt to occupy @SLMPD HQ this morning (that’s the video I posted above).

    Then, from the vigil, several speakers of varying calibre.
    “We will not stop until someone is held accountable for violence that is done in our city!” – Chief Dotson
    James Clark says that we are hypocritical to only be upset when police kill people but “we accept when we kill each other.” Wow.
    To which people replied: @deray people are upset because when police kill they are NOT held accountable,unlike when blacks kill other black. #Ferguson #MarchOn and along those lines.

    Co-worker @KoranAddo took big shot of pepper spray today covering protest, back reporting short time later #dedicated .

  155. rq says

    Ha. Fearless Protester @deray Is STL’s Tank Man Reminding Police The Movement Is Alive #Ferguson pic @KWRose.

    Demonstrators stage die-in in Boston’s Copley Square ahead of annual First Night festivities #BlackLivesMatter.

    The First Lady of the church noted that “protests and riots” won’t bring about change, but “prayer and Jesus” will. To which protestors replied that Jesus was an organizer, and his disciples – protestors. And that she should read her bible more closely.

    Update: Police say 18 people arrested for ‘impeding flow of traffic’ outside of St. Louis Police headquarters; protesters have dispersed.

  156. rq says

    Protesters push through security at courthouse

    An incident report says a group of protesters entered the plaza-side entrance, “overrunning the Security (sic) on site and forcing their way in.” One officer with the security company, G4S, reported being pushed, according to the report.

    One protester, Rondriquez White, said the group went inside to demand the mayor’s office form a citizens review board for investigating police misconduct. The group included protesters from Nashville, Ferguson, Mo., and other states who were in the city attending a conference at American Baptist College, White said.

    Protest is fundamentally community-building. Community-building is the movement. If you protest and do not build community, it is awry.

    Re: “protests and riots” won’t bring change – @deray “I prayed for twenty years, but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.” -Frederick Douglass

    Group of helmeted police, some holding batons, on 34th and 6th. Demonstrators a few blocks south #NYE2015PROTEST

    Peaceful protestors confronted w mase taunting police & a helicopter #BlackLivesMatter @deray @Ent73Michael

    Revolutionary criminologist (@JWilliams004) looking to interview men in STL (@DrHillaryPotter is interviewing women)

  160. rq says

    December 30, another one, Jerame Reid: Wife of man fatally shot by Bridgeton police says, ‘My biggest fear has come true’.
    Here’s the Daily Journal, Millville man, 36, killed by police gunfire in Bridgeton

    Zakeeda Hill and her 12-year-old cousin, Josh Scurry, who live across the street, said they saw both officers pull up behind the vehicle and surround the driver and passenger sides Tuesday night.

    “The boy said, ‘We ain’t got nothing, why you pulling us over?'” Hill, 28, said. “Then they just killed that boy. They let so many shots off, it happened so fast.”

    Scurry said he saw the driver raise his hands out the window after the officers drew their weapons.

    “The cop just said, ‘Don’t you f’ing move,'” Scurry said.

    “They didn’t even give them a chance to do anything,” Hill said of the officers.

    Hill and Scurry agreed they heard at least seven gunshots.

    “It happened so fast,” Hill said. “It didn’t make no sense.”

    After the shooting, Hill said, an officer opened the driver’s side door and the driver “rolled out,” apparently unscathed. He then was handcuffed, she said.

    Another child without a father.

    Invisible no more…we reclaim First Night as Our Night. We have removed the barriers at Delmar.

    The PD shut down the page that showed Rossomanno’s military history? lol. It’s too late for that. #ferguson Rossomanno, FYI, was an extremely aggressive officer at the Metro PD in St Louis yesterday.
    Since last night, they’ve deactivated the link showing Sgt. Brian Rossomanno’s deep military background. What’s to hide Rossomanno?

    MAKE 2015 THE YEAR OF RESISTANCE. Sign the pledge:

    I pledge to make 2015 my year of resistance to state violence against Black lives.

    I challenge myself and those in my community to take risks as we confront the many ways that Black lives are diminished and taken from us.

    This pledge is in defense of ALL black lives. We stand with Black men and women. We act when Black Queer and Trans lives are threatened. We defend the rights of our Black family when we are poor, disabled and incarcerated. I will elevate their names.

    I pledge to practice resilience. As I make space for direct action and civil disobedience, I will also act for the healing of our communities and make space for my own healing so I may be a part of this movement for the long-haul.

    This year, I will declare boldly and loudly through my words and actions, that #BlackLivesMatter.

  162. says

    Article about the financial consequences of saying ‘Black’ vs ‘African-American’. At first glance it might not seem this article is appropriate here, but it speaks to the biases and assumptions made about Black people in the United States.

    A 2001 study catalogued all the ways in which the term “Black” carried connotations that were more negative than those of “African American.” This is troubling on the level of an individual’s decision making, and these labels are also institutionalized: Only last month, the U.S. Army finally stopped permitting use of the term “Negro” in its official documents, and the American Psychological Association currently says “African American” and “Black” can be used interchangeably in academic writing.

    But if it was known that “Black” people were viewed differently from “African Americans,” researchers, until now, hadn’t identified what that gap in perception was derived from. A study, to be published next month in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, found that “Black” people are viewed more negatively than “African Americans” because of a perceived difference in socioeconomic status. As a result, “Black” people are thought of as less competent and as having colder personalities.

    The study’s most striking findings shed light on the racial biases undergirding the professional world. Even seemingly innocuous details on a resume, it appears, can tap into recruiters’ biases. A job application might mention affiliations with groups such as the “Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers” or the “National Black Employees Association,” the names of which apparently have consequences—and are also beyond their members’ control.

    In one of the study’s experiments, subjects were given a brief description of a man from Chicago with the last name Williams. To one group, he was identified as “African-American,” and another was told he was “Black.” With little else to go on, they were asked to estimate Mr. Williams’s salary, professional standing, and educational background.

    The “African-American” group estimated that he earned about $37,000 a year and had a two-year college degree. The “Black” group, on the other hand, put his salary at about $29,000, and guessed that he had only “some” college experience. Nearly three-quarters of the first group guessed that Mr. Williams worked at a managerial level, while 38.5 percent of the second group thought so.

    Curiously, the authors of the study itself avoid taking a side in the question of whether to use the term “Black” or “African American,” instead using “Americans of African descent.” The lead author, Emory University’s Erika Hall, told the podcast On the Media that this was done primarily out of a desire not to confuse the reader. She has doubts about the practicality of the term “Americans of African descent”—it’s kind of a mouthful—but is hopeful that a new phrase, purged of the old weight, will arrive someday. “I think a lot of the stigma is embodied in the time in which the term was created,” Hall told On the Media. “Eventually, there shouldn’t be a stigma attached with the word that’s created out of a more positive time.”

  163. rq says

    Good news: there’s been a 94% drop in racial profiling arrests in NYC / Bad news: NYPD thinks they are punishing people by “striking”;

    Overheard:”If they let these guys do what they wanted…” “Don’t say that, they’re locking people up for making threats.”
    Look what they did with this U.S. flag:

    In a move that could set a terrible precedent for free speech, BART is suing activists over #BlackLivesMatter protest, Link: BART Directors: When it comes to ending the war on Black communities, which side are you on?

    As someone who believes that Black lives matter, I strongly urge Thomas Blalock and Tom Radulovich, President and Vice President, respectively, of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors, to end their shameful attempts to extort, intimidate, and demonize the Black protesters fighting for our right to live without police violence. I urge the BART Board of Directors to:

    1) Withdraw the BART criminal complaint pending against the 14 Black leaders who put their lives on the line to temporarily interrupt BART trains on both sides of the West Oakland BART in protest of the police brutality epidemic that has taken too many Black lives.

    2) Immediately suspend the punitive, retaliatory, and unconstitutional restitution of approximately $70,000 it is seeking in its attempt to silence Black protesters from speaking out against police brutality.

    Using unreasonable fines and restitution to suppress Black protest is punitive, has a chilling effect on the people’s first amendment right to protest, and sets a dangerously anti-democratic precedent.

    When it comes to preserving democracy and the dignity of Black life, which side are you on?

    More elaboration at the link.

  164. rq says

    One of the signs at the Support the Police rally downtown at the STL City pd. #Ferguson
    Yup, there was a rally to support police. A touch more later.

    Aside: Report: Cop Turned Himself In For Allegedly Attacking MTA Worker At Subway Station

    Man charged for posting ‘terroristic threats’ on Twitter

    Jason Valentine, 35, posted tweets between December 3 and December 14 that included the phrases, “St. Louis City Justice Center Mysteriously Exploded 12/31/2014,” “Kill a pig night in Stl,” “PICK A sidE or die with em,” and “News Years Eve Massacre.” Each tweet included the date 12/31/2014.

    Police say Valentine knowingly communicated to the public a threat to cause the death of police officers in those tweets, and that he did so for the purpose of frightening 10 or more people.

    Breaking: activists participate in #BlackLivesMatter die-in at Wheaton Mall MD @naturallyelsa @MJiffar ;
    Just got a call that my big sis @2liveunchained was targeted by the police and arrested today AFTER an action #DCFerguson. After that action at the Wheaton Mall, that is.

  165. rq says

    Reminder: It’s A New Year And Protests Are Still Raging Across America

    The protest movement that began with Michael Brown’s death has proven to be remarkably persistent.

    Of course, the protests have grown to become about more than Brown’s killing. In New York, protesters continue to march over the death Eric Garner. On the other side of the country, Angelenos demonstrated Wednesday over the death of Ezell Ford. As the list of black men killed by police grew over 2014, the protests evolved into a debate about the role of police in the U.S.

    And now, as 2014 comes to a close, “no justice, no peace” sounds less rhetorical and more descriptive of what is actually going on. The demonstrations show no sign of abating.

    Has a quick little roundup of actions around the country. Nice to see.

    KKK: Much of David Duke’s ’91 Campaign Is Now in Louisiana Mainstream

    Still, Roy Fletcher, a Baton Rouge-based political consultant who has managed campaigns for Republicans like former Gov. Mike Foster and Senator John McCain, said Mr. Duke may have become a toxic political personality, but he foreshadowed the state’s coming political and ideological shift.

    “Now he doesn’t matter anymore,” Mr. Fletcher said. “But politicians here have still co-opted part of his message without having the same baggage.”

    Louisiana, like most of the South, has become solidly Republican in a way it was not then, and race remains a fluid issue. The current governor, Bobby Jindal, is a conservative Republican of Indian descent whom Mr. Scalise supported.

    Mr. Duke, 64, who now calls himself a “human rights activist,” continues to sell books, a newsletter, DVDs, art and apparel and to speak on racial and cultural issues. He regularly tells audiences he is not a white supremacist and “condemns any form of racial supremacism and oppression.” But he rails against “the ultimate racists, the Jewish, Zionist tribalists.”

    During the 1991 race for governor, Mr. Duke attempted to build a bridge between the Klansman he was and the polished politician he wanted to be. He told voters he regretted being “too intolerant” in his youth and said he would not disown his daughters if they brought home an African-American or Jewish boyfriend.

    Instead, he focused on anti-big government and anti-tax mantras that preceded the Tea Party movement. His decision to run to the right of the field is now a common maneuver in Louisiana’s open primary system.
    Continue reading the main story

    Mr. Duke supported forcing welfare recipients to take birth control. Now there are near-perennial attempts by members of the Louisiana Legislature to give welfare recipients drug tests.

    After being elected to the state House of Representatives in 1989, Mr. Duke filed nine bills, including measures implementing stricter guidelines for residents of public housing, repealing affirmative action programs and eliminating minority set-asides.

    Stephanie Grace, a Louisiana political reporter and columnist for the past 20 years, first with The Times-Picayune in New Orleans and now The Advocate of Baton Rouge, recalled her first meeting with Mr. Scalise.

    “He was explaining his politics and we were in this getting-to-know-each-other stage,” Ms. Grace said. “He told me he was like David Duke without the baggage. I think he meant he supported the same policy ideas as David Duke, but he wasn’t David Duke, that he didn’t have the same feelings about certain people as David Duke did.”

    Mr. Scalise, his Washington staff and political consultant did not respond to emails, texts and phone calls over the past two days. Mr. Duke did not respond to an email sent through his website.

    But Chuck Kleckley, the Republican speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, said Mr. Scalise’s conservative values should not be confused with Mr. Duke’s personal statements and actions. “It’s not fair to Steve at all,” Mr. Kleckley said. “He’s a good man, a good father, a good husband and a great person. Ever since I’ve known Steve, he wanted to do what’s right for Louisiana. I never felt like there was any kind of David Duke leanings with Steve.”

    Mmhm,, right.

    This is what happens when #blacklivesmatter tries to go to the #RoseParade. Happy 2015! Nothing’s changed. #FTP;
    The part of the #RoseParade mainstream media won’t show. #Policestate

    NYPD turn their backs on their mayor, threaten strikes,meanwhile in little ol’ Pittsburgh our police chief is like… (see picture).

    End-of-Year Round-up for Ferguson Protests: More than 600 Arrests, At Least 18 Still in Jail with Serious Charges. Those are pretty big numbers.

    Over the course of the last few months, the jail support team working under the umbrella of Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE), has received calls from 634 arrestees. It’s estimated that this number is potentially far less than the total number of people arrested. The majority of arrestees were released without charges or bond. St. Louis University Law Professor and National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer Justin Hansford said, “The targeted arrests of peaceful activists and Legal Observers, including myself, is a black eye on this nation. It proves that this has not been about upholding the law but about silencing protest. Anyone who claims to favor freedom but at the same time uses their power to discourage dissent is abusing our democracy.”

    The number of people charged with felonies and the severity of those charges far exceeds anything that has occurred at protests in the United States in the last decade. Law enforcement officers put two people’s eyes out with ‘less lethal’ weapons, one of whom is an expectant mother who was a passenger in a car leaving a gas station; one person was shot three times with live ammunition but survived; numerous arrestees were taken to the hospital while in police custody due to the brutality of their arrests. On December 11, 2014 a federal judge granted protesters a temporary restraining order against the police, due to substantial evidence that police had violated protesters’ constitutional rights with their use of chemical weapons and excessive force.

    There are currently 18 activists who remain in jail stemming from the months-long civil unrest. The protesters have been in jail for a month or longer due to their inability to pay cash-only bonds ranging from $20,000 to $200,000. The majority of activists still in custody were arrested during protests following theNovember 24th grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. “Keeping a presumptively innocent human being in a cage solely because she cannot afford to make a monetary payment is both unconstitutional and morally shocking,” said Alec Karakatsanis from the Washington, D.C. based civil rights organization Equal Justice Under Law. “Sadly, it is standard practice in the courts of St. Louis.”

  166. rq says

    I’m hearing that Sgt. Rossomanno is at the 2pm pro-police rally at the Metro PD today.
    I’ve seen one black person at this rally in downtown St. Louis, and here she is, with Rossomano:
    See, this isn’t about “intimidating” Sgt. Rossomanno. This is about showing you that police brutality has a face, a name, a history.
    Y’all, Sgt. Rossomanno’s company JUST posted this on their facebook page. Can’t make it up. America.

    Rossomanno’s company website, with his bio: 0311 Tactical Solutions

    Brian Rossomanno is former Marine 0311 Infantry and served as a Marine security guard at the Presidential Retreat at Camp David and the Marine Barracks at 8th & I. Brian also served as a Corporal of the Guard and React Team NCOIC for the Marine unit that assisted the Secret Service with guarding the President and first family during their visits to the Presidential Retreat. Brian served as a primary marksmanship instructor for the 2dMarDiv Marksmanship Training Unit.

    Brian is 17 year veteran of the St. Louis Police Department and served as the training coordinator for the SWAT unit, Lead Active Shooter Response instructor, and lead tactics and firearms trainer from 2006-2014. Brian has participated in and supervised over 1,200 high risk search warrant entries and dozens of hostage response call-outs and real world active shooter incidents. He is a NRA certified firearms instructor, NTOA certified Active Shooter Response instructor and a NTOA certified MACTAC instructor. Brian is also Department of Homeland Security: WMD Technical Emergency Response Course (CBRNE/COBRA) certified and has National Sheriff’s Association Terrorism First Responder certification.

    Brian devised, developed and implemented the three phase Active Shooter Response program utilized by the St. Louis Police Department, which is mandatory for all officers. He is currently as supervisor with the department’s Mobile Tactical Training Unit responsible for Active Shooter, Officer Safety/Street Survival and other Tactical

    (the bio kind of ends like that – and this is a guy meant to keep the peace on the streets… or something).

    Local politicians get a lesson in how policemen work

    State Rep. Mike Kelley “shoots” a “prostitute,” played by St. Louis police officer Erin Becherer during a police training scenario on Monday, Oct. 20, 2014, at the St. Louis Sheet Metal Training Center in St. Louis, while trainer Brian Rossomanno watches. Becherer had just “stabbed” Kelley, R-Lamar, in the scenario. Local politicians were asked to go through the same type of training that police officers receive so that they could get a feel for police work and the risks officers face every day. Rossomanno is a St. Louis police officer and part owner of 0311 Tactical Solutions.

    See that last little bit. Conflict of interest? :P

  167. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    See that last little bit. Conflict of interest? :P

    *snicker* to anybody but a bigoted RWA.

  168. rq says

    Y’all. I’ll share this without commentary. Sgt. Rossomanno. America. Police. STL.
    Now. This. Remember, they’ve been deleting Facebook comments all day long. Sgt. Rossomanno.
    @deray 0311 Tactical Solutions; why they took their website down.

    NYC Labor May Break With Police Union. Oh, good for them, if they do.

    While labor’s silence regarding Lynch has been, in part, out of respect to the families of the two murdered NYPD officers — de Blasio also called for a moratorium on political rhetoric and demonstrations in the weeks surrounding the funerals — sources said it was also an act of “solidarity” to avoid union-on-union warfare.

    “There is a reluctancy for unions to weigh in against each other,” a source with close ties to the city’s progressives and unions told BuzzFeed News. “Though certainly that is less true when you talk about the progressive unions and the police unions.”

    The city’s police unions are not members of the AFL-CIO, unlike many of New York City’s largest unions.

    Though top labor officials and other citywide progressives have refrained from addressing Lynch, many have vocally supported the large protests after a grand jury did not indict the police officer involved in Eric Garner’s death. […]

    While conversations about what to do next have mostly remained internal, others have publicly called for a repudiation of Lynch. In an op-ed for the New York Daily News, former labor official Jonathan Tasini called on unions to fight back against Lynch’s “poisonous rhetoric.”

    If some were to speak out, according to two people familiar with progressive thinking in the city, the ultimate goal would not be to wage and win a political battle against Lynch, but to reign in the discourse and create a “respectful, appropriate dialogue” on the issue of policing.

    “We reached a dangerous point in this city a couple of weeks ago,” said Nathan Smith, a Democratic consultant in New York. “Folks believe that we were brought to the brink of a very dangerous and explosive situation, and folks want a much more productive path to find a solution in the future.”

    .@SLMPD sprayed EVERYONE today even photographers. @stltoday photog @PDPJ trying to recover @deray #Ferguson #ABanks

    The Birth of a New Civil Rights Movement

    This re-energized millennial movement, which will make itself felt all the more in 2015, differs from its half-century-old civil rights-era forebear in a number of important ways. One, it is driven far more by social media and hashtags than marches and open-air rallies. Indeed, if you wanted a megaphone for a movement spearheaded by young people of color, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better one than Twitter, whose users skew younger and browner than the general public, which often has the effect of magnifying that group’s broad priorities and fascinations. It’s not a coincidence that the Twitterverse helped surface and magnify the stories of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

    Two, the new social-justice grass roots reflects a broader agenda that includes LGBTQ (lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-questioning) issues and immigration reform. The young grass-roots activists I’ve spoken to have a broad suite of concerns: the school-to-prison pipeline, educational inequality, the over-policing of black and Latino communities. In essence, they’re trying to take on deeply entrenched discrimination that is fueled less by showy bigotry than systemic, implicit biases.

    Three, the movement’s renewal has exposed a serious generational rift. It is largely a bottom-up movement being led by young unknowns who have rejected, in some cases angrily, the presumption of leadership thrust on them by veteran celebrities like Al Sharpton. While both the younger and older activists both trace their lineage to the civil rights movement, they seem to align themselves with different parts of that family tree. And in several ways, these contemporary tensions are updates of the disagreements that marked the earlier movement.

    Sarah Jackson, a professor at Northeastern University whose research focuses on social movements, said the civil rights establishment embraces the “Martin Luther King-Al Sharpton model”—which emphasizes mobilizing people for rallies and speeches and tends to be centered around a charismatic male leader. But the younger activists are instead inclined to what Jackson called the “Fannie Lou Hamer-Ella Baker model”—an approach that embraces a grass roots and in which agency is widely diffused. Indeed, many of the activists name-checked Baker, a lesser-known but enormously influential strategist of the civil rights era. She helped found Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference but became deeply skeptical of the cult of personality that she felt had formed around him. And she vocally disagreed with the notion that power in the movement should be concentrated among a few leaders, who tended to be men with bases of power that lay in the church. “My theory is, strong people don’t need strong leaders,” she said.

    Baker’s theories on participatory democracy were adopted by later social movements, like Occupy Wall Street, which notably resisted naming leaders or spokespeople. But James Hayes, an organizer with the Ohio Student Association, said that he didn’t think of this new social justice movement as “leaderless” in the Occupy style. “I think of it as leader-ful,” he said.[…]

    At the same time, the new movement’s emergence has caused friction with the traditional civil rights establishment that identifies with those earlier, historic victories. At a recent march put together by Sharpton’s National Action Network in Washington, D.C.—meant to protest the recent decisions not to indict the officers in several high-profile police-involved killings and push for changes in the protocol from prosecutors—younger activists from St. Louis County were upset at what they saw as a lineup of older speakers on the podium who were not on the ground marching in Ferguson. So they climbed onto the stage and took the mic. “It should be nothing but young people up here!” a woman named Johnetta Elzie yelled into the microphone. “We started this!” Some people cheered them. Others called for them to get off the stage. After a few minutes, the organizers cut off their mics. (In the crowd, someone held up a neon-green sign making their discontent with the march’s organizers plain: “WE, THE YOUTH, DID NOT ELECT AL SHARPTON OUR SPOKESPERSON. HAVE A SEAT.”)

    A few days later, Elzie downplayed the incident and told me that the disagreement was simply about “someone who doesn’t want to give up the reins and who has a huge platform.”

  169. says

    According to Andre Perry, two undercover officers approached him at Union Station in November, and told him that his ring was considered a deadly weapon.

    “I’m not saying those are your intentions, but you could hurt somebody with this,” the officer says in a video of the arrest recorded on Perry’s cell phone. “Does it make sense why I’m stopping you?”

    “Not per se because like any…” Perry replies before being interrupted.

    “I get that, but this is considered a weapon,” the officer insists.

    In a post on Facebook, Perry explained that he was handcuffed, and detained overnight.

    “It made me very upset when I was being held in jail. I was sitting next to people who actually committed crimes. I bought this ring with the intent of wearing it as jewelry. I’ve been wearing it for over a year, and never had a problem, Perry told DNAinfo New York.

    Perry said that he had bought the ring at a Williamsburg flea market. It is marketed by Dallas & Dynasty as a $30 fashion accessory.

    The photographer, who shot ads for Reebok, Brooklyn Circus and Nordstrom, is now facing charges for two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

    “When I asked the defendant [Perry] about the metal knuckles, he said in substance, ‘I know I could hurt someone with it,’” NYPD Officer Jonathan Correa wrote in the criminal complaint.

    Mark Bederow, who Perry hopes to hire as a criminal defense attorney, pointed out to DNAinfo New York that there was no legal definition for brass knuckles.

    “A fashionable person wearing a two-finger flat, gold ring marketed and sold as legitimate jewelry, and worn exclusively as such, should not be treated as a criminal accused of being in possession of a weapon,” Bederow said. “A case involving the legitimate possession of jewelry, which arguably looks like metal knuckles, screams out for the use of prosecutorial discretion and the dismissal of all criminal charges.”

    A Kickstarter campaign to fund Perry’s defense was unsuccessful, so he intends to pay the attorney’s fees himself. And he said that he would sue the city if they decided to prosecute the case.

    “I am tired of being profiled and deemed suspicious,” he wrote. “I was profiled two years ago and my life was almost taken from me when an undercover cop chased me in my house and pulled a gun out because, again, I looked suspicious.”

    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/12/i-am-tired-of-being-profiled-nyc-fashion-photographer-faces-weapon-charges-over-jewelry/

    People donated half a million dollars to the murderous thug Darren Wilson, but for Andre Perry, a guy arrested on some fucking outlandish charges, he can’t even raise the necessary funds for a lawyer.

  170. says

    13-year-old black teen writes letter to Santa, gets response from President Obama

    Malik Bryant is just thirteen years old, and lives in the high-crime Englewood neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. His Christmas wish for the New Year was simple and heartbreaking:

    “All I ask for is for safety. I just wanna be safe.”

    He wrote his letter as part of Chicago non-profit DirectEffect Charities’ annual campaign, which collects letters from Chicago public school students and coordinates with donors (or Santas) to grant their Christmas wishes. Even among this sea of worthy requests, Malik’s stood out.

    Speaking to the Chicago Sun-Times, the charity’s CEO Michelle DiGiacomo said she was so moved by Malik’s letter, she sent it along to U.S. Rep. Michael Quigley, who agreed to send the letter to White House.

    Here is the full text of his letter (as it appears in the link above; so no, I did not make any corrections):

    I would like to ask you sum but first imma tell you about me Im a black African american I stand 5’10 Im In 7th Grade My favorite subJect is math I have 2 siblings living with me and Im the only boy on my moms side of my family but any way All I ask for is for safety I just wanna be safe.

    The President’s response:

    Dear Malik:

    I want to offer you a few words of encouragement this holiday season.

    Each day, I strive to ensure communities like yours are safe places to dream, discover, and grow. Please know your security is a priority for me in everything I do as President. If you dare to be bold and creative, work hard every day, and care for others, I’m confident you can achieve anything you imagine.

    I wish you and your family the very best for the coming year, and I will be rooting for you.

    Sincerely,

    Barack Obama

    The article closes out with some good news for Malik:

    Even better news may be around the corner for Malik though, as the DirectEffect charity wrote on their Facebook Page on Dec. 21 that they are searching for a three-bedroom apartment for his family to move into in a safer neighborhood. Here’s wishing Malik and his family have a safer, more comfortable 2015.

  171. rq says

    Tony
    It’s good news for Malik, but in the long run, it will not help all the other black teens out there worried for their own safety. Malik’s letter was distributed via the internet and he got lucky (yes, I say lucky), but there are so many others, in slightly better or worse situations, who will never see an ounce of help because they are invisible. The security of all of these children should be Obama’s priority, and the best way to ensure their security is to change the racist system in place (what a task!).

    +++

    I would like to thank the @NYPD for its “virtual work stoppage.” Racial profiling arrests have dropped off 94 percent. Exemplary! Great numbers, NYPD! *applause* Oh, you mean that wasn’t your point?

    Let’s remember Shaneka Thompson, too: Ex-Girlfriend of Man Who Killed Two NYPD Police Officers Released From Hospital.

    Soundbite – Anti-Protester Edit

    Citizens met outside the new St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters on New Year’s Day 2015 to conduct a “Blue Lives Matter” rally. The police drove back and forth honking horns, they chanted a little, and blue balloons were released near the end of the rally.
    I caught about 40 seconds of audio while standing in the street. In the recording, a man excoriates politicians and saves special scorn for Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York.

    Check the Post-Dispatch’s headline describing the Pro Police Rally. I shouldn’t be, but I’m actually shocked. Friendly crowd, it says. Police return the favour, it says. But then there was that sign I posted yesterday… The link to the article: Friendly crowd gathers in St. Louis to support police, who return the favor

    “People have been out here promoting their causes, and so much of it has been negative,” she said of repeated anti-police protests in the St. Louis area since August.

    “Most of us staying at home support the police. But unless we get out here, how will they know it?”

    The friendly rally took place one day after more seasoned protesters attempted to rush the headquarters for a sit-in.

    Officers met them at the door in what became a shoving match. Police used pepper spray and made 24 arrests.

    Dennison said the timing and place of Thursday’s rally were coincidental, as she had been promoting the pro-police rally for more than a week.

    Officers appreciated her effort.

    Maj. Jerry Leyshock walked through the crowd shaking hands and thanking everyone.

    “The young guys inside really appreciate seeing all of you here. This is awesome,” he told them.

    Referring to the protesters from the day before, he said, “A lot of them also are good people. Sometimes, it’s all about the presentation.”

    Many of the people who gathered Thursday emphasized the contrast.

    “This is an example of peaceful assembly,” said Bev Bremer of St. Louis.

    There was a running joke about how there would be no rushing of doorways.

    Among the signs that were waved above the crowd: “God bless our police,” “Police lives matter,” “We back the badge” and “I support the police, not thugs.”

    Jan Endicott LaVar of Affton showed up with several relatives to honor her late father, Leonard Endicott Sr., a former University City police officer.

    LaVar called the previous day’s disturbance at the headquarters door “disgraceful,” and said, “We need to give the police the respect they sorely deserve.”

    The respect they deserve? The respect they cannot return to people a few shades darker than themselves and to those who have a different opinion on their respect-worthiness. And “I support the police, not thugs” counts as a friendly sign? Right.

    The NYPD Might Inadvertently Prove ‘Broken Windows’ Theory Is A Sham

    Some cops have cut back on arrests for petty offenses because they fear for their safety while others want to get back at Mayor Bill de Blasio for his perceived lack of support amid growing tensions after the chokehold death of Eric Garner, the Post reports.

    For its part, The New York Times accused the city’s cops of “walking off the job” and wants them to get back to work immediately.

    If the police don’t resume arresting people for minor crimes, however, they could end up testing whether the city’s aggressive “broken windows theory” of policing actually works. […]

    Ironically, de Blasio — the candidate who promised to curb stop-and-frisk — has openly supported broken windows since taking office. He even picked Bill Bratton, whom Giuliani originally hired as NYPD commissioner in 1994, to assume the role once again.

    “Because of the broken-windows approach, we are the safest we’ve ever been. I lived through the 1980s in this city and the early ’90s, and I don’t ever want to go back there,” de Blasio said, according to the New York Daily News.

    In light of the death of Garner, Bratton published a sprawling, 4,500 word defense of broken windows for the Winter 2015 issue of City Journal. “The NYPD’s critics object, in particular, to the department’s long-standing practice of maintaining order in public spaces,” he writes.

    Ultimately though, fewer arrests means fewer people behind bars, which effectively means fewer minorities and poor are incarcerated, as The Atlantic noted. That could end up improving race relations in New York City, which sparked the battle between de Blasio and the police force originally.

  174. rq says

    And I’m so tired of seeing “it’s going to take more than protesting.” Aight, nigga, we know.

    Actually it begins with a bullet fired from hate and ends in hashtag in this age. | @deray

    Seen in Burlington, Vermont. Second whitest state in the nation. #blacklivesmatter @deray @ShaunKing. “Black Lives Matter” graffitti on a wall.

    @deray tacsol responded to my quick email.
    @chriskingstl @deray Yes, and it looks like some employees of 0311 Tactical have police discipline records.

  175. rq says

    @deray Deeba and Rossomanno talking tough, but clearly under their skin. What is hidden will come to light. #corrupt

    Art: 2014 Person of The Year “The Ferguson Protesters” (version 1) got a few more versions coming…stay tuned.

    Aside: CEO of Revlon Believes He Can ‘Smell’ Blacks When They Walk into a Room: Lawsuit Claims. Among other rather racially charged statements.

    Tamir Rice Shooting: Cleveland Seeks To Outsource Deadly Force Investigations

    A spokesman for Cleveland safety director and former police Chief Michael McGrath told the Northeast Ohio Media Group Thursday that the city has been in talks with officials in the surrounding Cuyahoga County about handling use-of-force investigations. Currently, Cleveland police investigators are looking into Rice’s death, a high-profile case that began on Nov. 22 when an officer mistook a nonlethal “airsoft” gun for a deadly firearm and opened fired on the African-American boy.

    “Not only this investigation, but we would like a different, outside agency to handle all deadly use-of-force cases,” said spokesperson Dan Ball. “But nothing’s set in stone.”

    Is this a good thing? I can’t really tell.

  176. rq says

    St Louis man arrested over alleged Twitter threats against police

    One tweet allegedly said: “St Louis City Justice Center Mysteriously Exploded 12/31/2014”. Prosecutors charge that was a threat to cause an explosion at the building. Their statement said police “considered these threats to be serious in nature” and claimed that “kill a pig night” had “gained momentum nationally”.

    Another tweet allegedly used the hashtag “#KillJeffRoorda”. Roorda, the business manager of the St Louis Police Officers Association, is a prominent supporter of Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer who shot dead Michael Brown after an altercation on 9 August.

    Brown’s death was followed by several nights of protests that met a heavy response from police and reopened a national debate about policing and race relations. The town was hit by looting and arson after a grand jury declined in November to charge Wilson with a crime.

    Nine of the 10 tweets allegedly posted by Valentine featured a “Ferguson” hashtag; all referenced Vonderrit Myers, a black 18-year-old who was shot dead after allegedly shooting at an off-duty St Louis police officer in the Shaw neighbourhood in October, prompting further protests.

    According to the probable cause statement, Valentine “admits to using the Twitter user handle @jdstl314 and being the sole poster under that user handle”. The account has since been suspended and cannot be viewed. Police said Twitter suspended it on 29 December.

    And to compound the grief of the family, Girlfriend of Fairfield man killed in Wal-Mart dies in New Year’s crash (that’s John Crawford III they’re talking about).

    Tasha Thomas, 26, of Fairborn and Frederick Bailey, 30, were killed Thursday on North Broadway Street and Edgewood Avenue, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.

    County coroner’s records match the date of birth, name and hometown of Tasha Thomas who was on the phone with John Crawford the night of Aug. 5 when he was shot and killed inside the store.

    Autopsies will be performed Friday on Thomas and Bailey, a coroner’s official said.

    Both were ejected from a speeding gray Pontiac after it crashed about 3 p.m., said Cara Neace, a spokeswoman for the Dayton police department.

    Oprah is waiting on leaders from Ferguson to arise. And that is astonishing. I’m not mad. Today, I’m hurt.

  177. says

    rq @175:

    Is this a good thing? I can’t really tell.

    On the surface it appears to be. But can we trust another police department to conduct a fair and balanced investigation into complaints of excessive force by police officers? The cynic in me says “no”.

  179. rq says

    Tony
    That’s my inner conflict, too. If there was some independent, impartial entity to do it, yes. But just outsourcing to the neighbouring cops? How will that help?

    +++

    Oprah said something about leadership, and I don’t know what iti s exactly yet, but some early responses (incl. pretty severe disappointment in Oprah):
    I watched Selma and really connected with the role Oprah chose to play in the movie. I saw my great great grandma in that role.
    Oprah is waiting on leaders from Ferguson to arise. And that is astonishing. I’m not mad. Today, I’m hurt.
    Damn. Whew. That like really just messed me up. I love and respect that black woman so much and today my image of her is truly ruined.
    .@RonONealDC not just me. It’s countless folks making this movement move. Her comment erases everyone. Everyone.
    Martin wasn’t the only leader. Malcolm wasn’t the only leader. There were many.
    There was different groups with different leaders in the 60s. Y’all looking for an MLK when the MLK you know didn’t exist in the 60s either.

  181. rq says

    “i’m waiting on a leader” really means “i’m waiting on the mainstream media to tell me who they have crowned the leader”. @Oprah
    very specific lists of changes, improvements and demands have been stated publicly. but she’s “waiting”.
    also…when a “leader” is made the face, it turns into “silence the leader, silence the movement”. i’d fight that posturing at all turns.
    too many flaws in the “leadership” paradigm. Bayard Rustin is often ignored in discussing the CRM…and he was HUGE.
    so why would people not consider one of the main planners, organizers, and tactical geniuses of the movement a “leader”? he was gay. smh

    Did not know that last. I sense google in my near future.

  184. rq says

    Wow, I’m completely in awe of the activists in #Ferguson for pulling off today’s action. The Link: BREAKING: “Doors Stormed” Ferguson Protesters have Occupied the STL Police Department

    In response to this dispatch, we intend to evict injustice and blight, by occupying St. Louis Police headquarters on December 31st, 2014, at 11am. The decision to reclaim our police department is the result of willful neglect and violence on behalf of the department toward the community, which they are bound, by oath, to protect and serve. Violations include: Committing crimes against humanity, by ending the life of men, women, and children, and then labeling these executions as “justified” without regard for your humanity, and without thorough investigation. Hiring officers, who are unfit to wear a badge, like Randy Hayes, a known animal torturer, and Jason Flannery, who publicly declared he wanted to “shoot Muslims.” Both these men shot and killed two members of our community and have not been held accountable for these egregious actions, but rather have been protected behind a blue shield. Despite thousands marching in the streets; despite our community having to sue our own police department to stop the use of tear gas and rubber bullets; despite urgent demands for broad and substantive reforms, our cries have been ignored. For all these reasons, we intend to occupy St. Louis Police Headquarters as part of our New Year’s resolution to take back our Justice System, and in doing so reclaiming the promise of our future.

    Below is a copy of the eviction notice give to Chief Sam Dotson.

    The eviction notice is at the link, along with other video and pictures and the livestream recording.

  185. rq says

    More on Jerame Reid: Authorities ID man killed in Bridgeton police involved shooting

    Ben Mosely watched it all unfold from his bedroom window. He says the passenger had gotten out of the car and the police were yelling for him to get on the ground.

    But Reid allegedly turned and tried to get back in the vehicle.

    Mosley says, “They shot him. They shot the boy… He was trying to get back in the car.”

    Mosley says he is a retired deputy county sheriff. He says he has police training and is unwavering about what he saw.

    “I saw a disarmed man go down to the ground and get shot. That’s exactly what I saw,” he said.

    Authorities say there was a gun in the car, and if so, the police may have thought the man was reaching for it.

    Reid’s friends say he was shot for no apparent reason.

    Bridgeton resident Ricky Young tells us, “They shot that man for nothing. This cop’s been doing this to everybody around here. He running around like he Robocop.”

    Officer Days is a rookie, and records show Worley has faced disciplinary action in the past for insubordination. Both have been placed on administrative leave.

    Another ‘rookie’ cop. I wonder how much of a rookie he will actually turn out to be?

    New York:
    Die-in happening now outside FOX News/Newscorp. #BlackLivesMatter
    Another die-in, this time outside the barricades. #BlackLivesMatter
    Protesters DieIn outside the caged area #NYC on @Our_Friend_Ken Take that #NYPD #BlackLivesMatter @AnonRastaFTP

    Press Release: Upcoming Town Halls Focus on Policing in St. Louis Region

    January 2, 2015 – St. Louis, Mo. – Over the next two weeks, Better Together and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) will host four town-hall discussions to which the community is invited.

    Better Together and PERF (a national research organization focused on critical issues in policing) are conducting an exploratory study to identify the “ideal” policing solution for the St. Louis region. The key purpose of PERF’s collaboration with Better Together is to examine the geographic and demographic characteristics of St. Louis City and County and, with extensive input from the community, develop an idealized policing strategy for St. Louis.

    The first town hall is Wednesday, January 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Sheet Metal Workers’ Hall (2319 Chouteau Avenue, #100, St. Louis, 63103). The event is co-sponsored by Missouri State Senator Jamilah Nasheed. The second town hall takes place Thursday, January 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Lodge Des Peres (1050 Des Peres Road, St. Louis, 63131).

    On Wednesday, January 14, the third town hall is from 6 to 8 p.m. at Greater St. Mark Family Church (9950 Glen Owen Drive, St. Louis, 63136). The event is co-sponsored by Missouri State Representative Tommie Pierson, who is also the pastor at Greater St. Mark. The fourth town hall takes place Thursday, January 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. and is co-sponsored by Missouri State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal. The location will be announced shortly.

    “We feel privileged to gain this type of community input,” said Better Together Executive Director Nancy Rice. “These meetings are by far the most important component of our Police Study.”

    Throughout the coming months, Better Together and PERF will gather opinions and insights from thousands of community members – including police officers, clergy members and their congregants, police officers’ families’ groups, neighborhood association leaders, local elected officials, and constituents. They will also obtain and analyze data, such as jurisdiction population and demographics, crime patterns, police resources, staffing issues, etc. for the jurisdictions and police departments within the St. Louis region.

    “Our work in St. Louis comes at a historic moment,” said Chuck Wexler, Executive Director of PERF. “We are here to listen to community members throughout the region as they share their thoughts about the challenges of policing in this area and how police and community members can work together to improve police services.”

    To sign up for one of the town-hall meetings, please visit http://www.bettertogetherstl.com/policetownhall

  186. rq says

    Via Tony, it’s nothing particularly new, but the presentation is good: Watch This Y.A. Author Break Down Racism in America by the Numbers

    The latest installment, “Racism in the United States: By the Numbers,” comes from John and tries its hand at breaking down the undeniable reality of racism in 2014. “To deny the existence of systemic racism is to deny a huge body of evidence indicating that racial bias affects almost every facet of American life,” he says.

    Some things we learned from Green (which are backed up with links to studies and articles here):

    75% of white Americans do not think that there is racial bias in the criminal justice system.
    Black people and white people use illegal drugs at practically identical rates, but black people are three times more likely to be arrested for drug possession.
    Black people are far more likely to be stopped and searched by police, despite the fact that the likelihood of contraband actually being found is higher among white people.
    People convicted of crimes and later exonerated by DNA evidence are “disproportionately black.”
    Black children are more likely to be tried in court as adults and sentenced to life in prison than white children.
    The majority of white Americans don’t think that racism is a significant problem in America.

    What sustained this discussion? Every direct protest action. Every open letter. Every march. Every rally. Every insightful tweet.

    More on Rossomanno and his company (I believe the actual officer being discussed is not Rossomanno but someone he hired for his other company):
    How can you have ex-police officers, fired for sending racist emails showing/training policy makers on what a “day in the life” is like?
    The racist email was sent out after Obama was elected &uses the phrase “Ni&&ER lover”.These are the people we count on to fairly police POC?
    The PO responsible for sending those emails was fired by @SLMPD & essentially hired back as an independent consultant, teaching tactical.
    The @SLMPD has been sending more & more officers to this racist lead tactical training site to “deal with” #Ferguson protesters.

  187. rq says

    Albuquerque police haven’t killed anyone in 5 months, this is some kind of record for them. As previously established, Albuquerque has the killingest police force of them all in America.

    From History (TW!!!), James Meredith…..moments after being shot by a sniper while leading a march to encourage Blacks to vote. (1966)

    So they talked about it, and now they’re doing it: Cleveland hands off probe into boy’s shooting

    Cleveland’s mayor said Friday the city is handing off the probe to the Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH’-guh) County sheriff to make sure the investigation is transparent.

    Tamir Rice had an airsoft gun that shoots nonlethal plastic pellets when a rookie officer shot him Nov. 22 at a Cleveland playground. The black youth’s death raised questions about how police treat blacks.

    A police union official says the white officer had no way of knowing Tamir wasn’t carrying a real firearm.

    A police deadly force investigation team has been collecting evidence and conducting interviews since the shooting.

    Cleveland police have been under federal scrutiny on how they’ve handled other use-of-force cases.

    ‘No way of knowing’ would be true, as the officer behind the wheel was driving a mite too fast and braking a touch too hard for them to get a clear look as they rolled out the car door weapons-ready and trigger-happy. *sigh*

    Tanisha Anderson’s Death, At Hands Of Police, Ruled A Homicide

    The medical examiner’s office has not yet released its full report, but shared its cause of death finding with BuzzFeed News, stating that Anderson’s sudden death was “associated with physical restraint in a prone position in association with ischemic heart disease and Bipolar disorder with agitation.”

    On November 13, 2014, police were called to Anderson’s Cleveland residence by her family seeking help in getting her to go to the hospital. According to her family, Anderson was mentally ill and had been prescribed medication for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

    The family and the police both said that after what the cops described as a “lengthy discussion” Anderson agreed to be escorted to Saint Vincent Charity Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. […]

    Joell Anderson, the victim’s brother who told Cleveland.com that he witnessed the incident, said that one of the officers repeatedly pushed down on Anderson’s head while she resisted in the backseat of the police car.

    The officer then allegedly used a takedown move and pushed Anderson’s head on to the pavement, knocking Anderson unconscious. The officers made no effort to resuscitate her before EMS arrived, according to Joell Anderson, who said about 20 minutes passed before the ambulance arrived.

    According to police, Anderson was treated at the scene by EMS before being transported to Cleveland Clinic emergency room where she was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. local time.

    “They killed my sister,” Joell Anderson told Cleveland.com. “I watched it.”

    The cause of death is listed in the medical examiner’s report as: “Homicide (Legal Intervention).”

    Does ‘legal intervention’ simply mean that cops were involved? Or is there some other meaning behind that phrase?

    We’ve seen it, but here it is again, police do not need to know the law. Court Rules for a Mistaken Police Officer

    Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the court’s decision “does not discourage officers from learning the law,” because only objectively reasonable mistakes were permitted.

    “An officer can gain no Fourth Amendment advantage,” the chief justice wrote, “through a sloppy study of the laws he is duty-bound to enforce.”

    Justice Elena Kagan joined the majority opinion but added a concurrence, which was joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She emphasized that the state law in question “poses a quite difficult question of interpretation, and Sergeant Darisse’s judgment, although overturned, had much to recommend it.”

    Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented. She said the court’s ruling “means further eroding the Fourth Amendment’s protection of civil liberties in a context where that protection has already been worn down.”

    The majority’s approach will also, she said, contribute to distrust between citizens and the police. If police officers are given leeway to interpret the law, she wrote, “one wonders how a citizen seeking to be law-abiding and to structure his or her behavior to avoid these invasive, frightening and humiliating encounters could do so.”

    Chief Justice Roberts conceded that the court’s decision at first blush ran afoul of the maxim that “ignorance of the law is no excuse.”

    On reflection, he said, the maxim holds the government and its citizens to the same standard where it counts.

    “Just as an individual generally cannot escape criminal liability based on a mistaken understanding of the law,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote, “so too the government cannot impose criminal liability based on a mistaken understanding of the law.”

    Hmm, that last bit rings a bit off to me, since police especially should know the law and should know their own limits within that law, and should be the first to not overstep those limits. But I’m not a lawyer, judge OR police officer, so what do I know.

  188. rq says

    In California, remember those cops who went undercover then pulled guns on protestors? California police lied about #BlackLivesMatter protesters ‘posing with guns, explosives’; the link: After weeks of pestering for the alleged tweets, the CHP finally told me they had disappeared. The reality: they never existed in the first place.

    Chief Browne, in an attempt to show why his officer’s feared for their lives when confronted by largely peaceful protesters had to present evidence – any evidence – to support this claim. Absent any direct or demonstrable proof, the CHP spokesman appealed to the always reliable “twitter reports” – a vague straw man that the press rarely, if ever, actually asks to cite. But here’s the rub: Twitter is entirely public so evidence of Chief Browne’s claim really shouldn’t be hard to come by, especially if there are multiple instances as he indicates. So I asked the CHP, via email, for the URL’s showing the tweets of protesters posing with said weapons, if only because the very same LA Times report also mentioned the CHP was running a series of fake twitter accounts posing as protestors —

    Officers have also been creating Twitter accounts, on which they don’t identify themselves as police, in order to monitor planned demonstrations.

    and I wanted to make sure they weren’t crossing their own wires by citing their own undercovers or the undercovers of other agencies. After all, in a follow up report in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Oakland PD admitted they had no idea the California Highway Patrol had undercover officers at the protests […]

    Now, while it’s true that one cannot say for certain the CHP is lying – that the tweets never existed in the first place – it’s the only rational conclusion to reach for two reasons:

    1) The CHP has every reason to lie.

    2) The idea that the CHP needed to “preserve” the tweets is a non sequitur – Twitter is public and only the tweeter can delete or erase tweets so this means for any of the evidence to be scrubbed off social media, each and every one of the alleged weapon-posing “protestors” would have to have deleted their tweets to the last man.

    When asked, point blank, if it’s possible their officers had simply made up (or, more generously, assumed) the tweets in question, the CHP moved the goal post once more, writing back:

    We do, however, have audio records of radio traffic by officers on the ground, our aircraft overhead, and our dispatchers which relate that our officers were assaulted on several occasions with rocks, bottles, and other projectiles, and that incendiary devices were utilized against our patrol vehicles, officers, and our helicopter.

    But radio traffic is, once again, just an assertion by the police. It could be true, but its not the same thing as the objective evidence of pictures of “protesters” “posing” with weapons on social media. It’s not even close to being the same thing. The most likely scenario is the police widely believed they saw these weapons (again, entirely possible) and instead of telling the press “trust us” simply asserted vague social media evidence they knew the press was unlikely to follow up on. After three weeks and the resources of the largest state government in the union, the most likely reason they could have for not providing a single URL of the (supposedly several) tweets in question is simple: no such tweets actually exist.

    This and that else at the link.

  189. rq says

    My friend just texted me that a major brawl is happening at a bar. No NYPD to be found. Crazy that they’re mad they can’t kill w/ impunity.
    In memo to all NYPD cops, Commish Bratton warned them not to turn their back on Mayor: “A hero’s funeral is about grieving, not grievance.”

    It’s not just black people, but the disadvantaged in general, esp. those with mental illness: MD Grand Jury Refuses Indictment Of Cop Who Killed Man With Down Syndrome Because He Wouldn’t Leave Movie

    Police justified their killing by explaining that Saylor, who has Down Syndrome, verbally and physically resisted their attempts to remove him from the theater, and because of his large size, the officers say they had to use three sets of handcuffs on him and placed him on his stomach for “one to two minutes.” When he showed signs of distress, officers said they administered CPR and other First Aid. However, back in February, the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore said that Saylor’s death was a homicide resulting from asphyxia.

    The killing happened when cops arrived to force Saylor to leave a movie theater after he wanted to see “Zero Dark Thirty,” a second time.

    Old one: Haunting pic of an empty Mall of America with arrest warning on the jumbotron following #BlackLivesMatter shut down.

    Oklahoma lawmakers want to ban hoodies.

    Introduced by the chair of the Oklahoma’s public safety committee, state senator Don Barrington (R), the bill is intended “to deter crime, making it unlawful to wear a mask, hood or covering during the commission of a crime or to intentionally conceal a person’s identity in a public place.” The reasoning behind the bill is to cut down the number of masked robberies and crimes.

    There are some exceptions to the bill, as it wouldn’t apply to the pranks of children on Halloween, those participating in masquerade parties or public parades, against “those wearing coverings required by their religious beliefs,” or against masks/facial coverings worn for medical purposes.

    Damn, for a minute there I thought they were going to ban the burqa, too.

    There was another shooting in the area #BrandonTateBrown died in last Sunday. The outcome was a tad bit different. In other words, visibly armed and threatening white guy does not die in encounter with police. SOORPREEZ!!!

  190. rq says

    In St Louis – Are candidates for the Board of Aldermen representative of their ward’s racial make up?

    With 17 of the city’s 28 seats open, Alderman Antonio French encouraged candidates to step up through a message on his twitter account, which said, “If Ferguson taught us anything, it’s the importance of having representative government.”

    As of Friday morning, many two ward seats that represent a mostly black population did not have any black candidates for the open positions.

    Christine Ingrassia, the current representative for the city’s sixth ward, was the only candidate in the race.

    “I know there was a push to get someone to run against me, because there is a school of thought among some folks that I’m occupying a black seat,” Ingrassia said.

    The last census shows the population of the sixth ward as about 60 percent black. Similarly, Ward 20 also has a predominantly black population and did not have a black candidate running for the seat going into the deadline.

    Just some protestor-activist faces: 2015. The crew. Protest. (@Nettaaaaaaaa @MsPackyetti @kidnoble @RE_invent_ED @WyzeChef)

    Manhattan Man Calls 911, Says He’s “Dying To Kill NYPD,” Attys Say

    Three calls were made at about 5 a.m. Tuesday, according to call transcripts.

    “Come up here, I’ll blow their ******* heads off,” Dixon allegedly told the 911 dispatcher, adding that he was on 91st Street near Central Park.

    Minutes later, he called again and allegedly said, “I don’t know why you can’t come here yet, ’cause I am dying to kill NYPD. I am waiting for them.”

    When dispatchers asked how the officers could identify him, Dixon is alleged to have responded, “They’ll figure it out. They’ll see me pull that hammer out, they’ll figure it out.”

    Investigators traced Dixon’s cellphone and were able to track the phone to a Domino’s pizza store located at 592 Columbus Avenue, where he happened to be waiting on a pizza order.

  191. rq says

    Via Wonkette, Smirking Thug Who Attacked Lady Subway Worker Was An NYPD Cop, Surprise!

    Anyway, on New Year’s Eve, the New York Police Department requested the public’s help in finding a man who grabbed an MTA worker, threw her on the ground, throttled her, and then ran away with a jaunty and satisfied smirk on his face. A few days later, the man turned himself in. It turns out that who the NYPD was on the hunt for was one Mirjan Lolja (yes, LOL-ja. yes.) — a 7 year veteran of the NYPD, who apparently heroically took it upon himself to continue the NYPD’s public relations campaign on his off time:

    An NYPD officer is in police custody in connection with an attack last week on an MTA employee on a Bronx subway platform, police said.

    Officer Mirjan Lolja turned himself in Thursday at the 25th precinct in East Harlem where he is stationed. No charges have been filed yet.

    Lolja, who was off duty at the time of the attack, has been suspended from the force pending an investigation by the NYPD’s Internal Affairs unit, police said.

    […]

    We’re as shocked as you to discover that cops in New York are violently assaulting the citizens they are entrusted to protect for basically no reason at all. Shocked. But what’s more terrifying than what police officers are willing to do, for no reason, on camera and in public, is what they must be doing privately, off-camera, under the pretext of fighting crime.

    The hilarious coda to this story is the treatment of this story in the news by the New York Daily News. Here’s the headline from the story they wrote before they knew that the culprit was a police officer:

    Thug attacks female MTA employee at Bronx station

    And here’s the lede of that story:

    A hulking brute grabbed a 28-year-old MTA employee up in a bear hug at a Bronx train station, shoved her onto the platform and began choking her in an unprovoked attack – then ran away smiling, authorities said Wednesday.

    Here’s the story after they found out that the culprit was a police officer:

    NYPD cop turns himself for attacking female MTA employee

    And here’s the lede of that story:

    Police Officer Mirjan Lolja, 37, was suspended after the assault in which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker — who was on-duty and in her uniform — was allegedly put into a bear hug, thrown to the floor and choked, cops said.

    Notice anything? Gone is the evocative “thug” in the headline and the “hulking brute” of the lede, and the sensationalism of the label of an “unprovoked” attack, replaced by plainspoken and bare nouns. Gone, too, is the directness of the active voice, replaced by a circumspect passive voice, accompanied by the (necessary) lawyerly “allegedly”. The callousness of him smiling has been dropped, too, demoted to the second paragraph. This is no surprise — it’s just an example of the subtle way in which our media defers to and genuflects before law enforcement, shaping and coloring the narrative in their favor.

    Thank you, media, for that lovely comparison in reporting.

    Protesters demonstrate outside St. Louis Police Headquarters.
    Some ‘interesting’ language in that article.

  192. rq says

    thisisthemovement, installment #69:

    Ferguson
    Ferguson, We Still Have a Long Way to Go In this on-air interview with Emanuele Berry, Brittany Packnett, Johnetta Elzie, Patricia Bynes and Rev. F. Willis Johnson STL Public Radio host Don Marsh asked difficult questions to activists and community leaders from St. Louis about what they’ve learned over the past 140+ days.

    Ferguson Year-End-Review The Post-Dispatch has compiled a year-end-review from staff that recount significant experiences and moments from the protests thus far. Interesting read.

    Protestors Occupy the STL Metro PD Headquarters Protestors occupied the lobby of the Metro PD and protested outside of the headquarters. For now, check out the Post-Dispatch’s article describing the occupation/protest. Check the language throughout the article. Must read.

    Pro-Police Rally Held In STL Police supporters held a rally in front of the STL Metro Police Department. Check how the Post-Dispatch describes their rally — it seems as if they missed the sign calling Mike Brown a thug who “caused his own death.” Must read.

    McCulloch and Stenger Request Change-Of-Venue for Inauguration Citing “security concerns,” McCulloch and Stenger have requested a change of venue for the inauguration and the event became invite-only.

    Protests Nationwide
    New York Recent Drop in Arrest NYPD officers have seemed to slow down on policing in New York city, possibly due to tension with Mayor Bill de Blasio. “There was a marked decline in arrests and court summonses in the last week, according to statistics released by police on Tuesday.”

    Nashville Police Chief Comments, Protestors Respond The Chief of Police in Nashville offered helpful commentary from the police perspective on the current unrest. And here is the response from Nashville protestors.

    Wheaton, MD New Year’s Day Mall Die-In On New Year’s Day, protestors in Wheaton, MD had a die-in to bring in the Year of Resistance.

    Utah New Year’s Eve Protests On New Year’s Eve, protestors in Salt Lake City marched through downtown to bring in the Year of Resistance.

    Protests Cost DC Approximately $3 Million The District of Columbia has recently released figures noting that policing the protests have cost approximately $3 million.

    Dontre Hamilton
    The Landscape of Milwaukee Police Brutality This article provides invaluable historical context to the recent killing of Dontre Hamilton and helps the reader understand the long legacy of police brutality citizens have faced in Milwaukee. Important read.

    Ezell Ford
    Ezell Ford’s Family Responds to Autopsy Report “I thought the gangs would kill him. I thought the police would protect him,” said Ezell Ford’s grandmother Dorothy Clark. This is one of many heartbreaking responses to reading the autopsy report that was recently released. Ford, a mentally ill young black man was killed by a LAPD officer on August 11th, days after Michael Brown Jr.

    Protestors Shutdown 110 Freeway After Ezell Ford’s Autopsy Is Released Protestors briefly shutdown the 110 Freeway after the release of Ezell Ford’s autopsy which showed that Ford was shot three times, once in the back.

    Sheneque Proctor
    Autopsy States Sheneque’s Death Caused by Drug Overdose 18 year old Sheneque Proctor was arrested on November 1, 2014 for disorderly conduct, harassment and possession of marijuana. While in custody, Sheneque died overnight in her Bessemer jail cell. While authorities have not released any information about her death until now. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office said that her death was from complications of a polydrug overdose.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    17 Horrible Things That People Said Weren’t Racist In 2014 Simply put, you must read this. 2014 was quite the year re: race. Absolute must read.

    The Politics of Black vs. African American A recent study has found that “‘Black’ people are viewed more negatively than ‘African Americans’ because of a perceived difference in economic status. As a result, ‘Black’ people are thought of as less competent and has having colder personalities.” Absolute must read.

    Grand Jury System Needs Change This article explains the purpose of a grand jury, and why in some countries grand juries have been abolished because they seem “too secretive.” “The old saying is a prosecutor can get an indictment on a ham sandwich,” said John Roman of Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center.

    Shouting While Black Goldie Taylor reflects on the picture from a NYC protest, showing a white woman yelling into the face of a white male officer. In her commentary she explains the many ways in which the picture exposes the presence of privilege, especially in protest.

    What’s Next
    Protests In Your City
    Check out fergusonresponse.tumblr.com to see (or add) a protest in your city. The movement lives.

    Events in Ferguson
    Remember to check the calendar for events happening in Ferguson.

    One of the most important (and under emphasized) aspects of the protest taking place is the empowering effects that it’s having on children.

    Ferguson movement drafts its own blueprint

    The marches, the sit-ins and other demonstrations in the 150 days following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, are the same kinds of actions protesters are planning for the new year.

    It’s a playbook that has puzzled many in the St. Louis area who aren’t sure what the protesters are asking for, how long demonstrations will continue, or even who is leading the charge.

    That’s because while the protesters are drawing on civil rights movements of the past, they are also drafting their own blueprints.

    They’ve engaged in conventional civil disobedience, such as rallies and highway shutdowns. And yet, tools such as Twitter have allowed protest organizers to mobilize quickly with no need of a single leader or a centralized message.

    They’ve clashed with establishment civil rights leaders, such as the Rev. Al Sharpton at a recent march in Washington.

    Their perspective shows a difference in tactics and generations. While the protesters are of all ages, most are millennials. Many are women.

    “We’re the lost generation,” said Kayla Reed, 24, who grew up in north St. Louis County. “It was very necessary that we didn’t allow someone who’d done this before to come into this space. Michael Brown was my age bracket.”

    The movement has remained a decentralized one. Leaders step up and step back. Some virtually disappear.

    Antonio French, a St. Louis alderman, was one of the most visible faces of the movement at the start. His chronicling of its events in the first few weeks through Twitter found an international audience. But now French is rarely seen or heard from.

    “Everyone is replaceable,” said Johnetta Elzie, 25, who organizes meetings and documents protests on social media. “I could go away right now and there could be 100 more who could Vine and Instagram the same way I do.”

    As the new year begins, the Ferguson movement is at a critical juncture.

    Some organizers want to keep the focus strictly on police brutality. Others want to continue to push other issues. Among them are municipal court reform, stronger laws addressing racial profiling and new protocols for how police respond after an officer has fatally shot someone. […]

    In the days that followed, strangers came together holding signs and chanted in marches along West Florissant Avenue and at demonstrations in front of the Ferguson police station.

    They eventually formed a loose family.

    At the most formal level are the organized groups. Some, such as the Organization for Black Struggle, had existed before the Brown shooting. Others have cropped up since.

    Millennial Activists United organizes rallies. Operation Help or Hush works almost entirely on building the infrastructure of support needed for protests to continue, raising money to feed people and put them up in hotels.

    On a less formal level are the organizers, who act essentially as free agents, filling whatever role they are drawn to.

    Some choose to work behind the scenes. Others are far more visible, using social media to build as large an audience as possible. […]

    Before Ferguson, Mckesson directed his energy solely to addressing education inequities. A former math teacher, he continues to work as the senior director of human resources for Minneapolis Public Schools.

    Brown’s death drew Mckesson to St. Louis. He arrived on Aug. 16 to join the protests. He has come to believe that educating black children means nothing if they die in the streets. It’s why he’s fighting for better policing.

    Mckesson spends most weekends and vacation time in St. Louis to continue the push. He said he doesn’t see an end in sight to the struggle.

    “What are the fights you won’t walk away from?” Mckesson said. “This is mine.”

    In contrast, Charles Wade, another out-of-town organizer, sees less value in street demonstrations. The fight, he said, needs to move away from protests and more toward structural reforms of public policy.

    Based in Austin, Texas, Wade, 32, is a former fashion stylist turned consultant. Since the protests started in August, he’s been living in St. Louis hotels and working in a behind-the-scenes role through Operation Help or Hush, an organization he founded with two partners.

    Operation Help or Hush is not yet a nonprofit, but it’s the vehicle through which Wade and his partners have raised an estimated $50,000 since mid-August, by seeking donations on Twitter.

    The group spent the money to set up secretive safe houses for protesters thought to be targeted by police. They handed out gasoline cards and bought people groceries. They paid for hotel rooms for out-of-town protesters and fed hundreds of demonstrators each week. […]

    Ferguson will be a dominant theme during the Missouri legislative session that begins Wednesday. Based on prefiled bills, lawmakers plan to debate a range of issues spotlighted by the movement, from limiting when police may use deadly force to reducing the amount municipalities could collect in traffic fines.

    Meanwhile, the governor created the 16-member Ferguson Commission to address the social and economic conditions highlighted by the protests.

    “I’m of the opinion that nobody takes these things seriously until it affects their bottom line. We can march all we want, but the whole point of the movement is to bring accountability,” Hansford said. “So the push you’re going to see from us is from the streets to the halls of power.”

    But whether protesters can effectively make that transition is unclear. The movement has some support in the Legislature, but there is also a growing disconnect between the protesters on the street and elected officials who represent them. […]

    To outsiders, the movement can seem loud and leaderless.

    That point of view was highlighted last week when Oprah Winfrey called for leadership to emerge and articulate clear demands for change.

    Protesters pointed to that as an example of how the older generation doesn’t understand what they’re trying to do.

    “Everyone wants this to be the Civil Rights Movement, to go by the book, what Martin Luther King did, what Malcolm X did,” said Elzie, a protest organizer. “We do not have a manual.”

    The only prediction she would make about the movement is that protests will continue.

    Today we march for Ryan Ronquillo – unarmed, killed by DPD at his friend’s funeral. Dress warm & join. #DenverForFerguson #BlackLivesMatter

    Press release from #BlackBrunch action organized by Black UC Berkeley students. #BlackLivesMatter #Ferguson2Cal

  193. rq says

    What service! A wake up call and everything! #OccupyLAPD #Day5 #BlackLivesMatter #Justice4Ezell
    #BlackBrunch protest ongoing on Berkeley’s 4th St RT @BylineGraph: Singing, marching into Peets #ferguson2berkeley

    New records show Police Officer, who shot #DontreHamilton 14x, was investigated by police internal affairs on 17 separate allegations prior

    Where are the cops? Not cops anymore. Whistleblower Cop Fired For Calling Out Corruption In Her Department

    Laura Landenwich, Schook’s attorney says her client is being disciplined for being a whistleblower and that during the hearing they will present this evidence.

    “She is being disciplined for bringing those allegations to light,” Landenwich said.

    Unfortunately this response from Schook’s department seems to be standard operating procedure for departments across the country when it comes to rogue officers calling out corruption in their departments.

    Last month, also in Kentucky, a sheriff’s deputy was fired for “insubordination” after pointing out that the sheriff had planted drugs in another deputy’s car. Even though the sheriff was indicted, the deputy was still fired.

    Earlier this month we broke the story of a cop in Buffalo, NY who was beaten and fired after she stopped a fellow cop from nearly killing a handcuffed man. She is still fighting for her pension.

    In September we exposed the Baltimore police department’s attempt to intimidate a whistleblower officer. Detective Joe Crystal became a target of intimidation for his entire department after testifying against other officers in a misconduct case. Following his testimony, he received threats from other officers, and even found a dead rat on his car one day.

    NYPD Officer Speaks Out on Fellow Cops Who Turned Backs to Mayor & Why People of Color Fear Police (how is he back on patrol)??? (you have to scroll down for the video). WARNING for heavy racism at that link.

    Nicki Minaj on Black Artists Speaking Out: ‘Look What Happened to Kanye’

    “It’s sickening, and I’ve been reading so many people saying, ‘Why are we surprised?’ That’s what’s really sad: that we should somehow be used to being treated like animals,” Minaj tells contributing editor Jonah Weiner in our new cover story, on stands Friday. “It’s gotten to the point where people feel like there’s no accountability: If you are law enforcement and you do something to a black person, you can get away with it.”

    Reflecting on the role of black artists in addressing a racist society, Minaj spoke about the backlash Kanye West faced after announcing, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” during A Concert for Hurricane Relief in September 2005.

    “I feel like when Public Enemy were doing ‘Fight the Power,’ we as a culture had more power — now it feels hopeless,” Minaj says. “People say, ‘Why aren’t black celebrities speaking out more?’ But look what happened to Kanye when he spoke out. People told him to apologize to Bush!”

    Minaj points out that West has been silent on recent social-justice issues. “He was the unofficial spokesman for hip-hop, and he got torn apart,” she says. “And now you haven’t heard him speaking about these last couple things, and it’s sad. Because how many times can you be made to feel horrible for caring about your people before you say, ‘Fuck it, it’s not worth it, let me live my life because I’m rich, and why should I give a fuck?'”

  194. rq says

    It troubles me that even in the movement space some won’t accept that women and men are leading TOGETHER in powerful ways.

    Justice Department Announces National Effort to Build Trust Between Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve – from September 2014.

    “The events in Ferguson reminded us that we cannot allow tensions, which are present in so many neighborhoods across America, to go unresolved,” said Attorney General Holder. “As law enforcement leaders, each of us has an essential obligation – and a unique opportunity – to ensure fairness, eliminate bias, and build community engagement. The National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice represents a major step forward in resolving long standing tensions in many of America’s communities and it will allow us to build on the pioneering work that the Justice Department and our law enforcement partners across the country are already doing to strengthen some of our nation’s most challenged areas.”

    The initiative, which will be an ongoing partnership with the Justice Department, will provide training to law enforcement and communities on bias reduction and procedural fairness and will apply evidence-based strategies in five pilot sites around the country. It will also establish a clearinghouse where information, research, and technical assistance are readily accessible for law enforcement, criminal justice practitioners and community leaders.

    Post-racial? Ijs @deray (graph at link on the War on Drugs)

    Appropriation? Jewish Atheist’s Controversial T-Shirt: “I Met God, She’s Black”.

    Former US Senator Edward W. Brooke dies at 95

    Edward W. Brooke, the Massachusetts Republican who was the first African-American to be elected to the US Senate since Reconstruction, died today, according to Kirsten Hughes, chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party. He was 95.

    Mr. Brooke served in the Senate from 1967-1979. Elected attorney general in 1962 and reelected two years later, he was the first African-American to hold that office in any state. […]

    There have since been six subsequent African-American senators: three Illinois Democrats, Carol Moseley Braun, Barack Obama, and Roland W. Burris; Massachusetts Democrat Mo Cowan, appointed to fill the seat of John F. Kerry; South Carolina Republican Tim Scott, and New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker.

    “I knew Ed Brooke way, way back. I guess there aren’t many of us left,” said Francis X. Bellotti, a former state attorney general and lieutenant governor. “I always liked him and I had a great deal of admiration for what he accomplished. He blazed a trail and became really one of a kind.”

    Brooke was elected attorney general in 1962, and served in the Senate from 1967 to 1979.

    Mr. Brooke’s electoral success carried enormous symbolic weight. He was a figure of national, even international, prominence. A few months after he went to Washington, a bumpersticker appeared, “The New Look — Romney and Brooke ’68” (“Romney” was Michigan Governor George Romney, the father of future Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney). […]

    His own actions helped remove him from the stage. Much of Mr. Brooke’s popularity stemmed from a reputation for dignity and rectitude. During the latter part of his second term, that reputation began to fray. He filed for divorce from his first wife, Remigia, in 1976 and was photographed disco dancing with the actress Elizabeth Taylor at an Iranian embassy party. In her 2008 memoir, “Audition,” the television journalist Barbara Walters revealed that she and Mr. Brooke had had an affair during this period.

    Mr. Brooke admitted in 1978 to making a false financial statement in a deposition during his divorce. It was learned his mother-in-law had received $50,000 in Medicaid benefits she was ineligible for. “It was just a divorce case,” Mr. Brooke said in a 2000 Globe interview. “It was never about my work in the Senate. There was never a charge that I committed a crime, or even nearly committed a crime.”

    Mr. Brooke eventually reimbursed the state Department of Public Welfare $40,000. The Senate Ethics Committee decided that there was “credible evidence” of wrongdoing by Mr. Brooke, though it took no action against him. The voters of Massachusetts already had. In 1978, US Representative Paul Tsongas defeated Mr. Brooke in his bid for a third term.

    A few years earlier, the idea that a two-term congressman could have defeated Mr. Brooke would have been unthinkable. In 1972, he had easily beaten Middlesex County District Attorney John Droney, despite the fact Massachusetts had been the one state not to vote for Nixon, the Republican incumbent, in the presidential race. “I was sorely hurt when the people of Massachusetts voted against me and didn’t look beyond the allegations and didn’t remember what I had tried to do for them,” Mr. Brooke said in that 2000 interview. “Why did it happen? I don’t know.” […]

    Mr. Brooke led “the life of a country gentleman,” as one associate put it. He moved to a farm in northern Virginia, an hour’s commute from his law practice in Washington. In 1979, he married Anne Fleming, who survives him. For the most part, Mr. Brooke kept a low public profile. He was again in the news in 1989 when a government audit found he had made $183,000 in consulting fees from developers seeking rent subsidies from HUD. An audit nine years later cleared him of any wrongdoing. In 2000, the state courthouse at the corner of New Chardon and Merrimac streets was named after him.

  196. rq says

    You’re welcome.

    +++

    Witness Says NJ Man Killed by Police During Traffic Stop Had Hands Up (this is Jerame Reid we’re talking about here).

    Expecting the usual character-assassination turned victim-blaming from police and the press, Reid’s family acknowledged he has had prior run-in’s with the law, but are adamant that he had turned a corner.

    “He was a good kid,” his cousin Keesha Springs told nj.com. “He had a troubled past but after that he became a good person. I love my cousin. Everybody has their bad times and he had his bad times. But he was very lovable.”

    His wife echoed Springs statement, since sadly every past mistake will likely be pulled up and used to some how justify her husbands death.

    “My husband was no saint; he was not perfect — he had a background, but he walked out of there a free man. He was destined to be someone great, if given a chance … And they took him from me. They took him from me. For nothing.”

    US Department of Justice report on the Orleans Parish Prison System in New Orleans, Louisiana. Because this: Dying at OPP: 44 inmates dead in 9 years.

    Maybe another one? GUYS PLEASE RT. Matt may have been murdered by police in Georgia while in custody. #BlackLivesMatter #JusticeforMatt He was bipolar, having an episode, his gf called 911 to take him to the hospital, instead the cops took him to jail, where he died. If not incompetence or outright assault, then it was definitely negligence in denying him medical care.

    TW on this one… It kind of fits, kind of doesn’t (no cops involved) – mysterious death of black teenager athlete – A Death in Valdosta

    The Berkeley Cop Who Shot and Killed Antonio Martin is Andrew Weusthoff

    The officer’s name was inadvertently released by the St. Louis County police department on Monday after we made a public records request for the full, unedited video as well as the incident report.

    We still have not received the full video footage of the incident, but the report we received listed an assault on a law enforcement officer, listing Weusthoff as the victim, which makes sense because police have said from the beginning that he was defending himself after Martin pulled a gun on him.

    That report also states the case was “exceptionally cleared,” which is a phrase police use to close a case when circumstances prevent an officer from making an arrest as would happen when a suspect is dead.

    However, three days later, we were contacted by the St. Louis County Police Department, who informed us that the initial report was no longer valid, sending us an “updated” report.

    The updated report, which they sent us today, now states that it is a “homicide” investigation, instead of an assault on a police officer.

  199. rq says

    Fan-generated or not, I’m not sure if this was in good taste (mildly put) considering the current re-awoken political issues in America: Madonna defends altered Instagram pics of Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela.

    Also, police shootings and poor interaction with the mentally ill – not just for the States anymore. Mother remembers Ian Pryce, shot by police in 2013 with a pellet gun in his hand

    In November 2013, 30-year-old Pryce was shot dead by Toronto police after a standoff with the Emergency Task Force unit near Sherbourne and Carlton Sts.

    Pryce had been wielding a weapon that police later learned was a pellet gun.

    On Friday, the Special Investigations Unit — the provincial watchdog that probes police-involved deaths — cleared the two officers who fatally shot Pryce.

    But the watchdog did not name the man killed by police in its press release Friday, or at any time since his death; the Star has independently confirmed his identity.

    Spokesperson Jasbir Brar said the watchdog does not identify victims unless the next-of-kin gives permission.

    But Heather Thompson, Pryce’s mother, said she met with SIU investigators hours before the watchdog’s decision was released, and was not asked if she wanted his identity withheld. She in fact wants her son’s story told, to raise awareness about mental illness and avoid similar deaths.

    “There are many, many Ians out there, from many walks of life,” Thompson said in an emotional interview at her home Saturday, speaking publicly for the first time about her son’s death.
    […]

    In November 2014 — nearly a year after Pryce’s death — Thompson wrote a letter to Loparco pleading for more information about her son’s case. She also asked for a meeting with the inspector in charge of the probe.

    “You are counting on the passage of time to diffuse my anger. You think I will — by necessity — concentrate my grief on healing, and eventually lose interest in any demand for remediation for the loss of my son’s life … I will not let that happen,” she wrote in the letter.

    Thompson said she did not receive a response.
    […]

    Pryce’s illness worsened, and he moved from group homes to psychiatric institutions, including the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Thompson said. He was given medication, but Thompson thinks he didn’t take it when he was out of professional care.

    In April 2013, Pryce told a social worker he was going to live with a friend. Thompson didn’t know the friend or have the address; at a dinner together that month, she pleaded for contact information so she could keep tabs on him.

    “I was actively trying to figure out how to help him,” she said. “I didn’t just sit back and let things happen. I tried and tried and tried.”

    Thompson says she didn’t hear from him again. Seven months later, she got a knock on the door, informing her of his death.

    According to the SIU, Toronto police stopped Pryce at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 13, 2013, because there was a warrant for his arrest.

    Thompson believes it was connected to a violent incident at CAMH, when Pryce harmed a security guard while trying to leave the facility. But details of the warrant could not be independently confirmed Saturday.

    Pryce ran from officers, then began pointing in their direction what they believed to be a gun. A standoff ensued as Pryce took cover on the porch of a Sherbourne St. building and pointed the gun toward the street and nearby officers, according to the SIU.
    […]

    “While the officers may have been mistaken as to the type of weapon the man had in his possession, it was a mistake that was reasonable in the circumstances,” Loparco said, adding that everyone who saw the weapon, including a civilian less than two metres away, believed it was a real gun.

    The SIU did, however, identify a communication problem between the police. Before Pryce’s death, one officer who’d heard Pryce’s weapon discharge believed it sounded like a cap gun or pellet gun.

    “Unfortunately, there is no indication that the officer’s description of the sound, and the possibility that the gun was a pellet gun, was ever passed along to other officers,” says the SIU release.
    […]

    Thompson said she can understand the situation officers were in, not aware her son’s weapon was not a real gun. But she has other concerns about what happened and wonders if more could have been done to prevent Pryce’s death.

    She hopes an inquest would provide some answers and increase broader resources available to the mentally ill. (In his 2014 report into police encounters with the mentally ill, retired Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci stated a failed and underfunded mental health system was one of the reasons fatal encounters with police occur.)

    What. An. Absolute. Mess.

    Mayor Bill de Blasio draws salutes at slain NYPD officer’s wake

    The uniformed police officers showed respect rather than disdain for de Blasio when he arrived with Police Commissioner William Bratton, with some saluting as the men entered at the start of the daylong event for Officer Wenjian Liu. His funeral arrangements had been delayed so relatives from China could travel to New York. […]

    For de Blasio, the gesture of respect during the wake contrasted with the back-turning insults hundreds of officers displayed last week toward video screens showing the mayor speaking at Ramos’ funeral. Bratton had urged rank-and-file officers not to make political statements at Liu’s wake and funeral.

    “A hero’s funeral is about grieving, not grievance,” Bratton said in a memo read to all commands at roll calls Friday and Saturday. “I issue no mandates, and I make no threats of discipline, but I remind you that when you don the uniform of this department, you are bound by the tradition, honour and decency that go with it.”

    Well… that’s nice of him, I suppose.

  200. says

    http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2015/01/03/374564307/the-goal-to-remember-each-jim-crow-killing-from-the-30s-on

    The Civil Rights Restorative Justice Project is working to document every racially motivated killing in the American South between 1930 and 1970. So far, they’ve documented about 350 cases. Most of the crimes received little attention when they were committed, and often, even the family members of the victims don’t know how their relatives died.

    Gotta run to work, so I haven’t had the chance to read any further.

  201. rq says

    Via Tony, Al Sharpton is being paid thousands of dollars to not cry ‘racism’ at large corporations, it is claimed

    For more than 10 years, firms have reportedly handed over enormous donations and consulting fees to the activist preacher’s National Action Network (NAN)

    In return for their cash, they have received Sharpton’s supposed influence in the black community – or more often, his silence on the matter, it is reported.

    ‘Al Sharpton has enriched himself and NAN for years by threatening companies with bad publicity if they didn’t come to terms with him,’ said Ken Boehm, chairman of the National Legal & Policy Center, a watchdog group in Virginia that has produced a book on the Harlem minister. […]

    Experts told the newspaper that the lack of a public assertions of support for Pascal on Sharpton’s behalf is exemplary of his typical ‘shakedown’ move – making people pay for his support or silence.
    […]

    In 2008, NAN received a $500,000 donation that was made to New York-based nonprofit Education Reform Now by Plainfield Asset Management, a Connecticut hedge fund.

    Although the money was apparently to support NAN’s attempts to bring ‘educational equality’, it was donated at the same time the firm was trying to achieve a lucrative gambling deal in the Big Apple.

    Harold Levy, managing director at Plainfield at the time, has denied the contribution was made to win over Sharpton or aid Capital Play’s efforts in the Aqueduct Racetrack deal. [..]

    Meanwhile, in 2003, Sharpton accused American Honda of not hiring enough African-American managers, saying: ‘We cannot be silent while African-Americans spend hard-earned dollars with a company that does not hire, promote or do business with us in a statistically significant manner.’

    Shortly after his criticism, the firm’s chiefs met with Sharpton and decided to sponsor NAN.

    After this, the racially-charged accusations stopped.

    During his 60th birthday party in October, Sharpton raised a staggering $1million for NAN, with donations from unions and an array of corporations, including AT&T and McDonald’s.

    He has previously received money from the lakes of Macy’s, General Motors and Pfizer.

    Didn’t know Macy’s, General Motors and Pfizer had/were lakes.

    Death of mentally ill Cleveland woman in police restraint ruled homicide

    The medical examiner’s report comes amid criticism of the Cleveland police after the death of Tamir Rice, 12, who was shot to death by a Cleveland officer while he held a airsoft gun in a public park.

    Anderson’s death also comes in the wake of nationwide protests over the killing of unarmed black men by white police officers. Protests erupted in November after a St. Louis grand jury declined to bring charges against Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old.

    A grand jury likewise failed to indict a police officer over the case of Staten Island resident Eric Garner, 43, who died in July after being thrown to the sidewalk and put in a chokehold by an officer.

    According to the Anderson family’s account of Tanisha’s death, an officer put her on the ground and placed his knee on her back and handcuffed her. She then stopped breathing, the Plain Dealer reports.

    Police tell a different story, however, describing Anderson as uncooperative, kicking at officers before going limp. Authorities said the incident is under investigation, according to the paper.

    A recent Justice Department review of Cleveland police tactics, which found widespread abuse and training shortfalls, identified abuses by law enforcement officers against the mentally ill.

    “Officers too often use unreasonable force against individuals with mental illness, individuals in medical crisis and individuals with impaired faculties,” the report found, according to the Plain Dealer.

    17 horrible things people said weren’t racist in 2014

    It was revealed this week that House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) spoke in 2002 to a white nationalist group founded by Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. Scalise was quick to dismiss the news, saying he wasn’t sympathetic to the organization’s racist views — he was simply confused about what they stood for and where he was.

    “For anyone to suggest that I was involved with a group like that is insulting and ludicrous,” Scalise told the Times-Picayune. Others raced to his defense. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said, in a statement to the Hill, “I know Congressman Scalise to be a good man who is fair-minded and kindhearted. I’m confident he absolutely rejects racism in all its forms.”

    In other words, this was not racist — and, in fact, didn’t have anything to do with race at all. It’s a fitting end to 2014, when, if certain people were to be believed, very little happened that was racist, or even close.

    The way elected officials, cable news anchors, and celebrities have vehemently defended some of this year’s most outrageous and bigoted statements and offenses leaves us with one major question: what does deserve the dreaded r-word? Maybe we’ll find out in 2015. (Except, if it’s worse than all these things, that would be kind of scary. So hopefully not.) Here’s a list of some of the things that weren’t racist in 2014.

    Includes outrage over the new Annie, blackface, brown and black immigrants ruining everything for white people, a black president and black movies, gang signs, black people as props, and much, much more.

    Stuart Scott Accepts Jimmy V Award, video at the link – in memoriam. For so many of us, Stuart Scott was a model of what was possible for Black journalists. He showed that we could be ourselves and succeed.

    I mentioned the mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson (see “A Death in Valdosta” above) @deray I’ve been following this case. The article failed to mention the 3 videos with an avg of ~4 hrs missing data. And KJ’s missing organs. If you look at some of the replies, there’s all kinds of weirdness about the case (and I’m not talking about chemtrails and Halliburton).

  202. rq says

    Charlotte-Mecklenburg. North Carolina. Sunday, January 4th. Officer Involved Shooting.

    Threat Of Protests Moves St. Louis County Inaugurations

    Normally held in the County Council chambers on the second floor of the Lawrence K. Roos County Administration Building, the inaugural events will instead take place on the 6th floor of the St. Louis County Courthouse by invitation only.

    Stenger spokesman Cordell Whitlock said unspecified threats prompted the decision to move the proceedings to the courthouse.

    “After consulting with law enforcement we decided it was prudent to change the venue,” Whitlock said.

    A St. Louis County Police spokesman said the request to switch sites came at the request of McCulloch and Stenger’s offices.

    An announcement was delivered via email to invitees early Wednesday afternoon.

    “Please be aware that the venue has changed,” it reads. “Also, additional security measures have been put in place and the ceremony and reception are now private, invitation-only events.”

    THE PEOPLE DEMAND TRANSPARENCY FOR GARNER GRAND JURY (Facebook event but doesn’t require login)

    Pack the court – Monday, January 5th in Staten Island!

    Few realize the grand jury proceedings are still up for grabs, that there’s a fight going on to release them.

    Support the release of the Eric Garner grand jury proceedings!

    The struggle for justice for Eric Garner continues. A Staten Island grand jury failed to indict anyone for Garner’s death, now millions of people want to know: What’s in those grand jury proceedings?

    So far, almost no information about how the grand jury did its job has been made public.

    What are they hiding? After Mike Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri – just about everything has been released.
    The Legal Aid Society, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, and the New York Civil Liberties Union are all working hard to let in the sunshine.
    Even the conservative New York Post, in a strong editorial, has called for release and the paper is also sending its lawyers to court!

    Pack the court on Monday so the judge knows that We The People want those records!

    Directions: The courthouse is right across the street from the ferry terminal.

    A few links with more information and context at the site.

    Youtube video: The New Year’s Eve Countdown to 2015 at Downtown LA’s Grand Park! The projected phrase “#BlackLivesMatter” appears for a short while at 2.30, then for over a minute starting at 3.20, with a green laser pointer emphasizing it; at about 4.50, the phrase “Disarm The Police” is projected. This is AWESOME.

  203. rq says

    So NYPD cops were a model of restraint and respect once again, during the funeral of the second murdered officer, after explicit requests (well, explicit public requests, as who knows what he said in private) from Bratton not to make any protest-like statements during the funeral – and the officer’s widow also madea special request for no gestures during the funeral. Well, here’s some tweetage on what actually happened:
    NYPD turn there backs on NYC Mayor @BilldeBlasio again after widow already asked you guys not to. #SHAME #NYPD (alternate caption: The donut’s siren song proved to be too strong for some NYPD officers.
    @itsmepanda1 @deray You can’t have a conversation if you turn your back. Its childish. Period.
    The NYPD is too cowardly to organize their own protest. So they hijack the funeral of their slain brothers.
    Would the NYPD have disrupted those funerals if the officers slain had been Smith and Johnson instead of Ramos and Liu? Just wondering.
    I never thought anyone would out asshole the Westboro Baptists in the funeral protesting department. I vastly underestimated the NYPD.

    mtc…

  204. rq says

    It should be pointed out Brown’s Family requested a day of peace & we wouldn’t even hack on that day. So who has more respect? | @deray
    @deray @aymanndotcom & Liu’s widow expressly asked them not to turn his funeral into a political stunt. Shameful. Embarrassing. Despicable.
    NYPD. Authority figures. DeBlasio. (good cartoon)
    That blue line of solidarity the NYPD claims to honor apparently does not extend to respecting the wishes of the families of slain officers.
    Some didn’t follow the crowd: Few & far between but you can spot the officers who went against the grain and didn’t turn their backs on the Mayor.
    Police turn their backs on screens showing mayor as he addresses mourners @ NYPD Officer’s Liu funeral @aymanndotcom.

  206. rq says

    Via Lynna, Shootings by police vastly underreported in Utah and nationally

    The FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report gathers nationwide crime statistics from more than 18,000 police agencies, representing 98 percent of the U.S. population. But police agencies often do not submit the supplementary information that shows the number of people killed by police in justifiable homicides.

    Most Utah agencies did not report officer-involved homicides, and those agencies that did vastly underreported them.

    From 2007 to 2012, the most recent year for which full FBI stats are available, Utah police agencies reported 18 justifiable homicides by law enforcement. However, The Salt Lake Tribune has identified 59 homicides by law enforcement officers, deemed justified by prosecutors, during that time period. A Tribune review from 2010 through 2014 showed police use of force is the second leading contributor to the state’s homicide tally, topped only by domestic violence.

    The paper’s findings of underreporting are borne out by other reviews of FBI data. The Wall Street Journal recently gathered internal data on homicides by police during the same time period from 105 of the nation’s largest departments and found that more than 500 of at least 1,800 police killings were missing from the FBI tally.

    The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks “legal intervention” deaths, using death certificates and autopsy findings. But experts long have considered the totals to be incomplete because medical examiners may not always note police involvement on death certificates.

    In yet another federal effort to count deaths at the hands of law enforcement, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) called on states to report use-of-force fatalities as part of its “Arrest-Related Deaths” program, launched in 2003. Utah’s tally was more accurate in this report than in the FBI data, accounting for 49 use-of-force homicides of 53 identified by The Tribune from 2003 to 2009. The Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice gathered and submitted the figures for the BJS report, but rather than relying on police agencies to volunteer information, the commission culled media reports and contacted police for background details, said Ben Peterson, director of research for the CCJJ.

    But when an audit found too many deaths missing in the BJS national data, the program was discontinued, said Andrea Burch, a statistician for the U.S. Department of Justice. No data after 2009 will be available.

    Peterson said that, to his knowledge, the raw numbers submitted by the state to the justice bureau have never been requested by any agency hoping to study the use of deadly force by police in Utah.

    In Oakland, they went from restaurant to restaurant with their protest:
    Stand up for black lives. At Forge. #BlackBrunch #oakland
    Stand up for black lives. Boca Nova. #BlackBrunch #oakland
    Hella folks stood up for black lives at Lungomare. #BlackBrunch #oakland

    Cops behaving badly and getting wrist-slapped for it – TW for sexual assault on a child – This is How Child Molesting Cops are Treated in a Corrupt Police State.

    Someone recently asked an elder, “How do we keep the movement alive?” to which the elder replied, “The police will do it for you.”

  207. rq says

    At the intersection of being black, mental illness, and policing, lies a whole stack of horror.
    On youtube, A Mother’s Mission: The Shooting of Milton Hall (NSFW) .

    Police officers in Saginaw, MI fired more than 45 shots at Jewel Hall’s son Milton. Despite abundant evidence that officers showed a reckless disregard for Milton’s life, the U.S. Justice Department did not charge any of the officers responsible for the killing.

    In Washington D.C., the ACLU of Michigan is playing Jewel Hall’s testimony at a hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on “Reports of Racism in the Justice System of the United States.” Learn more at http://www.aclumich.org/MiltonHall

    Here’s another on the use of deadly force on mentally ill people (not a video). Deadly Force, Police, and the Mentally Ill. It’s a four-part series, of which this is the first part.

    Five separate fatal shootings of mentally ill people by Maine police in 2011 prompted the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram to examine law enforcement’s use of deadly force. Since 1990, police have fired on 101 people, many of them mentally ill, and in every case the state attorney general ruled that the shooting was justified. The newspaper sought to find out why so many mentally ill Mainers were being shot and whether the outcomes were avoidable. The investigation, involving hundreds of interviews and thousands of pages of documents, revealed that Maine and rest of the country have failed to employ methods or invest in training that could defuse life-threatening situations with mentally impaired people.

    Youtube video, LAPD murders Omar Abrego (Warning: Graphic)

    **Warning – Graphic** This video shows the end of the murder of Omar Abrego. What you see first are the Sergeants, Robert Calderon and Jeff Mares who murdered Omar Abrego, attempting to get handcuffs on Omar who is already bleeding profusely. The first additional officer who appears is helping get Omar handcuffed so they can make him appear to be a criminal. The officers and Omar are in front of Omar’s delivery van. The officers squad car can be seen blocking the drivers side door of Omars van. It’s why Omar was forced to exit the back of the van.

    When all the officers arrive they are very casual and only are seen to casually glance at Omar. No one asks any questions about what happened. They are only concerned with standing around or clearing the area. One officer in a white t-shirt can be seen, once all the officers are standing around Omar, taking pictures of herself. She takes four shots. None of the officers, tell her to put down her phone and stop taking pictures of herself. About twenty officers arrive. This is not a gathering of some good cops and some bad ones, the video shows the actions of the biggest, most well funded gang in Los Angeles, the LAPD. Jailing these murderers will send a message to all other police officers in LA – A Badge is not a licence to kill! It will change the balance of power between the black and Latina/o communities and the police.

    To get involved contact 323.317.7675 or join BAMN at http://www.bamn.com or

    [email protected]

  208. rq says

    If you watch the Omar Abrego video, it is … I have no words. Two officers already have him down, soon there are six practically on top of him, trying to hold him down though he is obviously not going anywhere, and then they start arriving, more and more and more of them, just crowding in and around, like vultures. And Omar dies.

    Martin Luther King Day -19/01/2015 #BlackLivesMatter #ICantBreathe #BeReady

    I think that the police may be reviewing all of the footage they’ve recorded of protestors and will begin making random arrests. I wouldn’t be surprised, really.
    Y’all, if the police do begin making random arrests based off of age-old protest footage, the protests will intensify and never end.

    I have no interest in a ‘New’ Civil Rights movement, but I’m totally down for a Black Freedom and/or Liberation movement #justbeinghonest

  209. rq says

    Also, just because Happy New Year, police in Wichita killed another unarmed black man.
    UPDATE: Man dies after confrontation with police

    Two officers arrived on scene; Quintero and a man identified as his father were sitting in a SUV located in front of the home. Mosley says officers asked the men to step out of the vehicle. The father complied with the police officers commands, but Quintero did not. Once outside the vehicle, Qnintero started making threats to the officers, which prompted authorities to use a taser on the suspect, but it didn’t have an effect.

    The second officer then shot Quintero after he took two steps forward after being tazed.

    Quintero was then taken to Wesley Hospital where he later died.

    Another on the same: Man hurt in officer-involved shooting has died.

    And someone almost witnessed it:
    So the police stand-off I saw on my drive home last night resulting in the officer shooting an unarmed man to death, seconds after I passed.
    Passed police officers with automatic rifles drawn at single suspect on way home, 5ft from my car. Guns are dumb. Wonder if suspect had one.

  210. says

    More on police turning their backs on de Blasio — cross posted from the Lounge.

    Police union members turned their backs on Mayor de Blasio again at another funeral. Way to protest inappropriately, police persons.
    Link.

  211. rq says

    More cops behaving badly: BOSTON COP BEATS UBER DRIVER, STEALS CAR

    It all started when the driver “picked up a white male … who was with [another] unknown white male at 200 Hanover St.” in the North End.

    He then “drove the unknown white male to Charlestown and was then asked to take [the second white male] to E 2nd in South Boston.”

    But when they arrived at that address, the “suspect stated they were in the wrong location.”

    The “suspect then stated ‘[You] think I’m stupid you fucking spic’ and told the victim to continue driving.”

    With the car stopped at E 2nd and M Street, the report says “the suspect began hitting the victim.” The Uber driver said he then removed his seatbelt and exited the vehicle, only for the suspect to begin “chasing the victim around the motor vehicle.”

    With the victim “attempting to stop passing traffic to assist him,” an “unknown black male” lent a hand. “When the victim went toward the male that stopped to assist him, the suspect entered the [victim’s]” car and drove off.

    The victim then entered the vehicle of the assisting black male “and they followed the suspect,” who was driving the Uber toward Farragut Road, “where the suspect stopped.”

    Once outside the stolen taxi, the suspect “approached both the victim and the male assisting and stated to the black male ‘[What] do you want you fucking nigger’ and began swinging at both parties.”

    In the process the “suspect knocked the victim to the ground and began hitting him and the assisting male attempted to pull him off. They all struggled until the suspect observed blue police lights coming in their direction.”

    The suspect then “stopped fighting and began to walk away.” At which point two MassPort police officers “arrived on the scene and the suspect walked away.” The Uber driver pointed at the suspect, but according to the police report he made an “escape” up P Street.

    There’s suspicion that it was an off-duty cop behaving like a racist idiot. And the BPD released a statement (at the link):

    Boston Police Officer Placed on Administrative Leave after Being Charged with Assault & Battery: At about 2:45am, on Sunday, January 4, 2015, officers from District C-6 (South Boston) responded to a call for a ride share driver stating that he had been assaulted by a passenger in the area of E. 1st Street and Farragut Road in South Boston. On arrival, officers spoke to the victim, an Uber driver, who stated that he was in the process of dropping a passenger off in the area of E. 2nd Street in South Boston when the passenger began yelling at him and accusing him of trying to drop him off at the wrong location. Victim further states that the suspect physically assaulted him when he stopped his vehicle in the area of E. 2nd and M Streets. In an effort to escape the suspect, the victim states that he exited his vehicle. Once outside the vehicle, the victim states that he watched as the suspect got into the front seat of his car and drove off. The victim, who was aided by a passing motorist, followed the victim to E. 1st Street and Farragut Road where the suspect stopped and exited the victim’s car. The suspect fled the area before police arrived. The suspect was later identified, located and placed under arrest.

    Officers arrested Michael Doherty, 40, of South Boston and charged him with Assault & Battery and Using a Motor Vehicle without Authority.

    Doherty, a 16 year-veteran of the Boston Police Department, has been placed on Administrative Leave pending the outcome of the charges filed against him.

    The Boston Police Anti-Corruption Unit is actively reviewing facts and circumstance surrounding this incident.

    No mention of racial language used. Huh. Oh, and this is funny-but-not-funny: According to the @BostonGlobe one of the charges against the cop is “using a motor vehicle without authority” do they mean “stealing a car”? See, cops can’t even steal, they just use things without authority. :P

    So they don’t just shoot black people, the cops. They shot a white guy in San Francisco: Officer-involved shooting near San Francisco’s Mission District Police Station

    Three police sergeants approached the man and asked him to leave, Esparza said. He began to walk away but stopped before reaching the parking lot entrance at Valencia Street and turned to confront the officers.

    Still facing the sergeants, Esparza said the man began to back away while also reaching his hands into his waistband, revealing the butt of a gun.

    “The sergeants saw the butt of the weapon as he pulls it out and brandishes it at the sergeants,” Esparza said.

    Two of the sergeants fired their weapon at the man, striking him multiple times, she said.

    A witness at the scene said he heard six or seven shots fired.

    He was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he underwent surgery, but Esparza said he has died.

    It was a pellet gun. See, white people? You shouldn’t play with guns, even when you’re an adult!!! And especially if you’re a cop.

  212. rq says

    More cops behaving badly: BOSTON COP BEATS UBER DRIVER, STEALS CAR

    It all started when the driver “picked up a white male … who was with [another] unknown white male at 200 Hanover St.” in the North End.

    He then “drove the unknown white male to Charlestown and was then asked to take [the second white male] to E 2nd in South Boston.”

    But when they arrived at that address, the “suspect stated they were in the wrong location.”

    The “suspect then stated ‘[You] think I’m stupid you fucking sp*c’ and told the victim to continue driving.”

    With the car stopped at E 2nd and M Street, the report says “the suspect began hitting the victim.” The Uber driver said he then removed his seatbelt and exited the vehicle, only for the suspect to begin “chasing the victim around the motor vehicle.”

    With the victim “attempting to stop passing traffic to assist him,” an “unknown black male” lent a hand. “When the victim went toward the male that stopped to assist him, the suspect entered the [victim’s]” car and drove off.

    The victim then entered the vehicle of the assisting black male “and they followed the suspect,” who was driving the Uber toward Farragut Road, “where the suspect stopped.”

    Once outside the stolen taxi, the suspect “approached both the victim and the male assisting and stated to the black male ‘[What] do you want you fucking n*gg*r’ and began swinging at both parties.”

    In the process the “suspect knocked the victim to the ground and began hitting him and the assisting male attempted to pull him off. They all struggled until the suspect observed blue police lights coming in their direction.”

    The suspect then “stopped fighting and began to walk away.” At which point two MassPort police officers “arrived on the scene and the suspect walked away.” The Uber driver pointed at the suspect, but according to the police report he made an “escape” up P Street.

    There’s suspicion that it was an off-duty cop behaving like a racist idiot. And the BPD released a statement (at the link):

    Boston Police Officer Placed on Administrative Leave after Being Charged with Assault & Battery: At about 2:45am, on Sunday, January 4, 2015, officers from District C-6 (South Boston) responded to a call for a ride share driver stating that he had been assaulted by a passenger in the area of E. 1st Street and Farragut Road in South Boston. On arrival, officers spoke to the victim, an Uber driver, who stated that he was in the process of dropping a passenger off in the area of E. 2nd Street in South Boston when the passenger began yelling at him and accusing him of trying to drop him off at the wrong location. Victim further states that the suspect physically assaulted him when he stopped his vehicle in the area of E. 2nd and M Streets. In an effort to escape the suspect, the victim states that he exited his vehicle. Once outside the vehicle, the victim states that he watched as the suspect got into the front seat of his car and drove off. The victim, who was aided by a passing motorist, followed the victim to E. 1st Street and Farragut Road where the suspect stopped and exited the victim’s car. The suspect fled the area before police arrived. The suspect was later identified, located and placed under arrest.

    Officers arrested Michael Doherty, 40, of South Boston and charged him with Assault & Battery and Using a Motor Vehicle without Authority.

    Doherty, a 16 year-veteran of the Boston Police Department, has been placed on Administrative Leave pending the outcome of the charges filed against him.

    The Boston Police Anti-Corruption Unit is actively reviewing facts and circumstance surrounding this incident.

    No mention of racial language used. Huh. Oh, and this is funny-but-not-funny: According to the @BostonGlobe one of the charges against the cop is “using a motor vehicle without authority” do they mean “stealing a car”? See, cops can’t even steal, they just use things without authority. :P

    So they don’t just shoot black people, the cops. They shot a white guy in San Francisco: Officer-involved shooting near San Francisco’s Mission District Police Station

    Three police sergeants approached the man and asked him to leave, Esparza said. He began to walk away but stopped before reaching the parking lot entrance at Valencia Street and turned to confront the officers.

    Still facing the sergeants, Esparza said the man began to back away while also reaching his hands into his waistband, revealing the butt of a gun.

    “The sergeants saw the butt of the weapon as he pulls it out and brandishes it at the sergeants,” Esparza said.

    Two of the sergeants fired their weapon at the man, striking him multiple times, she said.

    A witness at the scene said he heard six or seven shots fired.

    He was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he underwent surgery, but Esparza said he has died.

    It was a pellet gun. See, white people? You shouldn’t play with guns, even when you’re an adult!!! And especially if you’re a cop.

  213. rq says

    [picture of students protesting]

    Something about this new addition to the #FergusonCommission feels side-eye worthy… They’ve added a (black) county police sergeant.

    Tonight’s benefit raised $1035 for the family of #AntonioMartin to bury their son. #Ferguson

    Do not forget that #VonDerritMyers DNA was not present on the alleged gun.

    Mentioned upthread, but here’s an article on Matthew Ajibade, young man who died in police custody January 1st. Report: 22-Year Old Man Suffering A Bipolar disorder Dies In Police Custody!

    Matthew Ajibade died while being in the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan police custody. The 22-year-old’s girlfriend called police to escort him to the hospital because he was suffering a bipolar episode. Both Ajibade’s girlfriend and his manager asked police to take him to a hospital- to which the police agreed.

    Aijbade was instead arrested and charged with obstruction of justice, battery and domestic violence while being restrained.
    According to police, while being restrained, Matthew Ajibade injured three deputies. Cops say Ajibade was then placed in an isolation cell due to his dangerous behavior.
    Ajibade was in custody since 6:40pm on 1/1/15. It was during a second welfare check that police found Ajibade unresponsive.
    Police say “The Medical Unit staff started CPR and administered defibrillation while preparing the subject for transport to a local hospital. Efforts to resuscitate the inmate were unsuccessful.”
    Per protocol, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting an independent investigation.

  214. rq says

    McCullogh probably thought he’d have to get through a few more protests, and then things would quiet down, life would go on, the public would forget… Well, it seems things are heating up again.
    Grand Juror Sues McCulloch, Says He Mischaracterized The Wilson Case

    The grand juror, referred to only as “Grand Juror Doe” in the lawsuit, takes issue with how McCulloch characterized the case. McCulloch released evidence presented to the grand jury and publicly discussed the case after the grand jury decided not to indict Wilson, then a Ferguson police officer, in the shooting death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American.

    “In [the grand juror]’s view, the current information available about the grand jurors’ views is not entirely accurate — especially the implication that all grand jurors believed that there was no support for any charges,” the lawsuit says. “Moreover, the public characterization of the grand jurors’ view of witnesses and evidence does not accord with [Doe]’s own.”

    “From [the grand juror]’s perspective, the investigation of Wilson had a stronger focus on the victim than in other cases presented to the grand jury,” the lawsuit states. Doe also believes the legal standards were conveyed in a “muddled” and “untimely” manner to the grand jury.

    In the lawsuit filed Monday in federal court, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri argues that this case is unique and that the usual reasons for requiring the jurors to maintain secrecy should not apply.

    In this specific case, “any interests furthered by maintaining grand jury secrecy are outweighed by the interests secured by the First Amendment,” the lawsuit says, adding that allowing the juror to speak would contribute to a discussion on race in America.

    As the grand juror points out in the lawsuit, the Wilson case was handled in a very different manner than other grand juries. Instead of recommending a charge, McCulloch’s office presented thousands of pages worth of evidence and testimony before the grand jury. At one point, McCulloch’s spokesman characterized the grand jury as co-investigators.

    “From [Doe]’s perspective, although the release of a large number of records provides an appearance of transparency, with heavy redactions and the absence of context, those records do not fully portray the proceedings before the grand jury,” the lawsuit says. […]

    State law says that grand jurors shall not “disclose any evidence given” nor “the name of any witness who appeared before them,” adding that any juror who violates that is guilty of a misdemeanor. The ACLU is asking a judge to grant an injunction that prohibits enforcing those laws (or threatening to) in this case.

    The laws “prevent [the grand juror] from discussing truthful information about a matter of public significance,” the lawsuit says. “As applied in the circumstances of this case, the challenged laws act as a prior restraint on [Doe’s] expressive activity.”

    We have reached out to McCulloch’s office for comment and will update when we hear back.

    Here’s the Fox2 link – Michael Brown grand juror suing over lifetime gag order, with a link to the actual complaint, if any lawyerly types want to take a swing through it. (I will be posting tweets with excerpts later.)
    ** Note: The correct term is the ‘Darren Wilson Grand Jury’, as Darren Wilson was supposedly the one undergoing examination for indictment, not Michael Brown, but I’m sure I’ve made the mistake – though it would be nice if the media didn’t.

    The ACLU: St. Louis County Grand Juror Challenges Lifetime Gag Order.

    ST. LOUIS – Grand Juror Doe, who served on the grand jury which investigated the killing of Michael Brown by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, is suing Robert McCulloch, prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County. Doe would like to talk about the experience of serving on a grand jury, the evidence presented and the investigation in a way that could contribute to the public dialogue concerning race relations.

    The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri is representing Grand Juror Doe because, without permission from a court, it is a crime for grand jurors to discuss their service. McCulloch is named as a defendant since he would be the person to bring charges against Doe.

    “The Supreme Court has said that grand jury secrecy must be weighed against the juror’s First Amendment rights on a case-by-case basis,” explains Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri. “The rules of secrecy must yield because this is a highly unusual circumstance. The First Amendment prevents the state from imposing a life-time gag order in cases where the prosecuting attorney has purported to be transparent.”

    “Grand Juror Doe’s perspective can and should help inform a way forward here in Missouri,” says Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri. “The ACLU will fight to allow this important voice to be heard by the public and lawmakers so that we can begin the healing process that can only result from fact-based reforms.”

    Cooperating attorneys on this case are Eric Sowers, Ferne Wolf and Joshua Pierson, from Sowers & Wolf Attorneys at Law. A copy of the complaint can be found on the ACLU of Missouri website.

  215. rq says

    This is from a while ago, but probably still relevant: St Louis prosecutor Bob McCulloch’s office says records I’ve requested aren’t public, and if a court rules they are, I’d need to pay $12,000.

    Coming to Terms With My Father’s Racism

    I cannot quote verbatim his tirades, and I am grateful for that small mercy, but I remember his tone with a bone-deep weariness. Raised voice, fist on the table. He was angry with black people for reasons that depended on his day at the plant, a song on the radio, a story he’d read in the afternoon paper. To this day, I hear the n-word and can see the contortions in his face.

    Most daughters want to be daddy’s little girl. This aspiration was lost on me at an early age. I loved my father, always, and feared him too often, but by age 6 or so I knew there was something wrong about him. He would rant about black people he’d never met, and I would see the faces of my classmates, my friends. Silently, I’d pick at the fried Spam or pile of goulash on my plate and think about Sandy and Gary and Valerie and Phillip, and sometimes my eyes would sting. It was not the natural order of things to be so young and know your father had no idea what he was talking about.

    I live in Cleveland, where a 12-year-old black boy named Tamir Rice was recently shot and killed by a white police officer. The community at large professed outrage, but when I attended his public funeral it was filled with black mourners, and I left wondering if maybe most of us white people think this isn’t our problem anymore. After weeks of reading and moderating public comment threads about the deaths this year of Tamir and two other unarmed black males, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, I can’t ignore this dark and familiar something clawing at my heart.
    There are moments when it feels like we’re inching back toward the 1960s.

    There are moments when it feels like we’re inching back toward the 1960s, but back into communities that are far more segregated, by race and means. If you are black and poor, you can now spend your entire childhood knowing only other poor, black children. If you are born lucky and grow up surrounded by mirror images of your good fortune, it’s easy to see yourself as a majority stakeholder in a world primed to do your bidding. […]

    I grew up surrounded by children who didn’t look like me, and my only problem with that, aside from the constant tension with my father, was that I wanted to be them. The girls were my confidants, my touchstones. We played with each other’s hair and swapped barrettes and ribbons like boys trading baseball cards. I loved their music, from the Motown on their kitchen radios to the gospel songs in their churches, where worshippers praised God like they knew him, instead of sitting ramrod-straight week after week waiting to make his acquaintance. […]

    I loved their mothers, too. Ours was not an “I love you” kind of home, and I melted in the arms of these women who called me “child” and “honey” and always ordered me to sit at their tables for after-school snacks. Surely they noticed that their children were never invited to my home, but I never felt they held that against me.

    My father had no idea that I visited my black friends’ churches or stepped foot in their homes. I don’t remember my mother ever saying we were keeping our secrets. The conspiracy was implicit; the necessity understood.

    Here begins the long list of excuses I’ve made for my father in my head all of my adult life. […]

    When I started junior high school in 1969, my father and I were arguing all the time, sometimes about boys, occasionally about hemlines, but usually about race. He was full of contradictions. He liked a black guy at work, but that’s because he didn’t “act black.” He loved The Supremes until I played them constantly, at which point he set a limit on how many black artists’ records I could buy with my babysitting money. One a month, tops. He smashed my 45 of Aretha’s “Respect” into a pile of pieces when I violated the rule.

    When my father found out I had a crush on a black boy, he grounded me for weeks.

    The timing of his attempt to rein me in couldn’t have been worse, because everything was changing at school. Within days of my seventh-grade year, the kids who had come from the all-white elementary school on the other side of town took note of my companions at the lunch table and started calling me a n— lover. The kids from the mostly black elementary school badgered my friends for hanging out with the white girl. The same mothers who used to pull me to their bosoms now acted like they didn’t see me in the hallways and at Friday-night games, and nodded terse hellos to my parents.

    My father saw a glimmer of hope in my feelings of abandonment. So much for friendship. Blood’s thicker than water. Guess you’re learning that God made us different for a reason.

    I had spent most of my childhood identifying with children who did not look like me, and in a fit of pubescent angst, decided it was time to change that. A week before school pictures, I talked a neighbor lady into cutting my long hair and giving me a white girl’s Afro with a Toni perm.

    My mother collapsed on the sofa and fanned her face with her apron. My father refused to be seen in public with me. When he found out I had a crush on a black boy, he grounded me for weeks. I bought tubes of QT and worked on my tan.

    My father and I were at war. […]

    If the story ended there, at the gulf of our divisions, I would feel no hope now in these troubled times. I would look at those class pictures from my childhood and see a failed experiment in good intentions. I’d have to tell myself that some white people, white people like my father, are just unreachable.

    For years, I wondered: How good is a daughter’s liberation if her father only sees it as his failure? Where’s the victory in that? Maybe it’s enough for those who don’t care what their father thinks, but I always did. I didn’t want his approval. I wanted his agreement that he’d been wrong all along about black people. More to the point, I wanted him to admit he’d been wrong about me. [..]

    Last year we moved into the city of Cleveland, where I’ve worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. I can’t run to the drugstore or fetch a loaf of bread without crossing paths with faces that remind me of what I came from—of who I came from, I should say. Some suburban acquaintances have questioned our move with various versions of the same indictment: What were you thinking? Always, I am able to answer: Home. I was thinking of home.

    My father died in 2006. He lived seven years longer than my mother. She never got in the middle of our fights about race, but it was her short illness and death, at 62, that helped us find our way to a fragile middle.

    The turning point arrived without warning in a hospital waiting room.

    It was late August 1999. My mom was weeks from dying. Dad and I were a tag team of concern. We spent our days sitting in offices and waiting rooms, sometimes with Mom, sometimes without her. Over and over, my father would whisper to me, “This should be happening to me. I should be the one who is dying.”

    On this particular morning, Dad and I sat wedged together in a packed room, our backs against a wall. We were waiting for Mom, again.

    To get to this place, this moment, we had walked behind the black orderly who pushed Mom’s wheelchair down the hall. We had thanked the black receptionist who directed us where to sit. We had just nodded hello to the black resident who always made my mother smile.

    My father leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

    “God,” he said, “they’re everywhere now.”

    I clenched the armrests and tried to control my breathing as I turned to look at him. Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes. For the first time ever, he reached for my hand.

    We started there.

    And that’s how it ends.

    But more on suing McCullogh:
    So far this morning, @stltoday, @FOX2now, & @stlpublicradio have all mischaracterized the Darren Wilson grand jury as the Michael Brown GJ. So yes, that’s where I got that from.
    Number 37 is important., where paragraph 37 reads: “Plaintiff’s views would add to the public debate – occurring in Missouri and across the country – about the proper role of state grand juries and whether they continue to serve their original purpose of protecting the accused, or are now increasingly used to deprive those accused of crimes of due process to which they are otherwise entitled.” (tpyos mine)
    This is the shot across the bow paragraph. Paragraph 34, in other words, where Plaintiff desires to speak about the experiences of being a grand juror and to delve into the details of McCullogh’s mischaracterisations (condensed version mine). It ends with the thought that evidence was presented to insinuate that Brown was the wrongdoer, not Wilson, and that the GJ was never clearly counselled on the law.
    This seems to be signaling a majority of the GJ did want to charge Darren Wilson but they couldn’t agree on charges. A list of sentences saying how a majority of 9/12 are needed to indict, and that at no point were there less than 4 dissenting voices for an indictment – implying, of course, that the grand jury members were not as single-minded in their ‘no indictment’ result as McCullogh presents to the public. A bit more to follow.

  216. rq says

    Interesting. The lawsuit cites the Jack-in-the-Box police shootings as precedent of McCulloch not being transparent. Yup, it says that explicitly (citing the date of the incident, rather than the common name). How McCullogh before promised transparency and apparently failed to deliver.

    Racism elsewhere – namely, Pittsburgh: This Is The Generic Anti-Racism Sign That Outraged Pittsburgh’s Police Union

    Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto came upon the photo while sitting at home and, viewing it as a “great way to start the new year,” promptly shared it on his own Facebook page. “I thought there was very little chance for someone to say this was the wrong message to send,” Peduto told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

    But someone did. The photo swept across social media, and local police union president Howard McQuillan took the statement against racism as an affront to the entire police department, telling KDKA: “The chief is calling us racists. He believes the Pittsburgh Police Department is racist. This has angered a lot of officers.”

    KDKA reports that other officers were so outraged by the photo they believed it must have been fake. McLay has even reportedly been called to a meeting at city hall to address the photo.

    The group that made this sign, WWHAT’S UP?! Pittsburgh, defines itself by the belief “that racism hurts everyone and that unlearning racism is liberating for all.” It makes little reference to police or any other particular group. McLay said in a statement released after the photo was disseminated that he came upon this group in a coffee shop in what was a “great, spontaneous” moment at the time, during which they talked about unconscious bias and community relations. “Their message is not anti-anybody. It is simply a call for awareness.”

    Still, McQuillan, president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, responded to the sign in an email by accusing Chief McLay of “[p]andering to the community at the expense of the police community.”

    Then it talks about NYC. Pandering to the community, though? The police should do more of that, actually, since so little of it seems to be at the expense of the police community.

    toni morrison reminding you #blacklivesmatter & so does black theory. People, not aliens – active agents, not props or storylines.

    Interlude: Keshia Knight Pulliam Fired From Celebrity Apprentice for Not Talking to Bill Cosby.

    The season premiere was filmed about a year ago, months before mounting rape allegations irrevocably ruined Cosby’s reputation. So when the cast found out they needed to contact rich friends in order to raise money for a bake sale, it’s understandable that Pulliam’s teammates leaned on her to call up her (as-of-then-relatively-untarnished) former TV dad. Pulliam (who was her team’s project manager) awkwardly declined, cryptically saying she opted instead to reach out to “people I felt can deliver the quickest.” Cosby went unmentioned for much of the rest of the episode. Then came the boardroom. The two teams were summoned to appear before Donald Trump and co-judges Ivanka Trump and Piers Morgan. Pulliam’s team had come up short in their fund-raising, and her teammates took aim at her.

    What followed was an excruciating three minutes for anyone even vaguely aware of the Cosby rape scandal. The Trumps, Morgan, and Pulliam’s team took her to task for not calling Bill Cosby and asking him for money.

    “Did you call Bill?” the elder Trump asked her.

    “I did not,” Pulliam said, crying. “I have not talked to Bill Cosby on the phone in I don’t know how long. So for me to pick up the phone, having not talked to you for five years, except for when we run into each other for a Cosby event — I feel that’s not my place to do.”

    That defense wasn’t good enough for Trump, who went on to fire her, specifically because she refused to call Cosby. “I really believe, if you’d called that gentleman, he would’ve helped you, even if you hadn’t spoken to him in years,” Trump said, “because you were an amazing team with one of the most successful shows ever. So I think it would’ve been a very good call to make for charity. But you have to take responsibility. I think you agree with that.”

    So basically, for having a sense of decency – and his raping past actually makes the appearance of this episode in the final show rather mystifying, the article notes.

    Interlude 2: Two Baltimore police motorcycles crash in Elizabeth, police say. They’re fine, though. Alive and to recover fully.

  217. rq says

    Shaun King has a string of tweets on the latest McCullogh fiasco.
    NEW STORY : 7 St. Louis residents file a legal complaint against Prosecutor Bob McCulloch for 15 counts of misconduct. I understand this is separate from the previously mentioned suit. Mentions misplaced/lost evidence, improper counselling, and presenting witnesses known to be untruthful and/or not actually witnesses.

    Knowing full well that several members of the grand jury thought Darren Wilson should be charged tell me why Bob McCulloch never inferred it;
    Give me a rational reason why Bob McCulloch would threaten charges to jurors if they spoke up, but refuse to charge perjured witnesses.

    How St. Louis Prosecutor Bob McCulloch broke the law when he knowingly called a witness to commit perjury. Lists the criteria for perjury and how McCullogh fulfills all of them.
    Relatedly, You have to remember McCulloch said he knew witness #40, Sandy McElroy, never witnessed the shooting, but called her to testify TWICE anyway;
    If Prosecutor Bob McCulloch refuses to charge witness #40 for committing perjury 100+ times, how could he charge jurors for speaking out?

  218. rq says

    And Shaun King on DailyKos: 58-point lawsuit filed by juror in Darren Wilson case against St. Louis prosecutor Bob McCulloch

    In the lawsuit, seen below in its entirety, the juror, suing in part for the opportunity to speak openly about the case without harm of criminal penalty, claims that she/he did indeed feel that Darren Wilson should’ve been charged with crimes, but that McCulloch, in his public statements about the case, suggested otherwise. The lawsuit also alleges that the entire grand jury process was prejudicially managed by McCulloch and that it often felt like slain Ferguson teenager Mike Brown was on trial instead of Darren Wilson.

    Already under fire for calling Witness #40, Sandy McElroy, to testify before the grand jury when he now admits he knew she was never actually on scene to witness the shooting of Mike Brown, which may be a crime in and of itself, it is increasingly obvious that Bob McCulloch had no intentions whatsoever of charging Darren Wilson with any kind of crime in the shooting death of Mike Brown.

    Basically another link to the pdf document (at the link).

  219. rq says

    Early protesters line up for silent wall against police terrorism before 3:30pm @libbyformayor #Oakland inauguration.

    .@BLMLA #OccupyLAPD protesters were arrested trying to take letters to LAPDHQs front desk for Beck. They were told the building was closed.
    However, after seeing multiple civilians come in and out of LAPDHQs .@BLMLA decided to walk in to deliver their letters and were arrested.

    7 Things I Can Do That My Black Son Can’t.

    This part of the grand juror’s lawsuit is in reference to what the Post-Dispatch uncovered about the 2000 grand jury.

    thisisthemovement, installment #70:

    Ferguson
    Grand Juror SUES Bob McCulloch Grand jurors are prohibited by laws to discuss a case they were involved in, but “Grand Juror Doe” is suing St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch in an effort to speak about the Darren Wilson case. “From the grand juror’s perspective, the investigation of Wilson had a stronger focus on the victim than in other cases presented to the grand jury.” Absolute must read.

    Nixon Names Retired Police Officer to Ferguson Commission As one Ferguson Commissioner has been appointed to be the Commission’s Managing Director, Nixon has appointed a retired St. Louis County Police Officer to replace the outgoing civilian member. Interesting read.

    Metro-East Police Spent $120K For Riot Gear in November In November, preparing for possible civil unrest in Illinois after grand jury decision announcement in Ferguson, metro-east police stock piled supplies and equipment.

    Tamir Rice
    Investigation Into Shooting of Tamir Rice Turned Over to Sheriff’s Office The City of Cleveland has turned over the investigation into the death of Tamir Rice to the Cuyahoga County’s sheriff’s office in an attempt to ensure that it is fairly handled. Important read.

    Antonio Martin
    Berkeley Police Maintain That Antonio Martin Pulled A Gun, Press Conference Offers No New Facts Berkeley officials recently held a press conference noting that the official investigation into the killing of Antonio Martin was over. The press conference, however, offered no new details. Click here to watch the press conference, read a summation, and review the timeline of the events. Absolute must read/view.

    Darrien Hunt
    Darrien Hunt’s Family Files Lawsuit, Suing Two Officers and Saratoga Springs The family of Darrien Hunt has filed a lawsuit, suing two officers and Sarataga Springs re: civil rights violations. Remember, Darrien was killed for allegedly killed for waving a samurai-style sword at officers. Absolute must read.

    Tanisha Anderson
    Tanisha Anderson’s Death Ruled Homicide “Anderson’s official cause of death was ruled ‘sudden death associated with physical restraint in a prone position.'” Tanisha Anderson was killed by a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio on November 13th.

    John Crawford
    John Crawford’s Girlfriend Dies in a Car Crash On January 1, 2014, Tara Thomas, girlfriend of John Crawford was killed in a car crash in Dayton, Ohio. Autopsies have not been performed yet.

    Baltimore
    Baltimore Detective Reports Fellow Officers Assaulting Man, Other Officers and Department (Allegedly) Retaliate Baltimore City Police Detective reported that he had seen other officers assaulting a man. Afterwards, a rat was placed at his house and on his car. And officers stopped supporting him in the field. Absolute must read.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    Wearing A Hoodie In Oklahoma Could Soon Cost You A $500 Fine A Republican lawmaker has drafted legislation that that would make it illegal “to intentionally conceal his or her identity in a public place by means of a robe, mask, or other disguise.” Here is the a link to the legislation. Important read.

    Black Owned Banks Here is a collection of the Black-owned banks in America. Interesting resource.

    Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay Receives Criticism for Holding a Protest Sign “I resolve to challenge racism @ work #EndWhiteSilence” is what the protest sign read that Pittsburgh police chief held inside a coffee shop. Police union president Howard McQuillan was outraged, “The chief is calling us racists.”

    More Than Protests There are many who have offered a critique of the protests, including the author of this article. Though we disagree with core parts of his argument and we think that his critique is without nuance, we include it because we think that it captures the spirit of the critique of the movement well.

    Fact-Checking Selma Entertainment Weekly has “fact checked” the movie Selma. We’ll just leave this here for you to explore on your own.

  220. rq says

    1. This grand juror suit against the Ferguson prosecutor is significant and strengthens the legal case for a new prosecutor;
    2. It alleges that McCulloch’s team acted as defense attorneys, are misrepresenting the views and deliberations of the grand jurors…;
    3. …& failed to properly instruct the grand juror’s on the law. This all supports the idea that prosecutors were biased toward the defense.

    And last for tonight, from the CBC: Wenjian Liu funeral: Mayor eulogizes slain NYPD officer as police turn backs.
    Latest Episode The Book of Negroes series preview – I can’t even watch it online from my location, but if anyone has a chance/the opportunity, can you let me know if it’s any good? I’d love to see it.
    And this popped up on the CBC, a propos of rancom coincidence – 1965: Malcolm X on Front Page Challenge.

  221. Ichthyic says

    It alleges that McCulloch’s team acted as defense attorneys, are misrepresenting the views and deliberations of the grand jurors…;

    |

    shocker. I’m glad someone is finally doing something about it, but this was blatantly obvious from the beginning; hell even McCulloch himself made it clear!

    he even implied it’s what he would do if the governor did not remove him as prosecutor, which of course the governor did not do, since they are good buddies.

    so, this lawsuit SHOULD include the governor as a defendant IMO.

  222. Ichthyic says

    failed to properly instruct the grand juror’s on the law. This all supports the idea that prosecutors were biased toward the defense.

    I was saying this was what happened from the day after the grand jury proceedings were made public.

    same exact thing happened in NY.

  223. Pteryxx says

    re rq’s #217:

    NEW STORY : 7 St. Louis residents file a legal complaint against Prosecutor Bob McCulloch for 15 counts of misconduct. I understand this is separate from the previously mentioned suit. Mentions misplaced/lost evidence, improper counselling, and presenting witnesses known to be untruthful and/or not actually witnesses.

    Here’s the source article from KMOV that Shaun King’s tweet referenced: Several Missouri residents file bar complaint against McCulloch’s office

    According to the complaint, McCulloch, Alizadeh and Whirly violated 15 Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct, including “presenting witnesses to the Grand Jury including Darren Wilson, who McCulloch, Alizadeh and Whirley knew or should have known would make false statements.”

    The complaint also alleges McCulloch, Alizadeh and Whirley mislabeled and misplaced evidence related to Dorian Johnson along with failing to provide specific charges to the jurors.

    The complaint has been mailed to the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel and will be hand delivered to the Jefferson City Office on Wednesday.

    That’s basically the entire article. The Missouri OCDC complaint process is described here.

    What Should I Report?

    Many complaints about lawyers can be resolved by better communication between lawyers and their clients. If that fails, clients (and others) may submit complaints about any violations of the Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct, including but not limited to:

    · inadequate communication;

    · neglect of legal matters;

    · conflicts of interest;

    · misuse of client funds;

    · improper advertising;

    · breach of confidentiality;

    · improper communication with opposing parties represented by another attorney;

    assisting a non-lawyer in the unauthorized practice of law.

    The Missouri Court Rules of Professional Conduct referenced above: Link

  224. Pteryxx says

    For the grand juror’s lawsuit challenging the gag order, see the ACLU’s press release here. Shaun King’s Daily Kos article here has the lawsuit via Scribd. The ACLU has it available for download as a PDF: Direct link

    1.
    In this civil rights action under 42 U.S.C. §1983, Plaintiff, Grand Juror Doe, 1
    seeks declaratory judgment that Missouri laws criminalizing speech by Doe,
    about Doe’s experiences as a state grand juror for the investigation of the matter known as State of Missouri v. Darren Wilson, are unconstitutional as-applied.
    Doe also seeks preliminary and permanent injunctive relief enjoining
    Defendant, Robert P. McCulloch, the official charged with enforcement of the challenged laws, from taking any action to enforce the challenged laws against Doe.

    1
    Grand Juror Doe is a pseudonym. A motion for leave to proceed under a pseudonym is filed with this Complaint.

  225. Pteryxx says

    More from the grand juror’s lawsuit, which copy/paste a lot more easily from the Scribd version.

    Facts

    10.Plaintiff began serving as a grand juror in the circuit court for St. Louis County in May 2014, for a term originally scheduled to end on September 10, 2014.

    11.Several weeks prior to the scheduled end of Plaintiff’s service as a grand juror, that service was extended to no later than January 2015.

    12.The purpose of extending Plaintiff’s service was to have the grand jury investigate
    Darren Wilson, a former police officer of the City of Ferguson, who on August 9, 2014, while still working as a police officer, shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager.

    13. Defendant is the government official with the authority to initiate a criminal prosecution of Wilson for his actions and omissions related to the events of August 9, 2014.

    14. Defendant decided to delegate to the grand jury the decision about whether there was probable cause to believe that Wilson violated any state criminal laws.

    15.Defendant was responsible for deciding what evidence would be presented to the grand jury, what evidence would be withheld, how evidence would be presented, and what the State’s counsel to the grand jury would be.

    16. Defendant promised the grand jurors and the public that the grand jury investigation would be transparent.

    17. Defendant told the grand jurors, “If your determination is that there are no charges to be filed, then everything will be released immediately or as close to immediately as we can get, and that’s everything. Your deliberations aren’t, as I said, your deliberations are not recorded and never will be recorded, notes won’t be released, but every bit of evidence that you have, the testimony of the witnesses who come in, the statements of the witnesses, the physical evidence, the photographs, everything that you have seen and heard will be released to the public. That is as transparent as we can get short of putting a pool TV camera in here and that’s not going to happen.”

    18. Once before, in the investigation of a June 12, 2000, police shooting, Defendant had promised transparency and to release all evidence presented.

    19. From Plaintiff’s perspective, the presentation of evidence to the grand jury investigating Wilson differed markedly and in significant ways from how evidence was presented in the hundreds of matters presented to the grand jury earlier in its term.

    20. From Plaintiff’s perspective, the State’s counsel to the grand jury investigating Wilson differed markedly and in significant ways from the State’s counsel to the grand jury in the hundreds of matters presented to the grand jury earlier in its term.

    21. From Plaintiff’s perspective, the investigation of Wilson
    had a stronger focus on the victim than in other cases presented to the grand jury.

    22. From Plaintiff’s perspective, the presentation of the law to which the gr and jurors were to apply the facts was made in a muddled and untimely manner compared to the presentation of the law in other cases presented to the grand jury.

    23. In Missouri, an indictment is returned only when at least nine out of twelve grand jurors concur in finding that an indictment should issue. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 540.260.

    24. The decision of a grand jury to return no true bill of indictment means that as few as four out of twelve grand jurors did not concur in finding that an indictment should issue.
    Id .

    25. None of the charges presented to the grand jury investigating Wilson resulted in an indictment.

    […]

    32. From Plaintiff’s perspective, Defendant’s statement characterizes the views of the grand jurors collectively toward the evidence, witnesses, and the law, in a manner that does not comport with Plaintiff’s own opinions.

    33. From Plaintiff’s perspective, although the release of a large number of records provides an appearance of transparency, with heavy redactions and the absence of context, those records do not fully portray the proceedings before the grand jury.

    34. Plaintiff would like to speak about the experience of being a grand juror, including expressing Plaintiff’s opinions about the evidence and the investigation, and believes Plaintiff’s experience could contribute to the current public dialogue concerning race
    relations. In Plaintiff’s view, the current information available about the grand jurors’
    views is not entirely accurate — especially the implication that all grand jurors believed that there was no support for any charges. Moreover, the public characterization of the grand jurors’ view of witnesses and evidence does not accord with Plaintiff’s own. Plaintiff also wishes to express opinions about: whether the release of records has truly provided transparency; Plaintiff’s impression that evidence was presented differently than in other cases, with the insinuation that Brown, not Wilson, was the wrongdoer; and questions about whether the grand jury was clearly counseled on the law.

    35. Plaintiff believes that by sharing Plaintiff’s experience, Plaintiff could aid in
    educating the public about how grand juries function.

    36. Plaintiff would also like to use Plaintiff’s own experiences to advocate for legislative change to the way grand juries are conducted in Missouri.

    37. Plaintiff’s views would add to the public debate—
    occurring in Missouri and across the country — about the proper role of state grand juries and whether they continue to serve their original purpose of protecting the accused, or are now increasingly used to deprive those accused of crimes of due process to which they are otherwise entitled.

    38. In Missouri, proposed House Joint Resolution 17 would repeal the state constitutional authorization for grand juries. A copy of HJR 17 is attached hereto as Exhibit E.

    39. Plaintiff would also like to be able to discuss Plaintiff’s experiences and opinions with close family members in the privacy of Plaintiff’s own home.

    40. Plaintiff is chilled from expressing individual views and experiences because Plaintiff fears the imposition of criminal penalties or other punishment by government officials.

    […]

    50. Plaintiff is reasonably chilled from engaging in expressive activity because of Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 540.080, 540.120, 540.310, and 540.320, as well as any other provision of Missouri law that prohibits Plaintiff from discussing or expressing an opinion about Plaintiff’s grand jury service, the witnesses and evidence, the State’s counsel to the grand jury, and Defendant’s characterizations of the grand juror’s views (collectively referred to as “the challenged laws”).

    51. The challenged laws operate to permanently and totally prohibit Plaintiff from engaging in any expressive activity related to evidence, witnesses, and counsel before the grand jury.

    52. The challenged laws prevent Plaintiff from speaking about matters of public concern.

    53. The challenged laws prevent Plaintiff from engaging in political speech.

    54. The challenged laws prevent Plaintiff from engaging in expressive activity based on the content of Plaintiff’s desired expression.

    Attachments to the lawsuit include the relevant Missouri statutes, the transcript of Prosecutor McCulloch’s press conference on November 24, and the letter from McCulloch’s office concerning transparency and release of materials in the case of a non-indictment under Missouri’s Sunshine Law. The first page attached is the oath taken by grand jurors in the state of Missouri.

    “Grand jurors may be sworn in the following form:

    Do you solemnly swear you will diligently inquire and true presentment make, according to your charge, of all offenses against the laws of the state committed or triable in this county of which you have or can obtain legal evidence; the counsel of your state, your fellows and your own, you shall truly keep secret? You further swear that you will present no one for any hatred, malice or ill will; neither will you leave unpresented any one for love, fear, favor or affection, or for any reward or the hope or promise thereof, but that you will present things truly as they come to your knowledge, to the best of your understanding, according to the laws of this state, so help you God.”

  226. Pteryxx says

    thanks to Daily Kos, some more information about the misconduct complaints. KMOX: Bar Complaint Filed Against McCulloch

    Attorney and former judge James R. Dowd and attorney Robert Ramsey reviewed the grand jury transcript – including evidence, witness interviews and testimony – before a group of seven citizens and attorneys – led by Christi Griffin, founder of the Ethics Project – filed an 11-page complaint with the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel in Jefferson City, Missouri.

    Griffin says the complaint focuses on more than 15 Rules of Professional Conduct the group believes were violated, including the following:

    – Presenting witnesses to the grand jury – including Darren Wilson – who McCulloch, Alizadeh and Whirley knew or should have known would make false statements, is not exhaustive.

    Under Missouri Supreme Court Rule, the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel has the duty to investigate allegations of misconduct by lawyers and for prosecuting cases where the misconduct poses a threat to the public or to the integrity of the legal profession.

    It is the position of the complainants that McCulloch, Alizadeh and Whirley’s conduct have done both.

    – Presenting the grand jury with a legal instruction ruled unconstitutional for decades.

    – Mislabeling and misplacing evidence related to key witness Dorian Johnson.

    – Failing to provide specific charges to the jury after “dumping” on them thousands of pages of interviews and evidence the complainants cite as going above gross negligence.

  227. rq says

    Say this headline while speaking through nose to get full effect: RT @peterfhart: Someone frame this headline. The headline: “White men have stories to tell, too”.

    What Oprah missed when she criticized the Ferguson protests

    “I think it’s wonderful to march and to protest and it’s wonderful to see all across the country, people doing it,” Winfrey told People Magazine in a Thursday interview promoting “Selma,” a film she produced about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1965 campaign to win voting rights for African-Americans.

    “But what I’m looking for,” she continued, “is some kind of leadership to come out of this to say, ‘This is what we want. This is what we want. This is what has to change, and these are the steps that we need to take to make these changes, and this is what we’re willing to do to get it.’ ”

    Protest organizers and sympathizers swiftly slammed her comments, calling her condescending, ill informed, and dismissive of youth-led organizing in a way that widens the generational civil rights divide. [tweets follow]

    They may be right that Oprah has failed to pay close attention to the anatomy of the recent protests or the demands that have accompanied them. (After all, there is leadership, if in a different form than the MLK variety, and participants have said, “This is what we want” – demanding everything from an indictment of Darren Wilson, to mandatory body cameras for police, to federal investigations of controversial cases, to special prosecutors to ensure impartiality in all police-involved shooting).

    But the biggest problem with Oprah’s comments is that she’s looking for the civil rights movement of half a century ago. The problem with that is racism looks different today — and so must the activism and the solutions meant to fight it. […]

    The battle is no longer between people who say African-Americans should have equal rights and those who don’t. It’s between those who believe that we already have a colorblind society —a society where, if you just listen to what police officers say and don’t behave like a thug, you’ll be fine — and those who believe that racism still infects the criminal-justice system, including among people who don’t believe themselves to be racist. […]

    To get a bit social sciencey about this, the protestors in Selma were fighting explicit bias and concrete discrimination. But those protesting racially biased policing in Ferguson and around the country are fighting something more complicated and more insidious: implicit racial bias.

    Implicit racial bias is what happens when, despite our best intentions and often without our awareness, racial stereotypes and assumptions creep into our minds and affect our actions.

    Thirty years of neurology and cognitive psychology studies show implicit bias influences the way we see and treat others, even when we’re absolutely determined to be, and believe we are being, fair and objective.

    It affects all of us, including the people who keep the wheels of the criminal justice system turning — police officers like the ones who killed Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice, members of grand juries who decide not to indict, and prosecutors who decide whether or how hard to push for charges. [….]

    Even if there were a specific legislative fix for “what we want” —a fantasy law making it mandatory to reject the stubborn stereotype that black men are terrifying, “giant negroes” (which has been around since the turn of the 20th century and reared its head again in Darren Wilson’s testimony about why he killed Michael Brown), a mandate that officers have to see black 12-year-olds with a toy gun as a children, not a criminal threats, or a bill putting an end to the despair people feel when they know their skin color makes them perceived as criminals — this isn’t the political system of 1965, either.

    Remember, President Lyndon B. Johnson had huge majorities in Congress when the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed. As the 89th Congress opened, there were 68 Democrat senators and 295 Democratic House members — meaning Democrats had a more than two-thirds majority in both chambers. That’s one reason King was so intent on winning new legislation — it was a moment in which new legislation could actually be won. […]

    So it’s perfectly appropriate that today’s version of “this is what we want” is more complicated than a bullet-point list of legislative demands. It makes sense that, instead, it’s a desperate plea for law enforcement officials and others to respect the humanity of African-Americans by first acknowledging and then working to erase the racial stereotypes that can destroy their lives.

    If Oprah is looking for a more specific, familiar, neat version of “this is what we want” than “Black lives matter,” she’s better off watching “Selma” than criticizing today’s civil rights movement. The only place an old-fashioned approach to old-fashioned racism is going to win the day is, well, in the past.

    US Map of Black-Owned banks: [link redacted for the end] #MoveYourMoney #BlackLivesMatter (h/t @deray & @Nettaaaaaaaa), the link: U.S. Map of Black-Owned Banks.

    The MOMENT you know you found the best day care center for your little person: [has a vertical display entitled “Ode to the Youth of Ferguson” with MLK pictures on it and such].

  228. rq says

    Bloomington – It’s our duty to fight for our brothers. We have nothing to lose but our chains. #BlackLivesMatter @mnnoc @ISAIAHMN ;
    City Attorney says she won’t listen to political pressure as doing so is discriminatory. @bloomington_mn #BlackLivesMatter #chargemetoo
    And I love that Minneapolis protestors attended the Bloomington Council Meeting to discuss the potential protestor criminal charges.
    City of Bloomington Prosecutor, Sandra Johnson, apparently told media she will charge 12 people by the end of this week. #BlackLivesMpls
    Speaker: “The city of Bloomington will be on the wrong side of history if it puts commerce ahead of people.” #BlackLivesMpls #chargemetoo.
    So I’m not entirely sure what happened there, that’s how it showed up on my timeline, but it seems that there is a boycott in the making.

  229. rq says

    Also, I’m not sure what this means:
    And I stand with @MillennialAU (@bdoulaoblongata and @MusicOverPeople) and others in the decision to stop feeding the state bail money.
    @akacharleswade @MillennialAU @bdoulaoblongata @MusicOverPeople The leadership & members of @UnitedFrontRev also stand w/this decision.

    Activist organizers receive hate-mail of the racist kind: *Iyanla voice* “Who hurt you, beloved?” “@deray: Today, at my office, I received this mail. America. #Ferguson ” If you can, check the pictures.

    This: Again, we don’t have a manual. There was no blueprint that dropped out of the sky on August 9th telling us what to do or how to react. NONE. They’re doing pretty good, in my opinion.

    This is from end-of-September. Police In Ferguson Lock Up Peaceful Daytime Protesters By Mistake, Chief Testifies. Think an ‘oops, sorry’ will cut it?

    Police applied the rule to everyone, from protesters and journalists, to children and a 73-year-old woman. Even during daylight hours, officers arrested people who stopped moving for a few seconds, and threatened those who didn’t keep in motion. The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri is suing both St. Louis County and the Missouri State Highway Patrol over the enforcement of the law on behalf of protesters, seeking an injunction forbidding police from arresting protesters who are standing still.

    Belmar testified that the five-second rule was only supposed to be applied at night. Yet the rule was enforced during daylight. Even a news photographer was arrested during a peaceful daytime protest, apparently because he stopped on the sidewalk to take photos and wasn’t inside the designated media area.

    Belmar said the “keep moving” instructions were applied by mistake by officers. He said there had been a breakdown in communication.

    “I don’t think we were clear enough as commanders,” Belmar testified, according to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Some instructions, he said, “confused” the officers. “We understand that now, but I didn’t understand it then,” he said.

    Makes me wonder if they can use that new ‘but I didn’t know the law’ defense that just became allowable for officers in December or so.

    Now the NYPD can point to the danger of their job once more: 2 NYPD officers shot responding to robbery in the Bronx, expected to survive

    “I am saddened by the news that two NYC Police Officers were shot in the line of duty while preventing an armed robbery in the Fordham section of the Bronx, Torres said. “As the Council Member who represents the area, I ask all New Yorkers to keep these officers and their family in your prayers, as I will in mine.”

    “Tonight’s shooting underscores, in the most painfully human terms, the extraordinary risk that officers take in keeping our neighborhoods safe from violent crime. The two criminals responsible for the shootings deserve no mercy at all: they should be swiftly apprehended and prosecuted aggressively to the fullest extent of the law.”

    And as interlude, this is the website of Neil Kenlock, photographer:

    Neil Kenlock, photographer and media professional has been living in London since he came to Britain from Jamaica in 1963, to join his parents. He was a professional photographer for the first twenty years of his working life specialising in the cultural lifestyles of Jamaicans living and visiting the UK. In the late 60s, he became the official photographer for the UK Black Panther Movement, documenting the rallies, racism and upheaval during the 1970s and early 1980s in London. Alongside the big picture of marches, protests and portraits of prominent campaigners, there are images focusing on details – a 1972 front door daubed with the slogan ‘KEEP BRITAIN WHITE’ is a moving and memorable moment captured on film.

    Kenlock was also the staff photographer for the West Indian World newspaper, the first national paper to target the black community. Then in 1979, he co-founded Britain’s first black, glossy, lifestyle magazine called ROOT, until 1987. Kenlock later went on to become a co-founder of Choice FM, the UK’s first radio station broadcasting to the black community.

  230. Pteryxx says

    Buzzfeed: Staten Island Judge Will Hear Arguments About Releasing Eric Garner Documents

    Four different parties, including civil rights groups and a newspaper, have asked the Staten Island branch of the New York State Supreme Court to release the minutes of the grand jury that declined to indict the police officer who killed Eric Garner with a chokehold in 2014.

    The first hearing of the special proceedings took place on Monday before Richmond County Supreme Court Judge William Garnett. Oral arguments for the case are scheduled for Jan. 29.

    Grand jury proceedings are usually kept secret, but New York City’s public advocate, the New York Civil Liberties Union, the Legal Aid Society, and the New York Post are all arguing that an exception should be made in the Garner case.

    Daniel Donovan, the Staten Island District Attorney who led the grand jury proceedings, is fighting to keep the documents secret. Donovan’s office did not respond to requests for comment. The Republican prosecutor is considering running for the U.S. Congress. He has already been endorsed by at least one police union.

  231. rq says

    I must say, the bashing of the bail fund today was probably the most confusing and problematic discussion I’ve seen in a long time. (This relates to the first couple of links of previous post, which is, unfortunately, in moderation.)

    New York: The police filmed this entire peaceful protest, btw. #GrandCentral #CarryTheNames into the New Year #BlackLivesMatter;
    Los Angeles: Small and mighty #OccupyLAPD encampment endures. Can’t kill the movement! #BlackLivesMatter @BLMLA

    St Louis Public Radio: McCulloch, Two Assistants Face Ethics Complaint Over Darren Wilson Grand Jury

    Specifically, McCulloch, Alizadeh and Whirley are accused of violating the following rules of conduct:

    Rule 4-3.3: Candor toward the tribunal. The complaint says, among other things, that Alizadeh and Whirley cited an outdated, unconstitutional use-of-force statute, and failed to properly correct their mistake. The two are also accused of knowingly allowing witnesses to lie to the grand jury.
    Rule 4-1.1: Competence. Historically, the plaintiff — or the person bringing the case — is supposed to receive the benefit of the doubt. In the Wilson case, the state is the plaintiff. The complaint alleges that Alizadeh and Whirley, presumably with McCulloch’s knowledge, did not do all they could to present the strongest case for the state.
    Rule 4-1.6: Confidentiality of information. The complaint says McCulloch needed permission to release the transcripts of grand jury testimony and witness statements and that he dumped all the evidence in an effort to taint a second grand jury.
    Rule 4-1.8: Conflict of interest: prohibited transactions. The complaint alleges that Alizadeh and Whirley acted more like Darren Wilson’s defense attorneys. They cite the continual references to the marijuana in Michael Brown’s system, and the fact that he was suspected of robbing a convenience store moments before the shooting.
    Rule 4-3.8: Special responsibilities of a prosecutor. The complaint alleges that McCulloch made several public statements that went beyond what’s permitted to “inform the public of the nature and extent of the prosecutor’s actions.”
    Rule 4-3.4: Fairness to opposing party and counsel. McCulloch made several public statements that seemed to bolster Wilson’s statements, while commenting negatively about Michael Brown.
    Rule 4-3.5: Impartiality and decorum of the tribunal. Alizadeh is accused of making comments about protesters, the NAACP and Ferguson unrest that could prejudice the grand jurors.
    Rule 4.4-1: Truthfulness in statements to others. This complaint also deals with the outdated use-of-force statute originally presented to the grand jury. It specifically references the day Alizadeh handed the copy of the unconstitutional statute to the grand jury, and also comments she made about messing up the exhibit numbers.
    Rule 4-5.2: Responsibilities of a subordinate lawyer. Alizadeh and Whirley were required to abide by the rules of professional conduct regardless of what McCulloch told them to do.

    Griffin said the availability of the transcripts and evidence, even though it was released in violation of the codes of conduct, brought to light problems with the entire judicial system.

    “It’s made possible by the prosecutors, because as long as the police can expect not to be prosecuted for their misconduct, they will continue to over-police, they will continue to abuse citizens, they will continue to use excessive force,” she said. […]

    Bob Ramsey, an attorney who served as a legal consultant to the seven complainants, said the OCDC will evaluate Monday’s complaint and decide whether to dismiss the complaint, resolve it privately or open a formal investigation. The OCDC has five years to make that decision and unless an investigation is opened, the public won’t know what happened to the complaint, Ramsey said. Nothing else would happen publicly until a potential disciplinary hearing. The Supreme Court of Missouri would make the final decision about any attorney discipline.

    Ramsey said he was unaware of any Missouri prosecutors who were ever publicly disciplined, even for what he said were pretty egregious violations.

    Well, then, time to set a precedent!

    Just the Washington Post on the same: Grand juror in Darren Wilson case sues for right to speak out.

  232. rq says

    Family of man shot by Wichita officer says police escalated situation

    “They got out of the vehicle ready to kill,” said Alina Quintero, a family spokeswoman and cousin of John Paul “Paulie” Quintero, who died at a hospital hours after the shooting Saturday.

    Alina Quintero, 24, was referring to a Wichita police officer who carried a rifle used to fire two shots into Quintero’s midsection Saturday night in the 500 block of North Oliver.

    That’s John Paul Quintero, over in Kansas City, to clarify.

    On Sunday, Interim Police Chief Nelson Mosley said the female officer shot John Paul Quintero after 911 dispatchers received calls that he was armed with a knife and under the influence of alcohol. Nelson described Quintero as being “belligerent” and confrontational with officers and ignoring commands. After a male officer deployed a Taser, which had no effect on Quintero, Quintero moved toward the male officer and reached toward his own waistband, and the female officer fired two shots into Quintero’s midsection, Mosley said.

    Detectives later determined that Quintero had threatened to kill people at the home, at one point holding a knife to a woman’s throat, before going outside and sitting in an SUV, Mosley said.

    In an interview at a family home Monday afternoon, Quintero’s family was critical of how police handled the situation.

    “One fact is, police shot an unarmed man,” Alina Quintero said.

    On Sunday, police said they had not found any weapon that John Paul Quintero might have used.

    His cousin noted that one witness said he saw her cousin holding his hands up, facing the female officer, “who had her rifle up, and she was looking down the sight.”

    The witness was quoted in Monday’s Eagle saying that he was on his way home from work and saw the officer pointing the rifle at Quintero and looking down the sight. He slowed down as he was driving by and did not see the shooting.

    “Everybody’s upset, angry, hurt,” Alina Quintero said.

    She said that as her cousin lay there critically injured, officers handcuffed him. “Like they didn’t care if he was bleeding to death, that he was nothing,” she said. “They treated him like he was not a human being. My aunt had to call the ambulance to make sure they got there fast.”

    According to the police time line, the disturbance call came to 911 at 6:43 p.m. Saturday, and two officers arrived at 6:51, eight minutes later. Police said EMS got there at 7:04 and took Quintero to Wesley Medical Center.

    US prison population up 800% since launch of War on Drugs. Nice handy graph previously posted via Twitter link, now via BoingBoing.

  233. Pteryxx says

    HuffPo on Oklahoma’s proposed hoodie ban: Wearing A Hoodie In Oklahoma Could Soon Cost You A $500 Fine

    The wearing of hoods or similar head coverings during the commission of a crime has been against state law since the 1920s, with the original intent of curbing violence perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan. But the new proposal would also ban an individual from intentionally concealing “his or her identity in a public place by means of a robe, mask, or other disguise” even if he or she were not involved in a crime. Violation of the proposed law would constitute a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $500.

    The bill’s language includes exemptions for religious garments, weather protection, safety or medical purposes, parades, Halloween celebrations, masquerade parties, “minstrel troupes,” circuses, sporting groups, mascots or “other amusements or dramatic shows.” But several residents who spoke to KFOR expressed concern that the language was still overly broad and could be easily misconstrued to ban hooded sweatshirts on any occasion.

    […]

    The bill’s author, state Sen. Don Barrington (R), said that the goal is simply to help deter crime.

    “The intent of Senate Bill 13 is to make businesses and public places safer by ensuring that people cannot conceal their identities for the purpose of crime or harassment. … Similar language has been in Oklahoma statutes for decades and numerous other states have similar laws in place,” he said. “Oklahoma businesses want state leaders to be responsive to their safety concerns, and this is one way we can provide protection.”

    Mic.com : One State Is About To Make It Illegal to Wear a Hoodie

    A new law proposed by Republican state senator Don Barrington called Senate Bill 13 would enable police to issue tickets of up to $500 to people attempting to conceal their identity in public “by means of a robe, mask or other disguise.” It also opens the possibility that violators could be subject to “imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not exceeding one year.”

    The penalties would apply to anyone caught wearing such concealing clothing during the commission of a crime, or much more troublingly, to anyone identified as attempting to remain anonymous in public, a broad and vague descriptor that experts believe could lead to various problems.

    […]

    Oklahoma’s proposed ban would allow cops and overly suspicious citizens alike greater leeway to harass people who are doing nothing wrong other than fitting a subjective “thug” profile. It would send the message that the same kind of racial profiling that led to the death of unarmed black kids like Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown isn’t some necessary component of public safety, but an objective in and of itself. It’s difficult to see how giving police the power to indiscriminately target anyone in a hoodie for fines and jail time will do anything to fight actual crime, and it certainly won’t challenge the widespread perception that the police are at war with the black community.

    Nothing in there about police who remove or hide their name badges when they put on the riot gear, speaking of being anonymous in public for the purpose of harassment.

  234. rq says

    NYPD Officer Turns Himself in After Attacking MTA Employee

    Thus far, charges have not been filed against Lolja, although he was suspended. Internal Affairs has launched an investigation into the incident. The union is also pushing for the Bronx DA to prosecute the case. Assaulting an on-duty, uniformed MTA conductor is a felony in New York State, with a maximum seven year prison sentence. “Transit workers deal with physical and verbal abuse from the public on a daily basis, but to have an off duty Police Officer engaging in this inexplicable act of violence is an outrageous breach of the public trust,” Samueslen said.

    Will there be ANY charges?

    Banner hanging at Stanford Law School #BlackLivesMatter

    To be clear, 2 separate complaints have been filed against Bob McCulloch today. 1 from a grand juror & another from 7 St. Louis residents.

    Consistent reporting of crime drops in New York is scary. Crime can’t drop forever. God help us when this ends. The link: Has Oprah been living under a rock? The post-Ferguson movement will make history in 2015

    That’s why these three sentences, from Oprah’s People magazine interview last week about her new film Selma, cut to the core:

    What I’m looking for is some kind of leadership to come out of this to say, ‘This is what we want. This is what has to change, and these are the steps that we need to take to make these changes, and this is what we’re willing to do to get it.’ I think what can be gleaned from our film is to take note of the strategic, peaceful intention required when you want real change.

    Not since the civil rights movement has the United States seen a more widespread, sustained peaceful protest movement than the one – than the as-many, one – unfolding since Mike Brown was killed by Darren Wilson in Ferguson. Within 48 hours of those fateful three minutes on Canfield Drive, steps were taken, and policy changes were being advocated, and, quite organically, similar actions have taken place – almost instantaneously but not always out in the open – in Ohio following the deaths of John Crawford and Tamir Rice, and in New York following the deaths of Eric Garner and Akai Gurley. Within the last five months and with rare exception, this movement has been peaceful, intentional, organized, creative and diverse.

    Has Oprah been living under a rock since August?

    What she says she was looking for – change – has happened, on the highest levels, for 150 days and counting:

    One week after Mike Brown was killed, I posted these fair and achievable policy solutions on Change.org – and over 250,000 people signed our petition.
    In the weeks that followed, leaders from Ferguson posted these changes they want to see happen – and some of them are. Leaders from Chicago posted this detailed report assessing problems and offering concrete solutions. The Ohio Student Association has consistently advocated for tangible policy changes.
    In December, respected activists and leaders had an incredibly transparent and tough meeting with President Obama in the White House, which led to a task force that will convene this month.
    The day after that meeting, a grand jury in New York City refused to indict the officer who killed Eric Garner, and leaders there posted these changes that they want to see happen. Maybe they will.
    And don’t forget that the family of Mike Brown and activists from Ferguson, Chicago and Ohio traveled to Geneva to speak before the United Nations – not just to air grievances but to offer concrete policy solutions regarding systemic injustices faced by people of color in the United States. It was a groundbreaking moment – the kind that moves rocks.

    Beyond all of these singular moments, hundreds of peaceful, courageous protests and walkouts have been staged by hundreds of thousands of people on streets, in malls and on campuses all over this nation – from the inner-cities to Harvard Law School. […]

    If anything is missing in the year 2015 – and this may be what tripped up Selma’s billionaire producer and co-star – it is that the current movement for justice is not driven by any one singular leader. To infer that the movement somehow lacks leadership, however, is a huge mistake. Each city is full of skilled leaders who’ve quit their jobs, or moved across country – some of whom are incredibly seasoned, while others started protesting in August for the very first time and feel like old pros today.

    So far, this sad reality is missing, too: 2015 will likely bring the same injustices as 2014, and 2013, and 2012. Any day now, we will learn about some new, tragic story of parents who lost their child in an avoidable death at the hands of police. The number of unarmed men and women who are killed by police in our country may actually be on the rise. But lessons have been learned, skills have been gained, and networks have been built. Strategies have been tested and revised and tested again.

    This year will indeed still be one of widespread injustice, but you – and Oprah – are going to see action from the ground-up, unlike anything in recent American history. And I’m tempted to believe that none of these predictions will happen, that absolutely no progress will be made on these issues of injustice and justice, of equality and the law. But maybe action in the year 2015 will look a little something like this:

    1. We will pass the Civil Rights Bill or Voting Rights Act of our generation. […]
    2. The movement will kick into high-tech overdrive. […]
    3. The movement will run for office. [..]
    4. There will be a new Mike Brown. […]
    5. Oprah and the old guard of leaders will connect with the new.

    It all seems optimistic.

    Murders in New York Drop to a Record Low, but Officers Aren’t Celebrating

    With hours left in 2014, the number of murders capped a year of lower numbers in nearly every major crime category and offered an answer to what had been a central question of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s first year: Could a mayor elected on promises of police reform keep the specter of the bad old days from returning?

    But there is little celebration among the city’s police officers, who remain in mourning after the recent killings of two comrades. They have also heard calls to reverse their policing practices and found their union representatives locked in a bitter public struggle with the mayor that, in recent days, has coincided with a substantial drop in enforcement of everyday crime by officers.

    Reports of major crimes citywide continued their yearlong decline, to 105,428 through Dec. 28, from 110,728 in the same period in 2013, according to Police Department statistics. Murders dropped from 335 in 2013.[…]

    Under the guidance of his police commissioner, William J. Bratton, the department ended its reliance on stopping and frisking vast numbers of mostly minority men, a practice that exposed rifts between the police and some communities. But even as street crime receded, the mayor found those rifts torn open by the chokehold death of Eric Garner after his arrest on Staten Island in July, and a grand jury’s decision last month not to indict the officer involved.

    Followed by a more detailed look at crime stats and levels comparing 2014 with 2013 and other years, too.
    Wondering if public is prepared for inevitability of a crime rise in New York.

  236. rq says

    Repost? McCulloch, Two Assistants Face Ethics Complaint Over Darren Wilson Grand Jury.

    The complaint was filed Monday with the Missouri Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel which handles attorney discipline in the state. It accuses McCulloch and assistants Kathi Alizadeh and Sheila Whirley of “gross failure to vigorously represent their client – the citizens of St. Louis, Missouri, in their capacity as prosecutors.” Alizadeh and Whirley were in charge of presenting the Wilson case to the grand jury.

    “We would like to send the message that prosecuting attorneys can no longer abuse their power and expect it to be swept under the rug,” said Christi Griffin, a former attorney who is the founder and president of the Ethics Project, and one of seven citizens to sign the complaint.

  237. Pteryxx says

    via Shakesville, Andrea Grimes writing in the Texas Observer: The Mental Gymnastics of Excusing White Men’s Violence

    A New York Times piece described Brown, who was stopped for jaywalking before being shot and killed by officer Darren Wilson, as “no angel.” After officer Tim Loehmann shot and killed Rice at the park gazebo where Rice was playing with a replica gun, the Cleveland Plain Dealer hurried to run a story about Rice’s parents’ criminal records, apparently desperate to associate the boy with criminality any way it could.

    Surely these people must have done something to invite their deaths at the hands of law enforcement?

    Meanwhile, a white Christian man plans and executes a terrorist attack in Texas’ capital and he’s just a nice guy who lost his way, a Renaissance Faire enthusiast in a tricorn hat who enjoyed tubing and trying to blow up government buildings.

    This response accomplishes two things: It obfuscates the role of racism and white supremacy in the construction of the “victim” in our discourse, and it excuses white-perpetrated violence as a fluke, rather than as the not-illogical result of pro-gun, anti-government and anti-immigrant rhetoric.

    Austin police chief Art Acevedo was unequivocal in calling McQuilliams a terrorist, and local and national news outlets did pick up on that language in the brief spate of coverage following McQuilliams’ spree, though rare was the coverage that exposed and examined the connections between McQuilliams’ beliefs and mainstream conservative ideology about border militarization, the unassailable right to bear arms and an imagined war on Christian religious freedoms.

    We heard no calls for a national conversation about religious extremism in the Christian community, no hand-wringing cable news pundits imploring American whites to get their violent males in line, no somber public statements from Christian leaders hurrying to distance themselves from McQuilliams and his ilk.

    also via Shakesville: “What White Publishers Won’t Print:” Systemic Racism in (Institutionalized) Knowledge Production

    My co-intern and I took the initiative to call these issues to attention. We tried to show the importance of bridging the gap between talent, story, and institutional racism. The Press nodded, agreed, but failed to act on these obvious vacancies. Although it made us uncomfortable that we still need this conversation in 2014, we were willing to be facilitators between our communities and the institution. We networked, evoked excitement for a writing project within our diverse communities, and proposed an anthology to the Press. This anthology focused on a compilation of personal narratives by millennials of color in our state, which was over due. We felt it would be an important entry point to introduce the Press’ work to communities of color. At first we were met with excitement from the Press, but then their focus turned to incessant questions about quality, veracity, and expertise. Ultimately, these tropes created doubt about the project, and led to its demise.

    […]

    I began to study experiences like mine—ones that focused on rejection implicitly articulated through race. Studying the ways creators have balanced the tightrope of criticism, rejection, and praise provided me strategies that enabled me to continue to practice my craft and to recognize institutional racism when I see it.

    I read The Indignant Generation and took direction from Black Professor Nick Aaron Ford who was the chair of Morgan State College’s English Department and a prolific writer. His 1947 manuscript titled, “Fighting With Words,” was new, radical, and argued for the creation of a Black protest tradition. However, it was rejected by racist editor Allen Tate at the University of Illinois Press who refused to publish him and cited that his work simply did not “justify the publisher’s expense.” Additionally, the University of North Carolina Press wrote that they were afraid “they couldn’t even make suggestions to save the work.” Further, the University of Chicago Press said that it was simply “not profound enough.”

    Like ours, the critique of Ford’s book questioned his basic competency. Despite holding a post-doctorate and prolific writing career, the University of Illinois Press simply decided “Professor Ford is uncertain in his grammar, his spelling, and occasionally in his punctuation.” After a series of dead-end revisions made by Ford and the Press, Illinois simply concluded that to publish a work about literary criticism through a multi-racial lens was “social protest” and ultimately, “unconvincing.” The manuscript was revised and reworked over the course of four to five years, but ended in disappointment. After a total of eight years, Ford regrettably abandoned the project.

    The Press asked these very same questions of our project: What will the quality of the writing be? Who will read it? Can we make money off it? At first glance they may seem to be asked of everyone, regardless of race. But the assumed threat to the credibility of their Press reveals the institutional racism and fear the Press exhibits.

    R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr. argues that racial prejudice happens in workspaces of all kinds: “What managers fear from diversity is a lowering of standards, a sense that ‘anything goes.”

    “IS THIS NOT WHY WE WERE REJECTED?” my co-creator asked me. He was right. Wasn’t he?

  238. rq says

    Who will read it? *
    Indeed, who will read it? Perhaps all those people hungry for that information – the friends, acquaintances and passers-by of those writing for that project. Because if there’s one person writing, there’s probably at least 20 people thinking it and searching for validation for those thoughts, though for some reason unable or unwilling to write themselves.
    Yes, who will read it, I do wonder.
    The most idiotic question ever.

    And like shit,

    “Professor Ford is uncertain in his grammar, his spelling, and occasionally in his punctuation.”

    This is why editors have jobs. And plenty of white people have terrible grammar, spelling and punctuation, and still get published to accolades (rather mysteriously, really). So I call bullshit on the publishing industry here.

    (* I would read it, for one, just in case anyone’s wondering.)

  239. Pteryxx says

    More on #OccupyLAPD from the Guardian: Police shut down Black Lives Matter protest outside LAPD headquarters

    The protesters set up a camp of makeshift tents and a kitchen about a week ago, prompted by the release of the autopsy report on Ezell Ford, a mentally ill 25-year-old shot dead during a confrontation with police in August. The hazy circumstances of Ford’s death and simmering, nationwide resentment toward the police force have provoked outrage in Los Angeles for weeks.

    The “Occupy LAPD” demonstrators called for the department to fire both officers involved Ford’s death, and for indictments against them.

    On Monday, the Times reported, police ordered the protesters to pack up their encampment and leave the sidewalk. The protesters complied peacefully, although they traded shouts with police.

    Two protest leaders, Melina Abdullah and Sha Dixon, were arrested after trying to deliver letters with their demands to the police chief, Charles Beck. The women, a professor of pan-African studies at Cal State and a television producer respectively, attempted to bypass the police line and enter the building, at which point they were detained. Both Abdullah and Dixon were released hours later.

    LA Times:

    After loading their belongings into cars Monday, organizers began a planned news conference to go over their demands — the firing of the two LAPD officers involved in Ford’s death and a request that the district attorney file murder charges against the pair.

    But the scene turned chaotic as two of the movement’s most vocal proponents were arrested.

    The women — Melina Abdullah and Sha Dixon — had tried to pass barricades outside police headquarters to deliver letters with their list of demands to Beck, but they were blocked by officers. They then tried another entrance and were arrested on suspicion of trespassing.

    “We are not a threat to anyone’s safety,” Abdullah told reporters as she gripped a large manila envelope and prepared to face the first barricade by police. “We are two women who are armed with letters.”

    […]

    LAPD Sgt. Barry Montgomery said the protesters was blocking the sidewalk and refusing to leave as a worker tried to steam-clean the area, where there were colorful chalk markings on the sidewalk.

    Capt. Donald Graham said police would be looking at the markings, which an officer photographed, to see if they carried any specific threats against police.

    “Your 1st Amendment rights are absolutely guaranteed,” Graham said. “We have done our best to facilitate that since the Ferguson decision. However, time, place and manner is the purview of the regulatory agency.”

    Anya Slaughter, mother of Kendrec McDade, was among the protesters. McDade, 19, was unarmed when he was killed by Pasadena police in 2012. Slaughter said police were “killing our kids.”

    She called on Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey to reopen the investigation into McDade’s death: “I want to know what happened to my baby.”

    One of the group’s youngest protesters, 11-year-old Thandiwe Abdullah of Los Angeles, said she feared for her own future given the recent police killings.

    “I have a target on my back everywhere I go to,” she said. “There is nothing I can do about it and age doesn’t matter anymore. I can be killed at 11.”

  240. Pteryxx says

    Background to the conversation on Twitter about suspending the Ferguson bail fund… since police arrest protesters basically at will for any trivial or gamed-up offense, then charge thousands of dollars to release them, some activists are declaring they no longer intend to fund these corrupt practices by paying bail.

    Background in this Bloomberg article from December 12, thanks to commenters in Charles Wade’s timeline:

    Ferguson to Increase Police Ticketing to Close City’s Budget Gap

    Ferguson, Missouri, which is recovering from riots following the August shooting death of an unarmed black teenager by a white policeman, plans to close a budget gap by boosting revenue from public-safety fines and tapping reserves.

    […]

    “There are a number of things going on in 2014 and one is a revenue shortfall that we anticipate making up in 2015,” Blume said. “There’s about a million-dollar increase in public-safety fines to make up the difference.”

    Revenue from violations, which already represents the city’s second-largest source of cash after sales taxes, will rise to 15.7 percent of receipts in fiscal 2015, from a projected 11.8 percent this year, he said. In 2013, fines brought in $2.2 million, or 11.8 percent of the city’s $18.62 million in annual revenue, according to budget documents.

    […]

    Government dependence on police fines is a larger issue in surrounding St. Louis County, especially among its “poor” and “small” communities, Tim Fischesser, executive director of the St. Louis Municipal League, said in a telephone interview. The poverty rate in Ferguson was 22 percent in 2012, the latest year for which data is available, compared with a national average of 15 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

    “They said they weren’t going to go after poor people, so to speak, to fund their budget, but I guess that’s changed, Fischesser said.
    Proposed Limits

    Two bills that were pre-filed last week in the State Senate would limit what municipalities can collect from public-safety fines.

    ‘‘For Ferguson to respond to all of this and say that increasing ticketing was a good idea is outrageous,” Scott Sifton, a Missouri state senator who sponsored one of the pieces of legislation, said in a telephone interview.

    The bills will be reviewed and voted on after the legislature reconvenes on Jan. 7, he said. If approved, the measures would take effect in August at the earliest, Sifton said.

  242. rq says

    Pteryxx
    Thanks for that on the bail fund. I can understand why they don’t want to add to the system, but I’m worried for those who may be arrested or otherwise held with no financial means of getting out of jail. Or how that exactly may apply. :(

  243. rq says

    Also, re: not publishing works by authors of colour for silly reasons.
    This, I think contributes mightily to white people’s ignorance about black people. They’ve shown themselves willing to write, willing to share, willing to provide information – but that information is not being distributed or disseminated to those who most need to be aware of it: white people (most especially those who don’t have access to or who don’t participate in any way in communities not their own). Granted, there is information already out there, but how much more would there be, if publishing houses weren’t so wary? Especially for those people who don’t have contact with any black people at all – if they can’t speak to them, the second best thing would be for them to read them, in order to understand, and perhaps be less afraid (or less susceptible to fear-mongering attempts).
    As a person who loves information for information’s sake, I find this practice of censoring black people and refusing them a voice (read or not, because I’m sure there’s bestsellers by white people out there that could mitigate any losses on those supposedly unsellable books by black people) completely and utterly despicable and unforgiveable. Especially if coming from bigger publishing houses that could, in reality, afford to publish some books at a loss – and heck, maybe not even at a loss, if they invest in some decent marketing for them!
    [/opinion]

  244. Pteryxx says

    rq – I’d guess the protesters will have to change tactics somehow, and/or simply warn people they may end up spending time in jail and talk about how to deal with that. In the Moral Monday protests in North Carolina, specific protesters who could handle it volunteered to be on the front lines most at risk of arrest… those who had social support, who could afford to be detained for a time, who had been in jail before and knew what to expect.

    But more to the point, protests or no protests, Ferguson is clearly going back on those earlier community-meeting promises to ease up on nuisance ticketing to fill their budget. The residents simply have no way to avoid being caught and milked for cash, either as protesters or just while walking or driving around their own neighborhood. Which of course is a foundation of this whole mess.

    Unless we are talking massive jail occupation to cause financial inconvenience then getting arrested just to post bail is counterproductive.

    5:46 PM – 5 Jan 2015

    (Twitter)

  245. Pteryxx says

    Breaking – an explosion this morning near a Colorado NAACP chapter, police and FBI investigating. Rawstory, Denver Post:

    The explosion was heard near the building on the 600 block of South El Paso Street on the southern end of the city just before 11 a.m. Those nearby reported hearing a “loud boom,”

    “I was cutting somebody’s hair and I heard the explosion,” said Gene Southerland, the owner of Mr. G’s Hair Design Studio in the same building. “It was such a loud explosion that some plastic containers fell off the shelf.”

    Henry Allen Jr., the NAACP chapter president, told The Gazette the explosion was strong enough to knock items off the walls and that volunteers who looked outside to see what happened saw what they described as a gas can rigged with some kind of incendiary device, such as a flare.

    “We’ll move on,” Allen told the newspaper. “This won’t deter us from doing the job we want to do in the community.”

  246. rq says

    Yup for 245: BREAKING: An explosion has occurred near the headquarters of the NAACP in Colorado. Fears of racial retaliation.
    Police, feds respond to explosion near Colorado Springs NAACP chapter.

    VIDEO: How Prisons Rip Off And Exploit The Incarcerated.

    Eddie Conway and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges discuss the forms of slavery and exploitation thriving in today’s U.S. prison system.

    Relevant to the above rE: no bail fund.

    5 Times “Obeying the Law” in America was a Terrible Idea

    1. The Fugitive Slave Act- In times of slavery, the federal government attempted to pacify slave owners by passing the Fugitive Slave Act. The 1850 law mandated that even though slavery was banned in the North, if a Northern citizen (or government employee) happened upon escaped slaves from the South, they had to help return them to their owners. Escaped slaves were also denied a jury trial.

    This law was challenged by abolitionists and decent human beings and many slaves escaped to Canada. But if all Americans had simply “followed the law,” further injustice (than was already enforced with the whole “owning” other human beings policy) would have been committed. The law was later repealed.

    2. Pornography Prohibition- For as long as humans have existed, they have been interested in sex. In 1873, the federal government decided it could alter human instinct. Under the puritanical Comstock laws, pornography, sex toys, contraception, and information about contraception became illegal to send in the mail, as well as to sell, give away, or own. There is no evidence that the law stopped the human sex drive, even with the threat of up to five years in prison with hard labor and a fine up to $2,000. It eventually ceased to be enforced and was undermined by Roe v. Wade, but for years, engaging in these activities meant violators “deserved” the punishment they received.

    3. Alcohol Prohibition- The prohibition of alcohol was an unpopular and unsuccessful constitutional amendment enacted in 1918. It attempted to stop people from drinking by banning liquor. It unwittingly encouraged the formation of gangs, who sold bootleg drinks while underground speakeasies flourished.

    This, by the logic of cop defenders, should have been brutally punished-because those heathens were breaking the sanctity of the law! (It was repealed three years later.) No matter how nonsensical or ineffective the law, dogma to and obedience of it pervades the logic of authority worshipers. It applies today with the failed war on drugs, which like alcohol prohibition, has failed to curtail usage and created waste and black markets, as well as an excess of police violence and prison populations.

    4. Sedition Acts-Shortly after the creation of the United States, in 1798 President James Madison signed theSedition Act-intended to ban
    criticism of the government . It was sparked by the government’s fear of Democratic-Republican rebellion and dissent against the Federalists and accompanied other laws that persecuted immigrants.

    Right out of the gate of the American revolution, the federal government was doing exactly what the Constitution was intended to prevent: running away with power. A similar law, also titled The Sedition Act, was passed in 1918 to silence dissent against World War I. It was an extension of the Espionage Act of 1917, whichObama has used to prosecute whistleblowers (the other acts were repealed). The 1918 incarnation made it illegal to

    “willfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of the Government of the United States.“

    In both the 18th and 20th centuries, the state was attempting to crush free speech, so anyone who had an opinion (legally guaranteed by the first amendment and philosophically by natural human rights) should have just learned to shut up to avoid a beating and prison. Right?

    5. Modern Day America- It can be amusing to examine old laws and point out their absurdity and injustice (this is only a small sampling that doesn’t cover Plessy v. Ferguson, the banning of Native Americans from Boston, orbans on interracial marriage, for example). But the reality is that many unjust laws are on the books today.

    The National Defense Authorization Act allows the government to indefinitely detain anyone it deems a terrorist threat or having ties to terrorists. That judgment is entirely up to the state, but if those it deems dangerous try to resist, they will be violating “the law.” Is this fair? At what point do political dissidents and activists become threats to the state when the Pentagon has already stated that protesters are “low level terrorists?”

    One of the major problems in American society and politics is the belief that the law is infallible, such as the cigarette law that led to Eric Garner’s murder. In spite of so many examples to the contrary, people still believe that the law is sacrosanct and to violate it is to be an immoral, bad person who deserves whatever the government does to them. This is directly contradicted by the fact that most of the laws listed in this article were eventually repealed.

    Rather than glorifying “the law,” Americans should revere the morals government claims underpin them. As long as individuals view government decrees as the gold standard of ethics, however, the government will continue to destroy humanity. Perhaps it’s time to stop making excuses for police officers and politicians and instead, judge them by how they treat their fellow humans.

  247. rq says

    Oops, it seems I doubled up on the Denver Post link. :P

    thisisthemovement, installment #71:

    Ferguson
    St. Louis County Jail Corrections Officer Accused of Sexual Contact with an Inmate Elizabeth Hanson, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a male inmate. Hanson was interviewed by Clayton police charged, and released after bail was set on her own recognizance.

    Michael Brown, Sr. and The Agony of The Black Father In America This is an absolutely incredible long-read interview/article on Michael Brown, Sr. Bookmark it now and read it in full. Absolute must read.

    NAACP Legal Defense Fund Writes Letter To Judge McShane The NAACP Legal Defense Fund has written a letter to Missouri Judge McShane, highlighting the problematic nature of the Darren Wilson Grand Jury and the prosecutor’s actions. Absolute must read.

    Oprah Missed the Mark While promoting the movie Selma that she produced, Oprah said she thinks it’s “wonderful” to march and protest. In the same breath, Oprah said she’s looking for leadership to emerge out of Ferguson and twitter responded. Interesting read.

    An Open Letter to the Attorney General Ferguson business owners, residents and the mayor of Ferguson sent Attorney General Eric Holder a letter asking that the fiendish found in his investigation be released quickly.

    Kendrick Johnson
    Two Years Later, Investigations Continue into the Death of Kendrick Johnson An attorney for the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office maintains that a school bus carrying the schools wrestling team before Kendrick Johnson was last known to be alive. Kendrick Johnson was found dead inside a rolled up gym mat in January of 2013.

    NYC/Eric Garner
    DeBlasio Calls Police Who Protested At the Funeral “Disrespectful” “They were disrespectful to the families who had lost their loved ones. I can’t understand why anyone would do such a thing in the context like that.” remarked Mayor DeBlasio on the officers who turned their backs to him at the recent funeral of Officer Liu. Important read.

    On Jan. 29th Court Hearing(s) Re: The Release of the Garner GJ Will Begin On January 29th, a Staten Island Judge will begin hearings into whether or not the materials from the Garner Grand Jury will be released. Important, quick read.

    Second Week of NYPD Arrest Numbers Decrease NYPD officers are apart of the country’s largest police department in the country and are using their own say so on when to arrest people for low-level offenses. The difference in number of arrests are extremely low from 2015 to 2014.

    John Quintero
    Attorney Crump In Talks with the Family of John Quintero The family of John Quintero, who was killed by police in Witchita on January 3rd, is now in talks with Attorney Crump. This article also provides a brief overview of the circumstances leading to and questions remaining re: the death of John Quintero.

    Tamir Rice
    Cleveland Mayor Expresses Lack of Faith in the State of Ohio To Investigate the Death of Tamir Rice In a series of quotes, Mayor Jackson expresses a deep lack of faith in Ohio institutions to investigate the death of Tamir Rice. Absolute must read.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    Black Brunch Protestors in California and NYC have recently protested during weekend brunch times — read more about #BlackBrunch.

    Fraternal Order of Police Want Assaults On Officers Deemed Hate Crimes The National President of the Fraternal Order of Police is lobbying to get federal law amended to make assaults on police officers be deemed as hate crimes.

    Activists are receiving things that look an awful lot like death threats, sample: Today, this. The picture is rather fright-inducing.

    This is the letter 2 women from .@BLMLA #OccupyLAPD were arrested for after trying to deliver to @LAPDChiefBeck. It’s barely a full page, asking for a meeting with the chief. And they got arrested for it.

    Hey, speaking of the NAACP! NAACP wants new grand jury in Ferguson case

    The NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund on Monday submitted a letter to St. Louis County Circuit Judge Maura McShane. The letter also requests an investigation of the grand jury proceedings that led to the decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson. The white officer fatally shot Brown, who was black and unarmed, on Aug. 9, leading to significant unrest.

    The NAACP says its review of the grand jury proceedings raised “grave legal concerns.” The organization is also seeking a special prosecutor for the new investigation, replacing St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch.

    And via Kansas news outlet, NAACP calls for new Ferguson grand jury, investigation.

  248. rq says

    Comic called Lucky Strike, on the NYPD’s massive pout that has reduced unnecessary arrests – final panel has a cop saying “We’ll earn respect if we have to” as he helps an old lady across the street.

    Engaged, informed, speaking up. @deaconessfound @MissouriSenate #moleg #ActiveAdvocacy.

    This was supposed to have been the NAACP press release on the grand jury item above, but it’s not finding the page for me.
    And here’s the pdf to the letter to Judge McShane, which won’t C&P for me to quote. :( Nine pages of detailed accusations against McCullogh and his team, though. Worth the read.

    Cops keep misbehaving: Lawyer: Cops Break Woman’s Ribs for ‘Disrespect’ Over Incident Involving a Truck.

    And was this posted? Cleveland Police Hand Off Investigation Into Tamir Rice Shooting.

    The North East Ohio Media Group reported on Wednesday that top city officials were in talks with county officials to have an outside agency take over the investigation, which so far has been conducted by the city’s use of deadly force investigation team. Those early reports, which identified the sheriff’s office as the likely home for the ongoing investigation, initially raised concerns from some close to the Rice family – who noted that county sheriff Frank Bova is a longtime law enforcement official and former Cleveland police officer.

    But Bova will not be directly involved in the investigation, which will be overseen by the office’s second-in-command, chief Clifford Pinkney – who has been with the sheriff’s department since 1991 and is the county’s first African-American chief.

    “Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department is well-prepared to conduct this investigation. We have some of our most experienced Detectives working this case and I’m confident that the investigation will be extensive,” said Pinkney, in a statement on Friday. “I intend to lead this investigation with an understanding of the importance and gravity of a thorough and systematic resolution.”

    Officials close to the decision said that Cleveland lawmakers wanted to avoid some of the appearances of conflict that existed in Ferguson – where protesters questioned whether county prosecutor Bob McCulloch, who had close professional and family ties to local officers, could conduct a fair grand jury process — and ensure that the public remained confident in the process.

  250. throwaway, never proofreads, every post a gamble says

    Indicative of the common knowledge that the media is not on our side: I heard an anchor on tonights NBC Nightly News, reporting on the officers in NY turning their backs yet again, say that it was due to de Blasio siding with the “anti-law protesters”.

    What the fucking hell is that bullshit?

    smdh

  251. Pteryxx says

    More on the NAACP’s open letter request to Missouri Circuit Court Judge Maura McShane, via Shaun King at Daily Kos: NAACP Legal Defense Fund files a potential game changer in the case against Darren Wilson

    According to Missouri law, a Missouri Circuit Court Judge has the power to appoint a Special Prosecutor in any case in which a citizen has not yet been indicted and prosecutorial misconduct is alleged. The judge with jurisdiction in the case against former Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson is Maura McShane.

    The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, in their open letter to McShane, makes an extremely compelling case for misconduct by St. Louis Prosecutor Bob McCullough and his staff. In the nine-page letter, Ifill and the NAACP LDF thoroughly detail three instances of misconduct. One is enough to appoint a special prosecutor.

    In summary the letter details the following:

    1. How prosecutors violated Missouri law and professional ethics for calling a witness they’ve since admitted they knew did not witness the shooting and was not at the scene. They not only called her once, but twice, and encouraged her to bring physical evidence on her second visit. This witness, Sandy McElroy, perjured herself over 100 times.

    2. Prosecutors consistently made documented mistakes in the essential instructions they gave to the grand jurors. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell masterfully details one such mistake here.

    3. Legal analysts and now an actual member of the grand jury felt strongly that Bob McCulloch and his team acted as de facto defense attorneys for Darren Wilson and that it often appeared as if Mike Brown was on trial instead of Darren Wilson.

    Please read the full letter from Sherrilyn Ifill below.

    Scribd direct link

    NAACP LDF press release: LDF Seeks Investigation of Darren Wilson Grand Jury Proceedings by 21st Judicial Circuit in Missouri

    PDF link to the letter as per rq’s #248: (Link)

    Both copies of the open letter are images, so I can’t copy-paste from it, but I’ll work on transcribing a sample.

  252. Pteryxx says

    Here’s the core of point 2 of the NAACP LDF’s open letter, transcribed exactly as in the PDF to the best of my ability.

    As officers of the court who took an oath to uphold the integrity of the legal process, we were struck by the deeply unfair manner in which the proceedings were conducted by Prosecuting Attorney McCulloch and his assistant prosecutors. Our review of the proceedings yielded grave concerns about a number of significant issues, including the knowing presentation of false witness testimony, erroneous instructions on the law, and preferential treatment of Mr. Wilson by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. These and other issues call into question both the integrity of the process and the lawfulness of the prosecutors’ conduct.

    […]

    St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch and Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Kathi Alizadeh and Sheila Whirley Presented Incorrect and Misleading Statements of Law to the Grand Jury and Sanctioned Unlawful Juror Practices

    Prosecuting Attorney McCulloch and his assistant prosecutors compounded the problems created by the knowing presentation of false testimony to the grand jury by providing inaccurate and confusing legal instructions to the grand jurors. On the day that Mr. Wilson testified before the grand jury, Ms. Alizadeh distributed to the grand jurors copies of Missouri Statute § 563.046 – Law Enforcement Officers Use of Force in Making an Arrest. See, State of Missouri v. Darren Wilson Grand Jury Transcript (hereinafter “Grand Jury Transcript”) Vol. V at 5 (Sept. 16, 2014). A portion of that law directly contravenes a decision of the United States Supreme Court issued nearly 30 years ago.

    Specifically, § 563.046.3 provides that a police officer may use deadly force in effecting an arrest if he reasonably believes such force is immediately necessary because the person to be arrested “[h]as committed or attempted to commit a felony.” Mo. Stat. § 563.046.3 (2014). However, in Tennessee v. Garner, the
    United States Supreme Court held that the use of force against an unarmed, non-dangerous fleeing suspect violates the Fourth Amendment. 471 U.S. 1, 11-12 (1985). Accordingly, Missouri’s jury instructions were revised to advise jurors that a law enforcement officer may use deadly force during the course of an arrest or
    while preventing an escape only when “he reasonably believes that the person being arrested is attempting to escape by use of a deadly weapon or that the person may endanger life or inflict serious physical injury unless arrested without delay.” MAI-CR § 306.14. Thus, the appropriate jury instruction as adopted by the Missouri Supreme Court, does not allow mere suspicion that someone has committed a felony to justify the use of deadly force in order to make an arrest. Disturbingly, the legal standard provided to the grand jurors immediately before Mr. Wilson testified was erroneous as it did not reflect either Supreme Court precedent or the updated Missouri jury instruction.

    Weeks later, Ms. Alizadeh informed the grand jurors that the statue did “not comply with the case law.” Ms. Whirley then distributed a statement of the law that purportedly complied with Missouri and U.S. Supreme Court law, but did not satisfactorily answer the jurors clarifying questions about the relevance of the Mo. Stat. § 563.046, which neither assistant prosecutor answered fully:

    Ms. Whirley: Did you have a question?

    Grand Juror: So we’re to disregard this?

    Ms. Alizadeh: It is not entirely incorrect or inaccurate, but there is something in it that’s not correct, ignore it totally.

    Grand Juror: It is because of the federal?

    Ms. Whirley: Of a Supreme Court case that we must follow Supreme Court of the United States. It is Tennesee v. Garner, not that that matters much to you.

    Grand Juror: The Supreme Court, federal Supreme Court overrides Missouri statutes.

    Ms. Alizadeh: As far as you need to know, just don’t worry about that.

    Grand Juror: All right.

    Ms. Alizadeh: Just disregard that statute.

    Ms. Whirley: We don’t want to get into a law class.

    Grand Jury Transcript Vol. XXIV at 135-136 (Nov. 21, 2014).

    The assistant prosecutors expressed uncertainty about the legal standards governing the grand jury’s deliberations on a number of fronts. In addition, the assistant prosecutors expressed doubt to the grand jurors about whether the grand jury had to decide (1) whether there was probable cause to believe that Wilson used excessive force and, (2) if he did use excessive force, whether he was justified as a matter of self-defense or as a matter of the lawful use force to effect an arrest. See, Grand Jury Transcript Vol. XXII at 101-03 (Nov. 11, 2014). Specifically, Assistant Prosecutors Alizadeh and Whirley and the grand jurors had the following exchange:


    Ms. Whirley: We [sic] still talking about the probable cause and that standard.

    Ms. Alizadeh: We had a conversation with that [sic] even last night and we still have to kind of work that out, we’re not really sure.

    [Grand Juror]: Probable cause, you are still looking at?

    Ms. Alizadeh: We both agree that you can’t return an indictment unless you believe there is probable cause to believe that a crime occurred and that the defendant or suspect or the person you’re considering committed it. But the question is, if you’re going to consider self-defense and use of [sic] lawful use of force to affect [sic] an arrest are affirmative defenses and they’re what we call complete defenses.

    And so if you believe that the person acted in lawful self-defense or if you believe the person was justified in the use of force as a law enforcement officer, then it is a complete defense, there would be no indictment on any charge.

    The question we don’t really know is that beyond a reasonable doubt, what is the standard by which you have to consider that.

    Id. at 101-02.

    It became clear that the grand jurors, who sought legal advice and accurate legal instructions, remained confused and needed further direction. The exchange continued as follows:


    [Grand Juror]: Will that be outlined in writing for us as well? (sup. 8)

    Ms. Alizadeh: I don’t know because we don’t know. If this matter were a trial, it would be different because obviously, in a trial, it is beyond a reasonable doubt. And in trial it is the obligation of the defense to raise the issue, and if the issue is raised, it becomes the obligation of the State to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person did not act in lawful self-defense or was not justified in the use of force, but that is a trial setting.

    So we don’t know how this, this investigation was, we talked about yesterday, is not typical on how we would present cases to the grand jury. This is an investigation and I believe, and I think Sheila agrees, I don’t want to speak for you, that your determination of whether or not force was justified either as self-defense or use of force to affect an arrest is part of your decision process.

    So that’s something for you to consider. I don’t think the answer is simply, well, we believe that a crime was committed, you know, probable cause to believe a crime was committed and he did it and not at all talk about those defenses.

    But I don’t know, we don’t know what kind of instruction to give you on, [sic] do you have to believe that there’s probable cause to believe that he used excessive force. I don’t know, we don’t know that. We don’t want to tell you the wrong thing. So we’re still trying to work that out.

    [footnote copied here by Pteryxx: (8) It appears as though the grand jurors ultimately received written instructions. Grand Jury Transcript Vol. XXIV at 137-38.]

    Id. at 102-03. Ultimately, Ms. Whirley gave the following instruction to the grand jurors:

    [I]n order to vote true bill, you must consider whether you believe Darren Wilson, you find probable cause, that’s the standard, to believe that Darren Wilson committed the offense and the offenses are what is in the indictment and you must find probable cause to believe that Darren Wilson did not act in lawful self-defense …you must also have probable cause to believe that Darren Wilson did not use lawful force in making an arrest.

    See, Grand Jury Transcript Vol. XXIV at 137.

    These excerpts of the transcripts reveal that the assistant prosecutors did not know the legal standard at the time of these grand jury proceedings and were, therefore, unable to articulate a clear legal standard to the grand jury. By initially providing erroneous legal instructions that indicated that Mr. Wilson was authorized to use deadly force under circumstances outlawed by the Supreme Court for nearly thirty years; by following up that false statement of law with confusing and misleading statements regarding the applicable law; and by expressing great uncertainty about the applicable legal standard by which the grand jury was required to weigh the facts, the prosecutors effectively ensured that no indictment could be returned against Mr. Wilson.

  253. says

    Muslims speak out against police brutality

    The growing Muslim outrage over the ever-increasing number of black lives being snuffed out by men in blue has reached a boiling point.

    In Philadelphia on Dec. 27, nearly 300 protesters expressed their outrage by marching around City Hall, holding a rally and die-in that included lying on the ground for 4½ minutes to symbolize the 4½ hours Michael Brown laid dead on the street before his body was moved. The event, titled “Muslims Make it Plain,” mirrored other events occurring across the country.

    The genesis for the demonstration came from believers concerned that the Muslim community hadn’t added its voice to the outrage.

    “It was a feeling, a growing frustration, anger, shame at the lack of American Muslim representation in a growing national movement,” said Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad, Muslim chaplain at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the event’s principal organizers.

    On Dec. 29, in Houston, a similar march also led by Muslims took place, highlighting what organizers said was the unjust shooting of unarmed Jordan Baker by a Houston police officer and failure by the grand jury to indict Officer Juvenetino Castro for his murder.

    Deric Muhammad of the Houston-based Mosque #45, and one of the organizers of the march, said they must march because whenever a “Muslim sees an injustice, it’s our God-demanded duty to speak out.”

    Referencing the Prophet Muhammad, during a phone interview, Muhammad said, “Whenever you see an injustice, the Prophet said you are duty-bound to respond in one of three ways: correct it if you can, speak out, or the least option in your heart, hate the injustice that was done.

    “We as Muslims should be at the forefront of the cry for justice. As long as we do it in a dignified manner, protest is not against our religion.”

    Questioned about the anti-police stance that some feel these demonstrations have taken, Qasim Rashid of United Muslim Masjid and a member of the coalition that organized the Philadelphia demonstration said, “We all know police officers, and for the most part, most police officers are good, but it seems that there is an increasing number of police officers that are not so good.

    “We want to bring attention to those cops and to the fact that not one of them has been indicted for snuffing out a black life, “Rashid added. “It really appears in the way justice is met out in America that black lives really don’t matter.”

    Florida-based Imam Abdul Malik, who delivered the keynote at the rally, noted in his opening remarks that “this (rally) is not about police bashing… It’s about Muslims coming out of hiding and coming out of the mosque, from those four walls of prayer and doing what Allah said we must do, stand up for justice.”

    The youth, who have largely been the catalyst for the growing national outrage against police violence, were well represented by spoken-word artist Youssef Kromah and activist and journalist Shahida Muhammad.

    Asked about the significance of the protest and rally, Muslims Make It Plain (MMIP) member Donna Auston said, “Protests should never be seen as an end in and of themselves. They are but one tool that can be effectively employed to educate people and mobilize communities around a set of issues.”

    According to its Facebook page, MMIP “is a coalition of concerned Muslims working to inspire, empower and support grassroots mobilization around direct action to address police brutality, racial and religious profiling, unlawful surveillance and the over policing of America’s Black and Brown communities.”

  254. rq says

    All O.O @252 (I didn’t read it all last night because it was late, just skimmed, it is WORSE than I thought!).

    +++

    So that NAACP bombing apparently didn’t make mainstream media. This will be a string of tweets in response, plus the few articles so far written on it.
    Plus the usual random assortment of information that may or may not be useful.

    At least the have the country’s top people on it, ha. FBI investigating explosion outside NAACP office in Colorado (and just as a note, CNN published this almost 11 hours after it happened – or more, I think; none of this Breaking News! crap for the NAACP).

    The makeshift bomb, or improvised explosive device, detonated late Tuesday morning but failed to ignite a gasoline can placed alongside it. No one was injured but the incident left some in Colorado Springs shaken.

    “All of a sudden I heard this big boom,” one witness told CNN affiliate KDVR. “There was smoke everywhere the building on the side was burnt.”

    The witness continued: “Whoever did it took off right away though. That’s all I heard and it was scary.”

    The FBI has not said if the NAACP was specifically targeted. But some pointed out that the other tenant in the building, Mr. G’s Hair Design Studios, likely was not.

    “Who would want to bomb a beauty salon?” one member of the local NAACP chapter told CNN affiliate KCNC. […]

    The NAACP is the nation’s oldest civil rights organization. The group’s national office says it is looking forward to a “thorough investigation” into the explosion by national and local authorities.

    The FBI has asked that anyone with information call its Denver tip line at (303) 435-7787.

    So finally some stellar reporting by CNN, right? Hmm. A bit more on that in a moment.
    Meanwhile, Y’all, MTV has one of the 6 articles I can find on the #NAACPBombing. What have we become when MTV is one of the only sources? The article: Explosive Device Detonated Outside NAACP Building In Colorado

    No one was injured in the explosion, FBI Denver spokeswoman Amy Sanders told the Los Angeles Times.

    Sanders also confirmed that a gasoline can was found near the device. The can did not ignite in the explosion.

    FBI Denver officials say the explosion was deliberate. Their person of interest is a white male, about 40-years-old. He might be driving an “older-model dirty white pick-up truck with paneling, a dark-colored bed liner, an open tailgate and a missing or covered license plate,” says the Times.

    Note presence of a white suspect in MTV article, but not CNN article. A tweeter asks: Is Don Lemon gonna ask if the bomber had a father in his life? #NAACPBombing

    And that discrepancy (no suspect / suspect) wasn’t lost on others. So, get this — @CNN covers #NAACPBombing almost a day late and doesn’t mention that the suspect is a white 40ish man. Y’all.
    Which was tongue-in-cheek responded to with, @deray @CNN To be fair, they didn’t mention the suspect at all. (At least, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t an entirely straight-up answer.)

  255. rq says

    To continue with the NAACP.
    FBI looking for man regarding explosion near Colorado Springs NAACP office . That’s from The Gazette, which has a decent account:

    The explosion charred the exterior wall of the building, but no one was injured and no other damage was reported.

    The FBI said it is looking for a person of interest, described as a balding white man in his 40s who may be driving a dirty, 2000 or older model, white pick-up truck with paneling, an open tailgate, and a missing or covered license plate.

    “Some neighbors came out and said they saw a Caucasian gentleman get into white truck,” said Gene Southerland, who owns Mr. G’s Hair Design Studios, which shares the building with the NAACP office.

    “It was such a beautiful day and everything, sunny. And in broad daylight, you hear this explosion. It’s frightening,” he said. […]

    Two volunteers in the NAACPP office around 10:45 a.m. heard a loud “boom” that was strong enough to knock items off the walls, said Henry Allen Jr., president of the chapter. He was not there at the time, but said the volunteers looked outside to see what had happened, and saw what they described as a gas can rigged with some kind of incendiary device.

    Allen said he is hesitant to call the explosion a hate crime without further information from the FBI and other law enforcement agencies investigating, but said the organization “will not be deterred.”
”We believe in civil rights for all, and really we won’t work in fear and we won’t be deterred,” he said. “We’ll move on. … This won’t deter us from doing the job we want to do in the community.”

    Oh, except for that bit about hesitating to call it a hate crime by Allen, but that’s Allen’s issue, not the Gazette’s.
    KOAA(dot)com on the same: Neighbors shaken by morning explosion, with video.

    The FBI tells News 5 that an explosive device, next to a gas can was detonated but the can didn’t explode. The blast left singe marks against the building that houses Mr. G’s Hair Design Studios and the local chapter of the NAACP.

    Which is why federal agents are trying to figure out if this was a targeted attack, something the group’s president says only spurs them on.

    “We don’t give up the struggle, apparently we are doing something correct. Apparently we have the attention of someone that knows we are working for civil rights for all. That is making some people uncomfortable, so therefore they feel the need to target,” said Colorado Springs NAACP President, Henry Allen Jr.

    And thinkprogress on the same: A Colorado NAACP Office Was Bombed Today, and I think the only article that references bombings in the 1960s:

    Although the apparent bomber’s motives are not yet known, bombings were a common terrorist tactic during the Jim Crow era. The city of Birmingham, Alabama became known as “Bombingham” due to a rash of bombings targeting black homes and churches, including a 1963 church bombing that killed four girls. The aftermath of that bombing is depicted in the picture at the top of this post.

    Then there was John Paul Quintero, in Wichita – Wichita police is saying tonight that killer of #JohnQuintero was not wearing her body cam. Wichita has a body cam program already in place. Just a note re: body-cams. :P

    Interlude: David Duke Calls Nicki Minaj a ‘Degenerate’ for Her Role in Hip-Hop’s Downfall

    During Duke’s radio show, he made reference to that interview and the downfall of hip-hop. Duke stated that Minaj promoted “absolute filth, drugs and violence.”

    “Why do people blame blacks like Minaj?” he asked rhetorically. “Because Minaj wouldn’t be a pimple on somebody’s rear end except for the fact that she is promoted by the Jewish record producers and the media, the mass media, the powerful media, that promotes absolute degenerates like her.”

    Duke also said black people were not responsible for the popularity of hip-hop music.

    “One of the Jewish producers who’s boasting about the fact that every one of the top 10 Billboard songs were those he controlled—even rap music is not something that blacks really are responsible for,” Duke said. “It was the Jewish record producers who promoted this degenerate and sick and horrific music.”

    This is the guy who insists he’s no racist? Or was that Scalise? Anyway, as the subtitle says, who knew former KKK leaders even cared about hip-hop?

  256. rq says

    BREAKING NEWS: FBI a says an improvised explosive device was placed next to a gas can outside #NAACP H.Q.
    @deray Of course the MSM aren’t covering it. FBI says #NAACP purposefully targeted w/ IED. White suspect. Nobody calling him a terrorist.
    they love throwing the words “rioters” “looters” & “thugs”…meanwhile a bomb exploded outside of NAACP in colorado and the silence is LOUD.
    @deray The neighborhood she said is not always a quiet one.” Did they -really- just “was no angel” the GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION of a hate crime? (I didn’t even notice, to be honest, until this pointed it out. Seriously.)
    #NAACPbombing Black= thug Brown= terrorist White= person of interest probably with mental illness

    And for a while on twitter, the LA Times was the only article on the bombing: Explosion outside NAACP in Colorado deliberate, FBI says

    A gasoline can had been placed near the device but did not ignite during the explosion, Sanders said.

    The sidewalk and the local NAACP headquarters building, which also houses a barbershop, suffered minor damage, she said.

    FBI Denver and the Colorado Springs Police Department are on the scene. A man aged about 40 is a person of interest in the investigation. He may be driving a 2000 or older-model dirty white pick-up truck with paneling, a dark-colored bed liner, an open tailgate and a missing or covered license plate.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also investigating the case, according to Christopher Amon, acting spokesman for the agency’s Denver office.

    Interestingly, they describe the suspect simply as a ‘man’. Apparently, that means he’s white. Or maybe people are to assume he’s black. Oh, the confusion!!!

  257. rq says

    More Twitter responses to the bombing and lack of coverage:
    @deray If it had been an NYPD station that had been bombed, mainstream media would’ve been all over it! #NAACPBombing
    @deray I live in Denver and they have not said a word about it. I only learned through Twitter about 4 hours ago
    @deray NEITHER CNN nor MSNBC have had it on yet and its 11:09PM We get generic news #BBC
    Media neglects the #NAACPBombing because the story contradicts our national myth of white men as victims and black men as aggressors @deray
    Let’s talk about how we define terrorism & how the silence of the media is them telling us that our terror is not newsworthy. #NAACPBombing
    i guess terrorism isn’t terrorism when Hank, not Habib detonates the bombs. #NAACPBombing #BlackLivesMatter

  258. rq says

    Back in NY, meanwhile… those cigarettes, man. Still punishable by death or nah? RT @ParisBurned: NYC man busted with 500K untaxed cigarettes The link: NYC man busted with 500,000 untaxed cigarettes in his van.

    He admittedly boasted of his earnings to police, and told investigators he peddled the smokes across Staten Island and Brooklyn about every 10 weeks, the documents charge.

    “I go to Virginia every 10 weeks, I make $5,000 to $7,000 on a load, a carton sells between $40 to $50, you got a good one! I’m out of business now,” he told arresting officers.

    After cops executed a search warrant for his home, they uncovered 500 more cartons of untaxed cigarettes, the documents state.

    That’s approximately 517,200 loose cigarettes.

    If Zekry had sold the smokes, it would have resulted in a $150,000 loss in city and state tax revenue, authorities said.

    He has been charged with tax fraud for peddling the tax-free smokes, which is considered a felony offense, law enforcement sources said.

    But he’s white, and therefore alive. *sigh*

    Are we surprised? @deray Just now on @CNN w/ @donlemon Texas KKK recruiter says they recruit from Right Wing Political Rallies. How shocking..

    Remember a while ago, back during protests in Minneapolis, some guy drove into a crowd of protestors, hitting at least one? He may yet be charged: Driver who lurched into Minneapolis protesters could be charged.

    The possibilities in the case range from a felony charge to no charge at all against Rice. He was not arrested after he ran into and slightly injured a 16-year-old girl as others were perched atop the hood of his Subaru wagon at E. Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue late in the afternoon on Nov. 25.

    “We charge, with rare exceptions, only felonies against adults, so that is what we would be looking at,” Chuck Laszewski, spokesman for the county attorney’s office, said Tuesday. He said there is no deadline for his office on how soon a charging decision must be made, because Rice is not in custody. However, he continued, “we want to get this case decided as soon as possible.”

    Should the county decline to charge the driver, the case could move to the city attorney’s office for consideration of gross misdemeanor or misdemeanor charges.

    May. May be charged. For running over a child. “Only charge felonies against adults”.

    Prosecutor in Eric Garner case going for the big leagues: Michael Grimm’s Replacement
    Here are five reasons Daniel Donovan shouldn’t be it.

    . Hype in this election is bad for the GOP.
    This should be a sleepy special election, a low-turnout afterthought to the contentious 2014 midterms. Under those conditions, the basic math of the district should provide a comfortable Republican victory. But Donovan changes all of that. He makes this a minor national story, but far worse, he makes it a huge story in New York City. Democratic activists will be motivated to try to defeat him. The bigger this election gets, the better chance a moderate Democrat has of taking the seat. It becomes the “I can’t breathe” election.

    2. Running Donovan is bad for the New York City GOP.
    It’s no secret that New York City is a pretty liberal place. But notwithstanding its progressive leanings, Gotham hadn’t elected a Democrat mayor in over two decades prior to Bill de Blasio’s 2013 victory. Part of the reason de Blasio won, despite being a very flawed candidate, is that Republicans had no serious challenger. The primary between eventual winner Joe Lhota and outsider John Catsimatidis was a cringeworthy race to general-election sacrifice. The Republican brand will not be resurrected by making the prosecutor from the infamous Garner case the top GOP elected official in the city.

    3. Running Donovan is bad for the national GOP.
    When Grimm agreed to step down after meeting with John Boehner, it was widely viewed as a victory for the speaker, who was ridding his caucus of controversy. Well, welcome back controversy once Donovan steps through the doors of Congress. Whether reasonable or not, the narrative will be that Republicans elected the man who gave the police a pass to kill black men. It’s difficult to imagine how this will help grow the Republican tent.

    4. There are legitimate questions about the Garner grand jury.
    A featured talking point from conservatives during the recent unrest has been that Ferguson and Staten Island were very different cases. The Ferguson grand jury had a complicated situation to parse out, with varied testimony and evidence. The Garner grand jury, on the other hand, faced a case in which a man had died because of, to quote the coroner’s report, “compression of neck (choke hold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police” — and there was video to prove Garner posed no real threat to the officers. To date, Donovan has not provided a compelling explanation as to why or how the grand jury failed to indict. Until he does, many people, including some Republicans, will feel trepidation about voting for him.

    5. There may be a better choice.
    The only other serious Republican contender for the NY11 seat is Nicole Malliotakis, a young, popular state assemblywoman whose district, like the 11th, spans the Verrazano bridge between Staten Island and Brooklyn. In 2013, Malliotakis spoke at CPAC as one of the ten rising GOP stars under 40. Unlike the polarizing Donovan, Malliotakis has the promise of appealing to potential new Republican voters in New York City. As the city’s leading Republican, she would offer a fresh vision and image of what the new Grand Old Party can and should look like.

    The Republican Party’s Rebranding Effort Might Be Headed For A Roadblock In New York

    Multiple local officials have said Republican leadership in the district is eager to back Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan.

    Though he seems to have the support of local GOP officials, civil rights groups are set to stage protests if Donovan runs for the seat due to his role in a grand jury’s decision not to indict the police officer in the apparent chokehold death of an unarmed black man named Eric Garner on Staten Island last summer. Both activists and Republican insiders say these demonstrations could have a devastating effect on the rebranding effort aimed at reaching out to a more diverse selection of voters that the party launched after losing the 2012 presidential election.

    Kirsten John Foy is the northeast regional director of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, a civil rights group that has led many of the protests in the wake of Garner’s death and other killings of unarmed African American men by police officers in recent months. In an interview with Business Insider last week, Foy said he thought Donovan was “losing his mind” for thinking he should run.

    “You have a GOP that’s trying to position itself as a friend to communities of color and you’re going to have the nemesis of justice run under your banner?” Foy said of Donovan.

    Though he said there have been no “formal meetings” yet, Foy predicted activists would stage protests against Donovan throughout the campaign if he is chosen to run.

    Garner Police Protests APDemonstrators marching across the Brooklyn Bridge to protest a grand jury’s decision not indict a police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner.

    “The sentiment among the entire activist and civil rights community and the sent among the core of the Democratic Party is that we cannot allow this man to take his values to Washington to represent New York City,” said Foy.

  260. rq says

    More on the NAACP bombing slowly coming out, and by ‘more’ I just mean the same basic articles with the same basic information, but no TERRORISM! speculation or discussion of how black people might feel about a potential renewal of terrible, impersonal violence against them.

    White ppl have bombed black churches, black wall street, black orgs {m.o.v.e.}, etc. #NAACPBombing is nothing new. With pictures of targeted bombings of the black community from the past.
    Coincidence? Nationwide protests. Selma release. Grand Jury member files suit again McCulloch. And then a NAACP a branch is bombed.

    “Improvised explosive device” set off near Colorado Springs NAACP chapter

    Henry Allen Jr., the NAACP chapter president, told The Gazette the explosion was strong enough to knock items off the walls and that volunteers who looked outside to see what happened saw what they described as a gas can rigged with some kind of incendiary device, such as a flare.

    “We’ll move on,” Allen told the newspaper. “This won’t deter us from doing the job we want to do in the community.”

    Photos from the scene showed evidence markers littering the area surrounding the building, local police and their police bomb squad maneuvering around yellow tape.

    “The investigation is ongoing and it is not known at this time if the NAACP or a business in the vicinity was the intended target,” said Amy Sanders, an FBI special agent.

    Well, the building contains the NAACP and a hair salon. You decide.

    A Bomb Was Deliberately Detonated Outside A Colorado NAACP Office…In 2015 (DETAILS). With autoplay video. Again, mentions this:

    Police have not identified a motive or confirmed that the explosion was a threat, but bombings during the Civil Rights era were a common terrorism tactic. In 1963, the Birmingham, Alabama bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church left four black children dead, all girls, and a nation divided.

    Second article to do so.

    Oooh, this is interesting: Google Searches for black on black crime skyrocket when black victims are in the news. To silence them. #NAACPBombing. With graph!

  261. rq says

    Pteryxx -> If the Twitter leads, the Media will follow. #NAACPBombing :) Go social media, that useless piece of crap, eh?
    The significance of the #NAACPBombing is only overshadowed by the significance of media ignoring it #BlackLivesMatter
    #NAACPBombing coverage proves #AllLivesMatter was a farce. It was never a declaration of equality, but just a way to mock #BlackLivesMatter

    A blogpost by Bassem Masri, one of the livestreamers on Ferguson since (nearly?) the beginning. We ain’t scared of your badge. We ain’t scared your guns. We ain’t scared of your jails. American Revolution 2.0 is here. An excerpt:

    We are not against police we are against police brutality. We are not against white people we are against white supremacy.

    They criticize me and others for showing solidarity with my brother Josh, but it’s okay for them to defend murdering cops. The police are traitors who have spit on the Constitution and all it stands for. We the people will dictate how justice is served, not money-hungry politicians. People’s lives is NOT a business, People’s livelihood is NOT a business. Where does this money go? It’s a racket taking advantage of citizens who are helpless against them. Disenfranchisement is horrible being caught up in this trap taking our money constantly only to contribute more to our oppression. Those lucky to still have a voice will soon realize that it has no bearing at all on this so-called democracy. We been protesting now for over 160 days now and not a lick has changed NOTHING. Government inaction at its finest, so what do we do with these treasonous rogue agents? How do we clean up our streets from these monsters? The rift is getting bigger the resentment on both sides getting deeper. But what exactly have we done to the police? We’re just asking them to do what they’re supposed to do. If you enforce the law you need to follow it, and be held accountable when you break the law. If the founding fathers were alive today another American Revolution would be underway.

    The damage they have done cannot be repaired, it can’t be undone. All we can try and do is damage control. Contain the monster that was unleashed on our communities. We must take all take a stand together, and tell them that no more will we be subjugated to their oppression. And we must tell them with one voice: No more! No more killer cops. No more predatory policing. When you clean house you do it from top to bottom that’s how it works so we must first start at the top of the food chain and work our way down this only way we are going to truly win this. We must start moving forward, They know we have shed our fear of them. The system is working overtime to instill that fear in us once again, but not anymore. Not this time. We in Ferguson are willing to go as far as necessary, we’re not gonna move backward we gonna move forward.

    Since August 9th we have shed a light on state-sanctioned murder. You would think they would ease up with the attention they are getting. But the murders are still being perpetrated at an alarming rate. Unarmed men of color are shot dead in the street every 28 hours by the force that is sworn to protect them. This is an abomination and any civilized country would halt this systematic genocide of its own citizens. But this government has still to address a single issue all the while the death toll is increasing dramatically. This goes to show that this has been a reoccurring theme that has been going on for a long time. It’s embedded into society to obey the system and its keepers when there is no reason to obey them. In order for them to get obedience they must also obey us, it’s a mutual thing. But all they want is for us to comply or face the consequences. Well we are asking the same thing it’s now time for them to comply with our demands. Enough is enough. People can and will overcome all tyranny in America. We can’t and won’t back down. If we do it proves that it’s okay to gun down young men and women of color, and it certainly is not okay. We in it for the long haul. We can’t be appeased nor pacified until real change is implemented. Until then it’s all hands on deck.

    NAACP calls for new grand jury to consider Michael Brown shooting. Is this, really, what triggered the bombing? Just that?

    In December, state representative Karla May, a St Louis Democrat, called for an investigation of McCulloch after he said in an interview on KTRS Radio that some witnesses obviously lied to the grand jury.

    He cited a woman who claimed to have seen the shooting but “clearly wasn’t present. She recounted a story right out of the newspaper” that backed up Wilson’s version of events, he told the radio station.

    Allowing such false testimony “fatally compromises the fair administration of justice”, the fund wrote to the judge.

    But Ric Simmons, a professor at the Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, said allowing witnesses to testify unfiltered may have simply been part of McCulloch’s effort to stay neutral. Grand jurors usually hear a shorter recounting of evidence that might be presented at trial, but the Ferguson grand jury heard more extensive testimony.

    “I think charitably their reason for bringing in all the evidence was so they could say, ‘Look, we showed the grand jury everything, and let them make their own decision,’” Simmons said.

    The fund also cited concern about faulty legal instructions initially given by assistant prosecutors. The information was later corrected, but jurors could have been confused, the fund said.

    Also Tuesday, US district judge Carol Jackson in St Louis extended for 45 days a temporary restraining order requiring Missouri police to give protesters the chance to disperse before teargas is deployed. Attorneys for law enforcement agencies and protesters who are suing them said they were in settlement negotiations.

    And one against erasure, I read one of major Black mags. Despite THREE BW being killed by the police in Nov. they continue to frame police violence as a BM issue.

  262. Pteryxx says

    rq:

    If the Twitter leads, the Media will follow. #NAACPBombing :) Go social media, that useless piece of crap, eh?

    to paraphrase a blogger… Are we going to be stuck with random voices through Twitter as the best news coverage we can get? <_<

    Speaking of which, social media folks may have identified the officer who shot and killed unarmed John Quintero… and the same officer was named in a lawsuit for the 2012 fatal shooting of a woman who officers say rushed them with a knife… in spite of being generally wheelchair-bound and not capable of rushing anyone. Sources, tentative for now: Revolution-News, Twitter

  264. rq says

    Die-in. Jefferson City.
    Clergy lead protest in Jefferson City this morning.

    Via the Wonkette, Grand Juror Thinks Ferguson Prosecutor Should Eat A Bag Of Dicks

    The latest wrinkle comes in the form of a lawsuit from a member of the Ferguson grand juror, who is suing St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch for the right to speak out on the jury’s experiences during the case. Grand jury members are prohibited from discussing cases, but “Juror Doe,” with legal assistance from the ACLU of Missouri, wants to get his or her two cents out. You may be astonished to learn that the reason for trying to come forward is not to say that they think McCulloch is the kindest bravest warmest most wonderful prosecutor they’ve ever been honored to know:

    “In [the grand juror]’s view, the current information available about the grand jurors’ views is not entirely accurate — especially the implication that all grand jurors believed that there was no support for any charges,” the lawsuit says. “Moreover, the public characterization of the grand jurors’ view of witnesses and evidence does not accord with [Doe]’s own.”

    Surely this cannot be true! In his summation for the defense, prosecutor McCulloch said all the evidence that mattered had convinced the grand jury there was no case at all against Wilson!

    OK, sure, he also said a little later that he knew he’d put some liars on the stand, but that’s no reason to think that the process was flawed or anything. Except now we’re hearing from someone who was right there, who wants us all to know that not everyone on the grand jury was a complete idiot. […]

    As we’ve noted, the grand jury was originally told that under Missouri law, it’s OK for cops to shoot a fleeing suspect, even though that law was found unconstitutional in 1985. But at the last minute, the prosecution team gave the jurors a copy of the right law and told them not to worry about the Constitution too much, so why would anyone think the instructions were muddled? (Complete speculation: Is Juror Doe the person who asked the prosecutors to clarify whether the Supreme Court had invalidated the Missouri law? There’s a 1-in-12 chance it was!)

    The complaint explains that Juror Doe wants to speak up for the sake of educating the public about the grand jury process in general, and this crapsack of a case in particular:

    In Plaintiff’s view, the current information available about the grand jurors’ views is not entirely accurate — especially the implication that all grand jurors believed that there was no support for any charges … Plaintiff also wishes to express opinions about: whether the release of records has truly provided transparency; Plaintiff’s impression that evidence was presented differently than in other cases, with the insinuation that Brown, not Wilson, was the wrongdoer; and questions about whether the grand jury was clearly counseled on the law.

    In addition, the juror acknowledges that they “would also like to use Plaintiff’s own experiences to advocate for legislative change to the way grand juries are conducted in Missouri.” We can’t imagine why anything about their experience might have led them to be skeptical about the fairness and effectiveness of the grand jury system.

    This is probably a good place to mention that, in a separate action, a group of St. Louis residents has filed a formal disciplinary complaint against Bob McCulloch, accusing him of misconduct in presenting the grand jury with that unconstitutional Missouri statute and putting forward witnesses he later acknowledged gave false testimony. We hope that complaint is given the serious consideration it deserves, but would note that it is, after all, being filed with a Missouri judicial ethics office, so no one should get their hopes up too much.

    Weirdness in Baltimore: So @BaltimorePolice is claiming a man was ordered by BGF to walk into NE @BaltimorePolice with a loaded gun & drugs “to test security” aye? To which twitter replied that the BPD must be lying, because they once tried to go to the building on a day it was supposed to be open, and it was closed.

    Guess who this will most likely impact disproportionately? Food Stamp Enrollment Expected To Drop By 1 Million Next Year

    The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that falling unemployment rates will cause states to lose an exemption they currently have for food stamp recipients. Instead, a three-month federal time limit on nutrition assistance for unemployed adults who don’t have dependents or disabilities will kick in again.

    Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (the formal name for food stamps) has been dropping since late 2013 mainly because the economy has been getting better. After this year, states will have to reimpose requirements that able-bodied childless adults enroll in job training or work 20 hours per week if they want more than three months of food stamps. […]

    The loss of benefits will likely increase hardship for these 1 million unemployed Americans who rely upon SNAP to meet their basic nutritional needs,” Bolen wrote on the CBPP’s website. “With Congress unlikely to act, states need to begin planning for the reduction to ensure that clients and the many organizations and SNAP stakeholders that work with them are aware of the upcoming change and its effects.”

  265. rq says

    But speaking of inside the Baltimore PD, here’s a video of the interior: Baltimore City Police Slave Trade

    this is how they FEED their Prison/SLAVE INDUSTRY. Pay attention.

    Ah, here’s the article: Baltimore police: Armed BGF gunman sent into police station

    Police said Armstrong was sent to the Northeastern District station. Officers smelled marijuana on Armstrong, searched him and found a loaded gun, police said. Armstrong told them he had been sent in by the BGF gang to test security, police said.

    Police Commissioner Anthony Batts has called the incident alarming. Batts said he is ordering security changes throughout the department and is calling a meeting of other agency chiefs over the next few days.

    “An organized gang in the city of Baltimore sent an armed suspect into our building to see our security, to test our security. That is alarming to us, to me. I am going to send a message that we are not going to cower, we’re not going to back down,” Batts said.

    Police said Armstrong is credible and they suggested he had been put up to the task because of running afoul of the gang previously.

    “He did not go in there on his free will. This person had very little option, according to his statement, which lends credibility to what a dire situation this was,” Deputy Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said.

    Armstrong was charged with various weapons and narcotics violations. He was held at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Facility.

    Hashtag Activism Isn’t a Cop-Out

    Yet activists themselves often argue that social media is important to their work. DeRay Mckesson, who has emerged as one of a number of leading organizers and activists against police brutality, has spoken on his feed about how vital Twitter is for boosting a movement. When he first drove from his home in Minneapolis—where he works as a school administrator, traveling for protests mainly on weekends—to Ferguson to participate in the protests, Mckesson knew no one; he didn’t even know where he would sleep. Facebook networks found him a couch, and social media was vital in connecting him with the community of protestors. Mckesson reports live from protests through Twitter, where his following has ballooned from 800 followers to more than 61,000 since he began his activism. He’s also used social networks to raise awareness and to organize, by for example creating a text-message alert that informed thousands the instant the grand jury in Ferguson returned a no-indictment verdict in the Michael Brown case. […]

    The history of blackness is also a history of erasure. Everybody has told the story of black people in struggle except black people. The black people in the struggle haven’t had the means to tell the story historically. There were a million slaves but you see very few slave narratives. And that is intentional. So what was powerful in the context of Ferguson is that there were many people able to tell their story as the story unfolded.

    The other thing I will add is that Twitter specifically has been interesting because we’re able to get feedback and responses in real time. If we think about this as community building, and we think of community building as a manifestation of love, and we think about love being about accountability, and accountability about justice, what’s interesting is that Twitter has kept us honest. There’s a democracy of feedback. I’ve had really robust conversations with people who aren’t physically in the space, but who have such great ideas. And that’s proven to be invaluable.

    Berlatsky: The civil-rights movement of the ’60s obviously didn’t have Twitter or social media or the Internet, but it was able to get its message out to the media in other ways. Why wouldn’t traditional media be adequate now?

    Mckesson: Ferguson exists in a tradition of protest. But what is different about Ferguson, or what is important about Ferguson, is that the movement began with regular people. There was no Martin, there was no Malcolm, there was no NAACP, it wasn’t the Urban League. People came together who didn’t necessarily know each other, but knew what they were experiencing was wrong. And that is what started this. What makes that really important, unlike previous struggle, is that—who is the spokesperson? The people. The people, in a very democratic way, became the voice of the struggle.

    Our access to information is also so much greater than in the past. For instance, there’s an officer in Ferguson who is really aggressive with protestors for no reason. And I was able to take a picture of him—he would cover his badge with his hand, he would not show his name. So I took a picture of him, put it online, and within 30 minutes they knew everything about him. And that’s a different way of empowering people.

    Berlatsky: It sounds like you’re saying that Twitter allowed the movement to be a lot more decentralized. Is that an advantage or a disadvantage? It seems like it might be a disadvantage in terms of settling on specific goals, for example.

    Mckesson: It is not that we’re anti-organization. There are structures that have formed as a result of protest, that are really powerful. It is just that you did not need those structures to begin protest. You are enough to start a movement. Individual people can come together around things that they know are unjust. And they can spark change. Your body can be part of the protest; you don’t need a VIP pass to protest. And Twitter allowed that to happen. […]

    Now the movement has spread beyond St. Louis, we cover stories from around the country. So the goal was to be a hub of information. I think the first newsletter that went out had 400 subscribers, and we’re at a little bit less than 14,000 now. And we did a text-message alert for the no-indictment—you could sign up to get a text when the decision came out. And 21,000 people signed up in 10 days, which was wild. So the work is focused on, how can we use the tools we have access to in order to create infrastructure for the movement.

    And that’s what Netta and I have been focused on. None of this takes away from our protesting. We don’t put the newsletter out when we’re out until 4 in the morning protesting. The trade-off always veers in the favor of protest. It’s rooted in the confrontation and disruption that is protest. We want to make structures to empower people. The newsletter is a way to empower people. Because we believe that the truth is actually so damning that we can just tell you all the news that’s happening and you should be radicalized. We believe that.

    Berlatsky: I saw you talking about Iggy Azalea and issues of appropriation on Twitter a little bit back. That’s the sort of cultural issue that I think many people would say is just a distraction, or is just a way for people to express outrage without working for social change. Do you see cultural conversations around Iggy, or similar issues, as a distraction from your work as an organizer? Or are they complementary?

    Mckesson: Good lord. Iggy. (laughs) You’re really trying to get me in trouble.

    When people think about protest, they think that protest is always confrontation, protest is always disruption. But protest is also intellectual confrontation and disruption. So part of what we do when the police speak is that we question. The thing about people like Iggy is that we also question. We question what it means to have your success be on a medium and a platform that was born of black struggle, like hip-hop or rap, and what does it mean that you identify with everything but the struggle part? Which is the Iggy issue.

    We question these issues of race and struggle and white privilege, because we know that those issues are real, and because those issues have real implications in black communities. And white supremacy is not only dangerous but it is deadly. We know this to be true.

    Berlatsky: Do you get a lot of harassment on social media?

    Mckesson: Yeah, the death threats aren’t fun. They put my address out there, that’s not fun. I get called a nigger more than I’ve ever been called that in my entire life. I’ve blocked over 9,000 people, so I don’t personally see it as much anymore, but my friends do. So that sort of stuff I don’t love.

    But what social media has done is that it has exposed the intensity of hatred in America. People who you wouldn’t expect to be racist … some of the tweets are from people who are well-intentioned but racist. And I appreciate that that’s exposed. People now understand where you’re coming from. And it’s deeply problematic. But we don’t have to guess anymore; we get it.

    The harassment is never a good thing. But there’s something valuable in making sure you’re not surrounded by people who think like you. It helps you understand what you think better. And I appreciate that about Twitter. It’s a cacophony of voices. Even when you don’t agree, you at least understand different perspectives. The medium itself sets that up.

    Eh, that’s most of the article right there. But it was good.

    RT @HistoryHeroes: Jan. 1969: Free Breakfast for School Children Program began in Oakland by Black Panther Party.

    NAACP Statement on Explosion Near Colorado Springs Branch

    BALTIMORE, Md. – The NAACP has released the following statement regarding an ongoing investigation into an explosion near the Colorado Springs Branch.

    No injuries were reported in what is believed to be an explosion near the Colorado Springs NAACP Branch located on the 600 block of S. El Paso St. The cause of the explosion is still unknown. The NAACP looks forward to a full and thorough investigation into this matter by federal agents and local law enforcement.

    Short and sweet!

  266. rq says

    But speaking of inside the Baltimore PD, here’s a video of the interior: Baltimore City Police Slave Trade

    this is how they FEED their Prison/SLAVE INDUSTRY. Pay attention.

    Ah, here’s the article: Baltimore police: Armed BGF gunman sent into police station

    Police said Armstrong was sent to the Northeastern District station. Officers smelled marijuana on Armstrong, searched him and found a loaded gun, police said. Armstrong told them he had been sent in by the BGF gang to test security, police said.

    Police Commissioner Anthony Batts has called the incident alarming. Batts said he is ordering security changes throughout the department and is calling a meeting of other agency chiefs over the next few days.

    “An organized gang in the city of Baltimore sent an armed suspect into our building to see our security, to test our security. That is alarming to us, to me. I am going to send a message that we are not going to cower, we’re not going to back down,” Batts said.

    Police said Armstrong is credible and they suggested he had been put up to the task because of running afoul of the gang previously.

    “He did not go in there on his free will. This person had very little option, according to his statement, which lends credibility to what a dire situation this was,” Deputy Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said.

    Armstrong was charged with various weapons and narcotics violations. He was held at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Facility.

    Hashtag Activism Isn’t a Cop-Out

    Yet activists themselves often argue that social media is important to their work. DeRay Mckesson, who has emerged as one of a number of leading organizers and activists against police brutality, has spoken on his feed about how vital Twitter is for boosting a movement. When he first drove from his home in Minneapolis—where he works as a school administrator, traveling for protests mainly on weekends—to Ferguson to participate in the protests, Mckesson knew no one; he didn’t even know where he would sleep. Facebook networks found him a couch, and social media was vital in connecting him with the community of protestors. Mckesson reports live from protests through Twitter, where his following has ballooned from 800 followers to more than 61,000 since he began his activism. He’s also used social networks to raise awareness and to organize, by for example creating a text-message alert that informed thousands the instant the grand jury in Ferguson returned a no-indictment verdict in the Michael Brown case. […]

    The history of blackness is also a history of erasure. Everybody has told the story of black people in struggle except black people. The black people in the struggle haven’t had the means to tell the story historically. There were a million slaves but you see very few slave narratives. And that is intentional. So what was powerful in the context of Ferguson is that there were many people able to tell their story as the story unfolded.

    The other thing I will add is that Twitter specifically has been interesting because we’re able to get feedback and responses in real time. If we think about this as community building, and we think of community building as a manifestation of love, and we think about love being about accountability, and accountability about justice, what’s interesting is that Twitter has kept us honest. There’s a democracy of feedback. I’ve had really robust conversations with people who aren’t physically in the space, but who have such great ideas. And that’s proven to be invaluable.

    Berlatsky: The civil-rights movement of the ’60s obviously didn’t have Twitter or social media or the Internet, but it was able to get its message out to the media in other ways. Why wouldn’t traditional media be adequate now?

    Mckesson: Ferguson exists in a tradition of protest. But what is different about Ferguson, or what is important about Ferguson, is that the movement began with regular people. There was no Martin, there was no Malcolm, there was no NAACP, it wasn’t the Urban League. People came together who didn’t necessarily know each other, but knew what they were experiencing was wrong. And that is what started this. What makes that really important, unlike previous struggle, is that—who is the spokesperson? The people. The people, in a very democratic way, became the voice of the struggle.

    Our access to information is also so much greater than in the past. For instance, there’s an officer in Ferguson who is really aggressive with protestors for no reason. And I was able to take a picture of him—he would cover his badge with his hand, he would not show his name. So I took a picture of him, put it online, and within 30 minutes they knew everything about him. And that’s a different way of empowering people.

    Berlatsky: It sounds like you’re saying that Twitter allowed the movement to be a lot more decentralized. Is that an advantage or a disadvantage? It seems like it might be a disadvantage in terms of settling on specific goals, for example.

    Mckesson: It is not that we’re anti-organization. There are structures that have formed as a result of protest, that are really powerful. It is just that you did not need those structures to begin protest. You are enough to start a movement. Individual people can come together around things that they know are unjust. And they can spark change. Your body can be part of the protest; you don’t need a VIP pass to protest. And Twitter allowed that to happen. […]

    Now the movement has spread beyond St. Louis, we cover stories from around the country. So the goal was to be a hub of information. I think the first newsletter that went out had 400 subscribers, and we’re at a little bit less than 14,000 now. And we did a text-message alert for the no-indictment—you could sign up to get a text when the decision came out. And 21,000 people signed up in 10 days, which was wild. So the work is focused on, how can we use the tools we have access to in order to create infrastructure for the movement.

    And that’s what Netta and I have been focused on. None of this takes away from our protesting. We don’t put the newsletter out when we’re out until 4 in the morning protesting. The trade-off always veers in the favor of protest. It’s rooted in the confrontation and disruption that is protest. We want to make structures to empower people. The newsletter is a way to empower people. Because we believe that the truth is actually so damning that we can just tell you all the news that’s happening and you should be radicalized. We believe that.

    Berlatsky: I saw you talking about Iggy Azalea and issues of appropriation on Twitter a little bit back. That’s the sort of cultural issue that I think many people would say is just a distraction, or is just a way for people to express outrage without working for social change. Do you see cultural conversations around Iggy, or similar issues, as a distraction from your work as an organizer? Or are they complementary?

    Mckesson: Good lord. Iggy. (laughs) You’re really trying to get me in trouble.

    When people think about protest, they think that protest is always confrontation, protest is always disruption. But protest is also intellectual confrontation and disruption. So part of what we do when the police speak is that we question. The thing about people like Iggy is that we also question. We question what it means to have your success be on a medium and a platform that was born of black struggle, like hip-hop or rap, and what does it mean that you identify with everything but the struggle part? Which is the Iggy issue.

    We question these issues of race and struggle and white privilege, because we know that those issues are real, and because those issues have real implications in black communities. And white supremacy is not only dangerous but it is deadly. We know this to be true.

    Berlatsky: Do you get a lot of harassment on social media?

    Mckesson: Yeah, the death threats aren’t fun. They put my address out there, that’s not fun. I get called a n*gg*r more than I’ve ever been called that in my entire life. I’ve blocked over 9,000 people, so I don’t personally see it as much anymore, but my friends do. So that sort of stuff I don’t love.

    But what social media has done is that it has exposed the intensity of hatred in America. People who you wouldn’t expect to be racist … some of the tweets are from people who are well-intentioned but racist. And I appreciate that that’s exposed. People now understand where you’re coming from. And it’s deeply problematic. But we don’t have to guess anymore; we get it.

    The harassment is never a good thing. But there’s something valuable in making sure you’re not surrounded by people who think like you. It helps you understand what you think better. And I appreciate that about Twitter. It’s a cacophony of voices. Even when you don’t agree, you at least understand different perspectives. The medium itself sets that up.

    Eh, that’s most of the article right there. But it was good.

    RT @HistoryHeroes: Jan. 1969: Free Breakfast for School Children Program began in Oakland by Black Panther Party.

    NAACP Statement on Explosion Near Colorado Springs Branch

    BALTIMORE, Md. – The NAACP has released the following statement regarding an ongoing investigation into an explosion near the Colorado Springs Branch.

    No injuries were reported in what is believed to be an explosion near the Colorado Springs NAACP Branch located on the 600 block of S. El Paso St. The cause of the explosion is still unknown. The NAACP looks forward to a full and thorough investigation into this matter by federal agents and local law enforcement.

    Short and sweet!

  268. rq says

    One for the cops: Kentucky police lend bullhorn to demonstrators during ‘die-in’ protest

    everal dozen protesters gathered outside the Covington Police Department several weeks ago, reported The River City News, as they joined in protests across the nation after police officers were not charged in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

    The protesters also demanded justice for 19-year-old Samantha Ramsey, a Covington woman shot to death by a Boone County sheriff’s deputy last year as she tried to leave a field party.

    A grand jury decided in November not to charge that deputy, Tyler Brockman.

    The assistant city manager reported at the end of Tuesday’s city commission meeting that officers had lent a bullhorn to protesters during the demonstration, so they could be heard over traffic.

    “I thought it was a very good thing,” said Frank Warnock, assistant city manager.

    Mayor Sherry Carran agreed, saying officers had stayed in constant contact with protest organizers to ensure they got what they needed to keep the event peaceful.

    “I think we impressed upon a group of people how we do our policing,” said Spike Jones, Covington police chief.

    Jones said he disagreed with the way protesters characterized police, but he said he and other officers had sworn an oath to protect the U.S. Constitution – which he said included the demonstrators’ right to free speech.

    “It’s the first (amendment) because some people felt it was the most important,” Jones said. “These folks were exercising that right peacefully.”

    .@MusicOverPeople just launched her first Organized Movement campaign “F*uck Gentrification”, the link: No more gentrification. At the end of each campaign, a portion of the monies raised goes to an on the ground org in St. Louis. This is community. #OrganizedMovement

    PICS FROM TODAY’S NEWBURY STREET SHUTDOWN, that’s in Boston.

    But lately, you’d get quite a few pics of demonstrators. Particularly those those voicing opposition to police brutality, like a few dozen did this afternoon. From their public statement:

    This creative protest is to bring light to the police brutality/violence/mass incarceration that’s been thriving for 400 years. We are taking over the Newbury streets and sidewalks with the Die In and creative approaches.

    We are protesting with music, dance, visual symbolizing, singing done by Boston Arts Academy students

    Among their chants: “Same story every time / Being black is not a crime.” No doubt, but the protest was rather unique. The horde, relatively large considering the icy temp, shut down Newbury Street, and as promised proceeded to dance, drum, and flip the protest script.

    Lots of photos.

    And there’s one area where white people do get erased. But it’s not one to be proud of. This story (originally posted last night) also made really no news #NAACPBombing. Domestic terrorism charges for three white men, nada in the news. Huh.

  269. rq says

    From Lynna, Fox connects the slayings in France with the NYPD debacle: Fox News Exploits Tragedy In France To Attack NYC Mayor De Blasio

    On the January 7 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, national security analyst KT McFarland said that “really strict gun control policy” in France contributed to the attack and claimed that France’s “politically correct ” policies that treat everyone equally were also to blame. Host Elisabeth Hasselbeck echoed support for law enforcement policies that treat people unequally and added that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio threatens security by demoralizing the New York Police Department and painting the NYPD with “a racist brush” when officers act on that principle.

    Yes, where? A Bomb Went Off At A Colorado NAACP. Where Is The 24-Hour News Cycle?

    A ThinkProgress search of television databases suggests CNN gave one cursory report on the incident at 6:34 a.m., while MSNBC and Fox News appear to have not mentioned the incident on air since it happened. Other networks, including Headline News, (HDLN) mentioned the incident in the morning news.

    ThinkProgress searched the database TVEyes and Critical Mention from Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon, using the terms, “NAACP,” “colored people,” and “bomb” along with “Colorado.” It found only one mention on CNN, at 6:34 a.m., in the course of what appeared to be a scheduled interview on community-police relations. The incident was mentioned when the interviewer asked former NYPD officer and Secret Service agent Dan Bongino whether he thought the bomb in Colorado could be “seen as retaliatory” and Bongino said it was possible. Representatives from CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News did not respond to ThinkProgress inquiries on their coverage of the bombing.

    Outside of broadcast, CNN and other outlets did provide substantive coverage of the incident, although mostly not front-page treatment. CNN sent a breaking news tweet last night and posted a story on its website. Local and regional outlets, NBC News, and the wire services have posted stories about it. And on Rachel Maddow’s website, a morning roundup by Steve Benen included the item.

    If the best u can offer is a yawn and “no one was killed,” all I hear is “This was just an ATTEMPT to murder innocent black ppl. No biggie”

  270. says

    Apologies if this is a repost-
    The other Ferguson case

    It’s the other infamous Ferguson case that’s weighing on my mind. Homer Adolph Plessy, a mixed-race Louisiana man, is forever linked to a white judge named John Howard Ferguson in the annals of important American legal history.

    It was Plessy, an early civil rights activist, who attempted to launch a needed race conversation in America in 1892 when he boarded a “whites only” rail car in June of that year. Plessy, with a cadre of white Louisiana supporters, believed the separate-but-equal doctrine was both racist and unconstitutional. They wanted it junked.

    But America – less than 30 years removed from the Civil War – wasn’t ready for an honest conversation on race. It was content to tinker around the edges of the matter, much like we continue to do today.

    After his act of civil disobedience, Plessy was arrested and his case was presided over by Ferguson, a New Orleans judge who ruled squarely in favor of separate but equal accommodations. The case eventually landed in the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled 7-to-1 in Plessy v. Ferguson that the law could – and should – stand.

    It’s time for America – all Americans – to permanently lose the Ferguson mindset.
    There are important lessons that still must be learned from the Plessy case – a case that was not overturned until 1957 in Brown v. Board of Education. Lessons that show that America has never really understood how to have an honest conversation about race, prejudice and the bias that deeply divides us.

    John Marshall Harlan, the only judge on the court who dissented to the majority ruling, is considered one of the most progressive minds in the history of this nation’s high court. He understood that black Americans were still being denied the blessings of liberty. But he also was something of a bigot.

    Harlan indirectly foreshadowed how limited the conversation regarding race would remain in America for decades to come. This statement was part of his dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson:

    “There is a race so different from our own that we do not permit those belonging to it to become citizens of the United States. Persons belonging to it are, with few exceptions, absolutely excluded from this country,” Justice Harlan wrote.

    “I allude to the Chinese race. But by the statute in question, a Chinaman can ride in the same passenger coach with citizens of the United States, while citizens of the black race” are forbidden.

    With that extraordinary pronouncement, Harlan skillfully demonstrated both the hypocrisy and the narrowly defined nature of race in the American eye. He advocated for the liberties of black Americans and, at the same time, denigrated the assimilation of Chinese immigrants into America, thousands of whom had been permitted to migrate to work on the transcontinental railroads.

    So here’s the sad and dangerous intersection where we find ourselves today. A deranged and suicidal African-American male ambushed and killed two New York City police officers last month. These killings of a Hispanic-American and Chinese-American have Americans talking about race with a renewed sense of urgency. The assassinations were in retaliation for the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, at the hands of a white New York police officer earlier in the year.

    That’s the madness of it all.

    A black man killed two cops — a Hispanic-American and a Chinese-American — to register his savage contempt for a white cop who killed a black man. The tower of Babel had nothing on this dangerous nonsense.

    Hispanics have now surpassed African-Americans as the nation’s largest minority group. Their numbers continue to grow. The Asian population is surging. Yet, the black/white conversation continues to predominate and echo in a sophomoric fashion, mostly around criminal issues. This isn’t healthy and is far from complete.

    The limited nature of this national race conversation marginalizes the aspirations and achievements of the responsible members of all races. It also paints a misleading and confusing picture of the majority and our mutual expectations and desires for the nation.

    It’s time for the tribalism to end. It’s time for this melting pot to deliver on its promise. It’s time for America – all Americans – to permanently lose the Ferguson mindset.

    Separate but equal is dead.

    When will we bury it for good?

  271. says

    Port Columbus International Airport police officers shoot and kill man wielding knife

    Port Columbus International Airport police officers shot and killed a Columbus-area man Wednesday after he tried to attack them with a knife, according to a law enforcement spokesman.

    The attack came after the deceased, a black male in his early 40s, unsuccessfully tried to buy an airline ticket with a fake ID of a female, according to Columbus Police Sgt. Rich Weiner.

    The man then walked back to the airport’s passenger drop-off area and approached a vehicle driven by a second man, Weiner said. The vehicle had been parked there for at least 10 minutes and was about to be towed, he said.

    The man started to talk casually with an officer, Weiner said, before suddenly pulling a knife and lunging at the officer. The officer then pulled his gun and fired at the man.

    The man then got up and started moving toward other officers with the knife, Weiner said. A second officer then fired another round of shots, according to the spokesman.

    No officers or passers-by were hurt, Weiner said. The driver was also unharmed and is in custody, he said.

    Police found additional knives on the dead man, Weiner said, as well as suspicious items that led officers to call in a bomb squad to partly disassemble the vehicle. Weiner declined to provide details on what those suspicious items were.

    Weiner said investigators are still trying to figure out how the dead man and the driver knew each other and what their intentions were. Police have identified the deceased man, though Weiner declined to release his name until his family can be notified.

    Weiner said it’s too early to say whether the men intended to commit an act of terrorism.

    “At this point, this is just a violent encounter between an armed man and the officers here,” he said.

  272. says

    New York family left homeless after 18 police agencies destroy entire home while serving DUI warrant

    The Ithaca Journal reported this week that 36-year-old David M. Cady Jr. had died after being barricaded in his home for three days.

    After Cady missed court dates for a DUI over the summer, a warrant had been issued, and the Tompkins County Sheriff Ken Lansing said that the suspect was convinced that he would go to jail. Authorities said that they had reason to believe that Cady had been traveling to Pennsylvania to purchase ammunition so he would be ready when deputies arrived.

    Deputies attempted to serve the warrant at around 7 p.m. on Dec. 30, which led to a three day standoff with Cady. Autopsy results later indicated that Cady died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The suspect’s wife, Melissa, and two sons were not harmed.

    Video that began circulating on Tuesday showed the damage caused to the Cady home when the 18 law enforcement agencies decided to go in after the suspect.

    The home, which easily could be mistaken for one that had been destroyed by a tornado, appears to have no external walls intact in the video. Some walls are only partially missing, while others are completely gone. The yard is scattered with shards of wood, windows, insulation and family belonging. Inside the home, food can still be seen sitting on the stove, but the kitchen and most of the other rooms are open to the outside elements.

    Up to 150 law enforcement and emergency personnel reportedly participated in the operation.

    In a statement on Tuesday, the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department said little about the damage to the house.

    “Eventually, law enforcement knew and anticipated needing to enter the residence, in order to take the subject into custody,” the statement insisted. “Based upon the information being developed through interviews and practices used by other agencies in the past, it became necessary to breech part of the outside area of the house to ensure the safety of all involved.”

    Danby Federated Church pastor Ed Enstine told The Ithaca Voice that the Cady family was now homeless.

    “She really has lost all the stability in her life in one fell swoop, so she will have to go through quite a period of readjustment,” Enstine said of Melissa Cady. “It’s pretty traumatic — this is awful stuff we’re dealing with.”

    According to the pastor, Cady’s wife worked in the service industry and had little extra money to recover from the tragedy.

  273. rq says

    Don’t forget this handy conversion chart when watching #FoxNews coverage of the #ParisAttack & #NAACPBombing (nice vocabulary comparison chart at the link).

    Why? Would someone do this ?? Is my father body still in the ground .disrespectful pls share #anonymousopferguson (Pictures showing a lack of care for Eric Garner’s grave, to the point where it looks like it has been dug up – but this is due to the ground resettling.)

    Let the record reflect… @chrislhayes covered #NAACPBombing. One of the very few who has over the last 36 hours.

    Black people aren’t saying the #NAACPBombing deserves more coverage than the #ParisShooting. We’re asking for it to be covered, period.

    NAACP Bombing Evokes Memories of Civil Rights Strife

    Henry Allen, Jr., president of the Colorado Springs branch of the NAACP, says he’s hesitant to call the incident a “hate crime” and is waiting for a full investigation to be completed. He says his branch, the largest NAACP chapter in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming, has never received direct threats.

    “That’s what has us a little bit confused,” he says. “Never in the history of this organization in Colorado Springs have there been live threats.”

    But other civil rights leaders see the incident as almost certainly racially motivated.

    “Obviously, this is a terrorist attack,” says Julian Bond, a University of Virginia history professor and a long-time chairman of the NAACP.

    As head of the NAACP from 1998 to 2010, Bond says there were zero violent incidents like what occurred Tuesday in Colorado Springs. And in recent decades, acts of violence aimed at the NAACP have tapered off. But the organization has dealt with direct threats virtually since it began in 1909, with one of the worst occurring in 1951 when Harry Moore, who founded an NAACP branch in Brevard County, Florida, was killed on Christmas Day after a bomb was placed underneath his bed. No one was arrested, but several Ku Klux Klan members were suspected in the incident.

    Mayor Frank Jackson will not swear-in former East Cleveland cop who lost job for excessive force

    The recruit in question is Brandon Smith, who in 2012 was a rookie on East Cleveland’s police force when he riddled a car with bullets during a traffic stop. Smith and his partner said the woman behind the wheel tried to hit them with her car.

    No one was injured, but East Cleveland officials deemed the use of force excessive.

    “The situation warranted termination,” East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton said Monday.

    Smith will not become a full-fledged Cleveland police officer for now. He will retain his status as a recruit, according to a statement from Jackson’s spokesman Dan Williams.

    “This morning at the chief’s cluster meeting, Mayor Frank G. Jackson was made aware of the issues surrounding recruit Brandon Smith,” Williams said.

    The advocacy group OrganizeCLE planned to protest the afternoon ceremony citing Smith’s inclusion on the list of new officers.

    Assistant Safety Director Tim Hennessey in late December spoke with CBS affiliate WOIO about Smith’s history in East Cleveland.

    “He’ll be supervised closely during the six-month probationary period, as will all our new recruits,” Hennessy told WOIO reporter Ed Gallek.

  274. rq says

    Ferguson demonstrators disrupt Missouri Senate swearing-in

    As Missouri Senators were readying to swear-in for this year’s session, they had hardly begun the ceremony when chants of “black lives matter” – an ode to the deaths of black men by white police officers – erupted from the upper gallery.

    Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a Republican, called on the Missouri Highway Patrol to remove the demonstrators and ordered the upper gallery closed to the public during the swearing-in events.

    Some pictures: Some of the best pictures from today’s action in Jeff City. #PledgeQPI #Ferguson #BlackLivesMatter
    . @PeterKinder just released this statement on Facebook re: clearing galleries following protests in the MO Senate: B asically, the disruption was inappropriate and not conducive to a proper work environment or something likethat.

    27,000 NYC 7th, 8th, and 9th graders can view Selma for free, thanks to generous donors. The link: selmanyctickets.com

    thisisthemovement, installment #72 :

    Ferguson
    Missouri Extends Restraining Order Against Unified Command Federal judge Carol Jackson has extended the temporary restraining order that requires Missouri laws enforcement officers to give crowds notice of the impending use of teargas, pepper spray and other chemical agents and provide time for people to disperse. The temporary order remains in effect until a settlement is reached or the judge decides whether the order should become permanent.

    Police Task Force to Have a ‘Listening Session’ in D.C. Next Week Tuesday of next week, President Obama’s police task force will hold a public daylong public listening session in Washington D.C. The focus on the meeting is to build trust and legitimacy. St. Louis native Brittany Packnett will be there. Packnett is also a member of the Ferguson Commission which was assembled by Gov. Jay Nixon.

    Matthew Ojibade
    Matthew Ojibade, 22, Dies In Restraining Chair In Police Custody Matthew Ojibade died in police custody after apparently experiencing a manic episode. Many questions remain surrounding his death. Important quick read.

    Cleveland/Tamir Rice
    Mayor Will Not Swear In Officer Who Lost Job Mayor Frank Jackson will not swear in Brandon Smith, an officer who was previously fired for using excessive force. Smith will remain a recruit. Important quick read.

    Leon Ford, Jr.
    Do you know Leon Ford, Jr.? In 2012, Leon Ford Jr. was shot 5 times by a police officer during a traffic stop and was left paralyzed. Learn more about his story. Important read.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    Driver Who Ran Over Protesters in Minneapolis Might Be Charged Jeffrey P. Rice, of St. Paul, Minnesota plowed through protesters on November 25th. The case has been turned over by the police to to the Hennepin County attorney’s office. Charges could possibly be from a felony charge to no charge at all. Important read.

    More Jails Than Colleges Did you know that there are more jails that colleges in America? This article also includes a fascinating map of prisoner population density across America. Important read.

    NYC Students Will Be Able to See Selma For Free 27,000 NYC 7th, 8th, and 9th graders will be able to see the movie Selma for free thanks to generous donations. Click here to learn more about the details.

    Texas Officer Who Used Taser on Elderly Man, Fired Southern Texas police officer Nathaniel Robinson was fired after an internal affairs investigation into his conduct and performance. Robinson tasered 76 year old man during a traffic stop for an expired inspection.

    Twitter, Activism, Ferguson This is an interview in The Atlantic with DeRay re: activism in the context of social media.

  275. rq says

    TW: Cleveland releases extended footage of Tamir Rice shooting. A half-hour of cops standing around and denying assistance to a boy shot by them. At 1.40 Tamir’s sister (Taraji?) runs into view and is quickly taken down, manhandled, cuffed and stuffed into the police car… right beside her injured brother. Where they leave her for 20 minutes, while more cops arrive and they stand around doing NOTHING. Who knows what kind of a difference those minutes with no medical care made to his chances of survival? Same video on youtube.
    More Twitter responses to come:
    Seems like almost 8 minutes before EMS arrives while at least 7 officers stood around & refused to provide #TamirRice medical assistance.
    @deray While you watch that video, keep in mind that #TamirRice is still ALIVE at this point. He died the next day.
    Also notice how neither Loehmann nor his partner even attempt to offer #TamirRice first aid, or even comfort, after shooting him. @deray
    @deray They spent more time approaching his lifeless body than deciding to shoot him. Seeing his sister made me tear up.

  279. rq says

    For a laugh, yesterday my dad updated his cover photo on FB to a picture of me..then white people happened
    So Father puts up picture of Son as profile picture, and White Person is immediately ‘I cannot agree with you updating your cover photo with this young man. I do not like what happened to him and hope the officer serves time. Let’s see what the court says.’ Son asks what happened to him, White Person apologizes for confusing Son with another black person.

    Cop Trying to Kill the Family Dog, Kills Woman Instead, In Front of her Husband and 4-year-old Son

    According to court records Steele was arrested Monday night on a misdemeanor charge of domestic abuse. She was released from the jail and told that she could not return to the home without a police officer escort in order to gather her belongings.

    Steele then returned to the home with her police officer escort, the same person that would later kill her.

    As her husband, Gabriel Steele, was loading up their 4-year-old son, Steele came out of the house and got into an altercation with him. She was followed by the dog.

    When the escort officer saw the disturbance he went to break it up. Witnesses say that at this time the dog was being playful, but apparently still threatened the officer which caused him to draw his pistol and begin shooting.

    One of the shots fired struck Steele in the chest.

    “The dog startled the officer. The officer began shooting at the dog. The officer was still shooting when he fell down in the snow,” one witness told The Hawk Eye Newspaper.

    I hereby charge Timothy Loehmann & the Cleveland PD with the murder of 12 year old Tamir Rice

    While we waited for the facts in the murder of college student Kendrec McDade at the hands of Pasadena Police Officers Jeffrey Newlen and Mathew Griffin, they somehow successfully convinced the DA that they both saw and heard Kendrec shoot at them, multiple times, even describing the flash from the muzzle of his gun, in spite of it being determined that Kendrec not only was unarmed that night, but had never touched a gun a day in his life.

    While we waited for the facts in the murder of Amadou Diallo, officers somehow convinced a jury of their peers that Amadou Diallo’s wallet struck so much fear into them that they, out of necessity, fired 41 shots at him on the doorstep on his home.

    While we wait for the facts to come out in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, the officer who shot him, Peter Liang, now claims that the bullet “flew out” of his gun as if it had a mind of its own and that Liang and his partner, instead of aiding the man they shot, opted to text their union reps and ignore the calls of the ambulance searching for Akai’s location for nearly 7 crucial minutes.

    In the shooting death of 12 year old Cleveland boy Tamir Rice, we can not, should not, must not fall for this line of “waiting for the facts” to come out. The facts are out.

    Tamir was shot, recklessly.

    Fighting for his life, he was ignored, heartlessly.

    Immediately after the shooting, the police lied, repeatedly.

    And we now learn that warning signs and official statements that Officer Timothy Loehmann was completely unfit for duty were swept under the rug, consistently. […]

    1. The Cleveland Police Department is deeply corrupt.

    First off, it needs to be noted that the Cleveland Police Department was first cited for corruption and brutality by the Department of Justice TEN YEARS AGO when President Bush was in office, but they did not enter into a binding agreement to make systemic changes. […]

    2. The Cleveland Police Department tragically failed Tamir Rice when they ever hired Timothy Loehmann without checking his disturbing background.

    It’s nearly impossible to find a documented case of someone less qualified to have a badge and a gun than Officer Timothy Loehmann. It’s frightening, when reviewing the evidence, to think that he was ever hired and makes one wonder how many other times police departments have completely ignored human resource files when making hires for those expected to protect and serve us. […]

    3. Timothy Loehmann needlessly killed Tamir Rice on November 22, 2014 and immediately began lying about the details of the entire incident.

    In spite of being available for nearly two months, the Cleveland Police department just released the full video on January 7th from a security camera installed near the Cudell Recreation Center where Tamir and his sister were playing. Tamir literally lived directly across the street from the park and regularly used it almost like a front yard of sorts to hang out and have fun. Important annotations can be found below the video. […]

    The police responded to the call, reporting what we now know was 12-year-old Tamir Rice with an unloaded and harmless air pistol, and shot him. He died the following morning at a local Cleveland hospital.

    Not knowing that a camera recorded the entire incident, the police told what appear to be at least five lies about what happened.

    1. Police said that Tamir Rice was seated at a table with other people.

    2. Police said that as they pulled up, they saw Tamir Rice grab the gun and put it in his waistband.

    3. Police said they got out of the car and told Tamir Rice three times to put his hands up but he refused.

    4. Police said that Tamir Rice then reached into his waistband and pulled out the gun, and was then shot and killed by Officer Timothy Loehmann.

    5. Police described the gun as looking real and later explained that the neon tip of the gun was missing.

    MSNBC’s Chris Hayes very adeptly narrates us through the video of the shooting to show us that these five essential points aren’t true at all. […]

    No, we don’t need to wait for the facts to come out in this case. They are already out and Timothy Loehmann must be charged with a crime in this case. Enough evidence already exists to indict him. Sadly, the entire system in Ohio is so corrupt that Cleveland’s Mayor, Frank Jackson, says that he doesn’t even trust the Attorney General of Ohio, Mike Dewine, to handle the case fairly.

    Justice is completely broken in this country, but it must be pursued and fought for at every turn. Anything less than a conviction in this case is unacceptable.

    Mike Brown’s parents apologized for cops being shot. Muslims apologize for terrorism. when will white people apologize for their crimes?

  280. Pteryxx says

    also from Shaun King at Daily Kos: a Cleveland fiscal manager resigns, citing the killing of Tamir Rice as one of the reasons he can no longer work there. DailyKos, Scribd direct link

    I enjoyed both my position and the work I completed believing it was making the City of Cleveland a better place to live. Unfortunately there have been events over the past three years in the Department of Public Safety and under Mayor Jackson’s Administration that have changed this belief.
    •
    The 2011 Cleveland Fire Department payroll scandal
    •
    The Cleveland Police Chase in November 2012
    •
    The shooting death of Tamir Rice

    These events show a pattern of management that is lacking the required employee oversight, fails to provide the proper employee training, and management that is not being held accountable for the actions that take place within the Department of Public Safety. The Department of Justice report released December 2014 sited years of “insufficient accountability, inadequate training and ineffective policies” within the Cleveland Police Department. These management and leadership issues ended with a child paying the ultimate price.

    The Department of Public Safety and the City of Cleveland is no longer an employer for which I am proud to work. It does not provide the leadership that the residents of Cleveland deserve.

  281. rq says

    Police pushed, cuffed Tamir Rice’s sister after boy’s shooting, video shows

    The newly released, longer video begins with the shooting of Tamir. About 90 seconds later, Tamir’s sister, whose name has not been released, runs toward her fallen brother and Garmback immediately pushes her to the ground. Garmback and another officer are then shown handcuffing the struggling teen and finally placing her in the back seat of Loehmann’s and Garmback’s patrol car.

    Walter Madison, an attorney for the family, called the treatment of the 14-year-old sister, whom he would not name, “the cruelest thing I’ve ever seen on video.” He also criticized the officers for not providing Tamir with medical attention. An FBI agent on a bank robbery detail nearby arrived about four minutes after the shooting and began first aid.

    A city spokesman declined to comment about the video Thursday.

    Twitter users concerned NAACP bombing deserved more media coverage

    A joint statement by Colorado Springs Police Chief Peter Carey, El Paso County Sheriff Bell Elder, Fountain Police Chief Todd Evans and Colorado Springs NAACP President Henry Allen Jr. named a person of interest: “a Caucasian male, approximately 40 years of age and balding, driving a dirty, white pick-up truck.” Authorities have yet to arrest anyone involved with the case, although the FBI is investigating the explosion as an intentional act.

    Some in the Twitterverse and social media outlets wondered whether the incident may be racially motivated, even while media outlets had no further update on those details. #NAACPBombing was one of the top trends throughout Wednesday, with many questioning the lack of wider coverage of the story […]

    The FBI has not officially classified the explosion as an act of terror or a hate crime. It is an ongoing investigation. “It is certainly a possibility of being a hate crime or domestic terrorism, however we are exploring all possibilities of potential motive,” said Amy Sanders, spokeswoman for the FBI in Denver.

    “I think it’s alarming, it is really disturbing that in 2015 we’re still talking about bombings at NAACP headquarters,” French said. “That, in light of some of the violence we’ve seen in the streets in the last few months, really shows that we just have a lot of work to do regarding race relations and civil rights in this country.” […]

    For Imani, what happened on Tuesday in Colorado is strongly reminiscent of attacks against black organizations that occurred during the civil rights movement. “The NAACP has always been a target since basically its inception,” he said. “This tradition of having homes and churches and branches [attacked] has been continued on to now. This really can’t just be overlooked or as a coincidence, because this is not a coincidence.”

    When contacted for comment on the Twitter reaction today, the NAACP referenced a statement released on Tuesday. After a short recounting of the morning’s events, the statement concludes, “The NAACP looks forward to a full and thorough investigation into this matter by federal agents and local law enforcement.”

    “They’ve had a lot of practice turning their backs” #BlackLivesMatter #ShutItDown #MyNYPD #Ferguson Pretty darn stunning picture.

    Detroit had water issues. Well, Muslim groups in Detroit donate $100,000 to help avoid water shutoffs for residents

    Two Muslim organizations are donating $100,000 to provide assistance to Detroit residents facing water shutoffs or recovering from recent flooding.

    The Michigan Muslim Community Council has partnered with Islamic Relief USA, the largest Muslim charity organization in the country, to help thousands of households at risk of having their water shut off. The grant will be divided between the Detroit Water Fund, United Way of Southeastern Michigan and Wayne Metro Community Council.

    The organizations are hoping to encourage others to follow suit:

    “We are hoping this is going to be contagious,” Anwar Khan, CEO of Islamic Relief USA, said in a statement. “The most important thing we have is not our money, it’s our energy and our enthusiasm, and it’s our people. … Also, it is important to us in our faith to help our neighbors. It is a part of our faith to help our friends.”

    All Muslims Everywhere Murder French Satirists; Lone Wolf Acting Alone ‘Bombs’ NAACP, Alone

    Needless to say, what’s truly horrified American conservatives about the attack is not that religious fanatics murdered a dozen people because they felt that their holy whatevers had been insulted, but that the White House took entirely too long to characterize the attack as “terrorism.” The Weekly Standard was shocked and horrified that Press Secretary Josh Earnest hedged just the slightest bit on classifying the attack. A CNN reporter had pressed Earnest over his description of the attack as “violence,” and asked, “Do you see this as an act of terrorism, and is this something that has to be condemned on that level?” Earnest’s answer — hedging like every press secretary in the modern era — apparently signals to the Weekly Standard that Americans are simply not being protected from evil […]

    And now we can get ready for the careful parsing of that statement to determine that Obama actually approved of the attack that he condemned, and explaining that calling it a “terrorist act” is actually far weaker than calling it a “terrorist attack.” […]

    Well that’s pretty wimpy all right. Why is he talking about free speech and bringing the terrorists to justice when he should be pledging to eliminate Islam altogether?

    Meanwhile, back on our shores, it looks like somebody wants to Race War like it’s 1965 all over again. Local police and the FBI are investigating the attempted bombing of an NAACP office in Colorado Springs yesterday; an “improvised explosive” was left against the wall of the building next to a can of gasoline that was not ignited when the small bomb went off. Henry D. Allen Jr., president of the Colorado Springs chapter of the NAACP, has criticized law enforcement following police killings of unarmed blacks, and speculates that someone may have wanted to take their dislike of the NAACP to a new level, what with the organization failing to recognize that we now live in a postracial America, as this rather cheesily produced local news story reports […]

    Police are looking for a possible suspect, a balding white man in his 40s driving a dirty white pickup truck, which may only describe a quarter of drivers in Colorado Springs. As of yet, we haven’t seen any complaints on Fox or Breitbart about the failure to treat the bombing as a terrorist attack, but we’re sure they’ll eventually find the story, especially if the suspect turns out to be illegally grazing cattle somewhere.

    The important thing to remember, of course, is that the terrorists in France are typical of all Muslims, while the terrorist in Colorado is a freakish violent lone wolf whose attempt to burn down a building with people inside of it is completely different from decent rightwing folks who merely identify the NAACP as the most racist organization in the USA.

    (That’s from the Wonkette, by the way.)

  282. rq says

    San Leandro residents oppose use of armored ambulance

    The San Leandro Police Department says it’s a medevac vehicle, and is hoping to add it to their force. It’s able to withstand a rifle round, but is also equipped like an ambulance on the inside.

    The vehicle is on loan right now from the manufacturer and is on display for the public. Some are highly skeptical about how it would be used by this police force and partners in Alameda County, including the city of Fremont.

    “Basically it’s an ambulance with armor protection around it,” said Lt. Randy Brand. “And it would basically be used to integrate fire and EMS and police personnel into a critical incident instead of bringing a regular ambulance.”

    But not all residents believe that’s all it would be used for.

    Opponents are calling it a tank and they worry it will lead to a militarization of a police force that to this point has a good relationship with its residents.

    “This is part of a larger national discussion and a militarization of our police departments going on across the country that we really need to stop,” said San Leandro resident Mia Ousley. “We don’t want to become a police state.”

    The cost of the vehicle is $275,000. San Leandro police hopes to finance about $200,000 with a grant. The rest would be paid for with money from asset forfeiture funds.

    Check out the photo. That’s a pretty hardcore ambulance, for an area of America that is, no doubt, completely hardcore and most likely under assault by heavy weaponry most of the… Oh. Never mind that, then.

    James Morrison, killer cop? This is the second unarmed man Officer James Morrison has killed in 2 years. The links:
    1) Jury determines officer-involved shooting justified

    As the encounter grew more heated and Shaw continued to ignore commands, Morrison shot Shaw with a Taser. But the man’s thick winter coat rendered the stun gun useless.

    As soon as Morrison fired the Taser, Finnegan said, he saw Shaw reach toward his waist. Finnegan then heard a single gunshot.

    The entire encounter lasted about 45 seconds, Deputy County Attorney Ed Zink told the coroner’s inquest jury at the start of the two-day proceeding.

    Shaw, 32, died a short time later at the St. Vincent Healthcare emergency room. Dr. Thomas Bennett, a forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Shaw, told the inquest jury the man died of internal bleeding from being shot in the abdomen.

    Bennett also told the seven-member jury panel that Shaw had a potentially lethal dose of methamphetamine in his body when he died.

    2) Dash Cam Footage: Police Officer Shoots And Kills Unarmed Man During A Traffic Stop! (R.I.P.) (*Graphic*) (video)

    Killing of unarmed Montana man by police found justified!
    A jury at a coroner’s inquest determined Wednesday that a Montana police officer was justified in shooting and killing an unarmed man high on methamphetamine during a traffic stop. The ruling came after Billings Police Officer Grant Morrison testified he feared for his life when he fired the three shots that killed 38-year-old Richard Ramirez.

    Here’s a bit more on that (and he is GRANT Morrison, not James, as the tweet implies): Killing of unarmed Montana man by police found justified

    The five-year police veteran said he became convinced that Ramirez had a gun after the man reached for his waistband during their 30-second encounter last April in a high-crime area of Montana’s most populous city.

    “I knew in that moment, which later was determined to be untrue, but I knew in that moment that he was reaching for a gun,” Morrison said. “I couldn’t take that risk. … I wanted to see my son grow up.”

    The seven-person jury deliberated about an hour before delivering its decision.

    Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito said he does not expect to file any charges given the jury’s decision.

  283. rq says

    Obama Proposes 2 Years of Free Community College
    Will already disadvantaged students be able to take advantage of this?

    The New Leaders Of Social Justice

    In this 21st century movement for justice, suits have been traded in for hoodies, organizing pamphlets have been traded in for tweets and Facebook groups, and the single-leader mentality has been traded in for decentralized leadership strategy. In the wake of the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, protests sprung up across the world, from Ferguson to NYC, Miami to Oakland and London to Paris, and many other municipalities and towns in between. All led by young people who felt like they could no longer sit on the sidelines. Through the sectors of activism, media, music, the arts, and politics, new leaders are emerging in this new movement. New rules….New voices….New leaders. Get it? Now, let REVOLT tell you who’s got it.

    Followed by a good list of young people leading the current movement. A part 2 also available.

    Cell phone video: Tamir Rice’s Sister: They Killed My Baby Brother. You can hear her screaming from the car.

  284. rq says

    Senator Nasheed came under heavy twitter criticism for some statements she made re: receiving an invitation to an event and for protest groups to have lobbyists.
    The tweet that started it: @SenatorNasheed did not respond the invite from @OBS_STL to meet tomorrow with other black caucus members #ferguson

    One of her (Nasheed’s) statements: @RE_invent_ED @OBS_STL receiving a flyer is not an invite. Learn how to lobby. You’re making mistakes probably bc you’re still learning.

    Some responses:
    Also. RT @deray: I am shocked at @SenatorNasheed’s tweets to @RE_invent_ED today. Shocked. I’m speechless.
    @SenatorNasheed @RE_invent_ED @OBS_STL You have to be lobbied to respond to your constituents? This is very interesting…&disturbing.
    It’s hilarious that @SenatorNasheed tried to come for @RE_invent_ED & OBS on twitter, of all places. This is not your playing field maam.

  285. says

    ‘Fear City’ the insane pamphlet the NYPD used to terrorize 1970s New York

    Harry Siegel at the New York Daily News brings up “Fear City” in a blog post today, and it made the rounds on city-centric sites like Gothamist in 2013. The story behind its publication should ring a few bells for anyone who’s been following the news in New York since December.

    In 1975, New York Mayor Abe Beame was on less-than-friendly terms with his police department. Faced with an enormous budget deficit, he publicly considered laying off more than 10,000 uniformed officers, and unions representing police, firefighters, and other city employees were fighting back. (One little-discussed facet of de Blasio’s current NYPD battles: a contract dispute with the police union.)

    “Welcome to Fear City” was their weapon. The pamphlet, published by a coalition of public-sector unions calling itself the Council for Public Safety, was ostensibly a guide meant for tourists who wanted to avoid danger during their visit to the big city. To a current-day New Yorker, its rules for safe conduct are laughable: Don’t take the subway; never leave midtown Manhattan; stay inside after 6 p.m., no matter what neighborhood you’re in.

    “Fear City”‘s true intention was laid out in its second paragraph:

    Now, to “solve” his budget problems, Mayor Beame is going to discharge substantial numbers of firefighters and law enforcement officer of all kinds. By the time you read this, the number of public safety personnel available to protect residents and visitors may have already been still further reduced.

    You can read the pamphlet at the link.

    ****

    Gawker’s ‘NYPD harassment stories’ gives voice to those who have suffered at the hands of the NYPD

    1.

    My laptop was stolen in Grand Central Terminal. The crime which was record by surveillance cameras was assigned case #10-12692 by officer O’Donnell, after officer Zimmerman claimed the item was not stolen, but lost, and refused to accept the complaint. As part of a scheme to fudge the crime statistics, officer O’Donnell prepared a “lost property incident report” case #10-12629, containing statements he knew to be false, including; “The victim stated that he did not have a phone and did not possess identification. He was irrational, argumentative, and belligerent. He did refuse to provide a date of birth or social security number. Address provided was checked and is a homeless shelter.” As a result, officer O’Donnell has caused the crime to disappear, false information to be entered into official record, and the Police record is bogus. I live in fear. [male]
    2.

    A few years ago, I was on the Q train heading to 34 Street and a woman had a massive seizure. While she lay on the floor shaking, no one did anything so I went over and shifted her and held her head so she wouldn’t swallow her tongue. They held the train in the station and two cops showed up. As the woman’s seizure subsided one cop asked me if I was was “with her”. I began to explain the situation but after a few words he suddenly screamed at me “ARE YOU WITH HER!!” I again tried to explain but he stepped very close and screamed again “I’M ASKING YOU, ARE YOU WITH HER!!!” At this point I completely shut down and said nothing. Two women who had been watching began to cry and pleaded with the officer, “He was just trying to help!” Then he turned back to me and I just said quietly, “No I am not with her.”

    He left me alone for a minute when the paramedics came, but then returned and said: “Hey buddy, I know you’re ok I just don’t take shit from anyone, you know?” It was totally bizarre. When he was screaming at me I felt like he could have done anything. I also felt that he was on something. He was terribly aggressive for no reason. And the whole time his partner acted like nothing was happening. The cop was a white male in his 30s and I am also a white male in my 30s. [male]
    3.

    [I] was on the E this morning – a middle aged black dude in traditional “corporate” clothes (ID card hanging around his neck and all) walked through the sliding doors between subway cars (technically not legal). A cop in the subway car stopped him, asked for ID (ok, so far standard), and then asked him over and over if this man had ever been arrested before (no)…then asked him over and over if he’d ever gotten a ticket or citation. The dude paused and the cop immediately was like “oh, you had to think about it” – then verbally harassed him for 5 minutes about whether or not he’d ever been in trouble with the law – eventually forcing him to get off at the next stop to come with him….all for being black and walking between the subway cars – something many NY’ers do daily. [male]
    4.

    When I lived in Bed Stuy in 2008 I was robbed in my building lobby… After the dude left I went across the street to 7-11 and flagged down a cop. They took me to the station and put me in a car with 2 racist detectives. I gave them a physical description, 5’9″ ish 30-something, dark complexion, facial hair. They proceeded to drive me and my girlfriend around the projects and harass literally every black person that was alone on the street, no one even close to the physical description I gave. I told him it was making me uncomfortable to see him harass people that aren’t the ones that robbed me… He told me it doesn’t matter if it wasn’t him, they are all up to no good. Two days later they called me to say they think they found the guy… tall, light skinned guy with tattoos… again, not the description at all. He was like, “are you sure it’s not him?” like they just wanted to have a reason to bust some other random dude. [male]

    I do hope they don’t just print responses from men.

  287. rq says

    Check the responses to this tweet:
    Friday is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. If you want to salute an officer, tweet us a pic! The link in the tweet: Friday is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.

    The group Concerns of Police Survivors (or C.O.P.S.) is partnering with organizations across the country to promote National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. In a news release about it, C.O.P.S. said that in light of recent negativity directed toward law enforcement nationally, there is a need to show that citizens recognize the difficult and sometimes impossible career members of law enforcement have chosen, in public service to their country.

    They’re calling for citizens to take action in support of law enforcement in a number of ways, including:

    – Thank an officer for what they do

    – Wear blue to support law enforcement

    – Share positive stories about your law enforcement experiences on social media

    – Send a card of support to your local police department or state agency

    – Ask children in your community to write letters in support of law enforcement

    Well, they’re getting some nice pictures from Ferguson. :P

  291. rq says

    Racism – not just an American thing! Ukip Councillor Rozanne Duncan ‘Has A Problem With Negroes’ Faces’

    It transpires Rozanne Duncan, 68, has a problem with “negroes” because there’s “something about their faces”, reports The Times.

    The Thanet councillor was sacked last month for the “jaw-dropping” comments made in a recorded TV interview but Ukip failed to disclose their true nature at the time.

    Duncan digs herself further into bigoted terra-firma by arguing she is “not racist” because she has “many Asian shopkeeper and local business friends”.

    At the time of her sacking a party spokesman said: “Ukip is expelling Cllr Rozanne Duncan under rule 15 of its constitution for bringing the party into disrepute. She has 28 days to appeal.”

    That bit about bringing the party into disrepute.

    Stenger, McCulloch sworn in under armed guard. They’re so fucking scared of the protestors!!!

    The ceremony was moved from St. Louis County Council chambers to the sixth floor of the St. Louis County Courthouse due to what Stenger characterized as “multiple threats.”

    The EYE suspects the real reason was that Stenger was dodging the embarrassment of being protested at his own inauguration. After all, his general election night party was partly spoiled by Ferguson protestors. But Stenger claimed he feared for his safety if he proceeded with an inauguration that was open to the public, and he is sticking to that story.

    “After consulting with law enforcement we decided it was prudent to change the venue,” said Cordell Whitlock, former broadcast journalist and Stenger’s new director of Communications.

    However, a St. Louis County Police spokesman told the Post-Dispatch that the request to switch venues came at the request of Stenger and St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert P. McCulloch, who was sworn in alongside Stenger under armed guard on New Year’s Day.

    Of course, it is Stenger’s close connection to McCulloch that makes him a target of Ferguson protestors. McCulloch was Stenger’s staunchest ally in his successful Democratic primary campaign against Charlie Dooley, St. Louis County’s first black county executive.

    The EYE suspects that Stenger and McCulloch also collaborated in the Post-Dispatch series on alleged corruption in Dooley’s administration, which relied solely on anonymous sources for any claims of criminal corruption. The U.S. Attorney subsequently folded that investigation without taking any charges to the grand jury. McCulloch even accused Dooley of corruption in a Stenger campaign ad – an odd thing for a prosecutor to do without bringing any charges. McCulloch later told The American that “corrupt” could mean “unethical,” but not criminal.

    To which the EYE can now say: and multiple fears of being protested on your big day can also mean (to Stenger and McCulloch) “multiple threats” of violence.

    The EYE contends that Stenger and McCulloch dodged, not bullets, but merely a repeat of the general election night protest against them, which was led by the Organization for Black Struggle. On Stenger’s big night in November, just when he started his victory speech, protestors started singing, “Which side are you on?” In what they now call “Requiem for Mike Brown,” Ferguson protestors have adopted the song, written by union organizer Florence Reece in 1931. It debuted at a St. Louis Symphony Orchestra performance in October to protest McCulloch’s handling of the case against then-Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. […]

    Between Stenger’s August primary victory and the general election in November, a few things changed in St. Louis County. For example, the North County suburb of Ferguson spawned an international protest movement focused on the value of black lives and the failure to prosecute police shootings of unarmed black people. McCulloch’s handling of the Darren Wilson case made him a pariah of the protest movement on par with police shooters themselves. Stenger never wavered in his support of the embattled prosecutor.

    Erby – bolstered by African Americans’ antagonism towards McCulloch and Stenger – countered by forming the Fannie Lou Hamer Coalition. This group of disaffected black elected officials from St. Louis County threw its support to Stenger’s Republican opponent, Rick Stream, a conservative state legislator from Kirkwood. In a vote so close it merited a recount, Stenger beat Stream by a paltry 1,182 votes – in a St. Louis County that has become a Democratic stronghold.

    By comparison, the Democratic candidate for County Assessor, the incumbent Jake Zimmerman, was endorsed by the Fannie Lou Hamer coalition and beat his Republican opponent by more than 50,000 votes. The EYE does not consider it an accident that Zimmerman did not attend Stenger’s inauguration to be sworn in alongside McCulloch and his protégé from Affton.

    Stenger – a CPA and attorney – tried to sell his invite-only inauguration under armed guard like a huckster trying to move an unsightly used car. “We could have canceled the event and we didn’t – and we’re not going to do that,” Stenger said to reporters before the ceremony, according to St. Louis Public Radio. “And I think what you’re going to find with my administration and with me is a constant forward momentum. We are not going to let anything slow us down.”

    “We are not going to let anything slow us down,” McCulloch’s ally said under armed guard at his invite-only, nearly all-white inauguration. And this is the man elected to lead St. Louis County, which is now on the world’s map of racially troubled hot spots.

    Just to show how carefully – and racially – screened Stenger’s inauguration was, McCulloch received “a warm reception from the crowd,” according to St. Louis Public Radio. The EYE thinks we all know how difficult it is – after August 9 and November 24, 2014 – to find a St. Louis County crowd where McCulloch will receive “a warm reception.”

    “We’ve had some difficult times in the past months and old wounds have been opened,” McCulloch told that warmly receptive crowd. “But those are the wounds that have to be addressed. And we’ll fix those.”

    McCulloch must have heard himself sounding hopelessly unrealistic, as he immediately backpedaled from “fixing” the old wounds of – oh, let’s see, what were they? – racism and police killings of unarmed black people that are not prosecuted.

    Public relations company hired for Ferguson claims it didn’t get paid

    The Devin James Group filed a breach of contract suit in St. Louis Circuit Court on Wednesday against the public relations firm Elasticity. Elasticity and the Devin James Group were hired by the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. The suit alleges that between the end of August and October, the Devin James Group entered into a contract with Elasticity and provided consulting services and submitted invoices for $50,000. But Elasticity has refused to pay, the suit says.

    Aaron Perlut, a partner with Elasticity, said Thursday night that James’ claims are “sadly unfounded” and that Elasticity never had a contract with James, the economic partnership did. The partnership would pay Elasticity and it would compensate James. James had been paid for earlier work on relations in north St. Louis County and the partnership has yet to send the funds earmarked for James because they are “still determining what they believe he is effectively owed,” Perlut said.

    Warning, graphic video – Ramirez shooting patrol car video

    This video from Billings Police Officer Brad Ross’ patrol car shows Officer Grant Morrison walking with Ross back to his patrol car, wobble and then fall over off-screen. Ross responded to the scene after Morrison fatally shot Richard Ramirez.

    Ramirez is a man shot in the back of a car back in April, that nobody knew about until now.
    That’s why the Ferguson protests are important in part; they’re making visible the deaths of people who usually aren’t privileged to receive attention or mourning or justice.

  292. rq says

    Colorado Springs NAACP chapter reopens after bombing; FBI plans Friday news conference. A small photo of the damage at the link. And I’m glad I can say, that’s all there was?? because the alternative…

    “We’re all fine,” said Carol Chippey-Rhanes, a volunteer manning the phones. “We’re all good.”

    The FBI announced that there would be a news conference at 4 p.m. Friday to provide an update into the investigation into what appears to be the intentional bombing of the civil right’s organization.

    In addition to the FBI, the news conference will be attended by Colorado Springs police, Fountain police, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF.

    The NAACP office was closed on Wednesday, the phone ringing off the hook as media outlets nationwide called seeking comment. By late afternoon, the branch’s voicemail box was full.

    No one was injured in the blast and the building that houses the NAACP offices and a neighboring barber shop — Mr. G’s Hair Design Studio — suffered only minor damage. A gas can placed next to the device did not ignite, but the explosion was so loud it sounded to one man in the building like a shotgun blast being fired near his head.

    In the meantime, there’s a terrorist still roaming around Colorado and it’s all crickets about that. #NAACPBombing #CrimingWhileWhite

    A longer, historical read: The invasion of America

    By the time the Civil War came to an end in 1865, it had consumed the lives of 800,000 Americans, or 2.5 per cent of the population, according to recent estimates. If slavery was a moral failing, said Lincoln in his second inaugural address, then the war was ‘the woe due to those by whom the offense came’. The rupture between North and South forced white Americans to confront the nation’s deep investment in slavery and to emancipate and incorporate four million individuals. They did not do so willingly, and the reconstruction of the nation is in many ways still unfolding. By contrast, there has been no similar reckoning with the conquest of the continent, no serious reflection on its centrality to the rise of the United States, and no sustained engagement with the people who lost their homelands.

    Demography in part explains why slavery and its legacy are part of America’s national conversation (even if whites sometimes participate in bad faith), while the dispossession of indigenous peoples is not. Since 1776, black Americans have made up between 12 and 19 per cent of the total US population. By contrast, in 1800, though Native Americans accounted for about 15 per cent of the inhabitants in the territory that would later become the United States, they constituted a much smaller fraction of the residents in the 16 states that then made up the union. A century later, in 1900, they represented only approximately half of one per cent of the US population, making them a small and politically insignificant minority in their own lands.

    Today, over one per cent (3.8 million) of Americans identify as native, an increase that reflects not a substantive demographic shift but a newfound willingness and desire to identify as indigenous. Of this self-identified population, only a fraction are visible minorities, subject to the discrimination that shapes identity and forges political movements. Small in number with limited power at the polls, they have not led the national news since 1972-73, when the American Indian Movement took over the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the FBI laid siege to Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. […]

    Native peoples may be a small minority, but their history poses a fatal challenge to triumphalist narratives of the United States. The most jingoistic of Americans strive to put a positive spin on the nation’s century-long investment in slavery and equally long commitment to white supremacy. After the police shooting of an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Missouri, in August this year, one white woman took the opportunity to chide a group of African American protesters. She yelled, ‘We’re the ones who f***in’ gave all y’all the freedom that you got!’ Imagine a corresponding affront shouted at an assembly of indigenous people: ‘We’re the ones who took all of your land but introduced you to Christianity.’ Many Americans share a deeply held conviction that the United States embarked in 1776 on an as-yet unfinished journey to attain the universal ideals of freedom and equality. The history of US-native relations simply does not fit into this national narrative.

    Europe’s 20th century atrocities are easier for most people to envision than the dispossession of Native Americans. Stalin’s gulags destroyed millions of people in the 1930s and ’40s; Germany systematically murdered two-thirds of the continent’s Jews during the Second World War; Yugoslavia devolved into a bloodbath of so-called ‘ethnic cleansing’ in the early 1990s. Accounts of those episodes describe the victims as men, women and children. By contrast, the language used to chronicle the dispossession of native peoples – ‘Indian’, ‘chief’, ‘warrior’, ‘tribe’, ‘squaw’ (as native women used to be called) – conjures up crude stereotypes and clouds the mind, making it difficult to see the wars of extermination, forced marches and expulsions for what they were. The story, which used to be celebratory, is now more often tragic and sentimental, rooted in the belief that the dispossession of native peoples was unjust but inevitable.

    The most familiar and celebrated Indian images that circulate today reinforce this conviction. They come first and foremost from Edward Curtis’s monumental 20-volume collection of photographs, entitled The North American Indian. Plate 1 in volume 1 pictures Navajos mounted on ponies, heading off into the distance towards the bleak horizon. It is entitled ‘The Vanishing Race’. […]

    It is appealing to imagine, as the Bureau of American Ethnology did, that the entire country came into the possession of the United States through consistent and well-defined legal mechanisms. But in fact, sometimes it was not clear even to the federal government by what right it owned the land. In 1851, for example, three federal commissioners headed off to California (acquired from Mexico only three years earlier) with vague instructions ‘to conciliate the good feelings of the Indians, and to get them to ratify those feelings by entering into written treaties, binding on them, towards the government and each other’.

    Congress remained uncertain whether native Californians constituted a formidable opposition of 300,000, as some said, or a pitiful remnant of 40,000, as others asserted. Nor could it decide whether the United States came into full possession of the land by the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed with Mexico, or whether indigenous peoples still had title. The commissioners entered into a series of treaties with small groups and even single families, satisfying neither the advocates of California natives nor the speculators who desired their land. Congress refused to ratify the agreements and instead simply concluded that title no longer rested with native peoples.

    Elsewhere, the United States employed three legal instruments to dispossess residents. Treaties predominated until 1871, when Congress voted to end the practice. Negotiated under duress or facilitated with bribes, they were often violated soon after ratification, despite the language of perpetuity. Nonetheless, they presume a nation-to-nation relationship, which still informs US Indian policy today. Less well-known are the two other tools of dispossession: federal legislation and executive order. […]

    It is high time for non-Native Americans to come to terms with the fact that the United States is built on someone else’s land. Their 19th century counterparts wrestled more deeply with the dispossession that underlay the nation than most people do today. Native peoples were ‘benighted’ and in a ‘degraded state’, wrote one Kentucky resident to the editor of the Western Recorder in 1825, expressing the widespread condescension that whites felt towards native peoples at the time. But, he continued, ‘This continent is their home. It is the land of their fathers. We are foreign intruders.’ The writer, informed by Christian universalism, was no modern-day multi-culturalist. Nonetheless, the presence of native peoples in Kentucky forced him to reconcile their dominion over the land – ‘from time immemorial’, as colonists often said – with the imperious claims of the United States. […]

    What would American history look like if native peoples had been kept in sight and in mind? ‘The Invasion of America’ visualises one possibility. Compare it with a map of ‘Territorial Acquisitions’ produced by the US Geological Survey in 2014: [map inserted here]

    The large single-hued areas of land on the USGS map represent exchanges between imperial powers, with no reference to the longtime residents who also claimed title.

    There are many reasons to favour a more inclusive history of the United States that places the dispossession of native peoples at its centre. Such a history erases the artificial distinctions that earlier generations drew to discount the presence of native peoples, does not privilege the rise of the nation-state, and better reflects the makeup of today’s US population, which will soon be majority non-white. Its themes also resonate with 21st century concerns, including state-sponsored social engineering, large-scale population displacement, environmental degradation, and global capitalism.

    But perhaps the best reason is that it is more faithful to the past. I teach in the state of Georgia, where the legislature mandates that graduates of its public universities fulfill a US history requirement, a law born of the belief that an informed populace is essential to democracy. Good history makes for good citizens. A history that glosses over the conquest of the continent is partial, in both senses of the word. It misleads people about the past and misinforms their debates about the present. In charting a course for the future, Americans would do well to put the dispossession of native peoples back on the map.

    And just to finish off, more police behave more badly. Dallas man dies in University Park police custody.

  293. rq says

    “@FishtownLawyer: Proud to be part of this demonstration MT @PhillyRover: @PhillyDailyNews #diein#philly ” @deray RT

    Senator Nasheed apologizes: @OBS_STL my response to you last night was inappropriate and I apologize. Let’s meet soon.
    Thank you @SenatorNasheed for reflecting on your tweets to @RE_invent_ED and apologizing today. There’s a way for us all to work together.

    Working While Black: 10 Racial Microaggressions Experienced in the Workplace

    I was not taught to be a model minority. Instead I was taught to have a strong work ethic, to be prepared to work twice as hard to get half as far, and to maintain my dignity and self-respect in the face of all forms of discrimination. These were my instructions for survival as a blackgirl in a racist, classist, capitalistic and patriarchal culture. These were my safeguards as a blackgirl working. I was taught that as a black woman oppression would be an inevitable part of my life but that I did not have to be defined by mistreatment. My mother and othermothers taught me that I could defy misconceptions and handle my business. They helped me understand that an acknowledgment of oppression is not acquiescence.

    I remember listening to the working women in my community complain about being treated badly on their jobs but refusing to react or respond to the injustices they experienced out of fear of being fired. Instead, they woke up early enough to bathe, pull sponge rollers from their hair, apply make up and lipstick, and put on professionally laundered uniforms and comfortable shoes so that they could walk into their places of employment with their heads held high and their dignity in check. They refused to be shamed. They refused to be silenced. They refused to be stereotyped. It didn’t matter that they would never make more than ends meet. It didn’t matter that they were told, repeatedly, that they were replaceable, and talked to in harsh tones for any mistake or air of arrogance or self-respect, and threatened with sanction for missing work to care for sick children. They took pride in their work, even when the people they worked for, or with, worked against them. They saw their jobs as necessary but they rebelled against the discrimination by refusing to be defined by what they did for a living. I watched women and men of color resist and critique workplace discrimination in ways that were possible for them. Resistance cannot always be visible (working-class folk literally “need” their jobs to survive, and middle-class folk are generally one or two paychecks from poverty), and rejection is not always audible, but we can still resist and reject the harmful effects of workplace discrimination. […]

    Based on conversations, observations and personal experiences I have compiled a list of racial microaggressions that people of color often experience in the workplace. This list is not exhaustive and is not intended to be wholly representative. I recognize that factors such as occupation, generation, education, income/social class, gender identity and performance, sex, sexuality, ability, and age impact how and to what degree these things are experienced. […]

    1) You are expected to speak for and on behalf of people of color everywhere. You are sometimes expected to be the barometer of racism. If there is a conscience in the workplace, you are it. You carry the burden of calling out discrimination when you see/experience it with the risk of retaliation which can be anything from being overlooked for a promotion, to losing your job altogether for creating a “hostile” environment. If/when you don’t call out racism, you emotional turmoil and guilt, feeling like a sell out for not standing up for yourself or others.
    2) You are routinely accused of being hostile, aggressive, difficult and/or angry. You are told that your colleagues/students/co-workers/customers are intimidated by you and are afraid to approach you. You are encouraged in evaluations to “smile more,” and “be more friendly.” You practice a fake ass smile in the mirror on your way out the door and practice all the way to work. You fear that your resting face pose makes people think you are mean.
    3) You are required to be the diversity on committees and in meetings because black is the only diversity that matters. Your blackness makes it easy to “see” that a diversity quota has been met.
    4) You feel unappreciated, undercompensated and overworked. You are afraid to ask for compensation, a promotion, praise or affirmation. You have been socialized to be satisfied that you have a job. You feel guilty for not feeling grateful.
    5) You are regularly nominated for or assigned extra tasks and responsibilities for things no one else wants to do (especially things involving other POC). You are encouraged to work with other people of color, join people of color groups, attend people of color activities, etc.
    6) Your absence (at work, at meetings, at parties) stands out with no regard to how exhausting it is to be the only black person in the room. You are encouraged to not think of yourself as black when you are the only black person in the room.
    7) You are often vilified and/or criticized for doing your work (too early or on time, well or not good enough). You are labeled as either an overachiever or a slacker, as too ambitious or lazy. You struggle to find the balance between these things.
    8) You feel that no matter what you do or how hard you work, you need to do more (or sometimes less). Nothing is ever (good) enough.
    9) You feel the need to constantly prove yourself worthy of your job or opportunity. You know that some people assume you got your job, promotion, award, or special recognition, not because you worked your ass off or deserve it, but because you are black (there goes that damn black privilege again, cause you know affirmative action causes folk to get jobs they are unqualified for and shit ).
    10) You feel isolated, misunderstood, misrecognized, misrepresented, and missing in action. You wonder how you can feel invisible and hypervisible at the same time.

    Martin Luther King friend and photographer was FBI informant

    Withers, who was a police officer before becoming a photographer and died three years ago aged 85, documented the civil rights movement from the beginning, covering pivotal moments such as the murder of Emmett Till in 1955, and the Little Rock school integration showdown. He came to be so familiar and so trusted to King and other leaders that he sat in on strategy meetings.

    Records released under a freedom of information request show that from at least 1968, and possibly earlier, he spied on not only black civil rights activists but Catholic priests who supported a Memphis-wide strike by sanitation workers, and political candidates, recording car number plates for the FBI.

    Withers also helped the bureau to break a militant black group called the Invaders, which had a following in Memphis in the late 60s.

    “He was the perfect source for them,” the Pulitzer prize-winning historian of the era, David Garrow, told the Commercial Appeal. “He could go everywhere with a perfect, obvious professional purpose.”

    Withers was identified by the newspaper after the FBI failed to black out his name on a number of documents related to the agency’s spying on civil rights activists, released under freedom of information legislation. […]

    “I always liked him because he was a good photographer. And he was always [around],” he said. “I don’t think Dr King would have minded him making a little money on the side.”

    One of Withers’s sons, Rome, who is also a photographer, said he had been unaware that his father worked for the FBI, but said it did not diminish his work documenting the civil rights movement.

    “He had been harassed, beaten, shot at. He was a victim,” he told the Commercial Appeal. “At that time, when you are the only black on the scene, you’re in an intimidating state.”

    I bet they blacked out a bunch of white names, though.

  294. says

    A little thing that’s bugged me for years is that many people leave the ‘Jr.’ off of MLK’s name. His name is Martin Luther King, Jr. His father was Martin Luther King.
    (before his name change at an early age, MLK and his son MLK Jr were Michael King Sr. and Michael King Jr respectively).

  295. rq says

    Tony
    Does it still bug you?
    (But yes, I get your point – and I admit, I don’t always tack on the ‘Jr.’ to his name. I wonder why that is, though – do you think it is significant? Because Michael Brown is also a Jr., as his father is Michael Brown, Sr. One of the other black boys recently killed was also a Jr. (Vonderrit Myers?), though that appendix is often left off, even by other black people. Does that make it okay? Is it okay to leave it off, if we know who we’re talking about?)

  296. says

    rq:
    Yeah it does.
    And I realize that I’ve left the Jr off of Michael Brown Jr’s name almost every single time I’ve typed it. I think one of the reasons it bugs me is that I’m a Junior, yet even at 39 years of age, I still get mail that is intended for me, but technically addressed to my father.
    At the same time, I see what you’re saying. By and large, people know who is being talked about.

  297. rq says

    Tony
    Also, out of interest, is that ‘Jr’ officially on all your documentation, or is that just a way of differentiating you from your dad? I’ve always wondered about that – like, is the ‘III’ in someone’s name actually on the birth certificate? How does that work?

  299. rq says

    Going to start here, as there are two main discussions on twitter right now, but I have to sort the tabs a little bit. And the usual random assortment.
    As Police Go Idle, So Do New York City Courts

    One arraignment courtroom instead of two. Clerks watching “Batman” on their computer screens and playing with their cellphones as they wait for something to happen. And Manhattan’s night court shutting down an hour early because there are no more cases to call.

    Those were scenes from the city’s arraignment courts in the third week of a precipitous drop in arrests by the New York Police Department. The usual chaotic bustle of the courts — the odd mix of transgressors, from murderers to fare-beaters — has given way to unusual scenes of tranquil inactivity.

    “It’s slow, crazy slow,” Marcy Seckler, a veteran Legal Aid lawyer, remarked with a smile, as night court started in Manhattan on Tuesday.

    Things did not pick up: Over the course of the night, only 30 defendants came before Judge Abraham Clott, who often rubbed his eyes and yawned. On a typical night, he would see 60 to 90 defendants. No more than 12 people sat in the courtroom at any time, and court officers checked their watches and wandered away from their posts. […]

    For the last two weeks, New York City police officers have sharply curtailed making arrests and issuing summonses. Only 347 criminal summonses were written in the seven days through Sunday, down from 4,077 in the same period a year ago. […]

    The drop in arrests is particularly striking for low-level misdemeanors and so-called quality of life violations, like riding a bike on the sidewalk. Arrests for offenses that a few weeks ago were common — loitering, turnstile jumping, lying down on subway benches — are suddenly rare.

    The number of cases handled by the arraignment courts fell 36 percent in December compared with the same month last year, and most of the drop came in the last two weeks of the month, court officials said.

    Just in the last two and a half weeks, arraignments for misdemeanors have fallen about 60 percent, to 2,581, from 6,395. The drop was more pronounced for people arrested for violations, like disorderly conduct: a 91 percent decline to 97 cases, compared with 1,157 over the same period a year ago.

    There have been similar declines in the past, but they have come after natural disasters and other emergencies, court administrators said. The last one occurred during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Another slow period followed the terrorist attacks in September 2001.

    Few managers in the court system expect the current downturn to last. Many public defenders, however, said they hope the steep decline in minor arrests will become permanent. They noted felonies did not rise over the last three weeks as arrests for low-level crimes plummeted.

    “This proves to us is what we all knew as defenders: You can end broken-windows policing without ending public safety,” said Justine M. Luongo, the deputy attorney-in-charge of criminal practice for the Legal Aid Society. […]

    Brooklyn Criminal Court is usually so busy that although each arraignment lasts only a few minutes, two courtrooms are occupied day and night, one for felonies and one for misdemeanors.

    Now, just one courtroom handles all the traffic. That led to a strange mix of cases on Tuesday. Offenders, whether they were accused of felonies or whether they were given desk-appearance tickets weeks ago, passed through a single courtroom. Tuesday’s cases included an armed robbery, shoplifters and traffic offenders.

    Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday night was so quiet that the sound of court officers’ fingernails tapping on phone screens could be heard.

    The night’s most common charge was assault, followed by grand larceny, robbery and weapons possession. There was one case of turnstile jumping, one of selling fake Billy Joel tickets, and one of advocating on Facebook to kill police, which earned the defendant glares from courtroom officers.

    Eliza M. Orlins, another staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society, finished with her clients at 11 p.m. “As a public defender, we’re constantly overbooked,” she said. “So I can’t really complain about being less busy than usual.”

    Those arrested for relatively minor offenses now stand out. On Wednesday morning in Manhattan, William Talen, 64, who calls himself Reverend Billy, awaited arraignment. He had been arrested on Tuesday afternoon as he gave a sermon in Grand Central Terminal — protesting police brutality.

    I dunno, but that sounds pretty awesome. Is New York falling apart internally? Probably too soon to tell.
    But not everyone likes that – Bratton: Police slowdown is being ‘corrected’

    “Quite clearly, we’re in a slowdown,” Bratton said, according to a partial transcript that was released in advance. “It is being corrected. We’ve been taking management initiatives to identify where it’s occurring, when it’s occurring. I think the officers themselves have on their own been beginning to return to normal patterns of work, so we’re coming out of what was a pretty widespread stoppage of certain types of activity.” […]

    Bratton’s acknowledgement is a departure from his remarks earlier this week, when he suggested the drop in arrests and summonses may be due in part to an extraordinary confluence of events: widespread protests against grand jury decisions not to indict officers in the deaths of two unarmed black men, the funeral for two police officers shot and killed in Brooklyn, and the additional safety measures officers took afterward, all occurring over the holiday season.

    An analysis by Capital showed that arrests and summonses were already down, compared to a year ago, before their sudden and sharp downturn, beginning in December.

    On December 18, Capital reported that Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association told union delegates to use “extreme discretion” and work rules to “protect” police officers.

    Cleveland mayor does not trust state to handle Tamir Rice investigation

    “I don’t think the state attorney general handled the east Cleveland shooting properly,” mayor Frank Jackson told reporters for Northeast Ohio Media Group on Sunday, referencing a November 2012 police shooting. “It wasn’t done in a way that I think gave me confidence that this would have been done properly. So that’s why we turned to the county.” […]

    “I don’t have confidence that a [state Bureau of Criminal Investigation] probe into police use-of-force would be a transparent, due-process kind of investigation,” said Jackson, according to Northeast Ohio Media Group. He instead called on the Cuyahoga County sheriff to investigate Rice’s death.

    thisisthemovement, installment #73:

    Ferguson
    Grand Juror May Have a Case According to Legal Experts “The grand juror who wants to challenge publicly St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch’s portrayal of the Ferguson grand jury has a relatively strong First Amendment case — if the juror can get the argument before a judge.” Important read.

    Ferguson Protestors Stall Opening of Missouri Senate Session Ferguson protestors protested at the opening of the Missouri legislative session. Important quick read.

    State Senator Calls for Gov. Nixon’s Resignation State Senator Chappelle-Nadal has asked for Gov. Nixon to resign and has called for his impeachment using the “legislative filing known as a remonstrance.” Important quick read.

    Update From the St. Louis Legal Collective Click here to read an update from the St. Louis Legal Collective on the status of the bail fund, court appearances, protestors still in jail, and finding attorneys for protestors. performance. Quick, important read.

    Cleveland/Tanisha Anderson
    Federal Lawsuit Filed Against City of Cleveland Tanisha Anderson’s family has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Cleveland. “The suit, filed Wednesday, names Cleveland Division of police officers Scott Aldridge and Bryan Myers as the two who responded to Anderson’s house on Nov. 13 and ultimately caused her death.”

    NAACP Bombing
    FBI Says NAACP Bombing May Be Domestic Terrorism The FBI has noted that there “is certainly a possibility” that the bombing of the NAACP building is a “hate crime or domestic terrorism….” This article also contains a quick overview of the details related to the bombing.

    Kendrick Johnson
    Judges Recuse Themselves From Cases Involving The Death of Kendrick Johnson A superior court judge and a set of circuit court judges in Georgia have recused themselves from cases involving the death of Kendrick Johnson. This is fascinating and worthy of deep analysis as there are many unanswered questions. Absolute must read.

    Tamir Rice
    Comprehensive Analysis of the Killing of Tamir Rice This is the most comprehensive analysis of the circumstances surrounding the killing of Tamir Rice to-date. Absolute must read.

    Extended Video Re: Tamir Rice Has Been Released The extended video re: Tamir Rice has been released which includes the police tackling Tamir’s sister and them standing idly as Tamir dies. Remember, Tamir lives for approximately 16 hours after being shot. Absolute must see/read.

    The Officer Who Killed Tamir Rice Failed An Entrance Exam To Become a Deputy Sheriff. Officer Loehmann, the Cleveland Police Officer who killed Tamir Rice, did not pass a prior exam to become a deputy sheriff in Ohio. Y’all, this is wild. Important read.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    As Police Go Idle, So Do New York City Courts A byproduct of the NYPD Slowdown is that the courts have also slowed down. This is an absolutely fascinating and necessary read.

    Congress Decides to Get Serious About Police Shootings Congress recently reauthorized “The Death in Custody Reporting Act” which expired in 2006. The Act “requires the head of every federal law enforcement agency to report to the attorney general certain information about individuals who die while detained, under arrest or incarcerated.” Important read.

    Social Media, Once Again Forces MSM to Pay Attention Mainstream media outlets focused more on the terrorism attack in Paris than the domestic terrorist act that took place in Colorado at a local NAACP office. A lot of people on twitter discovered the event from scrolling their timelines, not local or national news.

    King’s Photographer Was A FBI Informant Ernest Withers, a friend of Dr. Martin Luther King and his photographer, was an agent for the FBI. Withers was privy to many private strategy sessions during the Civil Rights Movement. Absolute must read.

    The NYPD’s Biggest Problem Might Actually Be an Overreliance on Numbers

    The most stunning action, however, has been the department’s unprecedented work slowdown, which started after those officers were killed by a disturbed gunman as they sat in their patrol car on a Brooklyn street. According to the latest figures in the New York Times, in the week from December 28 to January 4, New York City cops wrote just 347 criminal summonses, as compared to 4,077 over the same week a year ago, and the number of arrests has similarly been cut in half. “Most precincts’ weekly tallies for criminal infractions,” according to the paper of record, “were close to zero.”

    For a department that over the last generation has built a national and international reputation on its zeal for data and numbers, this sudden drop in arrests and summonses is a shocking about-face. It has even caused some observers to wonder whether the lack of chaos resulting from the action undermines the rationale for the city’s overall approach to policing. […]

    Critics of broken windows say that it has led to racial profiling, civil-rights violations, and alienation within the community. The NYPD’s defense has been simple: it works. Commissioner Bratton and Mayor de Blasio both reaffirmed their support for the approach just a couple of days ago.

    But has crime really gone down as much as the NYPD claims? And what has the data-driven approach done to the character of the police department over the last generation?

    These are the questions behind an important study, “Police Manipulations of Crime Reporting: Insiders’ Revelations,” [PDF], recently published in Justice Quarterly that raises sharp concerns about the way this “proactive” policing approach has shaped the department’s relationship with New York’s citizens over the past generation.

    The study is based on responses from 1,770 retired New York City police officers to an anonymous online survey about how real-life crimes are turned into publicly available statistics. Respondents were divided into three separate groups: those who retired between 1981 and 1993, before “broken windows”; those who retired during the advent of that policy under Giuliani, from 1994-2001; and those who retired under the data-centric, stop-and-frisk Bloomberg administration, from 2002 to 2012.

    Among the first cohort, nearly 70 percent answered “No” to the question, “Based upon your experience do you have personal knowledge of any instance in which crime reports were changed to make crime numbers look better than they were?” In the second group, 65.5 percent answered “No.” But in the Bloomberg era, the majority of respondents—55.5 percent—answered “Yes.” […]

    The retired officers also expressed skepticism about the city’s much-vaunted crime reduction. When asked, “Are you confident that major crimes have declined by 80% in New York since 1990s?”, 58.2 percent answered, “No.” One cop who retired in 2007 submitted this comment: “Crime is a constant. To believe that crime has gone down 80% is a joke. I believe eventually if the Feds get involved the truth will come out.”

    Now, it’s not exactly surprising that individual cops, who deal every day with dangerous and unpredictable situations, are skeptical about the extent to which crime has declined over the last generation. The fact remains that the streets of New York, like those of many other large cities, are significantly safer than they were 30 years ago is undeniable. Are they 80 percent safer? Objective measurement remains elusive without outside analysis, which the NYPD has resisted.

    Even more difficult to tease out is the question of how the change happened. Was it because of increased enforcement, as Bratton and de Blasio insist? Is it because of economic factors? Or is the cause something more unexpected, like the elimination of leaded gasoline and paint, as some researchers have suggested? […]

    Silverman wonders about the unhealthy long-term effect that an emphasis on numbers has on the way cops police the streets. In their paper, he and his co-authors cite social psychologist Donald Campbell, who wrote this in 1976: “The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor.”

    In New York, says Silverman, stats have been elevated into the holy grail of policing. That, he hypothesizes, has profoundly changed police behavior. “We talk about the pressures,” says Silverman. “We don’t talk about racist cops or anything like that. We talk about how the system compels cops to act in a certain way. The pressure on these guys to keep the numbers going down is incredible. Now no political leader or police leader can acknowledge, sometimes it’s going up.”

    Bill de Blasio was elected mayor in part because he articulated New Yorkers’ frustration with the excesses of data-driven stop-and-frisk policing. The greatest crisis of his administration so far has resulted from the fallout from broken-windows policing in the Eric Garner case, and the resulting perception among rank-and-file NYPD officers that they don’t have his support. The long cycle of events that have gotten the city to this place may in fact have its roots in the single-minded chase for another set of numbers: ever-falling crime rates.

    The pdf mentioned, of the report itself, can be found here.

  300. rq says

    So here’s the one cluster, article plus responses:
    Billboard Cover: Kendrick Lamar on Ferguson, Leaving Iggy Azalea Alone and Why ‘We’re in the Last Days’

    Like Barack Obama, Lamar is an introvert with an extrovert’s job. “I’ve been called a recluse,” he concedes. “There’s definitely truth in that. I like to spend time alone.” He rarely is seen in the clubs, he doesn’t drink a lot or smoke weed, and he has been with his girlfriend, Whitney Alford, since they were both in high school. (She’s also in her late 20s.) She has been spotted with Lamar at the Grammys and in South Africa, and is so at ease sassing him that she joked about him being “cheap” in front of a New York Times reporter. “I wouldn’t even call her my girl,” he says. “That’s my best friend. I don’t even like the term that society has put in the world as far as being a companion — she’s somebody I can tell my fears to.”

    Lamar spent much of his childhood on the streets, and he’s cagey about the trouble he might’ve gotten into. “Oh, man, I won’t be able to say that on record. I got into some things, but God willing, he had favoritism over me and my spirit.” He also has been treated unfairly by the cops — “plenty of times. All the time.” Asked about the high-profile killings of African-Americans by police in 2014, from Ferguson, Mo., to Staten Island, he says, “I wish somebody would look in our neighborhood knowing that it’s already a situation, mentally, where it’s f—ked up. What happened to [Michael Brown] should’ve never happened. Never. But when we don’t have respect for ourselves, how do we expect them to respect us? It starts from within. Don’t start with just a rally, don’t start from looting — it starts from within.” Lamar, who has said that he wasn’t raised devoutly religious, fingers the small figure of Christ dangling from a chain around his neck. “We’re in the last days, man — I truly in my heart believe that. It’s written. I could go on with Biblical situations and things my grandma told me. But it’s about being at peace with myself and making good with the people around me.”

    People responded:
    Somebody tell @Awkward_Duck to send Kendrick a “Not Your Respectable Negro” tee, first class mail. I’ll pay the postage.
    Et tu, Kendrick? “@deray: Kendrick Lamar on Ferguson, an example of internalized oppression. This is scary. ”
    I’ll probably have more responses later, I obviously didn’t catch as many last night as I thought.

    #OccupyLAPD Is Camping Out for Ezell Ford and Omar Abrego

    Organizers, who are using the hashtag #OccupyLAPD, says they won’t leave until their two demands are met: they want officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas—who shot and killed Ezell Ford, an unarmed black man on August 11—to be terminated; they’re also demanding District Attorney Jackie Lacey file murder charges against Wampler and Villegas, based on an autopsy released in late December. Chief Charlie Beck has agreed to meet with the group today, nearly two weeks after the encampment began. […]

    You’ll be meeting with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck soon—but how has the LAPD responded so far?
    We’ve had a range of what I’d call intimidation tactics used against us. In the early morning hours, we’ve had a really big group of about 30 police officers breaking down our encampment and surrounding us. We’ve also done a lot of sidewalk art trying to hold up our resilience and healing as we’re in this process together. But for the past four or five days, officers have power washed it off the street, which I think is an excessive and unnecessary use of resources during California’s drought.

    We wanted to deliver a letter to Chief Beck requesting a meeting with him on Tuesday, but two of our members were denied access to the headquarters even though other folks were being allowed access. We were told that headquarters was closed to anyone without official police business—and so they were denied access and arrested.

    But you’ve also had a lot of supporters, too.
    We’ve had really amazing support from people. We started with a smaller encampment and have been able to expand it because of huge community support. Folks have been supporting by providing meals throughout the day—we’ve been able to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner for everyone nearly every day. We’ve also had folks donate tents, sleeping bags, blankets and hand warmers that came in really handy when it was cold last week. We’ve had passerby cars honking in support. We’ve had brilliant artists come out and show up for us.

    We’ve had movement folks from L.A. too. On New Year’s Eve, Occupy Venice came out and flashed up #BlackLivesMatter on LAPD headquarters. We had our own little bat signal and that was really fun! […]

    You work with Black Lives Matter and have been evoking Omar Abrego—who was a non-black Latino. Why is that?
    It’s significant to acknowledge the different ways in which folks are experiencing police brutality, and to also understand that black folks and brown folks have some similar and some different experiences with police. In Los Angeles in particular, Omar Abrego and Ezell Ford lived in the same community, were being police by the same officers and were killed within days of each other.

    For Black Lives Matter, it’s important to acknowledge the disparities and differences that black folks experience police violence—while also acknowledging that black identity isn’t limited. When we say that black lives matter, we’re talking about all black lives and that includes Afro-Latino folks, black immigrant folks, black queer folks, black trans folks. We’re trying to lift all that up right now.

  301. rq says

    The other was a press conference on the Denver bombing, I’m sorry I don’t have a link to that yet (article-wise). Probably will, once I sort through this morning.
    Here’s some initial reading, FBI Probes NAACP Office Bombing in Colorado as Act of Domestic Terrorism, and the video of which that is a transcript: FBI Probes NAACP Office Bombing in Colorado as Act of Domestic Terrorism

    The FBI says a deliberate explosion outside a Colorado office of the NAACP may have been an act of domestic terrorism. An improvised explosive device was detonated on the NAACP building’s wall in Colorado Springs Tuesday morning. A gasoline can was placed nearby, but did not ignite. An FBI spokesperson says a hate crime is among the potential motives. Police have announced a person of interest in the case, a white male around the age of 40. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the NAACP has been the target of eight bombings since 1965, including three in 1993, when the last attacks occurred. We speak to Rosemary Harris Lytle, president of the NAACP Colorado, Montana, Wyoming State Conference, and former head of the Colorado Springs branch of the NAACP.

    They showed a picture of the suspect at the press conference, see here and here, and be sure to read additional comments here and elsewhere.

  302. rq says

    Additionally, @deray The Denver story was a derailment, less than a minute long. They mentioned “questionable” location & the bomb being unsophisticated.
    “@deray: “I don’t want to speculate on the motive.” – FBI Spokesman #NAACPBombing” UNBELIEVABLE.

    Wonkette on the extended Tamir Rice video: New Video Shows Cops Compassionately Cuffing Tamir Rice’s Sister While He Was Dying.

    Students are currently protesting at the Baltimore City Public Schools Headquarters.
    “We can’t breathe or read in the City That Reads” – student protestors at the Baltimore City Public Schools Headquarters
    And the student protestors in Baltimore are demanding to speak with the CEO.

  303. rq says

    Missouri leaders held secret talks to oust Ferguson Police Chief, Darren Wilson

    Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III told The Associated Press that top state officials had several meetings where they applied pressure on the city to force Jackson to resign. Missouri House Speaker John Diehl and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill confirmed they both attended a fall meeting to discuss whether Jackson should be forced out.

    In October, news broke of a purported plan to oust Jackson and put the St. Louis County police chief in charge of the beleaguered Ferguson Police Department. Jackson denied the assertion at the time, with his department tweeting a defiant note in an attempt to deflect the implications of the discussions. […]

    Knowles refused to name any of the officials who urged Jackson’s removal.

    “I was at a lot of meetings where that was brought up,” Knowles said. “There were different people advocating for the chief to be fired or quit or whatever. I want to make it clear: We never considered that.”

    A message left with Jackson was not returned.

    McCaskill confirmed in a written statement that she attended such a meeting — one of many involving community leaders, elected officials and members of law enforcement, the statement said.

    “And a variety of issues were discussed to help ease tension in the St. Louis region, and address systemic issues highlighted in Ferguson-issues including personnel changes at the Ferguson police department,” the statement said.

    St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and his chief of staff, Jeff Rainford, attended several meetings about Jackson’s future “and many other things that were about the best way to move forward,” Rainford said. […]

    A substantial part of the conversation centered around trying to get Darren Wilson to resign prior to the decision of the grand jury and to get Chief Jackson to resign, and I didn’t have any interest in participating in that,” Diehl, a Republican from the St. Louis suburb of Town and Country, said.

    Diehl said Jackson’s resignation would have left “a leadership vacuum” on the police force and “I didn’t think it was proper for someone in my position to get involved in. It’s a personal decision between the city of Ferguson and Chief Jackson.” […]

    The email also made reference to a request to Gov. Jay Nixon to place the National Guard in front of Ferguson police headquarters on the date of the grand jury announcement. “Apparently the guard will not move to the FPD per the governor,” the email said.

    Knowles and others were critical of the decision not to have the Guard in place in Ferguson at the time of the announcement, after a dozen area businesses were destroyed in fires during protests.

    And AP News on the same: APNewsBreak: Missouri leaders sought Ferguson resignation.

    On the Denver bombing suspect: FBI releases sketch of “person of interest” in blast near NAACP office

    The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also offered a $10,000 reward for information on Tuesday’s explosion, which caused only minor damage and no injuries but rattled nerves due to its proximity to the nation’s oldest civil rights organization.

    Federal officials say they do not know whether the NAACP was targeted but are investigating the explosion as a possible hate crime. […]

    FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle said Friday authorities drew the sketch of a bald white man with sunglasses based on accounts of witnesses who saw him place a device behind the building that houses the NAACP and a black-owned barbershop. The man returned to his truck and left as the device detonated.[sunglasses which he refuses to ever, ever remove from his face! – …]

    “This is proof that racism is still alive and reared its ugly head in the form of this cowardly act. Regardless of the actions of others, we will continue to fight for the equality of all people,” the civil rights group said in a statement.

    “We’re standing vigilant and are trying not to let this disrupt anything,” Colorado Springs NAACP volunteer Harry Leroy said Wednesday.

    Colorado Springs police said they were stepping up patrols in the area.

    Well, WHERE IS OUR FUCKING REWARD MONEY!!!!!!

    The mysterious case of Kendrick Johnson, who died a strange death two years ago:
    Gym mat death shocker: Body stuffed with newspaper. Okay, the headline’s a bit sensational, but the facts are serious.

    The death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was awful enough for his parents. Then came the doubts about investigators’ conclusion that it was an accident.

    But the discovery that their son’s body and skull had been stuffed with newspaper before burial added a horrific new dimension to their anguish and further fueled their skepticism of the official findings.

    “We have been let down again,” his father, Kenneth Johnson, told CNN. “When we buried Kendrick, we thought we were burying Kendrick, not half of Kendrick.” […]

    During an autopsy, internal organs are removed and examined before being returned for burial. But when Dr. Bill Anderson, the private pathologist who conducted the second autopsy, opened up the teen’s remains, the brain, heart, lungs, liver and other viscera were missing. Every organ from the pelvis to the skull was gone.

    “I’m not sure at this point who did not return the organs to the body,” Anderson said. “But I know when we got the body, the organs were not there.”

    Two entities had custody of Kendrick Johnson’s body after his death — the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which conducted the first autopsy in January; and the Harrington Funeral Home in Valdosta, which handled the teen’s embalming and burial.

    GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang told CNN that after the autopsy, “the organs were placed in Johnson’s body, the body was closed, then the body was released to the funeral home.” That’s normal practice, Lang said.

    The funeral home would not comment to CNN. But in a letter to the Johnsons’ attorney, funeral home owner Antonio Harrington said his firm never received the teen’s organs. Harrington wrote that the organs “were destroyed through natural process” due to the position of Kendrick Johnson’s body when he died, and “discarded by the prosector before the body was sent back to Valdosta.” A prosector dissects the body for pathological examination. […]

    Anderson, who was hired by the Johnson family for a second autopsy, found Kendrick Johnson had sustained a blow to the right side of his neck that was “consistent with inflicted injury.” Challenging the state autopsy’s finding of positional asphyxiation, he concluded the teen died as the result of “unexplained, apparent non-accidental, blunt force trauma.”

    And death scene imagery obtained exclusively by CNN has led a former FBI agent to question how Johnson died: “I think this young man met with foul play,” said Harold Copus, now an Atlanta private investigator.

    Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine refused to discuss the matter with CNN, calling Johnson’s death a closed case. The U.S. Justice Department announced in September that it wouldn’t open a civil rights investigation into the case.

    But federal prosecutors in south Georgia have met with the family’s representatives and are weighing whether to open their own probe, said Michael Moore, the U.S. attorney whose district includes Valdosta.

    Either way, someone has not been doing their job properly.

    Judges recuse themselves in case of Georgia teen’s mysterious death

    “We have valiantly attempted to mediate the presently outstanding issues in the Kendrick Johnson matter, but it appears at this point that we have reached an impasse,” wrote Georgia superior court judge Harry Jay Altman II, in a letter dated Wednesday.

    “Given the fact that officials with whom the judges in the circuit deal with everyday are involved, it is not fair to the parties for any judge in this circuit to rule on contested matters of importance to the parties and the community,” wrote Altman, adding that other circuit judges had also agreed to recuse themselves.

    The announcement came almost two years to the day since Johnson’s death, which was called a freak accident by local sheriffs, but a homicide by his parents. Lowndes County sheriffs say Johnson fell inside the rolled gym mat while attempting to retrieve a shoe, became trapped and died of asphyxia while upside down.

    His parents, however, maintain that Johnson was killed. The family exhumed the boy’s body in the summer of 2013 in order to conduct a secondary autopsy, which found he was probably killed by a blunt force trauma near his carotid artery. According to the pathologist’s report, the injury did not appear to be accidental.

    “Nobody, especially his mother, father accepts this ridiculous, crazy, beyond-common-sense conclusion that the sheriff department says,” said family attorney Benjamin Crump. “That he climbed into a wrestling mat, got stuck and died.”

    The Johnson family and Crump held a press conference on the courthouse steps on Thursday, to call for the criminal prosecution of those responsible for Kendrick’s death. The family is also suing the Lowndes County sheriff’s department.

    The exhumed his body months after it was buried – I’m a bit skeptical about any conclusive results from that kind of autopsy, but I do believe that quite a few of the facts don’t quite add up in the case.

  304. rq says

    City students march to district offices, briefly shut down JFX entrance

    Dozens of City College high school students staged a protest Friday that prompted police to briefly shut down the Jones Falls Expressway’s North Avenue entrance.

    They demanded more input in school system policies and deplored treatment by school police. They said school officers regard students with mistrust and disrespect.

    “Show me what democracy looks like,” the students shouted. “This is what democracy looks like.” […]

    City College junior Makayla Gilliam-Price, one of the demonstration organizers, said students want input on such matters as the public school district’s budget and how school police are trained. She said they also wanted school system CEO Gregory Thornton to make a statement in support of student organizing, so “we will no longer be treated as nuisances.”

    “We want to re-create [a] student commission, so we can have more students present in the meetings when they’re discussing the budget,” said Gilliam-Price, 16. […]

    The students marched to school board offices on North Avenue and lay down in the lobby.

    Hassan Charles, executive director of the school system’s office of engagement, read a statement from Thornton — who was not present — to the protesters, saying the school system supported involvement from students and parents.

    “We want to encourage constructive dialogue from all students, parents, faculty and school leadership and are committed to that dialogue,” Charles said. He added that school officials would conduct a “citywide listening tour to hear from representative bodies of students across the system.”

    Students applauded the speech, but Gilliam-Price said the students still planned to request a meeting with the superintendent. The students then filed out of the building and down North Avenue, spreading across lanes while police cars trailed close behind.

    The procession then headed up the JFX on a ramp toward a merge lane. After about 10 minutes along the on ramp, students retreated and went back to school system headquarters. About 1:30 p.m., the students ended the demonstration and departed, with many headed back to school.

    School officials said students who participated in the demonstration received unexcused absences.

    Nice attitude there, school officials. A climate of communication.

    And George Zimmerman was arrested for aggravated assault w/ a weapon on 1.9.15 at 10pm. America. The link: arrest notice.
    That’s his @Missmadelinemar @deray Fourth offense. 3 DV, 1 threatening a motorist. All ‘refused’ to press charges.

  305. rq says

    Remember Officer Holtzclaw, the serial rapist? He is no longer an officer. Oklahoma City police department fires officer charged in series of sexual assaults. And yes, he was charged but also released on bail.

    The department said Daniel Holtzclaw was fired Thursday. Holtzclaw has pleaded not guilty to 36 charges.

    Chief William Citty called the charges against Holtzclaw the “greatest abuse of police authority” in his 37 years on the force.

    Holtzclaw’s next court hearing is set for Jan. 21. A judge in November ordered Holtzclaw to face a trial and let him remain free on $609,000 bail.

    The charges against the former officer include first-degree rape, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy and indecent exposure.

    13 women. And 36 charges. And he’s out walking around – and will probably face the most lenient of sentences. I can’t even.

  306. rq says

    Re: Zimmerman
    The introductory tweet: George Zimmerman arrested. #Florida police say a conviction may be possible this time as the witness is still alive. The link: George Zimmerman arrested on suspected domestic violence.

    The 31-year-old Florida man was arrested by police in Lake Mary around 10 p.m. and booked into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility, according to that facility’s website. That facility, like its website, is run by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

    Zimmerman became a national figure in 2012, after he spotted Martin — a 17-year-old African-American — in his Sanford, Florida, neighborhood. The two ended up having a confrontation that climaxed with Zimmerman fatally shooting the teenager, who was unarmed. [..]

    About two weeks after the verdict, he was pulled over for speeding in northern Texas. Much bigger troubles came in November 2013, when Zimmerman was taken into custody at his then-girlfriend’s Apoka, Florida, home after the two allegedly had a heated fight.

    He was arrested then on aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of domestic violence battery and criminal mischief, accusations that he denied. He posted $9,000 bail days later.

    But after the girlfriend asked that the issue be dropped, State Attorney Phil Archer announced that prosecutors would not press charges.

    More recently, in September 2014, Lake Mary police said that a man claimed that Zimmerman threatened him during a road rage incident. “I will … kill you,” Zimmerman allegedly said, according to police. “Do you know who I am?” He was not arrested and has not been charged.

    Grasso calls people who seek government assistance ‘freeloaders’. That’s in Baltimore.

    The Glen Burnie Republican told The Capital during an hourlong telephone conversation Thursday he believes those seeking government assistance are “freeloaders.” He said that includes people who seek help who have kids while not on sound financial footing.

    “Who told them to have children?” Grasso said. People “use children as a crutch to describe laziness.”

    In a follow-up text message, Grasso added: “I stand behind what I say.”

    “Most people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan (and) every one of those folks should learn that,” Grasso wrote.

    Councilman Chris Trumbaber, a Democrat from Annapolis said he did not want to address Grasso’s latest comments but called Grasso’s outburst Monday “hurtful, especially comparing the need for safe, affordable housing with his desire for a $100,000 luxury car.”

    Trumbauer said the county’s general development plan and other county policy “clearly highlight the need for affordable housing in our county.”

    “It doesn’t surprise me that he has gotten calls to support his position,” Trumbauer said. “John has been quite outspoken about these issues in the past and he was reelected, so I’m sure his constituents knew what they were getting.”

    Grasso, the former council chairman told the panel Monday he had no sympathy for people who testified about benefiting from affordable housing. He said people should only get what they could afford then used buying a Mercedes Benz as an example.

    THAT’S IT, POOR PEOPLE! PUT AWAY THOSE MERCEDES BENZES!

    Nike’s 2015 Black History Month Collection. This is a thing?

  307. rq says

    EXCLUSIVE: Now Ferguson prosecutor is accused of lying about evidence in ANOTHER grand jury which cleared police of killing two unarmed black men Oh boy, check out the language!

    The explosive allegation is made in a court case that threatens to lift the lid on the final secrets of the investigation into the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown last summer.

    The unarmed black teen was shot dead by Ferguson cop Darren Wilson, 29, on 9 August. Violent protests raged in the immediate aftermath. […]

    Now, State Prosecutor Bob McCulloch has been accused of using the secrecy of the grand jury to ‘cover up’ racism and inequity; of withholding evidence through ‘significant’ redactions in the public evidence dump; of falsely suggesting that the grand jury was unified in its final verdict and of lying before – 15 years ago – under uncannily similar circumstances.

    The allegations are made by Anthony Rothert, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri in the case of Grand Juror Doe v Robert P McCulloch – an attempt by one of the grand jurors to be allowed to speak openly about what happened in the hearing.

    Mr Rothert said, ‘Bob McCulloch has put out his narrative about what the grand jurors thought and it’s not accurate. He’s said he has released all the evidence but there are significant redactions and context missing.’ […]

    On 12 June 2000 two police officers shot dead two unarmed black men in Berkeley, Missouri – within walking distance of the Ferguson street on which Michael Brown was gunned down.

    The incident became infamous locally as the Jack in the Box shootings, named after the fast food chain in whose parking lot the killings took place.

    Victim Earl Murray, 36, was a small time drug dealer. His friend Ronald Beasley, also 36, was a married father of three who worked in an auto repair store and just happened to be in Murray’s car when officers sprayed it with 21 bullets.

    What followed – public outrage, official reluctance to name the officers, a grand jury’s failure to indict and, significantly, the central roles played by Bob McCulloch and Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson – is strikingly similar to the events that have unfolded in Ferguson over the past five months. […]

    Meanwhile, Mr McCulloch made a public statement asserting that ‘every witness who has anything to say or to offer will be presented to the grand jury.

    ‘It’s important that the integrity of this office and public confidence in the judicial system be maintained.’

    In an echo of his utterances regarding the Darren Wilson grand jury he acknowledged, ‘There is widespread concern in the whole community about this case, and no decision will be reached until every shred of evidence is presented.’

    Yet, while publicly preaching impartiality, Mr McCulloch consistently referred to both Murray and Beasley as ‘suspects’ not victims, though Beasley was never accused of any wrongdoing. Later he stated that both men were ‘bums.’

    In what was slammed as a concerted effort on the prosecutor’s part to denigrate the men, a list of all Murray and Beasley’s interactions with law enforcement, including those that led to no charges, was read out to the grand jury before members began their final deliberations. […]

    Thirteen years later an investigation by St Louis Post-Dispatch revealed that only three of the 13 officers called as grand jury witnesses backed up the officers’ account that the car had moved forward.

    Immediately after the announcement last November that the Ferguson grand jury had found ‘no true bill’ on each of the five possible indictments in Darren Wilson’s shooting of Michael Brown, Mr McCulloch made a statement. The jurors he claimed, just as he had claimed 15 years earlier, had been brought to their decision by overwhelming evidence.

    He said, ‘After exhaustive review….the physical and scientific evidence examined by the grand jury, combined with the witness statements, supported and substantiated by that physical evidence, tells the accurate and tragic story of what happened.’

    Not so, according to Mr Rothert’s client.

    If successful in their bid to speak out, Mr Rothert said, his client will challenge this presentation of the grand jury’s findings.

    History: #TDIH The SCLC was founded #OnThisDay January 10, 1957 by sixty Black ministers in Atlanta, GA The link: Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

  308. rq says

    Ferguson Commissioner Brittany Packnett (@MsPackyetti) speaking at the Youth Summitt today. Audio link to her presentation here – she is an excellent speaker, though the clip has no controls so be warned, it’s an autoplay kind of thing. The Ferguson Commission meeting today is solely focused on the youth & their voices. There are kids from all over the community here. And as @MusicOverPeople said on twitter, they only answered questions from youth today.

    #blacklivesmatter From Ferguson to MLA #MLA15 demonstration

    Alert NYC: NYPD caves, goes back to work, You’re supposed to be grateful, subjects!

    This. Impersonating an officer. The cartoon is from 1991, by the way.

  309. rq says

    A somewhat-related article on microaggressions: The subtle racist and sexist slights that can make even diverse colleges hostile places

    Diversity on college campuses has increased: between 1976 and 2007, black students grew from 10 percent of the total college population to 13 percent , Hispanics students from 4 percent to 12 percent, and Asian/Pacific Islander students from 2 percent to 7 percent. The percentage of female students increased from 48 to 57 — making women the majority at many schools. And there’s likely been more progress made since that data was collected.

    But the numerical gains made by students of color and women can’t erase a long history of exclusion.

    “[S]imply changing the representation of various groups does not in and of itself ensure that the experiences of racial/ethnic minority and women students are as positive as those of their white and male counterparts,” Diversity Project researchers noted in their write-up of the study. They explained that, “since institutional change tends to be slow, one cannot assume that increases in numbers of students of color have been accompanied by adequate changes in what has been called the ‘chilly climate’ for students of color and women in undergraduate populations at [predominantly white institutions].”

    In their interviews with students, the researchers discovered that this “chilly climate” doesn’t always come from outright racism, sexism, or hostility. Sometimes, they found, it’s the result of subtle slights — often based in stereotypes — that can discourage and alienate students, putting a damper on their college experiences. […]

    If students are preoccupied with navigating microaggressions, it stands to reason that they’d be distracted from academics and possibly even less motivated to complete their education. So this issue is important for people who are concerned about racial and gender gaps in achievement, as well as graduation rates.

    “This study is absolutely necessary right now, as we face the continuing challenge of the achievement gap between minority students and their white counterparts,” Henry Louis Gates, the principal investigator on the project, said in an interview with the Harvard Gazette. “The information we glean from this study will help us understand better the wide variety of factors that influence student performance.”

    On McCullogh,
    Who Killed Robert McCulloch’s Father? by Peter James Hudson

    About LARB Membership Book Club Print Journal LARB AV Blog Authors Contributors Genres
    Who Killed Robert McCulloch’s Father?

    Who Killed Robert McCulloch’s Father? by Peter James Hudson
    September 18th, 2014 reset – +

    MORE THAN 100,000 people have signed a petition demanding St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch recuse himself from the grand jury investigating the killing of Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson. McCulloch’s deep loyalties to the St. Louis Police Department, as evidenced by his prosecution of two racially charged, high-profile cases, have prompted critical doubts about his ability to fairly adjudicate evidence vindicating Brown, and implicating Wilson. His prosecution of a black man charged with murdering a St. Louis County police officer in 1991 raised serious questions about his motives, and in McCulloch’s 2001 investigation of the killing of two unarmed black men (whom McCulloch referred to as “bums”) by two white undercover police officers, questions arose, this time concerning McCulloch’s handling of witness testimony. The officers were never indicted.

    McCulloch’s fealty to the police is clear. He has stated that he would have joined the force (after a stint in the military) had he not lost a leg to cancer as a teenager. “I couldn’t become a policeman,” he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “so being county prosecutor is the next best thing.” If he had become a cop, he would have followed a well-worn family path. His brother Joseph was a sergeant in St. Louis’s Ninth District. For two decades his mother, Anne, was employed as a clerk in the homicide division. His father, Paul, joined the force in 1949 before resigning to serve with the US Marines in Korea. Paul McCulloch returned to the SLPD in 1951 and in 1955 became an original member of the department’s Canine Corps. He became a minor celebrity because of the work of Duke, described by the Chicago Defender as his “reefer-sniffing dog.”

    Fifty years before Michael Brown was shot to death on the streets of Ferguson, McCulloch’s father died in the line of duty. The father’s death casts additional doubt on the son’s ability to lead the grand jury investigation into Brown’s killing, while at the same time shedding a garish light on the history of racism, policing, and the law in St. Louis.

    Paul McCulloch was killed the evening of July 2, 1964, during a gun battle in St. Louis’s infamous Pruitt-Igoe housing projects. His alleged killer, Eddie Steve Glenn, was a black man who had reportedly abducted a white woman. McCulloch was 12 years old at the time of his father’s death. He still gets emotional when the incident is brought up, though he denies that the killing has influenced his vision as a prosecutor. “My father was killed many, many years ago, and it’s certainly not something you forget, but it’s certainly not something that clouds my judgment in looking at a case,” McCulloch told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1991. “It certainly makes you more aware of the severity of it.”

    Yet the memory of the killing clearly lives on. McCulloch evoked his father’s death in his campaign ads during his run for D.A. in 1991, and in the wake of the protests in Ferguson newspapers including The New York Times have recycled a redemption narrative of the bereaved son of an officer felled in the line of duty emerging as a messianic defender of justice. The killing of McCulloch’s father has also become part of the institutional lore of the St. Louis Police Department. Online bulletin boards and memorial pages contain posts written by police officers and their relatives offering condolences to the McCulloch family and providing testimony to Paul McCulloch’s character. McCulloch’s father is featured in the compilation In the Line of Duty: St. Louis Police Officers Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice, written by St. Louis police librarian Barbara Miksicek. Published via a $7,500 donation from the St. Louis Police Foundation, the second edition of In the Line of Duty came out this past March. In July of this year, the Gendarme, the monthly newsletter of the St. Louis Fraternal Order of Police, published a story marking the 50-year anniversary of McCulloch’s death.

    There is, however, a problem with this story of murder and memorialization. The problem is this: Eddie Glenn may not have murdered Robert McCulloch’s father.

    While Glenn was charged and convicted of first-degree murder by the Missouri courts, a close reading of the state’s justifications for his conviction and sentence suggests two alternative possibilities. One, Glenn might have been guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter, but should have been acquitted anyway due to the circumstantial and doubtful nature of the evidence against him. Two, McCulloch might have been killed by either his own gun or from gunfire from a fellow officer.

    In either scenario, what is abundantly clear is that Glenn was railroaded to a murder conviction and a death sentence. During his arrest and trial there were egregious violations of his civil and constitutional rights by the St. Louis Police Department and the Missouri courts. There were questions concerning the circumstances under which Glenn’s confession was obtained. There were doubts surrounding the bias of the presiding judge and concerns with his prejudicial interventions into the defense’s cross-examination of police witnesses. Forensic evidence in the case was ambiguous. The jury — made up of 12 white men — was predisposed to find him guilty. And perhaps most importantly, there were no witnesses to the alleged crime.

    Furthermore, as narrated by the St. Louis Police Department and the State of Missouri, the events leading to the killing of Paul McCulloch are so laden with anti-black stereotypes and so structured by white fears of African-American criminality that the entire incident appears almost as a caricature, an opéra bouffe, of 1960s white Southern justice — if only itsdenouement were not so tragic, and if only it did not undermine the possibilities of justice for Michael Brown.

    More at the link – it is a very interesting, though long and weighty, read.

    George Zimmerman is obviously a danger to society. But he only attacks women and black teenagers, and so he has remained free.

    Azealia Banks, who has recently been chastised on twitter for transphobic remarks, speaks out against the artist highlighted yesterday: Azealia Banks Calls Kendrick Lamar’s Ferguson Comments “The Dumbest Sh-t I’ve Ever Heard”. A sample tweet from the article: “HOW DARE YOU open ur face to a white publication and tell them that we don’t respect ourselves…. Speak for your fucking self.”>

  311. rq says

    Protestors got onto the tracks and stopped a train!! #PatriotsNation train STOPPED for 4.5 minutes. #BlackLivesMatter on and off the field. @Patriots @nfl @NBCSports
    While comrades were on the tracks, folks held down the platform for the Pats game-bound train. #BlackLivesMatter
    Boston comrades just stopped a commuter rail train to the Pats game for 4.5 mins. #HowDisruptive #YearOfResistance https://twitter.com/steveannear/status/554010630014107648
    https://twitter.com/NickyTheKat/status/554006840879902721

    But they better watch out – D.A. Goes After BART Shutdown Protesters for $70,000 Fine

    “They could have been charged with infractions,” Riley said, “but BART is asking for prosecution and restitution, though the amount of restitution has not be established in a written document. They want to make an example of them.”

    “If the restitution does not get paid, it would be forever on their records as an unpaid fine, and it could be enforced arbitrarily at some future date,” he said. “Other local institutions, like UC Berkeley, have not taken that approach in dealing with protesters.”

    Demonstrations and civil disobedience may inconvenience people, but these are the kinds of actions that bring long hidden conditions to public light, he said. This is the kind of free public expression that should not be stifled in a democratic society, he said.

    “I remember civil rights demonstrations in the past, and the same kind of arguments were made against them,” said Riley. “We need older people to show some real love for our people. This means there should be an outpouring of support for them.”

    In an interview with the Post, BART Boardmember Robert Raburn said he was not involved in discussions of BART’s demand for restitution.

    “I didn’t get elected to the BART board to be a judge,” he said, referring questions to the agency’s staff and denying that the board has a policymaking role in leveling charges and restitution against the protesters.

    People don’t like it when trains are stopped.

  312. rq says

    Bad news in schools: Hearing that Alton, Belleville, and Edwardsville districts have prohibited or limited students from discussing Ferguson.
    @deray Just confirmed w/ little sis their school in Belleville banned them from talking about Ferguson.
    Hearing increasingly from #StLouis area students that conversations about #Ferguson are being stymied in some classrooms. @deray
    But it’s not all bad: @deray wow. A whole group dedicated to discussing and addressing issues of racism has emerged from the Ladue school district.

    ThinkProgress on McCullogh’s credibility, as above: How A 15-Year-Old Police Shooting Case Puts More Dents In Ferguson Prosecutor’s Credibility.

  313. rq says

    @thisstopstoday Little Rock Protestors Deliver List of Demands to Police Department: The link: Little Rock Protestors Deliver List of Demands to Police Department

    #AllAction expressed their desire for a better experience with police and a department focused on communication and conflict resolution. Robinson said such a shift in policy would not only enrich the citizens’ experience, but that it would also benefit police officers. “We could defuse hostile situations more easily,” Robinson said.

    “It is imperative officers are part of the community they serve,” Robinson said. “And if this is not because the officer lives in the community, then it is the department’s job to ensure the officer has time designated to build rapport with the citizens.”

    One of the demands delivered by Robinson was for the department to “have mandated time built into their schedules for community building.” If officers reside and police in separate communities, the police department would ensure designated time to build relationships with the citizens on their beat.

    Buckner said it was refreshing to see a group suggesting alternatives. “We have the same scars as other cities,” he said. But “we need to stop meeting and start doing.”

    That’s exactly what’s happening, according to Forunda Brasfield, President of the Bowen School of Law’s Black Law Students Association at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “We’re getting together, putting feet on the pavement,” said Brasfield. “My nephew was killed by police. I don’t want [officers] to fear African American men.”

    Demands for Mayor Stodola included supporting a Human Rights Commission for the state of Arkansas and to eliminate any plans to form a Black-on-Black Crime Commission. “It is absolutely racist to have a Black-on-Black Crime Commission and we categorically reject any such creation,” said Robinson. It is the “justification of unwarranted suspicion of black folk, particularly young black men.” The group states those resources should instead be “used to support community groups, alternative education, and job training.”

    The Mayor did not attend; Chief Buckner accepted #AllAction’s demands on his behalf.

    More at the link.

    Canfield
    Shutting w florissant. Down (love the protest car on the street there)
    Ferguson Self Care. Wednesday, January 14th. Taking care of themselves, good for them!

    Protest downtown Salt Lake City for James Barker, killed by officers. Reading of the names. (via dt)

  314. rq says

    Interesting. Acknowledging a conflict of interest? It cannot be! In Georgia gym mat death suit, 7 judges say they can’t be fair

    “Given the fact that officials with whom the judges in the circuit deal with everyday are involved, it is not fair to the parties for any judge in this circuit to rule on contested matters of importance to the parties and the community,” Altman wrote in a letter addressed to attorneys representing all parties.

    Only five of the seven judges in Georgia’s Southern Judicial Circuit hear cases regularly. Two senior judges hear cases only after special assignment.

    “His decision cuts to the very heart of this matter, especially for this family. That is: Can they get fair and impartial people to look at what happened to this child and render a fair decision so they can have peace at night?” said Johnson’s attorney, Benjamin Crump.

    Altman had mediated requests for records in the case for more than 18 months before Thursday’s recusal.

    “While I had hoped that at least the preliminary matters would be dealt with through informal mediation, I do not see that happening,” Altman wrote.

    “The normal process for case assignment after judicial recusal will result in another judge being assigned to the case following which a hearing will be scheduled to decide the matters now before the Court,” the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office’s attorney Jim Elliott told CNN in a written statement.

    I Can’t Breathe. Lyrics.

    I still here my brother crying ‘I can’t breathe’
    Now I’m in the struggle singing ‘I can’t leave’
    We calling out the violence of this racist police
    And we ain’t gonna stop (*clap clap*) till our people are free!

    The family of Tamir Rice has verified [link at the end] as its new memorial fund, & extends special thanks to @ShaunKing for his help. The link: Rice Memorial Fund

    Facebook Event:

    ST. LOUIS/FERGUSON Communities, on Saturday, January 17, 2015, Kevin Powell & the Missouri History Museum invite you to a very special Dr. King Holiday Weekend Event:

    “Dr. King, Michael Brown, ‪#‎Ferguson‬, and the Future of America”

    Six months after holding a town hall on the recent unrest that plagued Ferguson, Missouri, Kevin Powell, activist, writer, and president & cofounder of BK Nation, returns to the Missouri History Museum to reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and the protests that Michael Brown’s death prompted. An interactive community conversation follows.

    When: Saturday, January 17, 2015 at 2:00 pm
    Where: Lee Auditorium inside the Missouri History Museum
    How Much: FREE and open to all

  315. rq says

    The New York Police Department’s drastic drop in arrests and tickets (map in the tweet), the link: How Much Arrests and Tickets in New York City Have Declined. More pretty graphs at that link, too.

    Saves photo “@HyperboleJ: “@WalidahImarisha: Graffiti: “Ferguson is the future” via @ruha9 #BlackLivesMatter ” #durag”

    Everyone have their surprised faces on>? Yes? Good. Resisting Arrest in Black and White

    Law enforcement experts say resisting arrest charges are a strong indicator that an arrest went bad and a cop had to use force. So, with the death of Eric Garner over the summer during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes, WNYC’s Data News team analyzed court records to look at who gets charged with resisting arrest.

    The data shows that when blacks and whites are arrested for some of the most commonly charged crimes in New York City, blacks are far more likely to also be charged with resisting arrest.

    Infographic by race at the link. o.o

    After this leak & tip from @STLCopTalk, many of the harassing tweets began to be deleted to destroy evidence. (see photo at link)

  318. rq says

    @deray SNCC organizer @GZoharah, compares the black struggle then vs now & mentions #BlackLivesMatter protests;

    The NYPD’s Mini-Rebellion, And The True Face Of American Fascism

    I’m not the first person to observe that the New York police unions’ current mini-rebellion against Mayor Bill de Blasio carries anti-democratic undertones, and even a faint odor of right-wing coup. Indeed, it feels like an early chapter in a contemporary rewrite of “It Can’t Happen Here”: Police in the nation’s largest city openly disrespect and defy an elected reformist mayor, inspiring a nationwide wave of support from “true patriots” eager to take their country back from the dubious alien forces who have degraded and desecrated it. However you read the proximate issues between the cops and de Blasio (some of which are New York-specific), the police protest rests on the same philosophical foundation as the fascist movement in Lewis’ novel. Indeed, it’s a constant undercurrent in American political life, one that surfaced most recently in the Tea Party rebellion of 2010, and is closely related to the disorder famously anatomized by Richard Hofstadter in his 1964 essay “The Paranoid Style in American Politics.”

    There’s no doubt that the NYPD crisis has disturbing implications on various levels. Amid a national discussion about police tactics and strategy, and the understandable grief following the murders of two NYPD officers, it amounts to a vigorous ideological counterattack. In effect, many cops (or at least their more intransigent leaders) want to assert that law enforcement is a quasi-sacred social institution, one that stands outside the law and is independent of democratic oversight. Sometimes this is taken to ludicrous and literal-minded extremes, as in a recent column by Michael Goodwin of the New York Post celebrating the NYPD and the United States military as “Our angels in a time of danger and cynicism.” (Without realizing it, Goodwin was buttressing the conclusions of James Fallows’ must-read Atlantic article about the way American society has become disconnected from the military and sanctified it at the same time.) As Salon columnist and veteran New York reporter Jim Sleeper has noted, this tendency also makes clear how little the tribal, insular culture of big-city policing has changed, even in an era of far greater diversity.

    We still don’t know where this confrontation between de Blasio and his cops will lead, or how it will be resolved. (So far, the city has been peaceful – and nobody on my block got a parking ticket all week! So it’s win-win.) But I’d like to strike a counterintuitive position and insist that it’s important not to overstate the threat, or to give an arrogant blowhard like Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association head Patrick Lynch more importance than he merits. My fellow Irish-Americans will recognize Lynch as a latter-day example of the small-minded bigots and “begrudgers” too common in the tribe. But set him against Joe McCarthy and Father Coughlin, and he barely registers on the historical scales of infamy.

    In the final analysis I don’t find Lynch and his minions especially terrifying, for exactly the same reasons I don’t find Sen. Ted Cruz especially terrifying. Both may dream of a Corpo America, in which dissent is crushed with an iron fist and our glorious national destiny is reclaimed from the appeasers and multiculturalists and pantywaists. But they lack the political finesse or rhetorical subtlety to make it happen. Ultimately, the real dangers may be closer at hand, and more difficult to see.

    With both the disgruntled NYPD leadership and the so-called intellectual leader of the Tea Party, the appeal to fascism – no, excuse me, to “patriotism” and “true Americanism” – is just too blatant, and their rejection of democracy too obvious. Many people inclined to feel sympathy for the police, and skittish about the street protests of recent weeks, were dismayed to see cops turn the funeral of a murdered officer into a petty political confrontation, against the wishes of the dead man’s family. It was, or should have been, a moment of mourning and contemplation, when the city and the nation were poised to reflect on the uniquely difficult lives of police officers, who so often bear the brunt of policies they did not create and attitudes they cannot realistically be expected to escape.

    More at the link, plus a part 2.

    U.S. Cops Kill At 100 Times Rate Of Other Developed Countries

    One area in which the U.S. is unquestionably exceptional is the level of state violence directed against Black Americans. U.S. police killings outnumber those in other developed countries by as much as 100-1!

    How many people are killed every year by the police in the U.S.? The exact number is not known. There is no federal agency that keeps track. The FBI compiles annual statistics for “justified homicides” by police – and all reported police killings are registered as “justified” by the FBI.

    But participation in reporting homicides to the FBI by police and sheriff’s departments is voluntary. Of approximately 18,000 police agencies, only about 800 provide statistics. The murder of Eric Garner on Staten Island last summer will not be counted in the FBI statistics for 2014, because the notorious NYPD has chosen not to participate in reporting.

    According to FBI statistics, there were 461 “justified homicides” by police in 2013. However, the website KilledByPolice.net reported that U.S. non-military police killed 748 people in just the last eight months of 2013, and 1,100 in 2014. The KilledByPolice numbers were compiled using mainstream media sources. Actual totals are undoubtedly higher, as not all police killings are reported, and it is virtually impossible to check all of the tens of thousands of media sources in the country.

    By contrast, in England, also a developed country with a long history of racism, police reportedly fired guns three times in all of 2013, with zero reported fatalities. Police do not carry guns on patrol in England.

    From 2010 through 2014, there were five fatal police shootings in England, which has a population of about 52 million. By contrast, Albuquerque, N.M., with a population 1 percent of England’s, had 26 fatal police shootings in that same time period!

    In 2011, the FBI reported 404 “justifiable homicides” by U.S. police. Based on the data collected by KilledByPolice for 2013 and 2014, the real number of police killings for 2011 was likely over 1,000. There were two reported police killings in England, meaning that the rate of killing by U.S. police was about 100 times that of English cops in 2011.

    The same year, German police, who do carry guns, reportedly killed six people. Germany, another racist, developed country with large numbers of oppressed minorities, has a population about one-quarter that of the U.S. So on a per capita basis, U.S. police were 40 times as likely to kill as German cops.

    Canada, another multi-national state with about 12 percent the population of the U.S., also reported six fatal police shootings in 2011, meaning that U.S. cops were 20 times as likely to kill as their Canadian counterparts.

    A bit more analysis at the site.

    Wrongly Convicted Man Was His Own Best Advocate. I wonder why that could be?

    They called themselves the “actual innocence team,” jotting down notes on yellow pads as they served their sentences at Auburn Correctional Facility in upstate New York, hoping to build cases and motions that might lead to their freedom.

    One of those self-taught jailhouse lawyers, Derrick Hamilton, stood in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Friday as his 1991 murder conviction was vacated. The hearing capped more than two decades of his filing motions, sending letters and securing affidavits arguing his innocence.

    “Mr. Hamilton never for one second doubted his own ability to convince a court of law he was innocent,” one of the defense lawyers who has worked on his case, Scott Brettschneider, said in court. “His capacity to turn out legal work was astounding.”

    The Brooklyn district attorney’s office, which revisited Mr. Hamilton’s case through its Conviction Review Unit, said that medical and scientific evidence, like the path of the bullets and where the victim’s bleeding occurred, undercut the sole eyewitness’s testimony and that the eyewitness was not credible. […]

    To learn about the law, Mr. Hamilton took a paralegal course from prison and began researching his case, both on his own and with outside lawyers’ help. “I just couldn’t do anything else,” he said in an interview. “I wasn’t a guy that worked out because I didn’t have time to work out. I made motion after motion after motion after motion.”

    At Auburn, he got a job at the law library, where he joined a group of men also working on their convictions.

    Daniel Rincon, convicted of a 1991 quadruple murder in Manhattan, was the letter writer; he would summarize cases in neat narratives and send letters to journalists and lawyers. Shabaka Shakur, convicted of a 1988 double murder in Brooklyn that Mr. Scarcella worked on, was the researcher, looking up case law and helping hone arguments. Nelson Cruz — whose 1998 Brooklyn murder conviction came in part because of the work of Mr. Scarcella’s longtime partner, Stephen W. Chmil — would sketch out crime scenes, illustrating where witnesses and victims stood.

    Once a week, in the afternoon, they would write their names on the law library sign-in sheet and take their seats at tables with a security officer stationed above them. Mr. Hamilton would put up a chalkboard and distribute handouts about whatever they would be working on that day.

    Some days, they would dive into a recent ruling, like the Supreme Court’s decision on actual innocence in the 2009 Troy Davis case. Some days, they would analyze a recent article in The New York Law Journal. They received instruction on how to use the legal-research service Westlaw. And at just about every meeting, they would work on one of their members’ legal motions or letters or responses or arguments.

    At the 2011 hearing where Mr. Hamilton was granted parole, a commissioner, Christina Hernandez, noted his legal work. “You are very legally astute,” she said. “You spend a lot of time in the law library. It’s pretty apparent to us. You have been very active with your defense.”

    Mr. Hamilton also wanted to get the word out about wrongful convictions. Around 2010, he contacted Lonnie Soury, who had publicized wrongful-conviction cases.

    “I told him that I really couldn’t help him and I just needed to get paid for my work,” Mr. Soury said, assuming he would not hear from Mr. Hamilton again. Two weeks later, he said, he got a check made out on the prison commissary account for $500.

    That led to rallies on the steps of City Hall with convicts’ families. And once Mr. Hamilton was released on parole, he helped persuade others, like Mr. Moses and Mr. Smith, who had also been paroled, to make this a public cause. […]

    Mr. Hamilton has been a regular presence at hearings about innocence claims since then and is helping prisoners and former prisoners with legal aspects of their cases. Other members of the “actual innocence team,” including Mr. Rincon, Mr. Cruz and Mr. Shakur, are all still fighting their convictions from prison.

    “I sit there to watch the proceedings because when I see things, I’m going to talk about them; I’m not going to be quiet,” Mr. Hamilton said. Seeing the injustice at his own trial, he said, “taught me that I have to be involved.”

    Old protest picture: Woman got out of her car currently stuck in the protest….and joined…..thats love.

  320. says

    One is not born, but rather becomes a citizen

    The more technology they accumulated, the more profoundly powerless they felt. That was the paradox Hahrie Han and Elizabeth McKenna discovered as they interviewed political organizers and operatives, researching the impacts of the increasingly complex digital tools available to activists. The more she talked to organizers in particular, Han could hear how “they were struggling to make it all add up into something bigger.”

    Why was this happening? And what should civic participation in the digital age look like? Han and McKenna, associate professors of political science at Wellesley College, set out to explore those questions and the technology disempowerment paradox on two fronts. They co-wrote Groundbreakers: How Obama’s 2.2 Million Volunteers Transformed Campaigning in America, which, instead of detailing the tired narrative of the Obama campaign’s data and technology capacities, focused instead on the stories of volunteers on the ground; she found their work to be symbiotic with the campaigns’ data and technology innovations. In another recently-published book, How Organizations Develop Activists: Civic Associations and Leadership in the 21st Century, based on two years of research trying “to get into the guts” of organizations, Han attempts to “to understand what make some better able to generate and sustain activism than others.”

    Her conclusions? Quoting de Tocqueville, she said at a recent New America event that the most vibrant and successful civic associations are those that act as “great free schools of democracy.” In our 21st-century moment, Han says, this means “blending contemporary online and offline tools” and “build[ing] breadth and depth of activism by developing citizens” through a combination of transactional mobilizing-hitting the numbers of volunteers, donations, and registered voters you need to win-and transformational organizing-expanding participants’ capacities for future activism by empowering them in ways that endure after election day.

    Although she wrote both books before the surge of protests around the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, Han pointed out, “I think of what we’re seeing right now in response to those events is emblematic of a larger sense that power in our society is becoming increasingly concentrated.” This transformational element, the ability to create spaces for individuals to change their feeling of agency in the world, is the key to engaging people in “activism that hat actually builds power.”

    One challenge to organizing effectively in the face of consolidated power is that, as digital tools have proliferated and electoral participation in presidential elections jumped 10 points from 1996 to 2008, the number of available spaces for people of differing viewpoints to meet each other and discuss issues has dwindled, explained Mark Schmitt, director of New America’s Political Reform Program and Anna Burger, former Secretary-Treasurer of SEIU.

    Creating those spaces is critical, according to Schmitt, to building the personal connections and trust that make organizing possible. For Burger, who began her career as a social worker, these spaces are also key to finding new ways to foster consistent political engagement, “day in, day out.” Han gave two examples of how investment in creating spaces for discussion yields results, pointing to Alex Watters, a paraplegic recruited to be an organizer for Obama’s 2012 campaign. When Watters expressed incredulity at his ability to organize from his wheelchair, his supervisor let him know that Watters’ job wasn’t to pound the pavement. “He said, ‘Your job is to inspire commitment in your neighbors,’ Han says Watters-one of the campaign’s most impactful organizers-told her, ‘so that your neighbors are the ones talking to their neighbors, organizing the community.'” Han also cited an example from her book, in which she compares two different letter-writing campaigns. One organization designed an e-mail template that was easy to use but impersonal, while the other paired up two community members who both wanted to write letters to work on one together in their own words. The latter organization, because it invested simultaneously in advocacy and community-building, had greater long-term success.

    So where are the barriers to creating those opportunities to activate citizens and give them agency? For Jeremy Bird, National Field Director for the 2012 Obama Campaign, the “biggest problem in our democracy right now” is the systemic effort to hinder access to voting rights. “To come to this event, if you had to – 30 days ago – print something out from a DMV-like web site, fill it out, put a stamp on it, and mail it in in order to be registered to participate, none of you would be here,” he said.

  322. rq says

    Protests in Ferguson:
    @mettawordlife83 turnout starting to grow
    #Ferguson protest site

    Santiago Quintero who witnessed his boy #JohnQuintero die says son did nothing wrong. The link: Father of a man shot, killed by police speaks out. But of course his father WOULD say that, huh? :P

    Santiago Quintero argues his son never did say anything wrong to police officers and therefore, did not deserve to be shot.

    “Never did he say anything bad to police officers. He didn’t cuss at them, he didn’t say anything wrong to them. Always had his hands up in the air,” he said.

    According to police, John Paul was not cooperating with officers. Interim Police Chief Nelson Mosley said John Paul was belligerent and was not complying with officer commands.

    According to Santiago, one officer tried to use a taser his son. He says his son jolted and he puts his hands down. He says that was when the other police officer pulled out the gun and fired two shots.

    The father says after the shooting, he got upset and was arrested. He said, “I asked for them to have some mercy and let me be with my son. That wasn’t even given to me.”

    Santiago Quintero tells us he wrote a letter to the United States attorney general’s office asking the feds to investigate. He also sent an email as well. So far, he says both are unanswered.

    Good luck with being heard, seriously. :(

    From the annals of the past: A group of whites attack a group of blacks as they began to swim at the St. Augustine Beach in Florida. June 25, 1964 .

    And for a dose of WTF, Federal Judge Rules Law Against Texas Hair Braiders as Unconstitutional. Unconstitutional hair braiding. Anyone feel like a new hairdo as of tomorrow? :P

  323. rq says

    Via cicely The Quietest Terrorist Attack Ever (cartoon).

    So are cops going to condemn cops, now? Albuquerque cop mistakenly guns down undercover narcotics officer during bungled $60 meth bust

    The complaint said that Garcia had attempted to buy $60 worth of meth “shards” from Damien Bailey. Garcia reportedly drove with two suspects to an Econo Lodge, where she purchased the meth.

    The shooting occurred after Garcia drove to a nearby McDonald’s and gave the signal for officers to move in for the drug bust. An undercover officer was shot multiple times, police said. Witnesses reported hearing around five gunshots.

    Police declined to detail what went wrong during the drug bust, and they did not say why the officer opened fire. But the criminal complaint said nothing about the suspects being armed.

    #Ferguson PD ordered crowd to disperse at rally after a white male with a gun on his hip started a fight. About 40 people remain.

    “@kharyp “@deray Black. Lives. Matter. Milwaukee. #DontreHamilton ””

    Some history: TULSA RACE RIOT

    Believed to be the single worst incident of racial violence in American history, the bloody 1921 Tulsa race riot has continued to haunt Oklahomans to the present day. During the course of eighteen terrible hours on May 31 and June 1, 1921, more than one thousand homes and businesses were destroyed, while credible estimates of riot deaths range from fifty to three hundred. By the time the violence ended, the city had been placed under martial law, thousands of Tulsans were being held under armed guard, and the state’s second-largest African American community had been burned to the ground.

    More details at the link.

  324. rq says

    Once again, with feeling: Police supporters rally in front of Ferguson Police Department

    “We just kind of came out to show them we love them and support them and say nice things to them instead of some of the bad things people have said,” said Trudy Giancola, a retired Ferguson Fire Department captain.

    The sidewalks on south Florissant Road outside of the police station have been a meeting point for groups protesting the death of Michael Brown, the teen shot by former Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson. Some of the regular protesters made their way onto the parking lot for their own rally, chanting “Black lives matter,” “You can’t stop the revolution” and other familiar slogans.

    They and police supporters mingled peacefully, although there was at least one confrontation.

    “This has been a bad situation, and I think the community wants to make things better,” said Jeff Ahrens, who has lived in Ferguson for 30 years and was attending the rally for police. He tried to engage one of the counter-protesters in conversation, he said, without success.

    “There’s been some great conversations going on between black and white and Hispanic,” Ahrens said. “The people who shout past each other don’t solve anything.”

    There were some civil conversations between police supporters and those who are still angry with police over Brown’s shooting.

    “You can be pro-black life without being anti-police,” said Aaron Banks, who documents the protests and says that as a black man he understands the anger of many protesters.

    That’s what he talked about with a man who was there for the police rally, Banks said. It shouldn’t be such a polarizing issue, he said. Police should be out protesting, too, against the socioeconomic conditions that led to the unrest in the first place.

    Golden Globes: John Legend and Common Win For Best Original Song

    “I want to thank God and the Hollywood Foreign Press,” began Common.

    “I am the hopeful black woman who was denied the right to vote. I am the caring white supporter,” added Common. “I am the unarmed black kid, who maybe needed a hand, but instead of, was given a bullet.”

    “Selma has awakened my humanity,” he continued, thanking Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey and more.

    “I’m so honored to be a part of this amazing film,” said Legend. “We’re so grateful to write this song.”

    When Will the North Face Its Racism?

    In matters of racial injustice, the South has been the center of attention since before the time of the Civil War. But the North, with its shorter history of a mass black population, has only more recently dealt with the paradox of an enlightened ideal coexisting with racial disparity. The protests have become a referendum on the black condition since the Great Migration. “The protests are beginning to wake people up to the idea that the problems are not only there but have been obvious all along,” the historian Taylor Branch told me. “It feels like the South in the 1950s.” [..]

    In the early decades of the 20th century, a caste system ruled the South with such repression that every four days an African-American was lynched for some perceived breach or mundane accusation — having stolen 75 cents or made off with a mule. Those conditions forced most every black family to consider the best course of action to feel safe and free. “Where can we go,” a black woman in Alabama wrote in 1902, “to feel that security which other people feel?”

    Generations later, police killings of African-Americans occur as often as twice a week for at times mundane infractions and at three times the rate as for whites, according to conservative estimates from recent studies. What happens in the moments after these encounters reveals a disregard for black life as disturbing as the shootings themselves. In the case of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old with a toy gun who was shot within seconds of a squad car’s arrival at a Cleveland park, new video released this week showed officers wrestling the boy’s 14-year-old sister to the ground and handcuffing her as she appeared to run toward her bleeding brother.
    Continue reading the main story

    Such cases force black families again to consider how to safeguard their children and themselves from the violence they suffer at a disproportionate rate at the hands of authorities assigned to protect them. They are still giving a version of the same talk their ancestors gave their children back in the old country of the South, about answering yes, sir, and no, sir, and watching how they comport themselves around the upper caste and the police. […]

    Notably, however, high profile-cases of police brutality have recently come to be associated with the North rather than the South. And it is in the South that two recent cases of police shootings of unarmed black people resulted in more vigorous prosecution. Last month, as protests raged over the deaths of Michael Brown in Missouri, Eric Garner in New York and John Crawford and Tamir Rice in Ohio, Randall Kerrick, a police officer in Charlotte, N.C., made his first court appearance on a charge of voluntary manslaughter in the 2013 death of Jonathan Ferrell. Mr. Ferrell was an unarmed black motorist who was shot 10 times as he sought help after a car accident. In September, Sean Groubert, a South Carolina state trooper, was fired after shooting an unarmed man, Levar Jones, during a traffic stop over a seatbelt violation. In a widely circulated video of the incident, Mr. Jones asked the trooper with humbling composure, “What did I do, sir?” Then: “Why did you shoot me?” He survived his injuries. The trooper was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and battery, a felony that carries a possible 20-year prison term.
    Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story
    Continue reading the main story

    The nation still has far to go, but this, at least, seems cause for hope. It suggests that the South, after decades of wrestling with its history, is now willing to face injustice head on. And it suggests that the North, after decades of insisting that it was fairer and more free, could eventually do the same. […]

    If the events of the last year have taught us anything, it is that, as much progress has been made over the generations, the challenges of color and tribe were not locked away in another century or confined to a single region but persist as a national problem and require the commitment of the entire nation to resolve.

    This Letter Could Restart The Case Against Darren Wilson

    The group of experts assembled by the NAACP to review the grand jury transcripts “were struck by the deeply unfair manner in which the proceedings were conducted.” The NAACP cites three areas of particular concern.

    1. McCulloch and his team “knowingly presented false witness testimony to the grand jury.” McCulloch admitted this on a radio interview on December 19. The NAACP notes this is likely a violation of the Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct. Specifically, McCulloch allowed a woman to testify as an eyewitness who he knew was not at the scene of the incident and had a history of “racially-charged rants about the incident on the internet.”

    2. McCulloch and his team “presented incorrect and misleading statements of law to the grand jury and sanctioned unlawful juror practices.” Specifically, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kathi Alizadeh distributed copies of a Missouri statute that was contravened by a Supreme Court decision 30 years earlier. When Alizadeh addressed the issue weeks later she said that the statute was “not entirely incorrect or inaccurate” but the grand jury should “disregard” it. […]

    3. McCulloch and his team “provided favorable treatment to the target of the grand jury proceedings.” McCulloch, at the outset of the case, told the grand jury that the case was “special.” As the case progressed “the questioning of witnesses often appeared to advocate for defendant Wilson’s version of the shooting.” When the prosecutors questioned Wilson they asked him: “[I]f we are sort of done with your questioning, is there anything that we have not asked you that you want us to know or you think it is important for the jurors to consider regarding this incident?”

    The NAACP concludes that the entire process “leaves deeply troubling doubts about whether about whether justice was administered in a fair, impartial and competent manner.” The NAACP encourages Judge McShane to consider “remedial action — through a new grand jury, appointment of a new special prosecutor, or other means.”

    In a footnote, the NAACP cites the law — Missouri Statute 56.110 — that gives Judge McShane the power to restart the case against Wilson.

    New York Police Officers Are Quick to Resort to Chokeholds, Inspector General Finds

    The 45-page report, released on Monday, follows the death in July of Eric Garner on Staten Island after an arresting officer placed him in a chokehold, a tactic that was banned by the Police Department two decades ago. The report looks at officers’ ongoing use of chokeholds and the department’s handling of such actions.

    The inspector general’s office, created by the City Council over the objections of the Bloomberg administration, had been expected to release the report last month, but pushed back the date after two officers were fatally shot in their patrol car in Brooklyn on Dec. 20 by a man who was seeking to kill police officers and who killed himself minutes later. […]

    In the 10 chokehold cases studied, seven were completed during the Bloomberg administration. In six of those, the police commissioner at the time, Raymond W. Kelly, departed from the recommendations of the board, the report found, and offered lesser punishment or no punishment at all. In the seventh, the officer died before the process ended.[ …]

    The fact that “several of the subject officers” in the 10 cases reviewed used chokeholds “as a first act of physical force and in response to mere verbal confrontation is particularly alarming,” the report said. It promised a fuller investigation into alleged improper use of force by officers in coming reports.

    Tamir Rice and the Value of Life. Unfortunately I cannot cite, as I have reached my limit of 10 free articles this month!!!

  325. rq says

    Paramount and African-American Business Leaders Team Up to Offer Free Selma Showings to Students Nationwide

    “The response to our program in New York is better than we could have anticipated, and we are truly moved by the generosity and outpouring of support,” Charles Phillips, chief executive of New York software company Infor, said in a statement. “The story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s heroic efforts in Alabama during the civil rights movement is an important chapter in our country’s history—and one that still resonates deeply today. Due to the many generous donors, tens of thousands of students around the country will have the opportunity to experience this extraordinary film.”

    According to Biz Journals, Paramount said that because of the attention the New York City initiative received, theaters across the country received phone calls wondering if they were having free screenings as well. “This is a rare moment when a film has transformed into a cultural movement in recognition of a highly relevant message that touched many people,” Paramount said.

    According to Phillips, a total of 90,000 students will be able to see the movie for free, which includes the original 27,000 New York City students. When the New York City announcement was made, 60,000 students signed up for the 27,000 tickets in 48 hours, and the group is attempting to accommodate everyone. But it doesn’t stop there. Apparently there will be another announcement later this week, with more numbers being added.

    New cities and areas participating in the screenings include Boston; Nashville, Tenn.; New Jersey; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Sarasota, Fla.; and Westchester County, N.Y., with more being added throughout the week.

    This is cool!

    African-American Mayors Are Wary Of Push For Municipal Consolidation In St. Louis County

    But advocating for and actually accomplishing consolidation are completely different propositions, as Stenger found out during his first county council meeting as county executive.

    There, African-American mayors of small north county towns pushed back against the idea that they shouldn’t exist. It was a backlash of sorts against what they see as an unrelenting attack on them from policymakers, especially on the issues of municipal courts and policing standards.

    “We are all voted in by the people of our cities that believe in our leadership,” said Cool Valley Mayor Viola Murphy. “People are making decisions concerning our cities without even having a conversation with any of us before decisions are being made,”

    Stenger’s earlier comments on disincorporation appeared to strike a nerve with local elected officials like Greendale Mayor Monica Huddleston. She described Stenger’s views as “not well thought out.”

    Huddleston questioned “why all of a sudden is St. Louis County folks want to talk differently now about consolidation, as if that’s the best thing since sliced bread?” She alluded to how the county already has to provide municipal services, including trash and snowplowing, to hundreds of thousands of people in unincorporated areas.

    “St. Louis County has quite a bit to chew over right now without absorbing more areas to try and figure out how they’re going to deliver services,” she said. “A lot of work, a lot of preparation, a lot of study would have to be done first. So why would jump from that to ‘some of them need to merge’? When you haven’t even studied what that would do the residents who voted those municipalities in in the first place.”

    Less black mayors, though, right? Isn’t that how the consolidation would go?

    Tensions rise during rally at ferguson PD (with autoplay video)

    Things got heated during an “Appreciation Rally” for law enforcement and first responders in Ferguson, Missouri, Sunday.

    Counter-protesters showed up to the rally, voicing their concerns. The rally was held in front of the Ferguson Police Department Sunday afternoon. Organizers say they wanted to show their support for the Ferguson Police Department, especially considering all that the police officers have been through recently.

    However, demonstrators showed up to the event, claiming officers have not been held accountable for police brutality. Despite shouting between the two groups, the rally remained peaceful.

    Another take on the Jack in the Box case where McCullogh excelled in the administration of fairness and justice: If You Want To Understand The Ferguson Prosecution, You Should Know About The Jack In The Box Case.
    And one morE: EXCLUSIVE: Now Ferguson prosecutor is accused of lying about evidence in ANOTHER grand jury which cleared police of killing two unarmed black men .

  326. rq says

    Regal Cinemas Majestic Stadium’s Screening Of ‘The Butler’ Causes Controversy With Reported Police Presence (UPDATED)

    A woman named Tiffany Flowers took to Twitter on Sunday to express her “utter disgust” at the treatment of movie-goers and to speak out against the police activity that seemed to be confined to the showing of “The Butler.” She explained that the movie theater required patrons’ tickets to be checked twice before they were allowed to enter the theater, where they were then met by a police officer who was directing their moves.

    Flowers went on to add that armed guards faced the crowd as the movie played, before insinuating that the security choice was made because the movie drew a largely black crowd. “The almost entirely black audience of ‘The Butler’ was subjected to watching the film while armed guards faced the audience,” Flowers wrote on Twitter. “Why?”

    Read the tweets at the link; apparently they’ve been doing the same thing – turning up the heat and security – for screenings of Selma.

    “#Ferguson protests are looting and violence!”
    Atlanta. #Ferguson2ATL Art Exhibit and Spoken Word. Tonight.
    This retired cop just engaged @bassem_masri with “Hello Towel Head” #RACISTCOPS #FTP
    Why Do THEY GET TO occupy the PD lot?

  327. Pteryxx says

    The two Albuquerque cops who shot and killed James Boyd have been charged with murder. CBS News, Denver Post:

    The decision to bring murder charges occurred at a time when police tactics are under intense review nationwide, fueled by the fatal shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, and the chokehold death of another unarmed man in New York City. Grand juries declined to charge officers in those cases, leading to large protests.

    Acknowledging the frustration over the secrecy of the proceedings in those cases, the Albuquerque district attorney said she would bypass the grand jury process and instead present the murder case to a judge at a preliminary hearing that will be open to the public.

    “Unlike Ferguson and unlike in New York City, we’re going to know. The public is going to have that information,” District Attorney Kari Brandenburg said.

    Police said SWAT team member Dominique Perez and former detective Keith Sandy fatally shot James Boyd, a mentally ill homeless man who had frequent violent run-ins with law enforcement. Video from an officer’s helmet camera showed Boyd appearing to surrender when officers opened fire, but a defense lawyer characterized him as an unstable suspect who was “unpredictably and dangerously close to a defenseless officer while he was wielding two knives.”

    “I’m looking forward … to the DA’s office presenting one single witness that says this is murder,” said Sam Bregman, a lawyer for Sandy.

    The district attorney refused to provide specifics about the reasons for bringing the case, but said it was a lengthy and deliberate process involving several members of her staff.

    Each officer faces a single count in the March death of the 38-year-old Boyd. The charges allow prosecutors to pursue either first-degree or second-degree murder against the officers.

    […]

    The next step in the case will be a preliminary hearing where a judge will decide whether the case can proceed. The officers have not been booked or arrested. That would not happen until a judge renders a decision at the preliminary hearing. A date has not been set.

  328. Pteryxx says

    From rq’s #324, the NYT op-ed in response to the extended video: Tamir Rice and the Value of Life

    It is hard to think of the gravely injured boy and the aloof officers who’d done the deed but withheld their help, and not reach a white-hot level of righteous indignation.

    Tamir was a human being, a child — who could have been any of our children, and who was robbed of his life and therefore his future. Twelve years old. That’s just a baby, a baby with a hole in his belly. This wrong must be made right.

    There is a basic respect for life that should have governed that day, and which seems, in the video, shockingly absent from it.

    Not only is the shooting itself disturbing, but the failure to render aid is unconscionable. And this didn’t just happen in Tamir’s case. The same apathy about the immediate administration of care is echoed in other cases where black boys and men lay dying.

    After George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman mounted the boy and stretched his arms wide. Martin was still alive.

    (By the way, Zimmerman was arrested yet again Saturday, this time on charges of aggravated assault and domestic violence with a weapon for allegedly throwing a wine bottle at his girlfriend. “Georgie” doesn’t seem so peaceful anymore, does he?)

    After officers choked Eric Garner until he fell unconscious, no one administered CPR. Instead they checked his pockets. Garner was still alive.

    As Salon put it, after Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown through the head, Wilson didn’t check to see if Brown “was breathing or if he had a pulse; nor did he render aid in any way, shape or form.”

    The list goes on, quite literally, ad nauseam.

    The plaintive voices of the dead call the living to action. So, in the demand for justice, timorousness must be the enemy, tirelessness must be the motto and righteousness must be the compass.

    The world must be made to acknowledge that Tamir Rice’s life mattered.

  329. Pteryxx says

    This is from December but hasn’t been posted as far as I can tell: The Nation, Mass Incarceration’s Collateral Damage: The Children Left Behind

    A very small subset of children—those with abusive parents—were found to be more likely to thrive academically and socially if their parents are incarcerated. But most children declined markedly. In fact, the new research suggests that prisoners’ children may be the most enduring victims of our national incarceration craze.

    “Even for kids at high risk of problems, parental incarceration makes a bad situation worse,” concluded Christopher Wildeman and Sara Wakefield in their recently published book, Children of the Prison Boom: Mass Incarceration and the Future of American Inequality.

    Wildeman and Wakefield found that children with incarcerated fathers were three times more likely than peers from similar backgrounds to become homeless. They also suffered significantly higher rates of behavioral and mental-health problems, most notably aggression.

    Kristin Turney, a professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine, reached similar conclusions in a report published this past September. Turney found that children with incarcerated parents were three times more likely to suffer from depression or behavioral problems than the average American child, and twice as likely to suffer from learning disabilities and anxiety.

    The new analyses give statistical credence to the on-the-ground experiences of advocates and educators in states like Louisiana, the nation’s incarceration capital. “Children don’t necessarily say how they feel; they act it out,” said Torin Sanders, a social worker, Baptist pastor and former school-board president in New Orleans, who has worked with the children of incarcerated parents for two decades but has yet to see local schools systematically deal with the issue.

    […]

    One in four black children born in 1990 saw their father head off to prison before they turned 14, according to Wildeman, a Cornell University sociologist. For white children of the same age, the risk is one in thirty. For black children whose fathers didn’t finish high school, the odds are even greater: more than 50 percent have dads who were locked up by the time they turned 14. To put it another way, the children of black high-school dropouts are more likely than not to see their fathers locked up.

    Even well-educated black families are disproportionately affected by the incarceration boom. Wakefield and Wildeman found that black children with college-educated fathers are twice as likely to see them incarcerated as the children of white high-school dropouts.

    In recent decades, the number of children with incarcerated fathers has shot up, from 350,000 in 1980 to 2.1 million in 2000. In 2004, more than half of state and federal inmates reported having at least one minor child.

    Incarcerated parents are predominantly men. More than half of state and federal prisoners serving sentences of more than one year are nonviolent drug and property offenders sentenced under the “tough on crime” laws that helped create the nation’s prison boom. “When I was coming up, it was the real bad guys who were hurting people who went away,” said Oliver Thomas Jr., 57, a former New Orleans city councilman who spent time in federal prison for taking bribes. These days, when Thomas—who is also a former teacher—speaks to schoolchildren and asks who has a family member in prison, “just about everybody raises their hand.” An overwhelming number are coping with imprisoned parents, he said.

    […]

    When Oliver Thomas went away to federal prison for three years, he watched his own daughter and nephew experience the uncertainties and sense of abandonment he’d seen in other children. “If a kid is resentful, some act out aggressively, become aloof or withdrawn, do poor academically or become active sexually. They try to deal with it,” he said.

    Often, teachers and other adults tell such students that they are likely to grow up and go to prison themselves—a claim disproved by all research, said Tanya Krupat, who directs programs in the Osborne Association’s New York Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents. “If we could stamp out one myth,” Krupat added, “that would be it.”

    But those negative perceptions often hit home, Sanders noted, causing children like Steven Alexander to give up on school and view long-term goals like graduation and academic success as meaningless. “They think: ‘If I don’t have a future, why do I need to be concerned with the present?’”

    The lowered expectations affect entire communities, said Ron McClain, the president and CEO of Family Service of Greater New Orleans, who estimated that 80 percent of the people he’s worked with had experienced incarceration within their immediate families. In some neighborhoods, children begin to see prison as “something that happens when you grow older,” he said.

    […]

    Steven Alexander’s mother was a model prisoner and earned release two years early, but the effects of her years behind bars endured, said Demourelle, now 57. Not a day goes by when she doesn’t have regrets, she added: “I should have been here to make sure they went to school. I should have been here to pick their friends.”

    Demourelle married a childhood friend, found steady work as part of a New Orleans violence-prevention team and is helping to raise her grandchildren (her daughter is still struggling with addiction). Her sunny, spacious apartment is filled with visiting children running up and down the steps.

    Recently, as her extended family gathered for a movie night, Demourelle sat on the couch next to her youngest son and talked proudly about the complicated sound system he’d connected to the television that evening. Ever since he was young, she said, he was able to take his toys apart and put them back together. He would find electronic parts in the garbage and assemble them with other parts. He also learned to cook from his grandmother and advanced to operating entire restaurant kitchens from top to bottom. “He can fix anything; he can cook anything,” she said, caressing her son’s face.

    Earlier this year, Steven Alexander was refused entry into a culinary training program because he couldn’t read well enough to pass the screening test. At times like these, his mother finds herself wishing that she could truly make up for lost time. “I’m still trying to figure it out: What can I do now to make their lives better?” she said.

    […]

    Kristin Turney has devoted much of her career to exploring the connection between parental incarceration and children’s well-being from a statistical point of view. In addition to the Fragile Families data, she has relied on the massive National Survey of Children’s Health for some of her most significant findings. Using the 2012 survey, which encompassed nearly 100,000 children from birth to age 17, she attempted to control for factors like poverty, parental mental health and marital status to assess incarceration’s effects. She found that incarceration appeared to cause—or, at the very least, to aggravate—developmental delays in children, including behavior problems, speech issues and learning disabilities. By contrast, parental incarceration was not linked to childhood obesity or chronic school absence, Turney found.

    Despite the growing consensus among them, researchers say that countless questions remain. Turney struggles with one key question: Why does incarceration affect kids? “Is it stigma, attachments, income loss, parents breaking up and relationships not surviving? We don’t know,” she said. Another elusive question: Why are some children so much more resilient than others? In New Orleans, underresourced educators and advocates have worked tirelessly to foster such qualities in at-risk children, but it is still too rare.

  330. rq says

    George Wallace, Jr.: ‘Selma’ movie’s portrayal of my father is pure, unadulterated fiction

    There was a time in his life when he supported segregation because as he said, “We were taught as children that a segregated society was best for both races, and anything other than that would bring about adverse relations between the races.” He believed that then, as did most southerners, and his acceptance of segregation was with no sense of ill feeling, malice, or hate toward black people.

    His conscience eventually led him to believe that the South’s commonly held views on segregation were wrong, and he publicly renounced them. He even visited the Dexter Avenue Baptist church, where Martin Luther King once pastored, and asked the congregation for its forgiveness. I believe my father’s journey toward redemption helped lead the South and, indeed, much of the rest of the nation, along the path to reconciliation. […]

    The movie “Selma” suggests that my father ordered troopers to beat participants in a nighttime civil rights march while television cameras were absent, which is pure, unadulterated fiction. Nor do I recall him ever making mention of a “mongrel” race that would result if segregation were ended. The truth and facts simply do not fit the image of my father that Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt wish to promote, so the producers needlessly changed history in order to tell what was an already compelling story in “Selma.”

    There are those who will never find any redeeming qualities in my father, but he was a multi-faceted man who came to terms with much in his life. His forgiveness of the man who shot him and left him in such pain was a testament to his deep Christian faith. His later work both in office and in retirement to bring people of all races together in brotherhood and understanding is one of his greatest legacies, and one we could certainly emulate today.

    Well, I don’t know of any historical drama that happens to be particularly historically accurate.

    Join Us for a Live Discussion with Ferguson and Muslim Civil Rights Organizers

    DATE: Wednesday, January 28, 2015
    TIME: 8 PM Eastern Standard Time
    LOCATION: Google+
    FEATURED GUESTS:

    Ashley Yates, Ferguson Organizer, Co-Founder, Millennial Activists United
    Brittany Ferrell, Ferguson Organizer, Co-Founder, Millennial Activists United
    Linda Sarsour, Executive Director, Arab American Association of New York; Co-Founder, Muslims for Ferguson
    Dawud Walid, Executive Director, Council of American Islamic Relations-Michigan Chapter
    Khaled Beydoun, Columnist, Al Jazeera English; Law Professor, UCLA
    Darakshan Raja, Program Manager, Washington Peace Center
    Moderated by Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, Founder, MuslimGirl.net

    FERGUSON: NOW WHAT? will be bringing together prominent Ferguson and Muslim American civil rights activists to explore what Muslims can do to contribute to the movement. We will be taking a look at where we are now and where we can go from here. The discussion will be identifying how intersectional solidarity between the Muslim and Black communities can combat our individual and shared struggles.

    Anyone may take part in the conversation and pose questions directly to the speakers using the hashtag #MGFerguson on Twitter. We will be featuring your tweets and answering your questions live on the air.

    #BlackLivesMatter – Judge Dismisses Manslaughter Charge For Cop Who Shot 7-Year-Old To Death (it’s from October, but it floated up again today, and she was 7 fucking years old sleeping in her bed…).

    … RT @Oprah: I loved this acceptance speech @common #GoldenGlobes. That last line? “I am the two fallen police officers who were slain in the line of duty” has been called out as another way of saying #AllLivesMatter. But who really knows?

    Huge police presence at #GrandCentral. #BlackLivesMatter protestors continue die-in and moment of silence.
    Grand Central right now as MTA says “lying on the ground or platform is prohibited” over the speakers @deray

  331. rq says

    We need YOU to help spread the word about the #ReclaimMLK MLK DARE March – to volunteer visit The link: MLK D.A.R.E. Final Week Outreach Volunteer Form.

    New York inspector general issues ‘alarming’ report on NYPD’s continued use of banned chokeholds

    1. In every case, in spite of the clarity of the evidence, or the outrageousness of the chokehold, the NYPD completely rejected every single disciplinary recommendation given by the Civilian Review Board. The report states, “In fact, there was no indication from the records reviewed that NYPD seriously contemplated CCRB’s disciplinary recommendations or that CCRB’s input added any value to the disciplinary process.”

    2. Although it was determined that discipline for the officers was needed in 60 percent of the cases, the police commissioner lessened the discipline suggested by the Civilian Review Board in every case and even refused discipline in two cases in which even his office agreed a violation happened. No details were even given in any cases for the reduced discipline—which was usually just a written letter or a required conversation with a superior.

    3. The report determined that in many cases, NYPD officers, in spite of the chokehold being banned without exception, are using it not only in physical altercations, but frequently using it when they are just having a verbal disagreement with a citizen. In spite of the fact that NYPD officers are trained on how to verbally de-escalate conflicts, they are clearly choking citizens who they are just irritated by. The NY Daily News details three of the cases detailed in the report.

    The report itself can be found at the link.

    Daily Kos on the Albuquerque cops indicted: Prosecutor decides to indict 2 Albuquerque police officers in shooting death of homeless man.

    Hoodies: Is Looking “Black” a Crime?

    But let’s face it: This law is not targeting the hoodie-loving Mark Zuckermans and Justin Timberlakes and Biebers of the world. This is a thinly veiled attempt to criminalize and control Black communities for profit, just the latest in a long history of policing Black bodies that is rooted in slavery and its aftermath. Because if we really wanted to combat crime, we wouldn’t be wasting our time with something so trite as issuing fashion citations. We’d tighten our lax gun-control laws.

    Barrington’s proposed law, which he drafted and could be introduced, ironically, in February during Black History Month, would make wearing “a mask, hood or other covering either while committing a crime or in order to intentionally conceal one’s identity,” a misdemeanor subject to a fine of $50 to $500 and up to a year in jail. It would exempt masks worn on Halloween or to masquerade balls, religious head coverings, or people just wearing hooded sweatshirts as they go about their regular daily business.

    That last bit… doesn’t that kind of… negate the whole law?

    And yet, the pretext of the laws banning wearing them “is about being able to stop young African American males. Hoodie is code for ‘thug’ in many places and I think businesses shouldn’t be in the business of telling people what to wear,” said CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin after Mounds Mall in Anderson, Indiana, outlawed hoodies last March.

    Hostin compares bans on hoodies to those on sagging pants. “When do we get to a place in our society where we stop … targeting young Black men so there is a pretext for being allowed to escort them out of a mall simply because of what they’re wearing?”

    “These policies are racist at their core because both in the U.S. and in the U.K. the hoodie is racialized as attire worn by Black and Brown working-class men and boys,” said Tanisha Ford, an assistant professor of women, gender and sexuality studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. “Hoodie-wearers are inherently read as criminals. Laws like these also reinforce stop-and-frisk policies. They communicate that a law-enforcement officer has just cause to stop, question, and even detain someone simply for wearing a hoodie. And we already know that people of color are far likely to be stopped and frisked than their White counterparts. In essence, Oklahoma is becoming an example of everything that’s wrong with the police state.”

    The link lists other items of clothing, fashion, and hairstyles that have been deemed inappropriate and/or outlawed in other states.

    So, I got the times wrong on that previous tweet. He saw it at 10:43pm. It was done at 11:01pm. Twitter, amazing. The resulting cartoon is a person wearing an ‘All Lives Matter’ shirt sweeping a Nigerian town under a rug.

    thisisthemovement, installment #74:

    Ferguson
    Police Supporters Rally In Front of Headquarters The Post-Dispatch has provided a re-cap of the recent “pro-police” rally that was held in front of the Ferguson PD. This article problematically describes the Ferguson protestors as deviant (i.e. they curse, etc…) and the “pro-police” protestors as wholesome. In the past few weeks, the Post-Dispatch’s coverage has taken a sharp turn to discredit protestors and this is just a continuation. Read to understand media bias.

    The Symbolism of Hands-Up Despite the article’s title, it provides an interesting exploration into the symbolism of “hands-up, don’t shoot” as a key phrase of the movement. Interesting read.

    Montana
    Release Government Files on Malcolm Grant Morrison, a Montana officer, killed Richard Ramirez and the killing was ruled justified. Officer Morrison pulled Ramirez over for a routine traffic stop and had an irrational fear that Ramirez was armed in the back seat and proceeded to kill him. You must watch these videos. Chilling.

    NAACP Bombing
    Major Attacks On NAACP Since Civil Rights Act This quick-read has a timeline of the major attacks that NAACP branches and events have faced since 1965. Absolute must read.

    NYC/Eric Garner
    DA Hopes Death Won’t Be An Election Issue Daniel Donovan, the district attorney who handled the grand jury in the death of Eric Garner, has been nominated by the Republican Party to fill a vacated Congressional seat. Donovan hopes that the Grand Jury decision will not be used against him and he asks the public to “respect” the decision of the Grand Jury. Quick, necessary read.

    New York Officers, Quick To Resort to Chokeholds The NYC Inspector General’s Office has released a 45-page report that “…examined the circumstances and the disciplinary actions that resulted in 10 confrontations between officers and suspects from 2009 to June 2014 in which a seperate oversight agency verified that a chokehold had been used by an officer. Click here for the full 45-page report. Absolute must read.

    Cleveland
    Congregations Prepare For Win A group of 40+ congregations with over 20K combined members have come together to eventually make recommendations on police reform to Cleveland officials, while the city and the DOJ are working to finalize the consent decree. Interesting read.

    Dontre Hamilton
    If We Don’t Fight, We Don’t Win This quick-read provides an update on the protests related to the death of Dontre Hamilton in Milwaukee. Quick read.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    Selma In Selma Paramount Pictures has offered free screenings of the movie Selma in Selma, Alabama and this article includes the perspective of current residents and those who marched and led during the Civil Rights Movement. Interesting read.

    5 Things To Know About Selma. Here’s a quick overview of 5 important things to know about Selma. And this is fine to read even if you haven’t seen the movie. Interesting read.

    Boston Activists Stop Dedham Train Boston activists stood on the train tracks for 4.5 minutes to stop a commuter train in Dedham, Massachusetts.

    Stop And Frisk — Reflections and Critiques This long-read offers a useful overview of the political context of stop-and-frisk and how its implementation has changed over the years in NYC. Important, fascinating read.

    Release Government Files on Malcolm X This article provides a quick update on the efforts to get the full FBI file related to Malcolm X released. Quick, solid read.

  332. rq says

    *sigh* And I was doing so well! Moderation again.

    More pro-police and anti-brutality protestors in Ferguson:
    Yesterday, my “back down” button was broke.
    Omg, Thats @DhorubaShakur and my next door neighbor in the ( don’t shoot me in the woods) hat on (that’s more for the photos as I have no real idea what the twet istelf is referencing).

    the home “@deray: Reasons. ” Enjoy. Links to: Gon See JayShAAH The Ruler (SoundCloud link to music).

    And from Mano Singham, Another step to make the police accountable. There’s a cute yet pointed little cartoon at the end.

  334. rq says

    “@MrChadBrown: wow “@deray: Birthed in Blackness. America. “” powerful and accurate image. Must change.

    Morep ictures from the police rally:
    Police supporter tells Melissa Spitz to ‘shut up’ while debating Dhoruba Shakur at rally to support police.
    This couple drove from Lake of the Ozarks to support #Ferguson police.
    #Ferguson K-9 officer Greg Casem welcomed by supporters at rally.

    America for you.

    Choke-in at Grand Central #NYC! #BlackLivesMatter #ThisStopsToday #ShutItDown #ICantBreathe

  335. rq says

    Some rather recent histoy: Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, 1950s – 1990s

    Following their first exhibition Re-imagine: Black Women in Britain, the Black Cultural Archives present Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, 1950-1990s from Thursday 15 January – Tuesday 30 June 2015. Thisnew exhibition is the culmination of a seven year collaborative project between Black Cultural Archives and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to acquire a collection of photographs that increases the representation of Black photographers and subjects within the V&A’s photographs collection and to develop broader audiences for arts and heritage. The V&A will also present an exhibition of the same title drawn from the new collection of photographs from Monday 16 February – Sunday 24 May 2015.

    Staying Power explores the work of a selection of photographers who were documenting Black experience from mass migration following the arrival of the Windrush in 1948 to the late 1990s and features 14 photographers:Raphael Albert, Norman ‘Normski’ Anderson, Jenny Baptiste, Pogus Cesar, Armet Francis, Colin Jones, Dennis Morris, Charlie Phillips, Ingrid Pollard, Al Vandenberg and Gavin Watson. Highlights include James Barnor’s – Mike Eghan Piccadilly Circus (1967) Neil Kenlocks – Keep Britain White (1974) and Syd Shelton’s – Specials fans, Leeds Carnival Against the Nazis, (1981).

    I’d love to go.

    A counterpart to wikileaks is born. #Afrileaks – a version of whistle-blowing website #Wikileaks – has been launched in Africa: The link: afrileaks.org/

    52% of our attendees at the #Ferguson #STLYouthSpeak are under 21. 75% are under 34. Nearly 200 here total. Nearly 80% are new attendees. That’s a lot of young people. Go, young people!

    Video: Anti-police protester undergoes use of force scenario training
    And the point here is exactly, what? Everyone knows cops shoot when they feel threatened. The question is, what makes them feel threatened, and how do they perceive the same people making the same movements – when does an inadvertent step become a full charge, etc.? Anyway:

    Maupin admitted that the experience changed his way of thinking, saying, “I didn’t understand how important compliance was… people need to comply with the orders of law enforcement officers, for their own safety.”

    Well, I’ve seen several videos of people not given the chance to comply before being seen as a threat. So there’s that.

  336. rq says

    The Weeknd arrested in Las Vegas after allegedly hitting a police officer

    Meltzer said police were trying to break up a fight when Tesfaye hit an officer on the side of the head with a closed fist. The officer was not seriously injured. Tesfaye was taken to the Clark County detention centre, but his name did not appear on the prison roster as of 12 January.

    So an officer gets hit (accidentally or not) while breaking up a fight, and the black guy gets arrested? Hm.

    Ferguson Monopoly, courtesy of the trolls. They got jokes. TW For Racist Tropes of all kinds.

  337. rq says

    No? No riot? Just… crowds and revelers? Riot Cops Use Tear Gas on Columbus Crowds After Ohio State Win. Well holy shit then there, media.

    Beat the Feds
    Alabama pitches prison reform as a states’ rights issue.

    Ward was referring to Brown v. Plata, the landmark 2011 decision in which the Supreme Court ordered California to reduce its prison population by more than 30,000 inmates within two years. The court held that the overcrowding was so bad — prisons were at double their capacity, even after years of litigation and court orders — that it constituted cruel and unusual punishment.

    “I heard what the federal government did to California when they came in,” said another state senator, Vivian Figures, a Democrat from Mobile. “The ultimate goal is that we do what we have to do so that the federal government does not come in to mandate what we do.”

    Alabama’s prisons resemble California’s, circa 2011. At 190 percent design capacity, Alabama’s lockup is the most crowded — and among the most dysfunctional — in the nation. Two major federal lawsuits are pending against the Alabama Department of Corrections. The Equal Justice Initiative’s alleges a culture of violence that has led to a half-dozen deaths in custody and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s accuses the prisons of providing constitutionally inadequate health care. A Department of Justice investigation found rampant sexual abuse of inmates by guards at one of the state’s women’s prisons. The threat of federal intervention looms.

    Ward and others created a state Prison Reform Task Force last year as a way to tackle the state’s prison overcrowding problem. “If we really are anti-federal government like we say, then we’d better fix it before they do,” said Ward. [… – gotta love that motivation]

    The Task Force isn’t Alabama’s first attempt at prison reform. Most notably, in 2011, a coalition headed by the state’s then–chief justice, Democrat Sue Bell Cobb, partnered with the Vera Institute to develop a set of policy recommendations, which were largely ignored. These included creating a new class of low-level non-violent felonies, subject to less prison time, and imposing mandatory re-entry supervision for prisoners at the end of their sentences. But Ward and others hope this round will fare better. First, because of California. And second, because of Ward. “If he would have had a ‘D’ next to his name, it wouldn’t have happened,” said Bennet Wright, a member of the state’s sentencing commission, who also sits on the task force.

    “When the Democrats propose those efforts, it comes down to, ‘Oh, Democrats are being soft on crime,’” Ward said. “When a Republican or conservative does it — it’s not fair, the stigma — but everybody kind of all of a sudden takes notice.”

    Prison reform might be a hard sell in a state with a long history of fiscal conservatism and a hard-line stance towards criminals. But Brown v. Plata provides lawmakers with political cover. “I tell [voters], ‘we spend less than anybody in the United States on our prisons. If we don’t dramatically reform the system, then, guess what. We’re going to spend ten times what we’re spending now. And a federal court will make us do it,’” Ward said. “It does motivate them to a degree.”

    I just wonder what the solutions will be. Is ‘addressing systemic racism’ on the list?

  338. rq says

    Where America’s Racist Tweets Come From

    Floating Sheep, a group of geography academics, took advantage of that fact to turn hatred — and, just as often, stupidity — into information. The team searched Twitter for racism-revealing terms that appeared in the context of tweets that mentioned “Obama,” “re-elected,” or “won.” That search resulted in (a shockingly high and surprisingly low) 395 tweets. The team then sorted the tweets according to the state they were sent from, comparing the racist tweets to the total number of geocoded tweets coming from that state during the same time period (November 1 – 7). To normalize states across population levels, the team then used a location quotient-inspired measure — an economic derivation used to analyze norms across geographical locations — to compare a state’s racist tweets to the national average of racist tweets.

    So, per the team’s model, a score of 1.0 indicates that the state’s proportion of racist tweets to non-racist tweets is the same as the overall national proportion. A score above 1.0 indicates that the proportion of racist tweets to non-racist tweets is higher than the national proportion. […]

    States shaded in gray had no geocoded hate tweets within the Floating Sheep database, which could have to do with the fact that many of them (Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and South Dakota) have a relatively low level of Twitter use overall. The analysts also point out that their samples are measuring tweets, rather than authors — so it could be that one user could be responsible for several racist tweets, thus bumping up a state’s numbers. And given the overall low incidence of racist tweets — the good news veiled in all this — once you get past Alabama and Mississippi, it’s worth noting, the variation among the more-racist and less-racist states is relatively small.

    Still, though. The analysis is a revealing exercise — and a nice reminder that in the age of the quantified self, biases are just one more thing that can be publicized and analyzed and, finally, judged.

    Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia are the top 3 for racist tweets; Missouri is eighth, and Minnesota is number 10. Warning, the link has some examples of extremely racist tweets.

    #blacklivesmatter voted 2014’s word of the year in US

    “While #blacklivesmatter may not fit the traditional definition of a word, it demonstrates how powerfully a hashtag can convey a succinct social message,” said Ben Zimmer, chair of the society’s new words committee and executive editor of Vocabulary.com. “Language scholars are paying attention to the innovative linguistic force of hashtags, and #blacklivesmatter was certainly a forceful example of this in 2014.”

    #blacklivesmatter was the overwhelming winner of the 125-year-old society’s “most notable hashtag” category, receiving 226 votes from a caucus of linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians and scholars, well ahead of #icantbreathe, the final words of Garner, which became another cry of protest at police violence on social media.

    It then went on to comprehensively beat other category winners to be named word of the year, taking 196 of a total of 220 votes. In second place came “columbusing”, the concept of cultural appropriation, “especially the act of a white person claiming to discover things already known to minority cultures”, which was named 2014’s most creative word. “Bae”, meaning a romantic partner, “manspreading” as in a man sitting with his legs wide apart on public transport to block other seats, and “I can’t even” to express bewilderment and frustration, came in behind.

    More word-related funness a the link.

    To Set Future Course, Ferguson Commission Turns To Young People

    “We’ve been saying for so many months that we want our voices to be heard, and finally, someone has listened” said Rasheen Aldridge, who at 20-years-old is the youngest member of the commission.

    More than 100 people attended the roughly four-hour event that focused on young residents between the ages of 14 and 24.

    As with previous commission meetings, strained relationships between African-American residents and law enforcement was a major theme. During an “open-mic” session at the start of the event, Keivonn Monger, a student at Jennings High School, told the story of leaving his school’s computer lab and being stopped by a police officer who suspected he was carrying a firearm.

    “They don’t treat us like we’re human, they don’t give us the respect that we deserve,” Monger said.

    He said unrest in Ferguson and surrounding areas has only driven young people and the police further apart.

    Participants spent much of their time in working groups that focused on what can be done to build stronger neighborhoods, improve relationships with police and bolster classroom achievement. As commission members listened, young people helped fill giant sheets of paper taped to the wall with suggestions that included community beautification projects and creating more safe activities for young people after dark.

    Some students said teachers and administrators intentionally shy away from facilitating honest conversations about race in classrooms. Others said their teachers don’t understand the life experiences of African-American students outside of school. One suggestion was to develop a way to report teachers who don’t seem to care about student success. […]

    Searcy came to the event with her friend, DeAnna Harper, who is also a senior at McClure North High School.

    “This summit is really inspiring me because it shows people haven’t forgotten,” Harper said.

    She said events like the one held on Saturday can help keep young people engaged during ongoing efforts to address racial frustrations that boiled over in Ferguson.

    “To become educated enough that you can take a seat on commissions and police boards and places you can actually make a difference,” Harper said.

    Nieghl Johnson, a senior at Hazelwood Central, delivered the invocation for the event. He said the fatal police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9 of last year struck a chord with him and his classmates.

    “We are Michael Brown, we are young African Americans,” Johnson said. “Just like in the 1960s, things moved to change. History repeats itself, with the proper direction we can move things to change.”

    Go, young people!

    How a Cleveland news outlet obtained key video in Tamir Rice shooting

    We came down pretty hard last month on NEOMG, the digital sibling of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, for flaws in its coverage of the Rice story. We should also give credit where it’s due: NEOMG was persistent in seeking the footage and committed resources to the effort. The extended video likely came to light more quickly than it would have otherwise.

    Here is how they got it.

    NEOMG filed an official public records request on Dec. 11 for the full footage, which was captured by a surveillance camera in a public park and so belonged to the city. The city denied that request, arguing that the video was part of an ongoing criminal investigation and therefore exempt from open-records laws.

    “They know that these are days of limited resources for newsrooms, meaning we pick our battles,” Chris Quinn, NEOMG’s vice president for content, said in an email. “I think city lawyers were bluffing to see whether I was willing to spend the money and call in Dave.” [… – well, he called in Dave]

    “I told Dave we were about to post a story about the city keeping the video secret in violation of the records law,” Quinn said. But Marburger didn’t want to see city lawyers castigated in print, because he felt they were making a genuine effort to release the video in difficult circumstances. “They were being attacked in a million different directions, and this was just one issue.”

    He added, though, that he believed keeping the issue before the city hastened the release of the footage. “Under the circumstances, if we hadn’t persistently pestered them about the video, it wouldn’t have come out yet,” Marburger said.
    […]

    “The other reason we wanted to release it—and I myself wanted to release it much earlier—is because if you can release the video of him being shot, why can’t you release the whole thing?” Williams said. “That’s not really germane to the trail of evidence, in my view. Maximum disclosure, minimum delay. We’ve got to be transparent.”

    Finally, Quinn said “on the day we were going to post a story about the fight,” the video made it to NEOMG. Shaffer published his story on the 30-minute footage on Jan. 7, and followed up with articles about how the Rice family and Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association responded to it.

    In the latter, he states that NEOMG has “filed a public records request for the department’s general police orders on administering aid. City officials have not responded.”

  339. rq says

    Should There Be New Ferguson Grand Jury? Can There Be?

    No Missouri court has appointed a special prosecutor and empaneled a second grand jury over the objection of the local prosecutor whose first grand jury did not indict, legal experts say. Nor does there appear to be a precedent anywhere else in the country.

    But that is what the LDF wants St. Louis County Circuit Court Presiding Judge Maura McShane to consider. In a letter last week, the organization called for McShane to investigate the grand jury run by St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch and consider a new one. It criticized McCulloch and his prosecutors:

    for knowingly presenting perjured testimony,
    for giving confusing instructions on the law,
    treating Officer Darren Wilson with kid gloves when he testified.

    Mae Quinn, a Washington University law professor who helped advise the LDF, knows of no precedent in Missouri or nationally for what she and the LDF want McShane to do. […]

    “I’m fascinated that people have constructed a narrative here that is getting so far from reality it is stunning,” he said in an interview. “I can’t imagine doing a new grand jury unless there is new evidence that is persuasive and material. If there were a video or a confession or a tweet or a comment by Wilson to a friend that amounted to a confession, that would be a material fact that could trigger a new grand jury.”

    Nothing of that kind is alleged by McCulloch’s critics, he said.

    David Rosen, who prosecuted police as a former federal prosecutor, agreed that strong evidence relevant to guilt would be needed before there could be a second grand jury.

    “Overturning a grand jury decision is something that courts are very loathe to do because the courts didn’t actually see the witnesses, they didn’t get a chance to judge the credibility of the witnesses, they didn’t know what went into the decision-making,” he said in an interview.

    Still, the Legal Defense Fund has its supporters, including Richard Kuhns, an emeritus law professor from Washington University. Kuhns cites a laundry list of irregularities:

    knowingly presenting perjured testimony,
    confused jury instructions on use of force,
    “glib” advice on what constitutes probable cause,
    unclear instructions on how to consider Wilson’s affirmative defenses
    and the massive evidence dump.

    “Having a fair process, particularly in light of the racial divide and structural racism in St. Louis County should be more important than whatever psychological discomfort Wilson may feel as a result of having the matter reconsidered,” he wrote in an email.

    Memories of the terror we were faced with in the early days of #Ferguson!!! #HandsUpDon’tShoot @cspanwj

    NYPD Officers Fight Each Other at Tense Union Meeting: “It Got Ugly”

    According to the New York Daily News, Lynch told the officers that he was waiting for de Blasio to apologize to the NYPD for his perceived lack of support for the force in the wake of citywide protests following the non-indictment of an officer in an unarmed black man’s death. De Blasio had also previously rankled the force by admitting that he had talked with his biracial son about being wary of the police.

    The Daily News’ witness told the paper that one cop responded by telling Lynch that he was focusing on a matter immaterial to the day-to-day lives of officers, which sparked the face-off between pro- and anti-Lynch factions within the NYPD.

    “This is what my members want: they want more cars, better vests, more manpower,” one cop shouted, according to the sources. “They don’t want an apology.”

    Another union member told Lynch: “I don’t care about an apology. I want to know what you’re going to do to protect us.”

    Lynch said he disagreed about the importance of an apology, according to the sources.

    The meeting then disintegrated into a physical conflict between cops who support Lynch and those who don’t, the sources said.

    “They were screaming,” one source said. “Lynch’s guys got up and there was shoving and pushing. It got ugly.”

    If the citizens of New York can’t break the NYPD apart, maybe they’ll just end up doing it themselves.

    Go, NYPD.

    Selma. Ferguson. Everywhere.

    More Police in Schools Means More Student Arrests [Infographic]

    It ought not come as a surprise by now. Institutions with school resource officers—that is, school-based law enforcement personnel—report student arrests for disorderly conduct at nearly five times the rate of schools without similar personnel on campus, according to an infographic released by Boston University. The graphic examines the unequal toll that zero-tolerance policies and discipline have on black and Latino students, and the long chain of consequences that harsh discipline can trigger for young people—including lockup, expensive court-related fees and fines, and a cycle of arrest and jail time. The takeaway is that harsh discipline not only doesn’t benefit its targeted students, it also sets them on a path that’s dangerous and difficult to correct.

  340. rq says

    Bad news to come out of Albuquerque:
    #APD’s crazy-ass story: gun totting, body armor-wearing, “heroin-involved” suspect shoots up neighborhood. Neighbors: Nope #apdprotest
    Witness told me @ABQPOLICE, driving 60 MPH, skidded to a stop & fired fatal shots FROM patrol car into alley at victim #apdprotest
    What we know for sure: Cops intimidated witnesses; eyewitness accounts contradict #APD claims victim armed & wore body armor #apdprotest
    On the scene of another fatal officer-involved shooting tonight in Albuquerque. “APD war on the people” #apdprotest
    Ken Ellis, III. @ABQPOLICE killed him 5 yrs ago today. Tomorrow we’ll see photo of who they killed today #apdprotest

  342. Pteryxx says

    Rawstory: Albuquerque bars DA from latest shooting case after she files murder charges against cops

    The day after a New Mexico prosecutor charged two police officers in the shooting death of a mentally ill homeless man last year, Albuquerque officials refused to allow representatives from the District Attorney’s office to participate in the investigation of a new officer-involved shooting that occurred on Tuesday.

    According to KRQE, Chief Deputy District Attorney Sylvia Martinez was barred from a briefing about a shooting that occurred Tuesday evening because, she was told, the District Attorney’s office “has a conflict of interest because we charged the officers” who shot the homeless man last year.

    The District Attorney’s office typically plays a vital role in investigating police-involved shootings — issuing warrants, providing legal counsel for the officers involved, and determining whether a shooting was justified — but when DA Martinez attempted to enter the briefing about Tuesday’s shooting, City Attorney Kathryn Levy told her that the officers “wouldn’t be needing any legal advice or help” and that she “could go home.”

    “I have never seen anything like this ever,” District Attorney Kari Brandenburg told KRQE. “Clearly, this could compromise the integrity of the investigation of this shooting.”

    But it’s totally not a conflict of interest when a DA behaves solely as a thin blue appendage.

    In 2004, the District Attorney’s office signed an agreement with the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) that allowed it to oversee the APD’s investigation of officer-involved shootings. Last year, Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry signed a settlement with the United State Department of Justice (DOJ) that implemented measures to combat the widespread use of excessive force by APD officers.

    According to DA Brandenburg, the APD’s decision to exclude the District Attorney’s office from investigating Tuesday’s shooting violates both those agreements.

    “It is my opinion that they violated [the agreement with the DA’s office],” she said, adding “that means they also violated their agreement with the DOJ.”

    Source article at KRQE News: DA: My office kicked out of police shooting investigation

    Police officials and others were gathering to discuss the most recent developments in the investigation a few hours after the shooting, Brandenburg said. Chief Deputy DA Sylvia Martinez attempted to join the briefing, but Deputy City Attorney Kathryn Levy would not let Martinez attend.

    What Brandenburg said happened Tuesday evening would be an unprecedented move by city of Albuquerque officials, and it comes a day after Brandenburg charged two APD officers with murder in the March shooting death of homeless camper James Boyd.

    Levy invoked the charges in barring Martinez from the briefing, according to Brandenburg.

    “Sylvia was told that our office has a conflict of interest because we charged the officers,” she said.

    Reached by telephone for comment Tuesday evening, Levy, who has for years worked as APD’s attorney, refused to answer questions.

    That’s an attorney for the city, who works as the Albuquerque Police Department’s attorney, refusing access to the *District* Attorney’s office.

    Police said officers went to the area of San Mateo and Constitution after a report of “suspicious activity” shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday. The took one man into custody, but another man fled on foot. That man fired shots at two officers, who chased him on foot, according to police.

    The chase and shootout ended when the officers shot and killed the man, according to police.

    Note that officers getting into chases on foot, which are specifically dangerous situations, often constitutes an unnecessary escalation of force.

    Prosecutors’ presence at the scenes of police shootings and inside the investigatory briefings has been ubiquitous for decades here. In fact, the DA’s participation in the investigations is memorialized in a written agreement with APD and other agencies signed in 2004.

    “I have never seen anything like this. Ever,” Brandenburg said in a telephone interview, referring to a city official shutting one of her prosecutors out of a briefing. “Clearly, this could compromise the integrity of the investigation of this shooting.”

    The written agreement that governs police shooting investigations in Bernalillo County says representatives from APD, the county Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police and the DA’s Office are to designate representatives to take part in the inquiries. The agency that employs the shooting officer “shall be designated the lead agency,” the agreement says.

  343. Pteryxx says

    rq:

    #APD’s crazy-ass story: gun totting, body armor-wearing, “heroin-involved” suspect shoots up neighborhood. Neighbors: Nope #apdprotest
    Witness told me @ABQPOLICE, driving 60 MPH, skidded to a stop & fired fatal shots FROM patrol car into alley at victim #apdprotest
    What we know for sure: Cops intimidated witnesses; eyewitness accounts contradict #APD claims victim armed & wore body armor #apdprotest

    Well, no reason *there* for the APD to be shutting their own DA out of this investigation, nope.

  344. Pteryxx says

    USA Today article on the latest Albuquerque shooting: Police: Another Albuquerque officer involved in shooting

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Just a day after a district attorney announced murder charges against two Albuquerque police officers, authorities said another city police officer shot and killed a man Tuesday night.

    Police said the latest shooting happened just before 5 p.m. after officers were dispatched to a busy eastern Albuquerque street after a report of suspicious criminal activity.

    The officers arrived and took one man into custody, but another man fled on foot, police said.

    Albuquerque police spokeswoman Celina Espinoza said the fleeing man later fired shots at the officers, and at least one officer returned fire, killing the suspect. The man was wearing body armor, and his weapon was found near his body, Espinoza said.

    The man’s name was not released. The name of officer who fired shots also was not released.

    […]

    Tuesday’s shooting marks the department’s third this year — first fatal one — and comes a day after Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg announced that she was seeking murder charges against two officers for the March shooting of James Boyd, a 38-year-old homeless man who authorities said suffered from mental illness.

  345. Pteryxx says

    Albuquerque Journal News article with pictures of police activity and protesters, Tuesday night. APD fatally shoots man during chase

    Around 4:45 p.m. officers responded to suspicious criminal activity near San Mateo and Constitution and although one suspect was quickly apprehended, the other fled on foot, firing an unknown number of rounds at officers, according to a statement released by Celina Espinoza, a spokeswoman for APD.

    “Officers found the shooter near Constitution and Aspen,” Espinoza wrote in an email just before 10 p.m. “This suspect again fired at officers, and at least one officer returned fire mortally wounding the offender. The individual was wearing body armor, and his weapon was found near his body.”

    Two officers were put on leave, Espinoza said Tuesday night, which is APD policy in such cases.

    […]

    Journal staff captured footage of a man’s body lying in the alley between San Mateo Park, which runs on the east side of San Mateo Boulevard, and Madeira Drive NE. The body appeared to be uncovered. A handgun was near the man’s left foot, and he appeared to have a wound in his side. His chest was bare and he was wearing pants that appeared to be cut at the knee and tennis shoes. What looked like a bullet-proof vest was on the ground near him. His hands were behind his back. Yellow crime scene tape stretched across the alley.

    […]

    Details about the shooting were scarce Tuesday evening. Officers were heard on the police radio, which is public information, recommending to one another to not say anything over the air because “people are listening.”

    The shooting comes at a time of turmoil for the department, which has long faced criticism for its use of force, especially in officer-involved shootings.

    In recent months, the city and the federal Department of Justice signed a court-enforceable agreement mandating reforms. That came after the DOJ found APD officers unconstitutionally used force against its citizens.

    At least four protesters arrived near Aspen and San Mateo around 6:45 p.m. One of the protesters carried a sign that read, “We want justice, (expletive) indictment.”

    “We had a really good streak there (without an officer-involved shooting) and here we are three weeks into the year and there’s another shooting,” said Renee Garcia, an activist with ABQ Justice.

  347. Pteryxx says

    Via commenters on Daily Kos. One of the two Albuquerque officers just charged with the murder of James Boyd – Detective Keith Sandy – had been fired from the State Police in 2007. He and others did not face criminal charges at the time in exchange for an agreement never to carry a badge or gun again. The APD hired him shortly thereafter. Source article from KRQE in March:

    One officer had resigned from State Police. The other three had been fired. All four faced criminal charges at one point for receiving payments from a private security contractor while on the clock for State Police, although those never materialized.

    But APD was in the midst of a hard push to swell its ranks to 1,000 officers and beyond.

    Sean Wallace, the officer who resigned, went to the Albuquerque Police Academy, then to work as a patrol officer.

    The other three, then-Deputy Chief Mike Castro told KRQE News 13 at the time, would not be on the streets.

    “They do not carry guns, they are not going to be badged,” Castro said in July 2007 . “They’re civilian employees. They’ll be collecting evidence.”

    In fact, they all got badges. And they all got guns. And some of them also got tremendous power and standing within the department.

    One of them is 38-year-old Keith Sandy. He is one of two officers involved in APD’s most recent fatal police shooting.

    The department has refused to provide details about the shooting, other than to confirm the two officers’ names and say they both fired shots at a homeless camper — who police believe was living with paranoid schizophrenia — during a lengthy standoff in the foothills Sunday evening. The man was armed with knives.

    Sandy and the other officer, Dominique Perez, are on paid leave. That’s standard after an officer-involved shooting.

    Keith Sandy was allowed to retire in November. Source article at KRQE:

    In March, Sandy was called to a standoff in the foothills between police and mentally ill homeless camper James Boyd. Soon after one of the officers tossed a flash-bang grenade, Sandy was the first of two officers to shoot Boyd. Boyd was armed with small knives but was turning away when the shots were fired.

    The shooting sparked outrage, protests and a federal criminal investigation. All the while, Sandy was sitting on paid leave, waiting.

    Sandy’s retirement is in the nick of time on two fronts.

    News 13 has learned Sandy had accrued just shy of 19 years service credit from his time with both NMSP and APD. Under his pension plan, he’s allowed to buy up to a year of “airtime” that adds to that service time. That allows Sandy to get to a magic number, 20 years of service credit.

    After 20 years of service, APD officers can retire and get about 70 percent of their pay in an annual pension. A year less, and Sandy would have to wait until he’s 61 to start collecting that money, likely costing him at least a million dollars.

    News 13 has also learned Sandy had recently been ordered to sit down with internal affairs investigators. Retiring allows him to avoid that interview.

    According to the previous KRQE article, at the time he shot James Boyd last March, Keith Sandy was 38 years old, and he’s now collecting APD pension.

  349. says

    School activity praising police outrages mother whose son’s father was murdered by 15 cops

    Outspoken activist Alicia Moore was horrified when her seven year old daughter returned home from school on Thursday upset about her class assignment that day, as her older brother’s father was brutally beaten to death by 15 Bakersfield police officers in 2005.

    According to Moore, her daughter’s teacher put three sentences on the board for students to choose from, all thanking and supporting the police. The students were instructed to draw a picture to go along with them.

    The options included, “Thank you for arresting the bad guys!” and “Thank you for saving our city.” The teacher reportedly told the students that anything negative would be thrown in the trash. She further instructed the students that they were to wear blue on Friday in support of Law Enforcement.

    This assignment comes after the school’s principal Aimee Williamson, wife of the police chief, sent out an email encouraging any teachers to participate.

    Moore’s daughter is a very bright young girl who prides herself on her perfect attendance record. She also not only attends, but is consistently quick to jump into protests as this is an issue she is very passionate about. She will be staying home from school tomorrow due to the position her teacher has put her in.

    James Moore, the father of her 21 year old brother, was bound, hand and foot, when as many as 15 Bakersfield deputies beat him to death in the basement of the jail in 2005.

    James was arrested on suspicion of making threats after he got into an argument with the mother of his younger son.

    According to the district attorney, four altercations took place on this fateful day. During the first three incidents, Moore was beaten with a baton, knocking out one of the 30-year-old father’s teeth and he was pepper sprayed. No charges were filed in regards to these initial beatings.

    The fourth incident began in the parking garage, as officers were putting him in a patrol car to take him to Kern Medical Center for treatment after the beatings he had just received.

    Forcing children to draw pro-police drawings?
    Forcing children to wear blue to support the police?
    I wonder if the teacher (or the principal) had an agenda they wanted to push…

    (You can read the email Alicia Moore sent to the school at the link. It’s a screencap which I can’t copy/paste.)

  350. rq says

    HuffPost Religion’s People Of The Year Are The Religious Leaders Of Ferguson

    From the first day when Michael Brown was shot, the religious leaders from Ferguson and surrounding areas put themselves in the center of the protests and the movement for equality and justice. Women and men, black and white, clergy and lay people of all religious backgrounds provided both a pastoral and a prophetic presence in a community devastated and activated by the shooting of an unarmed young black man by the police. […]

    Houses of worship opened their doors and provided safe spaces for distribution of food, medicine, a place for children to play and learn while schools were closed and, of course, places for meditation, proclamation and inspiration for the struggle against injustice and racism.

    The witness of the clergy in Ferguson has resonated across the country and been a part of the wider movement to insist that black lives matter –- in Ferguson, in New York, in Cleveland and everywhere. […]

    HuffPost Religion is proud to honor the religious leaders of Ferguson as our people of the year.

    Missouri Man On Death Row Files Suit Seeking DNA Testing

    Missouri state law blocks inmates from demanding DNA tests after they are convicted unless: 1) the testing wasn’t performed because the technology was not “reasonably available;” 2) neither side was aware of the evidence or 3) the evidence was not available at the time of trial. None of those conditions applied in Williams’ case. His federal and state efforts at post-conviction relief were all denied. […]

    Komp has also filed a petition for habeus corpus with the Supreme Court of Missouri, which would compel the state to justify Williams’ detention. But the request is expected to have little chance of succeeding. Additionally, he sent a letter to St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch requesting that the evidence be released. A spokesman for McCulloch directed all questions to Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, whose office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Not sure if McCullogh will listen at all.

    There was another shooting in St Louis last night, too: 2 in custody following Des Peres officer-involved shooting

    Officers responded to the location and spotted the vehicle driving on Manchester. The responding officers said the suspects attempted to jump a curb and drove directly at a Des Peres police sergeant who was out of his vehicle. That sergeant then fired two shots at the vehicle, hitting the suspect once in the arm.

    The suspects then continued driving westbound on Manchester Road towards I-270, but stopped near the Edward Jones headquarters building, where police were able to take two suspects into custody.

    Interesting, from yesterday’s twitter, I thought it was another fatal shooting.

    Handcuffed teen hailed a hero after he saved cop’s life – when officer collapsed with a heart attack while booking him into jail.

    They banned die-ins? Protesters Defy Ban On Die-Ins In Grand Central Station

    Note: #BlackLivesMatter protesters have been doing events in Grand Central Station in New York on a regular basis. After they held a successful 24 our vigil #CarryTheNames which included putting the names of those killed by police violence on the floor of the station, police announced there would be no more die-ins or putting names on the floor — such actions were prohibited. When this occurred we asked out loud what would the #BlackLivesMatter campaign do? Would they accept this? We’re pleased to report they are continuing to stand up, exercise their rights and raise the consciousness of thousands.

    In defiance of the recently issued MTA ban on die-in protests at Grand Central Terminal, protestors held another demonstration in the main concourse on Monday to demand justice for unarmed black men killed by police. Although two protestors were arrested at a similar demonstration in Grand Central six days earlier, no arrests were made during Monday’s protest. However, the station’s loudspeaker repeatedly warned: “Lying on the floor, platform, stairs or landing is prohibited.” Check out the video below.

  351. rq says

    The Untold Cost of Discrimination We’re Passing on to Our Kids. It’s a study from New Zealand, but it may apply elsewhere, too.

    The study: Researchers from Denver and New Zealand recruited 64 pregnant Kiwi women from Auckland, a multicultural city with high health disparities. The women, who represented the indigenous Maori people and several immigrant populations, answered surveys about their experience with verbal and physical assault, as well as other forms of ethnic prejudice. Then, researchers measured levels of cortisol in participants’ saliva in the morning and at night.

    Morning cortisol: High levels of the hormone cortisol are linked to anxiety and hypertension, but cortisol isn’t objectively bad. Moderate levels of hormone are healthy — we need some amount of stress to keep us motivated and alert throughout the day. So, as Denver anthropologist and study author Zaneta M. Thayer explained, cortisol levels should be highest in the morning and gradually decline during waking hours. By the time we’re putting on pajamas, we should be low on cortisol and ready for some REM.

    Participants who said they’d faced ethnic discrimination had overall higher levels of cortisol at night, but not in the morning, which means their cortisol levels didn’t decrease throughout the day as they do in less-stressed people. Six weeks after participants gave birth, researchers also tested cortisol levels in the saliva of their newborns. Children of women with high cortisol levels similarly had a lot of the hormone in their spit.

    Everyone’s problem: Thayer said that researchers controlled for several variables, which means they took into account other factors that could explain the link between discrimination and stress, including socioeconomic status. She said she’d expect to arrive at similar study results in another multicultural country, like the U.S. […]

    Generational fallout: The meaning of high cortisol levels during infancy isn’t entirely clear. But infants who already have more symptoms of stress compared to their teeny-tiny peers could face health disparities down the road, perhaps related to mood disorders and cardiovascular disease.

    Looking at the study more broadly, inheriting bias-induced stress might be part of an observed phenomenon in which maternal health influences a child’s health and development. Some researchers focus on what’s called the epigenetic impact of maternal health, which is roughly the study of how environmental factors (e.g., stress, smoking, diet) actually change genes. Thayer says she’s working on an epigenetic study to see if discrimination against mothers could change the expression of genes related to cortisol production in children.

    So, in addition to inheriting hazel eyes and supreme spelling skills, a child may also get a predisposition to stress-related illness, all thanks to some jackass who yelled ethnic slurs at her mom. All the more reason to take every opportunity to be kind.

    Des Peres officer shoots shoplifting suspect in arm, pursuit ends near West County mall I suppose it’s more of an issue should suspects in theft cases (apparently like a pair of jeans?) be shot at at all. I would probably vote no.

    A good way to give back to the community? You can go to space camp in Ferguson. Yes, that Ferguson.

    In St Paul, St. Paul police shoot and kill suspect who had been sending death threats.

    St. Paul Police Chief Thomas Smith issued a statement late Wednesday saying that “preliminary information indicates that the suspect drove his vehicle at the officers.” No officers were injured. As of Wednesday night, police had not identified Golden.

    A spokesperson for the family, however, confirmed late Wednesday that it was Golden who had been killed.

    Golden has a history of troubling and threatening behavior, according to court records.

    Key questions remained unanswered: Did the gun police say they recovered at the shooting scene belong to Golden? And did he point the gun at the officers or fire shots before they shot him? […]

    “What we’re asking for is that a complete investigation be done,” St. Paul NAACP President Jeff Martin said in a news conference, nodding to recent police-involved killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City.

    As Martin asked for an independent probe, Smith asked the public to be patient “and allow us to thoroughly complete our process …

    “There have been inaccurate statements made by those without any direct knowledge of the investigation. Not only are these statements irresponsible, they could also compromise the integrity of the investigation.” […]

    “While en route, officers were informed that the suspect was known to carry a gun,” according to a police news release a few hours after the shooting.

    Officers “located the suspect” and “multiple shots were fired and the suspect was hit,” the release said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

    Sgt. Paul Paulos, spokesman for the St. Paul police, said that investigators were trying to determine how many shots were fired and if both officers involved shot at the man.

    Then there’s a close look at the victim’s past – arrests, restraining orders, so forth and so on. :P

    Martin said an independent review could help “solidify” the relationship between the community and police and restore “confidence” in the review process.

    “With what’s going on nationally,” he said, trust has become an issue. “If there’s no trust between the police and community, we all lose.”

    He also cited the case of a St. Paul man who was arrested last winter in the city’s downtown skyway that has raised concerns about racial profiling and use of force by St. Paul police. Charges against the man, Chris V. Lollie, were dropped, and later, the city’s Police Civilian Review Commission cleared the officers involved of any wrongdoing.

    Lollie has since sued the city and the police department, saying his constitutional rights were violated and that police falsified reports.

    Well, she (Ava DuVernay) has got two points against her. The DGA Nominations Are Out, and Once Again There’s No Love for Selma.

    Repeat information: ‘If you snitch, your career is done’: Former Baltimore cop says he was harassed, labeled a ‘rat’ after attempt to root out police brutality.

  352. rq says

    Twitter forced the world to pay attention to Ferguson. It won’t last.

    The protests in the wake of Brown’s death and Wilson’s non-indictment have done more than merely exist. They’ve mattered. They’ve changed the national conversation about racially biased policing. The way the events in Ferguson have captivated the news media and inspired sustained, enthusiastic coverage of issues affecting African-Americans is so rare as to be nearly unprecedented in American history.

    “The story of black America is partly a story of erasure, but in Ferguson, social media made that impossible,” McKesson said.

    It seems almost too good to be true. And it is. The current symbiotic relationship between the activists who tweet their despair over police bias and the journalists who amplify their stories is, at best, a happy and temporary coincidence, not a long-term strategy for social justice organizing. […]

    That makes perfect sense. After all, it’s social media as much as any individual person that’s responsible for transforming police brutality from a gripe in the civil rights community to a persistent, urgent topic of national dialogue. It’s largely thanks to these hashtags — and Twitter, where they originated — that news, analysis of legal developments and social and cultural questions raised by the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, John Crawford, and Tamir Rice have taken up permanent residence in headlines, editorials, and cable news discussion. […]

    To understand how Ferguson and the stories around it captivated the mainstream media, it’s essential to understand Black Twitter. “Black Twitter” is the somewhat controversial shorthand for the conversations that happen among African-Americans on Twitter. African-Americans use the social network in greater numbers than members of any other racial group, and have earned a reputation for steering Twitter’s trending topics.

    In a 2014 piece explaining the phenomenon, the Washington Post’s Soraya Nadia McDonald called Black Twitter “a virtual community ready to hashtag a response to cultural issues.” In some cases this means sharing inside jokes that send African-American cultural references viral. In others, like this one, it means uniting as a potent force to force issues of race and racism to the top of the national agenda.

    Whether or not you embrace the term (there are legitimate concerns about seeing African-American users as a distinct population, and questions about who exactly falls under the label — everyone who’s black, or only people who participate in certain conversations?). The fact is, black people have influence on Twitter that they don’t in the traditional media.

    And this was particularly true in the case of Ferguson and its aftermath. Chris Hayes, host of MSNBC’s “All in with Chris Hayes,” who is white, credits Black Twitter with bringing his attention to the story of Michael Brown’s death.

    “If you didn’t have Black Twitter blowing up the story on social media, I don’t know if it ever would have gotten this kind of momentum,” he said. “That’s definitely the first place I saw it. I think that’s how it grabbed the attention of national media.” […]

    Of course, it wasn’t just Black Twitter. People of all races were interested in what was happening in Ferguson and made their views known, in real life protests and on social media. But Khadijah White, an assistant professor at Rutgers University’s journalism school, says the sustained attention to police violence against African-Africans has made it undeniable that black people — who are overrepresented among Twitter users and activists — can harness social media to demand attention to serious issues.

    “There are some who’ve tried to imply that the only use black people have for Twitter is entertainment or for talking about Scandal, and to frame black people as apolitical,” she said. “So it was really good to see Ferguson and all these other social movements push back against these narratives.”

    This creates an interesting dynamic: media organizations increasingly rely on social media to both to deliver content to their audiences and to deliver audiences to their content. The most obvious way to write a story that will be shared widely on social media is to choose a topic that social media users are already interested in. And social media users are disproportionately black. The result of this cycle is that journalists suddenly regard Black Twitter as a credible and important story generator — and audience for those stories once they’re written. […]

    In Hayes’ view, Twitter was “necessary but not sufficient” to convince the media to fixate on the events that followed Michael Brown’s death, Darren Wilson’s non-indictment, and ultimately, police bias as a whole. In other words, it also took something else to draw mainstream media interest.

    That something else was the unusually dramatic and visually compelling story being told from social media users in Ferguson. It started with Brown’s dead body lying in the street. It continued with shocking images of confrontations between protestors and an aggressive, militarized police force, as well as first-person accounts of abuse so dramatic as to be almost unbelievable. And so much of it was captured in photographs and videos. “It was a spectacle that was so visually breathtaking,” White said.

    “I think partially it blew up on social media first because it was such a crazy scene,” said Hayes. “There was that guy, tweeting, ‘They just killed this dude outside my window.’ Photos of [Brown’s body] were circulating. … People gathering around, people getting really agitated about the uncovered body, his mom coming out with a shroud to cover him: All of that was communicated through social media. That’s definitely how it came to my attention.”

    Hayes’ theory is that “you needed both ingredients” to inspire media attention: social media and the emotionally compelling material that grabs users’ — and reporters’ — attention. And those ingredients don’t exist for every case of racial injustice. […]

    But other, equally tragic cases that had less compelling visual components have received less media attention. The Daily Beast has a roundup of 14 teens killed by police since Mike Brown, most of them black, many of them unarmed. Chances are, you haven’t heard about Cameron Tilman of Terrabone, Louisianna, who was armed only with a bb gun when an officer shot him dead in his home, in front of his brother. Diana Showman, a mentally ill 19-year-old who was holding a power drill when police killed her in San Jose, California, didn’t make many headlines either. Coverage of these stories seems to depend on their ability to lend themselves to social media storytelling.

    “The reality is that there have been many people killed even since August 9, and we’re keeping their stories alive, but they haven’t gotten the same media attention, ” said McKesson. […]

    White echoed the sentiment that the “happy coincidence” is probably temporary. “Reporters aren’t on Twitter because they’re generous and they want to give people a voice,” she said. “They’re there because they want to stay on top of the news in a way they haven’t been able to do before.” If the network’s staying-on-top-of-the-news benefits were to decrease, she said, social media would cease to be effective a tool for activists to attract coverage of their causes.

    Plus, she said, African Americans’ overrepresentation on Twitter isn’t guaranteed to last forever. “If white people swept across Twitter and black people became marginalized that space, they would have less ability to get things trending,” White said. “It’s possible that these voices would get drowned out.” […]

    But this wouldn’t necessarily be the end of the world: when it comes to social justice, Twitter’s ability to influence the news is a less exciting than the way it allows activists to organize without the help of high-profile leaders or media interest, White said.

    She pointed to North Carolina’s Moral Monday protests and marches of 2013 and 2014 as evidence. There was virtually no media coverage about the planning, yet grassroots organizers were able to get tens of thousands of people to demonstrate against legislation that threatened to curtail voting rights, make cuts to social programs, and more. “To me, that’s the more palpable use of social media: being able to mobilize people quickly without the support of media institutions,” she added.

    McKesson agrees. While he appreciates the ability of the mainstream media to pick up a story and help it reach a larger audience —particularly older people who “aren’t on Twitter all day” — he’s not getting attached to this benefit. “We’re at a point where their validation of stories isn’t necessary for the story to get leverage any more,” he said.

    In McKesson’s view, activists’ communication with each other and with the public is more important than mainstream media coverage of their stories. This explains why protestors in Ferguson have held so few press conferences.

    “I can say, ‘The police are literally killing us’ and I’ve never worried whether MSNBC is watching,” McKesson said. “Because America’s watching, and that’s more important to me.”

    There’s a link in there which I have pulled – this one, The 14 Teens Killed by Cops Since Michael Brown. Most of them, I haven’t even heard of.

    Mall of America doesn’t like protest. 10 charged over Black Lives Matter Mall of America protest, 25 more could follow

    The City of Bloomington Attorney’s Office confirmed Wednesday that 25 protesters arrested at the demonstration for various offenses have charges pending against them and will be “processed through the legal system.”

    It has also formally charged another 10 people for crimes related to the demonstration, including unlawful assembly, public nuisance, trespass and disorderly conduct, ranging in age from 18 to 49.

    Earlier this month, Bloomington City Attorney Sandra Johnson told a city council meeting that she intended to file additional charges against “the ringleaders” in addition to the 25 arrested on the day, noting protesters were informed prior to the event that they didn’t have permission to demonstrate at the mall.

    A police spokesman told BringMeTheNews that the 10 people charged may be a mixture of organizers and people participating in the protest. […]

    There have been charges levied against 10 people involved in the organization and participation of the demonstration, among them two of the protest’s “self-identified organizers” Michael McDowell, 20, and Mica Grimm, 24, according to criminal complaints released by police.

    Another of the alleged organizers named on the criminal complaint is not among those charged.

    Others charged were: Kandace Montgomery, 24, Catherine Salonek, 26, Todd Dahlstrom, 49, Adja Gildersleve, 25, Shannon Bade, 45, Jie Wronski-Riley, 18, Amity Foster, 38, and Minneapolis-based civil rights lawyer Nekima Levy-Pounds, 38.

    Each person was charged with a mixture of offenses mentioned above, but other interesting aspects from the criminal complaint sheets include:

    Plain-clothed Bloomington police officers attended a public meeting organized by the protest group on December 17 and gathered information about their plans, even giving over a phone number to receive text messages from organizers.
    At the same meeting, protest organizers discussed how to stall police trying to move protesters on at the mall by telling them “a police liaison is on its way.”
    Plain-clothed officers also attended a pre-protest meeting at 12.15 p.m. on the day of the demonstration.
    Protesters yelled so loud it could be heard throughout the Nickelodeon Universe theme park, families and children were “visibly frightened” during the protest.
    The cost to the City and the Mall of America for providing police and security staff for the protest totaled $33,000.
    Police officers were spit on from upper levels of the rotunda while they tried to disperse protestors.

    @deray Remember this? 1 MILLION tweets about #Ferguson before CNN picked it up. #ICantBreathe

    Albuquerque police say shot suspect wore stolen body armor

    According to police, Okeefe fled from officers who responded to a call about two suspicious men in an eastside neighborhood. Police said Okeefe then shot at an officer chasing him. That officer took cover and did not return fire as Okeefe ran across a busy street, police said.

    Okeefe fired at officers again, police said, and two officers then returned fire, killing him.

  353. rq says

    More police shooting people: Suspect killed, another injured during officer-involved shooting in Franklin County

    The shooting occurred in the 600 block of Spring Drive. Authorities said when police arrived, two men and a woman in a pick-up truck burst out of a storage shed and drove towards the officers. Police then fired their guns, hitting the two men.

    According to police, one of the suspects was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital and the other was transported via ambulance.

    Michael Goebel, 29, was pronounced dead following the shooting, according to Missouri Highway Patrol.

    One officer was standing behind a truck that was parked in front of the garage when suspects rammed through. The suspect truck struck the vehicle in front of the officer which hit the officer, giving him minor injuries. Authorities say the officer was treated at the scene.

    I guess this one is justified because they were stealing cars?
    More on that: Police shoot two men during auto theft investigation in Franklin County. I understand one of the men has died.

    This as intro to Boston’s latest protest action:
    While y’all mad about a traffic jam, we’re mad about the War on Poverty, the War on Drugs, the School-To-Prison Pipeline, & killer cops.

    With photos, though they may repeat: ALERT: Protesters were sitting on I-93 North, tied to barrels. Police brought a construction truck to unchain them.
    The scene on 93 north #Boston;
    .@NonProfit_Meg @universalhub #BlackLivesMatter shut down in Milton
    The protestors handcuffed themselves to barrels of concrete. Creativity at work.

  354. rq says

    Protesters with arms in concrete barrels shut down Expressway

    Some of the protesters in Milton were sitting on the highway with their arms shoulder-deep inside the sealed 1,200-pound barrels.

    “It’s a dangerous demonstration that they tried to pull off,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. “I am for free speech, but it’s dangerous to get on the highway and you are putting yourself and commuters at risk. I don’t think an incident like today is the way to get your message out there.”

    Fire officials used saws and power tools to free the protesters from the barrels before they were taken into custody.

    “Firefighters are trained in breaching concrete, usually for collapses. In this case, something else. Slow and safe for all,” the fire department said in a tweet.

    In Medford, protesters formed a human blockade, chaining themselves hand-to-hand with “lockboxes” to stop traffic on the busy highway.

    I’m sorry, Mr Boston Mayor, if this isn’t the best way, perhaps you can suggest some other way? One that works?

    #BlackLivesMatter I-93 Boston protests (North AND South of the city) @deray;
    Getting teary-eyed hearing @BLM_Boston press release being read ON THE NEWS. You all are incredible. #BlackLivesMatter (I’ll have that press release in a moment);
    .@BLM_Boston people and folks in solidarity shut down highways into Boston this morning. Here’s what Google shows. (google map of slowed streets and highways)
    Y’all. This is a real Massachusetts State Trooper account re: today’s Boston protest.

  355. rq says

    So much police out here I thought someone got bodied on the highway or something. (That’s from a Boston commuter.)
    Current Boston I-93 N and S Shutdown. Protest. (via @SurefireSCal);
    Remember, the Boston protestors shut that train down a week ago. Y’all, they are on it. Well done.

    The BlackLivesMatter press release: #SignalBoost PRESS RELEASE: Activists Shut Down Interstate Highway 93 North and South During Morning Rush Hour Traffic into Boston, the release in full:

    PRESS RELEASE: Activists Shut Down Interstate Highway 93 North and South During Morning Rush Hour Traffic into Boston

    January 15, 2015

    Contact Megan Collins at (617) 942-1867 or email [email protected] for more information, interviews, and photographs.

    Somerville/Milton/Boston Massachusetts — Activists have shut down Interstate 93 Southbound and Northbound during morning rush hour commute into Boston to “disrupt business as usual” and protest police and state violence against Black people.

    Two different groups of activists linked their bodies together across the highway in coordinated actions north and south of Boston. This action was in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. This diverse non-Black group of Pan-Asians, Latinos, and white people, some of whom are queer and transgender, took this action to confront white complacency in the systemic oppression of Black people in Boston.

    “Today, our nonviolent direct action is meant to expose the reality that Boston is a city where white commuters and students use the city and leave, while Black and Brown communities are targeted by police, exploited, and displaced,” said Korean-American activist Katie Seitz.

    In the past 15 years, law enforcement officers in Boston have killed Remis M. Andrews, Darryl Dookhran, Denis Reynoso, Ross Baptista, Burrell “Bo” Ramsey-White, Mark Joseph McMullen, Manuel “Junior” DaVeiga, Marquis Barker, Stanley Seney, Luis Gonzalez, Bert W. Bowen, Eveline Barros-Cepeda, Daniel Furtado, LaVeta Jackson, Nelson Santiago, Willie L. Murray Jr., Rene Romain, Jose Pineda, Ricky Bodden, Carlos M. Garcia, and many more people of color. We mourn and honor all these lives.

    “We must remember, Ferguson is not a faraway Southern city. Black men, women, and gender-nonconforming people face disproportionately higher risk of profiling, unjust incarceration, and death. Police violence is everywhere in the United States,” said another protester Nguyen Thi Minh Thu.

    The two groups of activists organized these actions to use their collective voices to resist and disrupt the overarching system that oppresses Black people and to expressly accept the responsibility of white and non-Black people of color to organize and act to end racial profiling, unjust incarceration, and murder of Black people in the United States and beyond. Black lives matter, today and always.

    ***See below for more quotes from organizers and participants in the action.***

    Quotes from Participants in the Action

    “As an Afro-Indigenous woman I feel the affects of white supremacy on my people. Being involved in this action has shown me where the participant’s hearts are at in the movement. Without collaboration of all people, no one can be free.” – Camille

    “As Pan-Asian people in the United States, we refuse to perpetuate anti-Black racism. We will not allow our communities to serve as a wedge to divide us and jeopardize our struggle to end racism and achieve our collective liberation,” said Nguyen Thi Minh Thu.

    “As non-Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer people in the United States, we refuse to allow increasing acceptance of our sexuality and several marriage equality victories to end our commitment to advancing social justice. We recognize that this movement has been spearheaded by Black queer women and gender-nonconforming people.” said Monica Majewski.

    “As white people in the United States, we refuse to align ourselves with a state that carries out violence against Black people. We are taking direct action to challenge white complicity and amplify the demands for an end to the war on Black communities,” said Katie Martin Selcraig.

    “As a white person, my only options are to act against white supremacy or to be complicit in it. I’m here today because I refuse to be complicit” said Emily O.

    “As a white man, I know I benefit and am protected by a racist society. I am participating today because it is necessary for those who are the least vulnerable to step up and put our bodies on the line if we ever want to build a just world,” said Eli C.

    ”As a white feminist, I take part in this action because anyone who claims commitment to equality must take action to dismantle intersectional oppression. Idling is a privilege afforded only to those who genuinely do not care,” said Nelli.

    “As non-Black undocumented immigrants in the United States, we refuse to perpetuate the erroneous idea of earned citizenship. We honor the path set before us by Harriet Tubman by advancing civil and human rights for everyone regardless of legal status,” said a protester involved in the action.

    “As non-Black women, including transgender and gender-nonconforming folks in the United States, we refuse to allow our commitment to gender justice to distract us from racial justice. We understand that gender and racial justice are intertwined,” said one of the organizers of the action.

  356. rq says

    It has been noted that the Oscar nominations are astoundingly white this year. Not surprising – Did you know that Oscar voters are over 90% white and over 75% male? Is this true?
    I feel like I’m in 1929 watching the #Oscarnoms. No female or black directors, no actors of color, and only 1 black nom goes to #SelmaMovie

    In DC:
    “Stop the War on Black America” now #DCFerguson #Ferguson #ShutitDown #ThinkMoor
    “Justice4 Michael Brown. Racist Cops, Shut Em Down.” F and 12th now #DCFerguson #Ferguson #ShutitDown #ThinkMoor
    DC Ferguson protesters marching down 7th St in Chinatown. Traffic blocked

    And Salon on that pesky grand juror against McCullogh: “Not the way we do democracy!” Why is a Ferguson grand juror being silenced?

    Currently, the only information available to the public, the press, and legislators is one particular view point, that of the government, through prosecutor McCulloch. Grand Juror Doe believes that’s not proper. The ACLU concurs, because in our … democracy, the First Amendment says we don’t allow the government to dictate the form and content of public policy debates; that is improper. That is viewpoint discrimination and it’s not the way we do robust democracy.

    I would imagine that Grand Juror Doe can’t get into what exactly he felt was being misrepresented unless the judge grants him permission. Is that correct?

    That’s absolutely correct.

    When the ACLU goes into court, we have a responsibility to lay out for the judge the general outlines of the dispute. In other words, we can all agree that the First Amendment prohibits the government from censoring debate on public policy issues — but that’s not enough. We need to tell the judge that not only is there a constitutional principle at stake but, in fact, you, the Court, can fix this iniquity.

    So, we’ve advised the Court of general outline of some of the improper characterizations. For example: The way that the grand jury dealt with the Michael Brown shooting and the allegations against officer Wilson was very different than the way it dealt with allegations against other potential criminal indictees. There was a muddled presentation of the applicable law. There are misrepresentations and inaccuracies. Viewers could be left with mis-impressions of what the grand jurors did or said or believed or saw.

    That is a general outline of the types of First Amendment issues that are raised by Grand Juror Doe’s complaint to give the judge an idea of why granting relief (lifting this lifetime gag order) will not only address a constitutional principle, but will actually have an actual effect in the information that’s available to the press, the public, and to elected officials.

    Did you say that it’s a lifetime ban?

    That’s correct. At the conclusion of service, grand jurors were given copies of statutes (information related to statutes) that advised that them if they were to reveal information — in some respects information that has already been revealed by the prosecutor — they would be subject to actual criminal prosecution, including fines or even jail time.

    Is the fact that this case, in particular, became such a national flashpoint relevant to the ACLU’s argument?

    The ACLU is a constitutional rights and civil liberties organization. We have a mandate to ensure that our constitutional system of checks and balances that we all learned in grade school works; that the government is transparent, that we follow the rules, that no institution … is above the law.

    In bringing litigation, though, our job is to use our limited resources to address significant issues and significant iniquities. I think what you see in the Michael Brown shooting and the aftermath is that here, in Missouri, and indeed with other similar instances across the country, there are on-going significant social inequalities. There are instances of racial profiling. There are differential policing practices for different communities. There are a pattern of shootings of young unarmed men — often young African-American men — by police officers, and these issues are left unaddressed.

    We believe, as Grand Juror Doe believes, that in order to come up with thoughtful, complex real-world solutions to these complex problems, the public, the press, and our elected official need good information. So, yes, since our elected officials from Jefferson City are actually now looking at these issues and since we, in the community, as the public, are trying to talk about these issues, it’s absolutely essential that full information be out there. When it’s such an important issue and the only entity allowed to speak on it is the government, and everyone else is censored, we believe that rises to an important constitutional interest.

    This and that else at the link.

  357. rq says

    After Confronting NYC Mayor, Police Union Leader Faces Mutiny of His Own from Dissident Cops

    Yeah, well, I’ve been following, as many people have around the country, the ongoing standoff between Mayor de Blasio and the policemen’s union, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, which has been going on now for more than a month with—and it’s been marked by incredible allegations by the head of the police union, Patrick Lynch, that—for instance, that the two officers who were assassinated on December 20th, on December 20th, were—that their blood was on the mayor’s hands; and then by hundreds of policemen, at the funerals of the officers, turning their back on the mayor; and now, for over two weeks, a complete slowdown by New York City police officers refusing to write summonses or do misdemeanor arrests. There’s been about a huge drop in the number of arrests and tickets issued in New York City. Now, that’s begun to change now, finally, and those summonses and arrests are going back up. But there’s clearly been an attempt by the policemen’s union very much to almost—I don’t want to call it a coup, but it is an attempt to try to tell the mayor, a progressive mayor of New York, “You can’t run this city without us.”

    But now it turns out there is a huge dissension within the ranks of the police department itself. There was a—Pat Lynch had issued a letter asking cops to disinvite the mayor and the City Council speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, from any funeral in case they were killed in the line of duty. Only 4 percent of the cops have signed on to the letter. Yesterday there was a meeting of the union of the police delegates, and there was an open fight that broke out between several of the pro-Lynch people and the anti-Lynch people saying, “We don’t care about an apology from the mayor. What we want is for you to handle our grievances and our problems that we have as police officers,” because the police have been without a labor contract for five years. And now I’m reporting in today’s Daily News that there is an entire slate of people that is preparing to run against Lynch in union elections that are being held in June. And he hasn’t had a challenge since 2003. He’s been the president of the union for 15 years. So, there’s a major convulsion going on within the police union.

    And, of course, it’s against the backdrop that the New York City Police Department now has a majority of minority officers, African-American, Latino and Asian officers. It’s not the same police department that existed 15 years ago when Lynch was first elected. And many of those officers are equally angry over the past practices of racial profiling, of stop-and-frisk arrests, and they, too, are demanding some kind of change. So, we’re going to have to see what happens, but clearly there’s not the kind of unity among the police against the mayor that has been portrayed so far in the press.

    That’s the beginning of the transcript that can be found at the link.

  358. rq says

    Protesters snarl morning commute on I-93 near Boston. Pictures of the protest and ‘rescue’ efforts.

    #BlackLivesMatter protesters block highway with concrete barrels outside Boston – a collection of pictures and tweets and a couple of short videos.

    Photos: Protesters with arms in barrels shut down I-93

    #BlackLivesMatter protest in #NYC gathering at African Burial ground! #ThisStopsToday #MLKStrike #NYC4MLK;
    #BlackLivesMatter greets strap hangers at Fulton Street station. #J15MLKStrike #MLKStrike #MLKDay2015 #NYC4MLK.

  359. rq says

    ACLU on Private Prisons and Mass Incarceration, and who benefits. Several links at the site.

    The current incarceration rate deprives record numbers of individuals of their liberty, disproportionately affects people of color, and has at best a minimal effect on public safety. Meanwhile, the crippling cost of imprisoning increasing numbers of Americans saddles government budgets with rising debt and exacerbates the current fiscal crisis confronting states across the nation.

    Private prison companies, however, essentially admit that their business model depends on locking up more and more people. For example, in a 2010 Annual Report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) stated: “The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by . . . leniency in conviction or parole standards and sentencing practices . . . .” As incarceration rates skyrocket, the private prison industry expands at exponential rates, holding ever more people in its prisons and jails, and generating massive profits.

    And while supporters of private prisons tout the idea that governments can save money through privatization, the evidence that private prisons save taxpayer money is mixed at best – in fact, private prisons may in some instances cost more than governmental ones. Private prisons have also been linked to numerous cases of violence and atrocious conditions.

    And if you thought hoodie-wearing targets were horrible, take a look at this: A Miami Police Department used this photo for target practice. See the fallout & reaction from the chief NOW on NBC6.
    NO. NO. NO. h/t @egvick MT @nbc6 Police chief defends use of photos of real people for target practice. #humantargets

    Protestors on the move, Broad and 11th Streets now shut down. #RVA

    thisisthemovement, installment #75:

    Ferguson
    Possible City and County Merge Ahead St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger both spent time discussing a possible merge of the two cities this week. Important read.

    Des Peres, MO Officer Shoots Someone Responding to an allegation of shoplifting, a Des Peres police sergeant shot a suspect as he said that the suspect attempted to run him over.

    10 Members of the Congressional Black Causes Headed to Ferguson Hosted by Rep. Clay, members of the Congressional Black Caucus will visit Ferguson this weekend to engage activists.

    Montana
    Caught on Camera Sobbing Grant Morrison, a Montana officer is seen crying in a dash cam video after shooting and killing Richard Ramirez. “I thought he was going to pull a gun on me.” This is Officer Morrison’s second time shooting and killing a person during a routine traffic stop.

    NYC/Eric Garner
    NAACP Wants Non-Staten Island Judge To Preside Over Grand Jury Release Matter The NAACP has filed a petition to “disqualify state Supreme Court Justice William E. Garnett, who was assigned the case, from ruling on it, and requested it be handled by a justice in one of the other four boroughs.” Important read.

    James Boyd
    Why Prosecutors Are Scared To Go After Police A prosecutor recently charged two Albuquerque officers in the fatal shooting of James Boyd. In response, city officials locked a top prosecutor from an event in retaliation. Absolute must read.

    District Attorney Files Murder Charges Against Two Police Officers District Attorney Kari Brandenburg has filed murder charges against two Albuquerque police officers in the shooting of a mentally ill homeless camper. A helmet camera caught the deadly interaction on film. Must read.

    Tamir Rice
    The Police Dispatcher In The Killing of Tamir Rice Was Previously Fired From Another Dispatch The dispatcher who sent the officers to confront Tamir Rice did not convey all of the information she was given — and we now know that she was previously fired from her first police dispatch job at another police department. Important read.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    The Complexity Of Deadly Force Charles Blow offers a sobering critique of the use of deadly force, using the fatal Montana shooting by Officer Grant Morrison as the framing. Quick read, must read.

    Black Lives in Nigeria Matter Too “Acts of terrorism against black people and institutions have failed to generate much attention in the United States this past week.” An estimated 2,000 people we killed last week in Baga. Boko Harem is said to be responsible for this terrorist act that included killing women, elderly folks and children and setting the town on fire after. Even with how horrific this incident has been, globally, the silence continues.

    Twitter Forced The World To Pay Attention Despite the problematic full title of this article, it explores the role that social media has played in helping to begin and sustain the movement. Interesting read.

    Fairfax County To Hire Expert To Assist In Reform The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is going to hire an outside expert “to help it review and revise the rules on disclosure in officer-involved shootings.” Interesting read.

  360. rq says

    A new protest site has been launched at wetheprotestors.com, with excellent overview here:

    Executive Summary
    Overview
    In August 2014, the movement began. The protests marked the beginning of a new iteration of confrontation with a system that has proven itself, time and again, to be unjust. We, the protestors of Ferguson and beyond, have begun to create a new political community in America centered on black struggle and rooted in justice. The systemic, structural, and continuous nature of police brutality has highlighted the need for deep change
    –
    America can no longer operate this way. State violence manifests in many forms. We cannot love if we cannot live. We cannot learn if we cannot live. Police brutality threatens the very essence of freedom. We decry police brutality because it threatens the peace of this nation and the lives of its people. Yet, we also know that addressing education, economic development, employment, housing, and a host of other issues will be necessary as we work towards a true eradication of racism and its impact(s).
    Purpose
    We, The Protesters exists as a space for protestors nationwide to access the tools and resources to mobilize and organize It is a hub and a source of information. This will never replace the pace and power of Twitter, the flow of Tumblr, or the grace of Instagram
    –
    social media has sustained the movement. The purpose of this space is to empower and equip activists and organizers nationwide with the tools and resources to continue creating and sustaining communities engaged in a radical new politics.

    We The Protestors Open Letter
    As we intentionally begin the work of organizing on a different scale, please read the We, The Protesters Open Letter.

    Opportunity and Belief Statements
    1. We have the opportunity to eradicate racism and its impact(s) within the next 30 years. By this time, people of color will be the majority in America. Our democracy, economy and society depend on this.
    2. We believe in a model of leadership that affirms the capacities of every protestor. We lead together.
    3. We have the opportunity to create an affirmative vision of equity and justice for our generation.
    4. Communities are ready to mobilize and organize to fight for social justice, centered on black struggle and rooted in justice
    5. We plan from a place of hope and we hold steadfast to the idea of freedom

    There’s also an excellent chart of current actions and resources, plus future plans, ways to work on changing the systemic racism issues that are faced by people of colour.
    The open letter can be found here, and it reads as follows:

    We, the protestors of Ferguson and beyond, in order to fulfill the democratic promise of our union, establish true and lasting justice, accord dignity and standing to everyone, center the humanity of oppressed people, promote the brightest future for our children, and secure the blessings of freedom for all black lives, do ordain and dedicate ourselves to this movement of radical liberation.
    We, the protestors, believe that that our nation can only be great when it affirms and empowers all. All must mean all, and include especially those who define the global majority but whom American practices have confined to the margins. We, the protestors, are many people. But this movement, sum
    moned by Mike Brown’s blood and the gas
    -fueled tears in Ferguson, affirms the fundamental humanity of blackness. Women among us have reminded you that black lives do indeed matter. Men among us have admonished you not to forget them. Children among us have required you to stand up for them. Their humanity is not negotiable simply because of their darker hue. Our various identities are in no way diminished by prioritizing this fight for the dignity of black people, in this time and place, where such priority is a matter of life and death. We, the protestors are committed to this, and if you are likewise committed, you too are one of us. We stand in solidarity with Tamir Rice, Rekia Boyd, Eric Garner, Ezell Ford, and Dontre Hamilton, among others. The police occupied state of oppression which black people inhabit has stolen more lives than we can name. Where injustice abides, we are and will be. We are everywhere. We, the protestors, are dedicated to justice, a road on which there are no shortcuts. The time is urgent, but the work is long, and when we build together we are the masters of our own fate. The old African proverb teaches us that going far requires us to go together. This space is a hub for community, a statement of belief in the power of current generations to unite and organize. We, the protestors, in this community, are committed to the truth, wherever it takes us. We will speak truth to one another as we speak truth to the status quo that got us here. In this community, our multiple, intersectional identities are valued, and we work together
    –
    the marginalized and the ally, the gay and the straight, the theist and the atheist
    –
    unified and respectful. In this community, we will not cower in fear and we will no longer be silent. We will stand strong, unashamed of our vision of equity and unafraid to fight for it. We, the protestors, are here to build community that is empowered to establish a new political and social reality that respects and affirms blackness and the humanity therein. We believe this vision, centered on blackness, will abolish the beliefs and systems that subjugate all marginalized people. We can withstand the evils of white supremacy that oppose such a vision, because at our core is love, accountability, and a thirst for justice. We, the protestors, hold these truths to be self-evident, that all are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, among which are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

    Until black lives are valued, we will protest. Until the black community is free from systemic oppression and truly equal, we will protest. Until families no longer live in fear for their children, we will protest. Until black lives are permanently possessed of those unalienable rights, we will protest. We are the protestors. The movement lives.

    Brilliant new website #WeTheProtesters. One-stop-shop for what you need to make changes happen.

    @deray can you help us do a last minute blast? PA state capital #ReclaimMLK action THIS Saturday! #YearOfResistance
    Hundreds at #ReclaimMLKchi march to Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Ctr. #BlackLivesMatter via @MinkuMedia

  361. rq says

    Just a note, @359 the thisisthemovement newsletter has an article on the police dispatcher who responded to the call about Tamir Rice in the park – it turns out she has already been fired from a previous police dispatcher job. Then hired in Cleveland. o.o

    More on yesterday’s Boston protest:
    23 arrested as ‘Black Lives Matter’ protest blocks busy Boston interstate,

    Massachusetts state police said the early morning protest shut down Interstate 93 northbound at East Milton Square, which is south of the city, and southbound in the Medford-Somerville area north of the city, according to MyFoxBoston.com. Seventeen protesters were arrested on I-93 south and six on I-93 north.

    Pictures at the site, though I think no new ones.

    Packed house for @BTstl forum on policing in St Louis. Up next: @MariaChappelleN #stl #Ferguson The forum addressed all kinds of issues, up to and including expanded mental health care.
    “I’ve gone through PTSD as your state senator,” says @MariaChappelleN about #Ferguson. “Now think about those on the streets every day.”
    “We went through a national tragedy. We have young people who were tear-gassed and never given a counselor,” says @MariaChappelleN #Ferguson
    “Failure to address over 400 years of codified racism will result in this problem happening over and over again.”
    “I’m one of those damn protesters. This is a protest against fact that black youth cannot walk without harassment.”

  362. rq says

    Okay… I found this as a series of tweets but someone storified it – a case of mistaken identity.

    @TreHitz cousin, Joseph Swink, is pulled over by Saint Ann police officers and beaten. They claim “mistaken identity” for a robbery suspect using a completely dissimilar vehicle.

    Warning for graphic picture(s) at the link.
    And general police horribleness to someone who happens to not be white.
    From the tweets:

    SAINT ANN POLICE WERE IN PURSUIT OF A SUSPECT, MY COUSIN PULLED HIS CAR OVER TO LET THEM GET PAST HIM (WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN
    YOU SEE POLICE SIRENS) HE HIT HIS CAR ON THE HIGHWAY MEDIAN AND HOPPED OUT BECAUSE THEY ENGINE WAS SMOKING. POLICE PROCEED TO DRAW THEIR
    [missing tweet]
    THIS IS WHAT SAINT ANN POLICE OFFICERS DID TO MY COUSIN! “MISTAKEN IDENTITY” IS WHAT THEY ARE CALLING IT.
    ALSO, THE VEHICLE THE SUSPECT WAS IN WAS A BMW, MY COUSIN DRIVES A GREEN 1999 CHEVY MALIBU!

    I wonder how this will go for the cops?

    This just went up in NYPD headquarters: “How will you be viewed?” it says alongside a picture of a cellphone camera.

    Protesters Against Police Violence March in Downtown Baltimore

    Hundreds of protesters are gathered in downtown Baltimore Thursday night as part of a nationwide day of action against police violence, WJZ reports.

    Police say demonstrators stopped at the intersection of Pratt Street and Calvert Street and were blocking traffic.

    Baltimore City Police are accompanying protesters both on foot and in the air.

    Of course, they have to append an “There are no reports of violence” to that.

    And again here’s the press release from the Boston activists who shut down the highway – I believe I have ti quoted somewhere above, so here’s just the link: Activists Shut Down Interstate Highway 93 North and South During Morning Rush Hour Traffic into Boston.

  363. rq says

    Uh-oh… Mayor de Blasio Vows to Veto Chokehold Bill. Is he trying to get back on the good side of the NYPD?

    The legislation would make the use of chokeholds by officers — defined as a move that cuts off air or blood flow through the neck — a misdemeanor punishable by prison or a fine, or both.
    Continue reading the main story
    Related Coverage

    Mark G. Peters, left, the commissioner of the Investigation Department, with Philip K. Eure, the inspector general, on Sunday.
    Some New York Police Officers Were Quick to Resort to Chokeholds, Inspector General FindsJAN. 12, 2015
    Phil Messina, a retired New York City sergeant, demonstrating a hold on Arthur Moody. Mr. Messina teaches self-defense tactics privately to officers.
    video
    Takedown TacticsJAN. 12, 2015
    Phil Messina, a retired New York City sergeant, demonstrating a hold on Arthur Moody. Mr. Messina teaches self-defense tactics privately to officers.
    Despite Scrutiny, Police Chokeholds Persist in New York CityJAN. 12, 2015

    For months, Mr. de Blasio has questioned the need for legislation criminalizing chokeholds given that Police Department rules already explicitly ban their use. “As is consistent with his previously stated views on this issue, the mayor would veto the chokehold bill as it is currently drafted were it to reach his desk,” Mr. de Blasio’s spokesman, Phil Walzak, said in a statement.

    Rory Lancman, a Queens Democrat who drafted the bill, said that 29 of 51 council members had already expressed their support. He said the proposal would probably evolve. “Hopefully we’ll get to a point that the Council will send the mayor a bill that he’s happy to sign,” he said.

    Atlanta, I believe? “We protest not to affirm the worth of our lives, but to expose the depth of the evil we face.” – @deray #ReclaimMLK (see attached poster)

    And our very own Tony compares some similar cases that have some minor differences that seem to have brought about very different outcomes: Hope in the face of systemic racism. He concludes:

    If racial counterstereotypes help shatter unconscious racial biases, then it is imperative that greater diversity initiatives occur at all levels of society. That diversity can and should take on many forms and here are a few suggestions:

    Hollywood movies need to portray more women and men of color in leading or supporting roles (outside the stereotypical ones)
    White people need to develop a circle of friends that includes PoC (75% of white USAmericans have a circle of friends that includes very few People of Color)
    Comic books need to show more PoC in unique, non-stereotypical roles (a great example of this is Sam Wilson, a black man who is the current Captain America, the living symbol of the United States)
    Greater racial diversity among elected officials (PoC make up roughly 37.2% of the U.S. population, but account for only 10% of positions at the local, state, and federal level. Meanwhile white people-who make up 31% of the population-account for 65% of elected officials) (source)
    Further diversification of children’s programming so that children of varying races and ethnicities can see themselves portrayed in a positive light

    Hopefully we’ll continue to see greater diversification initiatives at all levels of society because so long as racial prejudices and stereotypes exist in the criminal justice system, the lives of People of Color will never be treated as if they matter.

    To the list I would add increase publications from authors of colour – both in fiction categories, but in academia, as well. These are important voices that are unheard, with important information. Time to put it out there.

  364. rq says

    About those pictures used for target practice:
    Family Outraged After North Miami Beach Police Use Mug Shots as Shooting Targets, autoplay video at the link:

    Deant, who plays clarinet with the Florida Army National Guard’s 13th Army Band, and her fellow soldiers were at the shooting range for their annual weapons qualifications training.

    What the soldiers discovered when they entered the range made them angry: mug shots of African American men apparently used as targets by North Miami Beach Police snipers, who had used the range before the Guardsmen.

    Even more startling for Deant, one of the images was her brother. It was Woody Deant’s mug shot that taken 15 years ago, after he was arrested in connection to a drag race in 2000 that left two people dead. His mug shot was among the pictures of five minorities used as targets by North Miami Beach police, all of them riddled by bullets.

    “I was like why is my brother being used for target practice?” Deant asked. [..]

    North Miami Beach Police Chief J. Scott Dennis admitted that his officers could have used better judgment, but denies any racial profiling.

    He noted that that the sniper team includes minority officers. Dennis defended the department’s use of actual photographs and says the technique is widely used and the pictures are vital for facial recognition drills. But the Deant family questions why officers were firing targets with images of real people, in this case African-Americans, especially at a time when relations between minority communities and law enforcement are so tense.

    “Our policies were not violated,” Dennis said. “There is no discipline forthcoming from the individuals who were involved with this.”

    NBC 6 Investigators spoke with sources at federal and state law enforcement agencies and five local police departments that have SWAT and sniper teams in an attempt to find out if this is a common practice. All law enforcement agencies said they only use commercially produced targets, not photos of human beings for target practice.

    “The use of those targets doesn’t seem correct,” Alex Vasquez, a retired FBI agent, said. “The police have different options for targets. I think the police have to be extra careful and sensitive to some issues that might be raised.” […]

    The police chief said his department will resume use of human image targets after it expands the number of images in its inventory. His officers, Dennis said, will not use any booking photos from suspects they have arrested and he’ll direct his officers to remove the targets after they use the shooting range.

    But Woody Deant, who did four years in prison after his 2000 arrest, expressed outrage.

    “Now I’m being used as a target?” said Woody Deant. “I’m not even living that life according to how they portrayed me as. I’m a father. I’m a husband. I’m a career man. I work 9-to-5.”

    The Deants contacted Attorney Andell Brown. He said he finds the use of human images for target practice extremely disturbing.

    “This can create a very dangerous situation,” Brown said. “And it has been ingrained in your subconscious what does that mean when someone [police] comes across Woody or another person on the street and their decision-making process on using deadly force or not.”

    I like how the ‘facial recognition drills’ only include people of colour. And nope, there’s no racism going on here, since some members of the sniper team are also minorities. :P

  365. rq says

    Actions going on today, so mostly tweets with pictures.
    BART shutdown:
    “This station is now closed. Leave immediately.” #BARTFriday at Montgomery station
    Montgomery BART shut down #BARTFriday @deray @Bart_Friday @Indybay
    Protesters at Montgomery still making noise, even after station closure #BARTFriday

    In Oakland:
    Helium rigged banner at #3rdWorld4BlackPower Oakland federal building protest #ReclaimMLK #BARTFriday
    Hobak drummers play while we watch and cheer. Cops are bored and walk away. #MLKShutItDown #3rdWorld4BlackPower
    @audrelorde shutting down the #Oakland Federal Building now! #MLKShutItDown #3rdWorld4BlackPower

  366. rq says

    Sharpton: ‘Emergency Meeting’ for Oscars

    The Rev. Al Sharpton said the lily-white Oscar nominations are “appallingly insulting” and called for an “emergency meeting next week in Hollywood to discuss possible action around the Academy Awards.” No black actors or actresses were nominated Thursday morning. The director of the Martin Luther King biopic Selma wasn’t nominated either, though her film was nominated for Best Picture. “In the time of Staten Island and Ferguson, to have one of the most shutout Oscar nights in recent memory is something that is incongruous,” Sharpton said.

    I’d watch that.

    Spike Lee on Selma Oscar Snub: ‘F–k ‘Em’

    Selma, which was nominated for best song and best picture, is a critically acclaimed film about the civil rights movement directed by Ava DuVernay. Lee offered DuVernay and the cast of the movie a few words of advice about not being nominated in more categories.

    “That doesn’t diminish the film. Nobody’s talking about motherf–kin’ Driving Miss Daisy. That film is not being taught in film schools all across the world like Do the Right Thing is. Nobody’s discussing Driving Miss Motherf–kin’ Daisy. So if I saw Ava today I’d say, ‘You know what? F–k ’em. You made a very good film, so feel good about that and start working on the next one.” Lee also added, “A lot of times, people are going to vote for what they’re comfortable with, and anything that’s threatening to them they won’t.”
    […]

    Most people have echoed Lee’s exact sentiments about the Oscars. Who needs an Oscar when your movie is now a part of history and is enabling tens of thousands of kids across the country to get a piece of education that they’ve probably missed out on in the classroom?

    Well, true, but the Oscar would be a nice nod of recognition from the mainstream. Just because.

    No! St. Louis Officials Call For Larger Police Force, Gun Control After Seven Fatal Shootings In 24 Hours

    Dotson added that incidents of crime and violence have increased in recent months as officers have been called away from regular patrols in neighborhoods to focus on protests.

    “Criminals have been empowered,” he said. “Officers have been distracted.”

    Dotson added that he plans to return officers to high-crime neighborhoods to do “hot-spot policing.” The city is also working on gaining access to real-time feeds of existing surveillance cameras.

    “The little crimes grow into larger crimes,” he said.

    Dotson also called on the community to come together to support officers and public safety. Following protests against police actions in Ferguson, Missouri, Dotson said he’s seen trepidation among officers.

    In response, a protestor posted on Twitter proof that St Louis has been among the crimingest cities even before the protests: The 11 Most Dangerous Cities (from 2011).

    From history: From MLK to JFK re: Birmingham church bombing.

  367. rq says

    #MLKSHUTITDOWN #BART people can still come in join us! #BARTFriday loud in here! In case anyone needs something to do.

    I notice it’s pretty much solely middle-to-upper class white men who are arguing the hardest for StL building a NFL stadium w/ public money.

    “@AllisonBlood: State of St. Louis breakfast with @StengerSTLCo @MayorSlay and the @stlouisbiz ” Something’s missing.

    I’m happy to see Dotson change his mind on camera monitoring, but it doesn’t require millions before @SLMPD starts. They can start today.
    I’m also concerned that Slay has decided to move forward with this expensive monitoring center without including the Public Safety Cmte.

    Re: the last two tweets, this is what Dotson said in 2013…

  368. rq says

    … And this is what he said most recently: Dotson, Slay Dismayed By Six Violent Deaths, Police Will Monitor Surveillance Cameras.

    Obama to Host ‘Selma’ Screening at White House. Is it going to be a sleepover? The night of the Oscars?

    “Selma” will become the latest in a line of Oscar contenders such as last year’s “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” and 2012’s “Lincoln” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild” to be shown in the White House.

    Cast and crew from the movie “Selma” are expected to attend.

    On Thursday, “Selma” was nominated for picture and for song, but the failure of the movie to draw nominations in other categories generated strong reactions on Twitter, where critics blasted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for an all-white list of acting nominees.

    A White House screening can add a certain prestige value to a movie, perhaps even elevating its attention in the eyes of Academy voters, but the decision rests with Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on whether to publicly reveal their film choices.

    Woman Shocked to See Brother’s Mug Shot Photo used as Police Target Practice. Basically no new information, but I wanted to highlight this:

    The police chief added that his department has no intention of changing its practices and will continue using human targets just not booking photos of suspects they arrested. He will also make sure that officers remove target practice photos from the range once they are done shooting.

    So using photos of other people – strangers who have no idea their pictures are being used – is okay. As long as they clean up the evidence. :P Just… no.

    Back to the BART shutdown:
    Officers just took protester into custody #BART protest #MontgomeryStation #SF, man banging on train w/ spoon #KTVU
    Being denied entry down to the Embarcadero platform. Station closed. But I can hear the spoons banging downstairs… #BARTFriday
    Those metal spoons? They’re currently making a ruckus against the metal pillars #BARTFriday

  370. rq says

    That lawyer die-in is at 350 McAllister in San Francisco, 8:45am PST/11:45 ET. Gentrification rally @ 11:30am PT at Lake Chalet. #ReclaimMLK
    #BART cops in riot gear are back at #BARTFriday protest in Montgomery station, lining up. #BlackLivesMatter
    #Oakland Federal Bldg is shut down. Retweet! @Moore_Darnell @BaburRealer @IolaElla @melanieatendido @Meloniousfunk

    St. Louis joins #SelmaforStudents to make Movie free for Teens

    The national initiative launched in New York City and quickly expanded to 23 cities. To date, more nearly $2 million has been raised to educate more than 278,000 students in partnership with Paramount Pictures. Deaconess is coordinating local fundraising efforts with more than $42,000 raised toward the $50,000 goal. This includes initial support from Ford, Deaconess and the United Way of Greater St. Louis. For more information about the program, group sales or other participating cities, visit http://www.SelmaMovie.com/studenttickets.

    “It is important that St. Louis students are informed about this moment in history its connections to the challenges they face today,” said Reverend Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of Deaconess Foundation. “We are grateful for Darren Walker, the Ford Foundation and African American leaders joining us in this effort. We believe this experience will nurture civic engagement among young people and give them hope that systemic change is possible through cooperative, intentional, and well-planned efforts.”

  371. rq says

    Via Lynna, Holder limits seized-asset sharing process that split billions with local, state police

    Since 2008, thousands of local and state police agencies have made more than 55,000 seizures of cash and property worth $3 billion under a civil asset forfeiture program at the Justice Department called Equitable Sharing.

    The program has enabled local and state police to make seizures and then have them “adopted” by federal agencies, which share in the proceeds. The program allowed police departments and drug task forces to keep up to 80 percent of the proceeds of the adopted seizures, with the rest going to federal agencies.

    “With this new policy, effective immediately, the Justice Department is taking an important step to prohibit federal agency adoptions of state and local seizures, except for public safety reasons,” Holder said in a statement.

    Holder’s decision allows some limited exceptions, including illegal firearms, ammunition, explosives and property associated with child pornography, a small fraction of the total. This would eliminate virtually all cash and vehicle seizures made by local and state police from the program.

    While police can continue to make seizures under their own state laws, the federal program was easy to use and required most of the proceeds from the seizures to go to local and state police departments. Many states require seized proceeds to go into the general fund.

    A Justice official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the attorney general’s motivation, said Holder “also believes that the new policy will eliminate any possibility that the adoption process might unintentionally incentivize unnecessary stops and seizures.”

    Here’s to hoping.

  372. says

    Natives call attention to death of Paiute Corey Kanosh at the hands of police officers in 2012

    A recent Department of Justice report announced that as a percentage of the population, Natives are more likely than any other race to be shot by police. The Kanosh Band of Paiutes are calling for attention to the October 2012 shooting of Corey Kanosh, a 35-year-old Paiute man, who was shot by Millard County Deputy Dale Josse. Kanosh was the unarmed passenger in a car driven by his friend Dana Harnes, who is white. According to the Millard County Attorney’s investigation, Josse chased Kanosh some distance in the dark before calling for backup. Attorney Todd McFarlane said that may have been a decision that led to Kanosh’s death.

    According to Deputy County Attorney Pat Finlinson, the case against Deputy Josse was dismissed without prejudice. “There is a review letter declining prosecution,” he said. “I can tell you pretty consistently, right now I wouldn’t be able to comment because of pending civil litigation.”

    Kanosh’s case has not yet gone to court, but according to McFarlane, Kanosh was denied his constitutional rights when Josse and other officers neglected to provide medical attention for Kanosh after he was shot. “The constitutional right to life includes the right to prompt medical attention, especially when law enforcement is responsible for jeopardizing that right to life,” McFarlane said.

    In taped interviews, Emergency Medical Team members state they were called on site more than half an hour after Kanosh was shot. They were allowed to check for a pulse but not permitted to move him. The two team members agreed they did not feel a pulse, however they could not confirm that Kanosh was deceased. McFarlane said that an undetected weak pulse is not uncommon, and that Kanosh was left where he fell in the dirt until the following morning.

    In the sheriff’s report, the deputy admits he clearly saw that Harnes was driving the car and that Corey was the passenger. McFarlane wondered, “How do the police justify chasing the Native passenger versus the white driver? Corey was unarmed and had committed no crime.”

    Here’s that DOJ report referenced in the above article

  373. says

    Over at Indian Country Today, Alex Jacobs writes about the emerging police state:

    Is this country headed toward becoming a police state? Some will tell you we’ve been on that road since 9/11, and maybe since the imperial presidencies of Nixon and Reagan. The most important reason that people are protesting is because if you wait, then it will be too late for protests or marches; also things called Free Speech, Bill of Rights, U.S. Constitution. Now that police officers have been targeted, the protestors, the media, even the President are being accused of having blood on their hands. But no one brings up the right wingnuts who blew up the Federal Building in OKC, or the abortion clinic bombings and shootings, or the Cliven Bundy stand-off that encouraged more right wing agitation. Where do you think any future gunplay and targeting of law enforcement will most likely be coming from but these extremists? And we can thank Fox News and the Tea Party for most of this agitation, as they have become the American Taliban. And what agitates these folks more than anything is President Barack Obama. PUSA has been consistently profiled and vilified and dehumanized as a person of color in authority.

    Studies done by social psychologists from Stanford, Yale and John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2004 gave us: Seeing Black: Race, Crime and Visual Processing, which shows an implicit racial bias in the American psyche that connects black maleness with crime. NYPD Police misconduct claims, including excessive force lawsuits, have risen over 200% since 2000, while the amount the city paid out has risen 75 percent in the same period, to $64.4 million in fiscal year 2012. Then there’s the August report from the CDC that gave us 4,531 citizen/civilian deaths by police from 1999 to 2011. It also states that Native American men are more likely to be killed (pro rata) by police, as less than 1 percent of population but 2 percent of deaths and Blacks who represent 13 percent of population are 26 percent of the victims killed by police. The report goes on to say that such deaths have actually gone down since the late 60s.

    During this time, off duty Black cops have been harassed, beaten and arrested by white cops; on duty Black cops are more likely to be shot and killed by white cops during incidents. One Black cop is suing his Philadelphia department for brutality, misrepresenting facts for probable cause, false arrests, malicious prosecution. Look up Harold Thomas, the 30 year NYPD just retired Black cop who is suing the city after he was beaten and arrested by fellow white officers in 2012.

    Look up the numbers if you can because they hard to find but over the last 15 years the number of citizens killed by law enforcement is growing every year, and not all are criminals and it doesn’t take into account routine beatings and SWAT mistakes. Now we are told it’s over 500 citizens killed every year by police, and over 400 are termed justifiable homicides. It’s easier to find the number of police killed per year and line-of-duty deaths rose from 105 to 121 last year, and of those 50 were killed by gun or assault, but they also sometimes shoot each other. Not so many years ago it was police car chases and that number was in the thousands, of citizens every year who were hurt or killed in car crashes when police were chasing suspected criminals. That number got so high, departments changed tactics. Now with the militarization of the police with see the results and the protests, so we hope it is inevitable there will be changes.

  374. rq says

    Well, there’s this. (Cover of the New Yorker. Commentary has already examined MLK’s evident sinus issues as well as the rather monochromatic shading of the skin.)
    And here is the artist’s explanation of the MLK @NewYorker cover.
    This is by the same artist: .@Deray Does your cover artist moonlight for Charlie Hebdo? #AskTheNewYorker But of course that pictures is punching up by making fun of the racist right-wingers, amirite?

    Academy President Denies Hollywood Has a Diversity Problem. Well, she would, wouldn’t she?

    When asked by Vulture if the Academy has a diversity issue, Boone Isaacs said, “Not at all.” Most of the complaints about diversity yesterday were about how the critically-acclaimed civil rights film Selma was snubbed in categories it was considered a lock for.

    “The good news,” Boone Isaacs said, “is that the wealth of talent is there, and it’s being discussed, and it’s helpful so much for talent — whether in front of the camera or behind the camera — to have this recognition, to have this period of time where there is a lot of publicity, a lot of chitter-chatter.”

    She did praise Selma as a great movie, regardless of whatever nominations it did or didn’t get, and acknowledged the awards race can get “very competitive.”

    Florida Police on Defense After Black Men’s Mugshots Used for Target Practice. On defense, eh? I guess owning up to a rather insulting and terrible use of mugshots is way over their heads.

    North Miami Beach police did not immediately respond to questions from the Guardian, but a spokeswoman told the Huffington Post that the force uses a variety of mugshot line-ups for target practice, including some that feature only white men, some that show only Hispanic men, and another featuring only women.

    “The public thinks there should be one woman and one white man and one black, but that’s not really what test is about,” says Major Kathy Katerman of the department’s media unit. “We have targets of all races.”

    North Miami Beach police chief J Scott Dennis told NBC South Florida that while the use of Deant’s mugshot was poor judgment as he had been arrested in their jurisdiction, the policies of the force were not violated and were not discriminatory.

    “There is no discipline forthcoming from the individuals who were involved with this,” Dennis said. He maintained that using real-life photographs was an important part of training.

    NBC surveyed a number of federal and state law enforcement agencies as well as five local police forces, who all said they do not use real-life mugshots in gunfire training.

    What worries me is that they regularly use real-people mugshots for target practice. I can’t imagine what kind of subconscious reflexes that can develop.

    From Occupy To Ferguson

    Early in the Occupy movement, Frances Fox Piven predicted, “We may be on the cusp, at the beginning of another period of social protest.” Months later, in September 2012, long after the last tent had folded, Piven questioned the “ready conclusion that the protests have fizzled.” As she and Richard Cloward noted 35 years earlier in their pivotal study, Poor People’s Movements: Why They Succeed, How They Fail, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s and the labor movement of the 1920s and 1930s took years to win substantial victories.

    As the nation erupts in protests, her words ring prophetic. The killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, has put a match to years of simmering fury over police brutality. Ferguson may seem a far cry from Occupy. These protests aren’t about inequality; they’re about policing. Yet many of the 1960s civil rights riots were set off by police brutality. For people in poor communities, overpolicing is the most palpable manifestation of economic and political oppression.

    Piven is heartened by the Ferguson protests. “Occupy was brilliant in getting a message across, but these protests are disruptive. They [are] specifically, deliberately, planfully setting out to disrupt the functioning of the city until attention is paid to the grievance they have,” she tells In These Times. “Protesters have to bring things to a halt in order to have an impact.”

    Those in power seem nervous. In a speech following a grand jury’s decision not to indict Wilson, Barack Obama sounded less like the man who, after the Trayvon Martin verdict, spoke candidly and movingly of his personal experiences of racial profiling by police, and more like the lord of the manor with the mob at the door. “First and foremost, we are a nation built on the rule of law,” he stressed.

    One imagines mayors across the nation peeking through their blinds and praying, “Let this pass.” There’s no indication that it will. Soon after the Wilson verdict, another grand jury’s failure to indict the NYPD officer whose chokehold killed Eric Garner ignited protests in a half dozen cities.

    The fire won’t lack fuel. In a survey of 105 of the 110 largest police departments in the United States, the Wall Street Journal found that police killed 1,800 people between 2007 and 2012. That’s almost one killing per day—enough to feed the kind of sustained, disruptive movement that Piven believes necessary for change.

    Cities and the federal government have already offered a slew of concessions: civil rights investigations, body cameras, civilian review boards, increased diversity in police departments. But these reforms are not likely to fulfill protesters’ demand for a transformation of policing in the United States. On the question of where the protests are headed, activist Eugene Puryear said at a panel in D.C., “If we recognize the system doesn’t work for us … then you’re talking about getting rid of capitalism.”

    How far will the movement go? Piven says that people tend to rise up only when they feel they can’t go through the political system. In the era of big-money politics, the actions of our elected leaders have become completely untethered from the will of the people. In that light, Occupy and Ferguson look less like isolated flare-ups and more like the start of something big.

  375. rq says

    Remember yesterday’s storify? St. Ann Police admit to injuring, arresting wrong person after chase

    Police were in pursuit of Anton Simmons, who had 17 warrants our for his name, when 22-year-old Joseph Swink crashed his car trying to avoid the police pursuit on Interstate 70.

    “They ended up grabbing him [Swink], tossing him to the ground, and were trying to handcuff him,” said St. Ann Police Chief Aaron Jimenez. “All the sirens and lights were going off. It was very loud and they couldn’t hear anything the citizen was saying.”

    Swink is an accounting student at UMSL with no criminal record and was on his way home from an internship when he was accidentally involved in the pursuit.

    Police say they were able to get him into custody using the least amount of force necessary, but when they finally had him in handcuffs on the ground, they heard on their radios that the real suspect was in custody at a different location.

    Swink suffered severe damage to his ear and his vehicle was totaled.

    “I never really had 100 percent trust in police before,” Swink said. “But I really don’t now.”

    Chief Jimenez says he has given a sincere apology for the entire situation.

    Okay, an apology – now how about reparations? restitution? Perhaps assistance with medical bills…? No? Okay then.

    Some photos of protest in STL:
    A waiter from a restaurant joined the circle. The movement grows.
    Yes, we moved to allow the Fire Dept. trucks to come thru. Protest.
    Heard noise outside my hotel & looked out to see protesters. Powerful to be here in STL to witness change happening.
    Tonight #STL #CWE #ReclaimMLK #Ferguson #BlackLivesMatter
    Tonight’s #STL action shut down parts of the #CWE #ReclaimMLK #Ferguson #BlackLivesMatter

  376. rq says

    Oakland is on it. Remember, 96 hours of actions. They’re still out there. Going to have to find more info on that, because 96 hours, that’s pretty hardcore!

    Some art:
    Yasin Bey. 2Pac. Big. Gill Scott. Hip Hop. #Ferguson2NOLA
    Do The Right Thing Radio Raheem. A Spike Lee Joint #Ferguson2NOLA
    Brother Fred Hampton #Ferguson2NOLA
    I got emotional seein this one. Mama Assata. #Ferguson2NOLA
    (I took all the emoticons out of those tweets because they don’t let me post.)

    Another suspicious death? She was 6. Minnesota Girl Found Hanging From Jump Rope

    While it appears that her death was the result of a suicide and though Johnson’s psychiatric records show a of history suicidal and homicidal thoughts, investigators are suspicious.

    “We just did our due diligence to tear this case apart and look at every angle,” Brooklyn Park Police Deputy Chief Mark Bruley said. “It’s hard to believe that it was even possible. We may never know if it was suicide or an accident.”

    According to The Tribune, the crime lab deputy found the knot used to tie the noose to be extremely sophisticated for a 6-year-old.

    Those who knew the child say that the night of her death, she was really excited about an upcoming church dance that was scheduled for the next day. She is described by her grandmother, Mary Lee Broadus, 45, as a “happy-go-lucky” child, but her behavior changed once she was placed in foster care. Her mother had been accused of drug abuse. Records show that Johnson was frequently troubled with thoughts of suicide and feelings of guilt. Investigators say that the child had ligature marks on her neck, which may indicate that she tried to hang herself before. According to records, Johnson also drew pictures at school of a child hanging from a rope.

    Despite the child’s troubled history, her grandmother, whom she lived with before being admitted into foster care, is convinced that someone else is responsible for her death.

  377. rq says

    Youtube video: Reclaim MLK: Protesting police brutality to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

    Police officers in Miami were recently found to have used pictures of real African-American teenagers as targets during shooting practice, further adding to the anger many are directing towards law enforcement. As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, thousands of activists are expected to take to the streets across the country this weekend, and will no doubt use this latest example of remarkable insensitivity to highlight what they view as systemic hostility toward minorities. Dante Barry, executive director of Million Hoodies Movement for Justice, tells RT’s Ameera David how he and many others will be honoring MLK’s legacy this weekend.

  378. David Marjanović says

    …A 6-year-old being suicidal is probably a thing, sadly. But a 6-year-old hanging herself? Successfully hanging herself? Let alone with a reportedly sophisticated knot?

    More believable than suicide with two shots to the back of the head; but not much more.

    Police officers in Miami were recently found to have used pictures of real African-American teenagers as targets during shooting practice

    I want to rageflail. I want to rageflail so hard.

    Instead I’m just tired. :-(

    Maybe the US really does need to have the incredibly high incarceration rate it has. It just has the wrong people in prison.

  380. rq says

    Chicago police video-recording lineups and photo arrays under new law

    In another safeguard, the law calls for a detective with no ties to a particular investigation to carry out the video-recording of any police lineups or photo arrays for that case.

    The changes are the result of a state law that took effect Jan. 1 and affects police departments across Illinois. It comes at a time that Chicago police have scaled back on their use of the traditional lineup — a staple of crime dramas on TV and in movies that dates to at least 19th-century Britain. Detectives increasingly rely on photo spreads since they are much easier and less time-consuming than lineups.

    The intent of the new law is to limit concerns over detectives intentionally or inadvertently clueing witnesses on which person to pick out as the bad guy. Any comments by witnesses while attempting to identify a suspect during lineups or photo arrays also would be captured on audio as well as video. However, witnesses can refuse to be recorded.

    Both lineups and photo spreads have proven to be controversial over the years. According to the New York-based Innocence Project, almost three-fourths of the 325 convictions overturned across the country since 1989 because of DNA evidence involved false identifications — many the result of improper lineups or photo arrays. […]

    Last month, Cook County prosecutors talked to Chicago detectives about how to apply the new law to their police work. The Tribune obtained a copy of their PowerPoint presentation. In seeking the approval of witnesses to be videoed and audio-recorded, the detective handling the lineup will explain that the purpose is for “accurately documenting all statements made.”

    If a witness refuses to be recorded, the lineups would instead be photographed, according to the prosecutors’ presentation.

    A detective with no ties to the case, known as an “independent administrator,” would oversee the lineup or photo array and would not know the identity of the suspect. Witnesses would be told that.

    According to the prosecutors’ presentation, the law allows detectives to bypass video lineups or even using an independent administrator if it’s not practical — if a working camera or a detective with no connection to the case isn’t available, for instance. But in those cases, that would allow suspects’ lawyers to raise questions at trial about why the lineup or photo array had not been videoed.

    In addition, the law does not require that police video so-called show ups — when a witness makes a face-to-face identification of a suspect, usually on the street shortly after a crime.

    Experts said the use of the independent administrators should be a marked improvement over past practices. Detectives who have a stake in a case may inadvertently tip off a witness to the identity of a suspect while conducting lineups or photo spreads, they said.

    Roy Malpass, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Texas at El Paso, said even subtle gestures — scratching a nose or clearing a throat — could be misread and influence a witness.

    “Having an independent administrator pretty much, unless done terribly incompetently, just resolves a whole bunch of questions,” said Malpass, an expert on witness identifications. “I think it’s worthwhile to have those questions off the table.” […]

    “You can actually see the person’s initial identification, which would be the closest at the time during the crime,” Tunick said. “It’s just a more thorough ability to actually see the process.”

    Kentucky Teens Dalton Hayes, Cheyenne Phillips on the Run for 12 Days. #CrimingWhileWhite

    Young APIs chain themselves to a federal building & spend a whole morning linking 3rd world oppression to anti black racism & you publish a+ Paragraph long article summarizing the “chaos” caused by protests? Get the FUCK out of here are you serious?

    i saw
    three little black boys
    lying in a grave yard
    i couldn’t tell
    if they were playing
    or practicing.
    – baba lukata, rehearsal.     Damn near broke my heart, that one.

    Federal Reserve Blockaded For 4.5 Hours In Oakland

    The peaceful protest drew at least 150 people and began before 7 a.m. at the main entrance to the Ronald V. Dellums Building, 1301 Clay St. and another entrance on Jefferson Street. A prayer dance was held before speakers made their presentations.

    The protest ended shortly after 11 a.m. without anyone arrested. Federal police stood by and observed the activity.

    The entrance to the courthouse portion of the building was not affected and employees and people with business at the main building were able to get in at an alternate entrance.

    Screen Shot 2015-01-17 at 8.20.06 PM

    Federal officers were in contact with the demonstrators, said Jacqueline C. Yost, Chief of Public Affairs for the Federal Protective Service, in an e-mailed statement. As of 10 a.m., the demonstrators “have remained peaceful and there has been no reported damage due to the demonstration,” Yost said.

    A flier stated that the protest was to link the Third World struggle with black resistance. The federal building was targeted, the flier said, “because of its role in promoting war on Black people and people’s struggles for self-determination in the U.S. and around the world.”

    Protesters were there “to demonstrate our support for the heightened struggle for Black liberation, power, self-defense and self-determination in the U.S.” the flier stated.

    It cited grand jury verdicts in the deaths last year of Michael Brown in Missouri and Eric Garner in New York who were unarmed when they were killed by police. None of the officers involved were indicted. It also cited Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Cleveland boy killed by a police officer who mistook a toy gun for a real one.

    Sanyika Bryant, with the MalcolmX Grass Roots Movement, one of the participating groups, said the protest was about reclaiming Dr. King’s legacy of civil disobedience, militant protest against racism and his legacy of international solidarity with the people of the Third World.

    Friday’s protest he said, is in response not only to genocide in the United States but other countries as well, including Palestine, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

  381. rq says

    Down in Texas: The movement lives in Austin!! Millions March Texas #wearethepeople #BlackLivesMatter @VeryWhiteGuy @Nettaaaaaaaa
    Much Love N RespectCam (Fam!) RT @xHRDCVRx our social media fellow @C_White1911 is on the ground at #millionsmarchTX
    Millions March Texas. Coming to ya from the ATX! #TakeBackMLK #BlackLivesMatter @Blklivesmatter @deray @DanteB4u

    The LAPDHQ takeover. This might be temp but it will be marked in our hearts as we struggle forward. #Justice4Ezell

    George Lucas Slams Oscars: “It’s a Political Campaign”

    Lucas elaborated, referring to Academy members, “Why do we elect people who drift toward not the most talented, best, and brightest we have in the country? It’s all political. … I think it hurts everybody.”

    The Star Wars director, who appeared on the morning show to promote his new animated film Strange Magic, said he’s not a member of the Academy specifically because of all the controversy constantly surrounding it.

    The Revolutionary Gun Clubs Patrolling the Black Neighborhoods of Dallas

    On a warm fall day in South Dallas, ten revolutionaries dressed in kaffiyehs and ski masks jog the perimeter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park bellowing “No more pigs in our community!” Military discipline is in full effect as the joggers respond to two former Army Rangers in desert-camo brimmed hats with cries of “Sir, yes, sir!” The Huey P. Newton Gun Club is holding its regular Saturday fitness-training and self-defense class. Men in Che fatigues run with weight bags and roll around on the grass, knife-fighting one another with dull machetes. “I used to salute the fucking flag!” the cadets chant. “Now I use it for a rag!” […]

    Charles Goodson, the gun club’s 31-year-old dreadlocked vegan co-founder, grew up less than a mile away. Both he and Darren X, the national field marshal of the New Black Panther Party, have been organizing around police-violence issues in Dallas for the past decade. Goodson says they worked together last year, during an armed rally in the small East Texas town of Hemphill, where they protested the police’s failure to fully investigate the murder of a black man named Alfred Wright. The Dallas New Black Panthers have been carrying guns for years. In an effort to ratchet up their organizing efforts, they formed the Huey P. Newton Gun Club, uniting five local black and brown paramilitary organizations under a single banner. “We accept all oppressed people of color with weapons,” Darren X, who is 48, tells me in a deep, authoritative baritone. “The complete agenda involves going into our communities and educating our people on federal, state, and local gun laws. We want to stop fratricide, genocide—all the ‘cides.” […]

    This past August, the gun club staged their first openly armed patrol through Dixon Circle, a predominately African American neighborhood in Dallas where police killed a young unarmed black man named James Harper in 2012. About two weeks before the rally, a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, had killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, and in July a white cop had choked Eric Garner, a Staten Island dad, to death over the alleged sale of untaxed cigarettes. In Dallas, several dozen black militants stood at attention in front of a field officer, holding assault rifles and AR-15s. “This is perfectly legal!” the leader bellowed. “Justice for Michael Brown! Justice for Eric Garner!” came the hoarse cries from the formation. “No longer will we let the pigs slaughter our brothers and sisters and not say a damn thing about it,” the leader answered back. “Black power! Black power! Black power! Black power!”

    Since then, Goodson says, donations to the gun club have poured in from across the country and their membership has more than doubled. Support has come from unlikely sources such as Russell Wilson, a bureau chief in the Dallas district attorney’s office. “They have an absolute right to do what they do,” he told me. He believes they may be “restoring some people’s confidence and saying, ‘We’re not going to keep getting pushed around here.'” […]

    David Brown, Dallas’s African American police chief, has said he will overhaul the department’s use-of-force policy, and he has been openly critical of the Ferguson police department in the wake of Michael Brown’s death. (David Brown’s own son, David Brown Jr., was killed by a police officer after shooting at a cop in 2010.) While Brown has attempted reforms during his tenure, the Dallas Police Department has a dismal record. The city’s cops have shot at least 185 people since 2002. Seventy-four percent of those shot fatally have been black and Hispanic, according to a report, “A History of Violence,” compiled through open-records requests made by the group Dallas Communities Organizing for Change. Dallas police shot 14 people in 2014 alone, among them Jason Harrison, a 38-year-old mentally ill man who was killed by officers after he allegedly threatened them with a screwdriver. Harrison’s brother had to mop the blood off the front steps of their home after the fatal encounter. His family filed a wrongful-death suit against the city in October. […]

    The Huey P. Newton Gun Club was formed partially as a response to a grassroots gun-advocacy group called Open Carry Texas. Texas is one of only six states in the country that still outlaws the open carrying of handguns, but it legally permits brandishing assault rifles and shotguns. Open Carry Texas garnered national attention last May after pictures from its “open-carry walks” went viral: Groups of schlubby white guys schlepping AK-47s into Chipotle, Target, and Starbucks provided a convenient opportunity for Northern liberals to mock Texan gun culture. Yet the movement attracted so much attention and support that it looks like Open Carry Texas will achieve its advocacy goal of getting state legislators to pass a new open-carry bill this year, adding handguns to the list of firearms citizens can legally tote.

    Riding this wave of enthusiasm, Open Carry Texas announced in July that it would stage a walk through Houston’s Fifth Ward, a predominately black neighborhood and the birthplace of the rap group the Geto Boys. “The black community has got its butt kicked for some time,” David Amad, a white Open Carry Houston leader, told a local TV station. “We’re going to go in there and help with that, put a stop to that.” C. J. Grisham, the president of Open Carry Texas, then compared himself to Rosa Parks, telling another paper that the heavily armed group needed to walk through a black neighborhood because “somebody’s got to stand up and sit in the front of the bus.”

    Fifth Ward community leaders and Houston’s New Black Panther Party, led by the charismatic Quanell X, were not impressed by the group’s offer of assistance. The New Black Panther Party has made news in the past couple of years for putting a bounty on the head of George Zimmerman and intimidating voters in Philadelphia, where they canvassed for Obama and one member allegedly brandished a nightstick and shouted, “You are about to be ruled by a black man, cracker!” (The Department of Justice dropped the case.) Recently, the group has been pilloried—mostly on Fox News—as outside agitators in Ferguson. Since Darren Wilson, the cop who shot Michael Brown, escaped indictment, two New Black Panthers in Ferguson have been brought to court on gun charges, though right-wing news outlets claim the men were actually planning to blow up the Gateway Arch and murder the Ferguson police chief. The surviving leadership of the original Black Panther Party has also repudiated the movement for inflammatory and anti-Semitic rhetoric. Bobby Seale, a founder, speculated to me that this new incarnation of his group is a front organization funded by right-wing money, “maybe by the Koch Brothers.” But despite the New Black Panther Party’s dismal reputation, in Dallas its members are, at least, the most thoughtful and professional revolutionaries around. They have a platform, an ideology, work as barbers and electricians, and are serious about their politics and the importance of being armed. “What you see in the media relates to them on a national level, but their organization is a lot different here on a local level,” Goodson tells me. Darren X says that his Party is trying to move away from the inflammatory rhetoric of its leadership and “transition from black power to all power to all the people.” […]

    But Open Carry Texas’s attempt to bring Fifth Ward residents into the fold failed, just as the NRA’s attempts to diversify have. “We saw it as a move of intimidation—we didn’t see it as people expressing their Second Amendment rights,” Darren X says. “They have other places to do that than the black community. The black community is full of guns. We already know our rights when it comes to guns.” The concerns facing black gun owners are fundamentally different from those facing white gun owners, and it’s not hard to imagine that the ancestors of the white Texas gun-rights crowd were, at one point in time, instrumental in keeping black Texans disarmed and compliant. Goodson hopes the Huey P. Newton Gun Club will continue to grow and eventually become a mainstream gun-rights organization, the “black alternative to the NRA.” […]

    As I walk along with the gun club, the mood is so laid-back, the police response so placid, that it lulls me into a false sense of safety—but then the frame snaps back out, and it’s clear how tenuous and potentially explosive the whole situation is. No one really knows what to do about the racial disparities in police violence. After all, even as America has yet another frank “national conversation” about race with op-eds and statistics and MSNBC spots, the tide of young black blood continues to flow. All the use-of-force re-training and psychological counseling and efforts against racial profiling don’t seem to stanch it. Body cameras are a nice idea—but the infamous video of Eric Garner’s death shows that even with firm evidence, a cop can kill a black man over practically nothing and escape indictment. “I can’t breathe,” Garner said 11 times before his death. Given these failures, and given the militarized police’s ability to crush any kind of people’s insurrection, arming oneself might be a futile act, but it’s a partial—and very American—response to centuries of psychological humiliation. […]

    Heading away from the Federal Building, the marchers pause to take pictures of themselves in front of a large public fountain. They seem a little deflated. A middle-aged man strolling by sees the group and turns around to shake their hands. He introduces himself as Andrew, an original Dallas Black Panther. “This is the first time I’ve seen armed people—I thought it was like a military group going into infantry or something,” he says. “But then I heard them say Huey Newton, and that’s what stopped me. I said, ‘Whoa…’ It lets me know something is changing in the times.”

    I dunno, but open carry just freaks me the fuck out.

  382. rq says

    My blackness is not a weapon.

    Marty Walsh sacks city worker for role in barrel sit-in, citing safety risk

    “As mayor, you have to make tough, difficult decisions. This is not a difficult decision,” Walsh said. “This was not based on the fact of this woman protesting. It was based on the fact of putting the public safety of other people at risk.”

    Nelli Ruotsalainen, a part-time youth communication specialist for the Boston Centers for Youth and Families, was noncooperative and “pled the Fifth” at her City Hall hearing yesterday, after which a Labor Relations committee recommended she be terminated, according to city officials.

    Walsh said he fully supports the right to demonstrate but these protesters crossed the line — and endangered and disrupted people’s lives. The mayor said he was particularly upset that the protesters jeopardized the life of an 83-year-old car crash victim whose ambulance had to be rerouted from Boston Medical Center to a Brockton hospital.

    “You can’t put people in harm’s way like that,” he said. […]

    “She was not terminated because she protested, because if you take a personal day you can do what you want on that day. She was terminated because of the risk of public safety. … The way the events unfolded (Thursday) really bothered me,” Walsh said.

    First Amendment lawyer Harvey Silverglate said protesters’ rights to free speech “go out the window” when they cause such massive disruption — and municipal employees have fewer such rights than regular citizens. “Even an ordinary citizen,” he said, “could not be protected from that kind of disruptive activity.”

    What a positive message for protestors.


    Where African-Americans Are Doing The Best Economically    . Includes Atlanta, Washington, Baltimore, Orlando, San Antonio, Miami. Not necessarily in that order.

    NYPD Officers Being Investigated by Brooklyn DA for Planting Guns on Innocent People

    The DA’s investigation will not focus solely on Herring’s case. Five other cases share similar details, a situation that has led to the suspicion of questionable police conduct.

    “We will investigate the arrest of Mr. Herring and other arrests by these officers because of the serious questions raised by this case,” said Thompson.

    The public defender representing Herring, Debora Silberman, suggested in court papers that the group of officers invents criminal informants and may have been motivated to make false arrests to satisfy department goals or quotas. They might also be collecting the $1,000 rewards offered to informants for Operation Gun Stop, which is meant to notify police of illegal gun possession.

    A spokeswoman for the NYPD told The New York Times that investigators from the Internal Affairs Bureau were looking at officers’ conduct in these cases. “Any allegations that are made in regards to the credibility of the officers are taken very seriously,” she added.

    This is neat: We The Protesters: Local, State and National Demands from Protesters. Shows the actual demands for change that protestors have made, for which (I presume) many of them work for on the ground besides the big public protesting.

    Oooookay… and this. Poor teens in Baltimore face worse conditions than those in Nigeria – study

    Many people tend to associate child poverty with desperate scenes out of Africa or India. But according to a recent WAVE study, an international survey that examined the living conditions of 15-19 year olds in poor areas in Baltimore, Shanghai, Johannesburg, New Delhi and Ibadan (third largest city in Nigeria), the problem is much closer to home than many people realize.

    In the five neighborhoods examined in the study, poverty was the common thread that linked these culturally diverse locations. Differences among the teens in these urban areas became obvious, however, when it came to how they perceived their state of well-being.

    Teens from Baltimore and Johannesburg, South Africa, viewed their communities more negatively than the other locations in the study.

    The two cities showed the lowest number of teenagers who felt safe in their neighborhoods (percentages ranged from 43.9 percent among males in Johannesburg to 66.1 percent of females in Baltimore), as well as the highest averages for witnessing violence (8.9 percent for males and 7.0 percent among females in Johannesburg; 7.0 percent among males and 6.3 percent among females in Baltimore). [..]

    In Baltimore, teenagers exhibited high rates of mental health problems, drug abuse, sexual violence and teen pregnancy. In comparison, teens in New Delhi, despite residing in a much poorer country than the United States, showed fewer signs of such social behavior.

    The lead author of the study, Kristen Mmari, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, said the perception teenagers have of their communities plays a large role in how they behave.

    “For example, a young man in New Delhi and a young man in Baltimore may both live in neighborhoods with poor living conditions and little opportunity, but because the teenager in New Delhi is able to see his environment in a more positive light, he is less likely to experience to adverse health problems,” Mmari told Vocativ. “He paints a different picture.”

    Also, the prevalence of violence and weak social cohesion, which ranks higher in Baltimore and Johannesburg than in the three other cities, also has an impact. In Baltimore, a high number of teenagers from impoverished homes grow up in single-parent homes, in many cases with the father in prison, while many adolescents in Johannesburg have lost a parent to HIV/AIDS. […]

    The study concluded that individuals from Baltimore and Johannesburg give their neighborhoods the lowest ratings, while people from Ibadan and Shanghai recorded the highest ratings. Citizens from New Delhi ranked in the midrange.

    “It is worth noting that in spite of its location in a high-income country, the Baltimore neighborhood had some of the lowest ratings,” Freya Sonenstein, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, wrote in the study’s introduction. “In contrast, Ibadan with its high ratings is located in a lower middle-income country with substantially fewer resources.”

  383. rq says

    Officer who fatally shot Ezell Ford had arrested him 6 years earlier

    The document shows that LAPD Officer Sharlton Wampler and a partner arrested Ezell Ford and two of his family members in April 2008 after noticing a smell of marijuana coming from a Dodge van registered to Ford. Inside the vehicle, the officers found marijuana, a small weighing scale and small plastic baggies, the arrest report said.
    Ezell Ford shooting
    Ezell Ford shooting

    The report is the first indication that any of the officers involved in Ford’s shooting had previous contact with the 25-year-old.

    But it remains unclear whether Wampler knew of Ford’s mental illness or whether the officer recognized Ford from his 2008 arrest when the two men encountered each other again on Aug. 11.

    The 2008 report makes no mention of mental illness. Ford’s parents say their son was diagnosed with depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

    LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith, a department spokesman, confirmed that investigators who are probing the shooting have examined the 2008 arrest report. He said both officers insist they did not recognize Ford when they approached him before the shooting.

    “Our force investigation division detectives have seen it and have reviewed it,” Smith said. “So far, nothing in our investigation indicates that the officers recognized the individual prior to the incident occurring.” […]

    Ezell Ford, one of his brothers and his father were arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale, the report said. Ezell Ford was subsequently convicted of drug possession and sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years’ probation.

    His father, Edsell, was convicted of possession of narcotics and sentenced to three years’ probation and 90 days of Caltrans work. Records do not show any conviction for Ford’s brother.

    Ferguson mayor: There’s no racial divide here

    Ferguson Mayor James Knowles tells NewsNation’s Tamron Hall that there is “no racial divide” in the area and that’s the “perspective of all residents in our city.” He says the violent protests are “not representative of us” and the Ferguson has been a…

    … and that’s where my summary ends.
    Mayor now admits to racial divide in Ferguson.

    The mayor of Ferguson, Missouri, now admits that, yes, there is a racial divide in the St. Louis suburb — an admission that comes more than three months after violence erupted following the shooting death of African-American teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer.

    “There’s not a racial divide in the City of Ferguson,” Mayor James Knowles told msnbc’s Tamron Hall during an interview with “NewsNation” in August, adding that is a “perspective of all residents in our city.” But on Monday, Knowles told Al Jazeera he regretted his previous comments. […]

    Knowles has now changed his public stance. “There’s clearly racial divides all across the country. But I didn’t see the divide in our community so much as race, but a lot of it is socioeconomic,” he said. “It does disproportionately affect African-Americans. So among that, yes, absolutely. There’s a racial divide there.”

    Knowles said he didn’t previously witness “this kind of outcry.”

    “My point was we don’t see that play out in Ferguson. We do not see white residents and African-American residents looking at each other with a cautious eye or scared of each other on a daily basis,” he added.

    Music. Frank Ocean covers on of Aaliyah’s. Here it is.

  384. rq says

    Oscars: Academy Mistook One ‘Selma’ Actress for Another, as cross-posted from the thread on lily-white nominations.

    At 5PM tomorrow until Monday, there is a sleep-in at Powell BART to call attention to homelessness. #SF #ReclaimMLK There’s some other actions listed in that twitter thread.

    Protesters urge Confederate group to move event held on MLK weekend

    A group of about 50 protesters stood in silent opposition across the street from the ceremony Saturday morning. If you feel you must honor your Confederate ancestors, they asked, why not move the event to another date?

    “I feel like they’re trying to make a point,” said Suraju Kehinde, 17, holding a large sign that said “Change the Date.” His mother, Ann, said she and her mixed-race son live near the annual Confederate ceremony and he inspired her to start organizing the silent protest with local Quakers three years ago.

    But members of the local chapters of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and United Daughters of the Confederacy said they were honoring Confederate generals Lee and Jackson at a time near their birthdays, which fell on Jan. 19 and Jan. 21, respectively. King’s birthday was Jan. 15, while the federal holiday in his name is held on the third Monday of each January.

    “We get sometimes very inappropriately branded because of what our ancestors did as their duty,” said Jay Barringer, Maryland division commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, who wore a kilt and other regalia and played a bagpipe during the march. “We get called racists, and nothing could be further from the truth.”

    Barringer, a North Carolina native who lives in Eldersburg, insisted the event was not intended to “antagonize” or detract from King’s legacy. “Everyone should be proud of their ancestry,” he said.

    The annual ceremony, held at the Lee-Jackson monument near the Baltimore Museum of Art, has been held on the third weekend in January for years, the Confederate group said, though members were not sure when it began. Some in the Confederate group, which numbered about 80, said they had been attending annual ceremonies at the monument in some form since the 1950s.

    Something about that ‘third Monday in January’ and ‘third weekend in January’ doesn’t quite ring as a true coincidence. Any bets on whether the event will occur on a different date next year?

    Heard more stories of livetweeters having strange technical issues while at protests, a third email system inexplicably went down.
    Kyle, young black man with disabilities, was just brutalized by police. This is him earlier. #Oakland #MLKShutItDown
    The ironies in the thread are worth reading, too. Kyle was happy that he had escaped police brutality and had a chance to go to college. Cue police.

  385. rq says

    Next comment and a half or so on protesting intersectionally.
    Castro take over to end racist police violence #shutdowncastro #BlackLivesMatter
    Singing “which side are you on my ppl which side are you on?” QTPOCLiberation #ShutDownCastro #BlackLivesMatter
    Saturday night in gay white district disrupted @qtpocliberation #shutdowncastro #blacklivesmatter
    Action in the Castro to end racist police violence @qtpocliberation #shutdowncastro #blacklivesmatter
    Occupying rightful mourning in the castro
    Right now in the Castro. Disrupt the norm. @qtpocliberation #shutdowncastro #blacklivesmatter
    Oops in case any of those pictures doubled up.

  386. rq says

    Wichita activists say riots last resort to get attention

    Emotions were high and the message was clear. “You need to walk one day in our skin and just see if we’re treated fairly,” said Apostle Wade Moore, Jr., Christian Faith Centre.

    The group, made up of ministers, elected officials, activists from Sunflower Community Action, and Wichita’s NAACP, does not agree with a grand jury’s decision on the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo.

    “This seems to have become commonplace in our society, so we stand today against this over-aggressive behavior,” said Moore.

    The men and woman want people to know they’re not just a group of “angry black people” seeking revenge. They say they’re citizens looking for justice.

    “Here we are in 2014, in the United States of America, still having to deal with racial profiling and racial issues,” said Moore. “We should be well beyond that.”

    The family of Icarus Randolph attended the meeting. “I think officers need to be held accountable for their actions,” said Elisa Allen, Randolph’s sister.

    A Wichita police officer shot and killed Randolph this summer when the officer says Randolph came at him with a knife. His family says Randolph, a former marine, suffered from PTSD. They say they are not surprised by the riots in Ferguson.

    “I don’t agree with how people are handling things there but I will say when emotions are high and people are upset and feel like justice is not being served, people act out,” said Allen.

    Moore says he understands too. “We don’t agree with all of the looting, we don’t agree with all of the stuff that’s going on, but if that’s what it takes to get people’s attention then people are willing to give up their lives in order to make it better for other people.”

    The activists say after the last “No Ferguson Here” meeting in Wichita, changes were made. They’re hoping added pressure will force a revolution in communities across the country.

    “It’s time for us to be radical again. It’s time for us to stand and we have to lose our lives and give up our lives for our children. This is our moment.”

    Regarding Miami and photos-as-targets, Love it. RT @ShaneClaiborne: In response to FL police using #humantargets – Clergy in uniform have now sent photos saying #usemeinstead

    The CBC delegation heard the protestors tonight. It was a powerful and tough discussion. They want to plug in. I’m hopeful. We’ll see.

    Activists spar with Ferguson mayor, police chief at Harvard

    Both Ferguson protesters and prominent Ferguson officials were speakers during one of the event’s panels, which quickly turned emotional and tense.

    At one point, Justin Hansford, a law professor at St. Louis University, asked both Ferguson Mayor James Knowles and Police Chief Thomas Jackson when they would resign. Brown’s death spurred protests in Ferguson, where the police also came under criticism for their response to the demonstrations, including the use of tear gas.

    Both officials said they planned to stay on.

    “The problem is that Ferguson is my community, and it doesn’t cease to be my community if I quit and dump this problem in somebody else’s lap,” said Jackson.

    Knowles and Jackson talked about steps the city and its police force are taking after Brown’s death and the protests, saying officials were convening a civilian oversight board for the police.

    But panelist Derecka Purnell, a Harvard Law School student who protested in Missouri, said she was uncomfortable sitting next to people “who are responsible for the guns that were pointed in my face.”

    Leah Gunning Francis, an associate dean at the Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, insisted on Saturday that society needed to regard the lives of black men to be as important as those of white men, one of the key themes of the Black Lives Matter protests that have gained prominence.

    “We have to restore the humanity of young black men,” she said.

    Gabriel Baez, the nephew of Eric Garner, said he attended the Harvard event to help prevent such deaths in the future.

    When Dave Spence, a prominent businessman from St. Louis, told the audience Ferguson was not a “dysfunctional place,” activist Paul Muhammad said he had to interject.

    “I respect your perspective, but we do all understand that being black in white America and white in white America, we have two different realities,” he said. [… – again, a focus on black men, not all black people – way to go erasure]

    Former state senator Dianne Wilkerson, who spent time in prison for accepting bribes, moderated one of the panels. Referring to the anger expressed toward protesters after they blocked I-93 Thursday, she said the inconvenience caused on the highway was part of the point.

    “How do you damn protesters on Martin Luther King’s birthday?” she asked. “The whole purpose of protesting is to get you to pay attention, to get your attention.”

    The links at the bottom of the article are worth reading, too. With a focus on Boston.

    Hundreds march in #Oakland to protest police brutality, demand jail 4 killer cops. #MLKShutItDown #protectandservewho
    James Rivera Jr’s mom tells how her unarmed 17-year-old son was murdered by Stockton PD. Using AR-15s. #MLKShutItDown

  388. rq says

    Images of today’s protests, vast majority from STL, in possibly reverse chronological order.
    First some random commentary.
    My Unitarian Universalist congregation, @UUMAN_ATL, after church today. @deray
    Good for prosecutor @JenniferJoyceCA for admitting violent crime in STL is long-term chronic & not playing facile blame game with protests.
    Ugly, very ugly when white gay men attack queer & trans people of color for speaking out for Black lives! #ShutDownCastro #ReclaimMLK

    Jan17 #BlackLivesMatter #ReclaimMLK #LoopIceCarnival #Stl #ABanks #Ferguson @TheDelmarLoop
    I wish that the CBC members in Ferguson now had been scheduled to attend the protests today instead of speaking at a church.

    Small group of protesters takes to streets in Central West End

    The protesters slowed traffic on Kingshighway and Lindell as they chanted slogans such as “We are Mike Brown” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, killer cops have got to go.”

    Two police cruisers were following the group as they marched east from Kingshighway onto Lindell and then turned north at Euclid into the neighborhood’s entertainment district. They held a brief silent protest at Maryland and Euclid.

    The group then went back to Kingshighway.

    Officers were telling the protesters to move off the street because it is a major thoroughfare for ambulances to reach the hospitals nearby.

    Alexis Templeton, one of the protesters, told a police supervisor: “We are here because our kids are not making it into ambulances.”

    There appeared to be no arrests.

  390. rq says

    People are MAD about brunch. Here’s the thing, we’re mad too. You’re mad about waffles, we’re mad about our murdered brothers and sisters.
    #BlackBrunchSTL #ReclaimMLK
    #BlackBrunchSTL #ReclaimMLK
    The police are tired of us protesting. You can tell, today. And we’re tired of them killing us. So, here we are.
    #BlackBrunchSTL #ReclaimMLK
    @deray I really hope they move beyond the “we need to vote” song. So many older people keep saying VOTE. We do but it doesn’t stop murders

  391. rq says

    During the moment of silence at Black Brunch, a white man said, “Mike Brown was a hoodlum.” Racism, alive and well.
    We’re on the sidewalk, the police block traffic. STL.
    6 police cars and trucks total. The STL City police want to arrest a protestor for a “warrant”
    Now the STL City police are blocking Lindell. #BlackBrunchSTL #ReclaimMLK
    One hunnid. RT @deray: This woman just drove by. Y’all, the movement lives. STL. <- full of win!! she came prepared!!!
    It appears that the police are targeting one of the protestors and will arrest him when we disperse. Here we go.

  393. rq says

    Man Spends 16 Years Turning An Old Plantation Into A Memorial To Honor The Once Enslaved

    John Cummings spent 16 years turning an old plantation in Louisiana into a slavery memorial. This year, the Whitney Plantation opened its doors to the public for the first time in its 262 year history, as the only plantation museum in Louisiana with a focus on slavery.

    Through museum exhibits, memorial artwork and restored buildings and hundreds of first-person slave narratives, visitors to Whitney will gain a unique perspective on the lives of Louisiana’s enslaved people. […]

    The Whitney Plantation, originally known as Habitation Haydel, is located less than an hour from New Orleans.

    Ambroise Heidel (1702-ca.1770), the founder of this plantation, emigrated from Germany to Louisiana with his mother and siblings in 1721.

    After the Civil War (1867) the plantation was sold to Bradish Johnson of New York, who named the property after his grandson Harry Payne Whitney.

    As a site of memory and consciousness, the Whitney Plantation Museum is meant to pay homage to all slaves on the plantation itself and to all of those who lived elsewhere in the US South.

    Lots of (excellent) photos at the link.

    #BlackBrunchOakland has been going for awhile now & it’s amazing other cities are catching on. Discomfort across the country.
    It’s wild. We’re in Froyo eating sorbet and the STL City police are outside waiting and watching.

    MLK’s ‘I’ve Been to the Mountaintop’: One Filmmaker’s Tribute (autoplay video)

    Championing a nonviolent movement for social equality, Martin Luther King, Jr., became the catalyst for monumental change. In this powerful piece, filmmaker Salomon Ligthelm creates a visual interpretation of King’s final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” using found archive footage. King delivered the speech the night before his assassination in 1968.

    The Short Film Showcase spotlights exceptional short videos created by filmmakers from around the web and selected by National Geographic editors. We look for work that affirms National Geographic’s mission of inspiring people to care about the planet. The filmmakers created the content presented, and the opinions expressed are their own, not those of the National Geographic Society.

    Also at NatGeo, MLK, Jr. Remembered.

  394. rq says

    Life Never Ran These Striking Images of What It Was Like to Be Black in 1950s America

    Gordon Parks hadn’t been to his hometown, Fort Scott, Kansas, in more than 20 years when he returned there in 1950 as a photojournalist on assignment for Life magazine. Growing up as the youngest of 15 children, Parks attended the Plaza School, an all-black grade school in the heavily segregated town. Now, as the first black man hired full-time by the magazine, Parks wanted to find and photograph all 11 of his classmates from grade school as a way of measuring the impact of school segregation. The photo essay he created, which was never published, is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in the exhibition, “Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott,” beginning Jan. 17. […]

    “In this period, Life stories were told through the framework of the white middle-class American family. When stories did appear about African-American subjects, they were either about celebrities or athletes or people in very dire straits. Parks set out with this project to really counter those stereotypes,” Haas said.

    It’s not fully documented why Life never ran the story, but it’s clear that it was close to running on two separate occasions before it was bumped for less evergreen news: Once, in June 1950, when the United States entered the Korean War, and again in April 1951, when President Truman fired Gen. MacArthur.

    Today, Parks’ photos present a rare look at the everyday lives of black Americans in the time before the civil rights movement really took shape. The experiences he witnessed were varied: In Chicago alone, one of Parks’ classmates was living in a flophouse, another was living on the border of the segregated South Side, and a third was working for Campbell’s Soup and living in a kitchenette apartment. In Columbus, he photographed his former classmate, a “success story” among the group, at his integrated workplace with white colleagues, and he photographed the man’s son playing with a white neighbor. On the other hand, in Fort Scott, he followed the daughter of his former classmate and her boyfriend to a movie theater they weren’t allowed to enter, and to a pharmacy where they bought sodas but were forced to drink them outside on the sidewalk.

    “You get the sense he let them pose themselves,” Haas said. “This was a time when it would have been difficult for an African-American citizen walking down the street to look a white person directly in the eye on the sidewalk. Here, they’re being invited to look into the camera. I find their gazes incredibly stirring because they’re so strong.”

    Very moving photos in black and white.

  397. rq says

    Black Architect Behind Duke Designed the University and Wasn’t Even Allowed to Attend Until Almost Four Decades Later

    During his career as chief designer at Philadelphia-based architecture firm Horace Trumbauer, Julian F. Abele designed some of the most prestigious buildings in the United States. Buildings like the Widener Memorial Library at Harvard University, the Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. However, one of Abele’s largest projects was Duke University, a school the black architect could not even have attended until 37 years after he designed it due to his race.

    James Buchanan Duke, who had used Horace Trumbauer to design houses for him, hired the firm to expand the Duke campus in 1924. As head of design, Abele was responsible for Duke’s chapel, library, football stadium, medical school, religion school, hospital, faculty houses, and the university’s famed basketball arena Cameron Indoor.

    Despite his contributions, Duke remained a whites-only school until 1961, eleven years after Abele’s death. And although there are conflicting reports, his great-grandniece​, who attended Duke, says that Abele was never able to actually go on the campus and see his work because of Jim Crow laws. This same relative is the one that eventually sent a letter to administrators at Duke and informed them of Abele’s contributions.

    o.o

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, And What Their Secret Friendship Teaches Us Today

    On the face of it, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King would have had no reason for either friendship or common cause. Ali was a member of the Nation of Islam, an organization staunchly opposed to King’s integrationist worldview. They were withering in their assessment of King, most famously Malcolm X’s contention that King in 1963 had led not a march but a “Farce on Washington.” King, in response wrote that he believed the Nation of Islam was “made up of people who have lost faith in America, who have absolutely repudiated Christianity, and who have concluded that the white man is an incorrigible devil.” He said we needed a movement based in love and not “the hatred and despair of the black nationalist.” As for Muhammad Ali, he mocked King’s integrationist ideal in 1964 saying, “I’m not going to get killed trying to force myself on people who don’t want me. Integration is wrong. White people don’t want it, the Muslims don’t want it. So what’s wrong with the Muslims? I’ve never been in jail. I’ve never been in court. I don’t join integration marches and I never hold a sign.” King’s ally Roy Wilkins, said, “Cassius Clay [Ali’s birthname] may as well be an honorary member of the white citizen councils.”

    And yet, as the 1960s moved forward, Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King drew a common bond through the common hatred showered upon them and their loved ones. As John Carlos, famed 1968 Olympian and protestor once said to me, “If there was an Olympic sport for number of death threats received back then, King and Ali would be fighting for the gold.” I have seen some of these death threats and they are terrifying in a way that a twitter threat, awful as they are, simply is not. They are written often with a rational hand and thousands of words, with knowledge of movements, and solemn promises over when their lives or the lives of their children would end. […]

    Their connection became the strongest in 1967 when Dr. Martin Luther King made the courageous decision, against the advice of his advisors, to take a stand against Lyndon Johnson’s escalation of the war in Vietnam. By this time, Muhammad Ali had already become the most visible draft resistor in the country, standing strong despite the stripping of his heavyweight title and the threat of a five-year prison sentence in Leavenworth.

    The press was hounding King about why he wasn’t just focusing on the “domestic issue” of civil rights and King took that moment to draw upon thoughts of his private friend and said, “Like Muhammad Ali puts it, we are all-Black and Brown and poor-victims of the same system of oppression.”

    The two men also appeared together at a fair-housing rally in Ali’s hometown of Louisville. There, Ali said. “In your struggle for freedom, justice and equality I am with you. I came to Louisville because I could not remain silent while my own people, many I grew up with, many I went too school with, many my blood relatives, were being beaten, stomped and kicked in the streets simply because they want freedom, and justice and equality in housing.” Ali was now a protestor. Dr. King was now an internationalist. The boxer and the preacher had come together as one.

    50 years ago today, MLK & @repjohnlewis lead 500 marchers to courthouse in Selma, seeking to register to vote
    Self-care Sunday. Ferguson. RT @RE_invent_ED: Deep in thought.
    White folks leaving because they can’t handle discomfort. #BlackBrunchSTL with @MillennialAU #WhiteSilence
    #BlackBrunchSTL

  398. rq says

    Barricades are out at #Oakland Walmart, where protesters are beginning to assemble #ReclaimMLKOak #BlackLivesMatter
    Protesters combine message abt police violence w/ economic demands for Walmart workers #ReclaimMLKOak #JohnCrawford
    And this!!!: Organizers put warning labels on #walmart products warning them of the dangers RIP #JohnCrawford #ferguson is with u

    John Lewis tells his truth about ‘Selma’

    The movie “Selma” is a work of art. It conveys the inner significance of the ongoing struggle for human dignity in America, a cornerstone of our identity as a nation. It breaks through our too-often bored and uninformed perception of our history, and it confronts us with the real human drama our nation struggled to face 50 years ago.
    Were any of the Selma marches the brainchild of President Johnson? Absolutely not. If a man is chained to a chair, does anyone need to tell him he should struggle to be free? The truth is the marches occurred mainly due to the extraordinary vision of the ordinary people of Selma, who were determined to win the right to vote, and it is their will that made a way.
    Premiere of Selma
    Actor David Oyelowo, right, greets Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, at the Washington premiere of “Selma” on Dec. 11. (Olivier Douliery / TNS)

    As for Johnson’s taped phone conversation about Selma with King, the president knew he was recording himself, so maybe he was tempted to verbally stack the deck about his role in Selma in his favor. The facts, however, do not bear out the assertion that Selma was his idea. I know. I was there. Don’t get me wrong, in my view, Johnson is one of this country’s great presidents, but he did not direct the civil rights movement.

    This film is a spark that has ignited interest in an era we must not forget if we are to move forward as a nation. It is already serving as a bridge to a long-overdue conversation on race, inequality and injustice in this country today. It may well become a touchstone, a turning point for another generation of activists who will undertake the next evolutionary push for justice in America.

    It would be a tragic error if Hollywood muted its praise for a film because it is too much a story and not enough an academic exercise.

    Cross-posting to the Oscars thread.
    And “Selma” does more than bring history to life, it enlightens our understanding of our lives today. It proves the efficacy of nonviolent action and civic engagement, especially when government seems unresponsive. With poignant grace, it demonstrates that Occupy, inconvenient protests and die-ins that disturb our daily routine reflect a legacy of resistance that led many to struggle and die for justice, not centuries ago, but in our lifetimes. It reminds us that the day could be approaching when that price will be required again.

    But now this movie is being weighed down with a responsibility it cannot possibly bear. It’s portrayal of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s role in the Selma marches has been called into question. And yet one two-hour movie cannot tell all the stories encompassed in three years of history — the true scope of the Selma campaign. It does not portray every element of my story, Bloody Sunday, or even the life of Martin Luther King Jr. We do not demand completeness of other historical dramas, so why is it required of this film? […]

  400. rq says

    Also, I totally messed up my tags in 398. Just noticed. :P The last two paragraphs are from the article.

  401. rq says

    Dear Bullshit Respectability Politics, even in a suit… Even in nice shoes . No thanks.

    Intermittent protest pictures from St Louis and Oakland and other places too, I think.
    #wakeupthemayor #BlackLivesMatter #reclaimmlk
    Full house at the #DearWhiteAllies training in DC! #BlackLivesMatter <- sounds like a good event!
    Incredible crowd at #SELMA organized by @woeislulu, #TracyWilchess @Nettaaaaaaaa @NCPoliticalSpin @Action_NC
    “Murder!” spray painted on an #AmericanSniper billboard in LA via @Remroum
    Take back the streets #FTPMarch #MLKShutItDown

  402. rq says

    Cop Shoots 95-Yr-Old World War II Veteran to Death in Assisted Living Center

    John Wrana was a brave man. He actually fought in one of the bloodiest wars America has seen, only to come back and be murdered by a coward (pictured above in the pink tie).

    Unsurprisingly, Officer Taylor has relied on the defense that he “feared for his life” as a justification to pump five rounds into a feeble old man, according to the latest reports.

    The Officer claimed that John Wrana was a “threat.”

    “John Wrana was absolutely not an imminent threat, but a confused old man,” the prosecution argued in response.

    The cops who use this slogan “I feared for my life” are common cowards and liars — they are the absolute lowest and most dishonorable members of society. […]

    Police officers eventually showed up to the scene to try to get John to cooperate and take the urine sample.

    They decided to use force on John since he refused to leave his room.

    That’s when Officer Taylor pulled out his 12 gauge shotgun and opened fire on John.

    He continued pumping five rounds into John’s body with bean bags from a distance of only six to eight feet away.

    That distance is far less than the permissible distance for shooting people with “non-lethal” weapons, according to reports.

    Not the typical racial disparity, just a police thing.

    I’m digging the spotify playlist of MLK speeches and musical tributes Spotify link: here. Haven’t had a chance to check it out yet!

    Martin Luther King’s Compromise That Turned The South Red

    Any changes by the House to the Senate’s bill would require a conference committee in which representatives and senators would have to resolve their differences. This would result in a long delay in enacting the legislation. Worse still, any changed bill had to start all over again in either the Senate, where a southern filibuster loomed, or in the House, where Howard Smith’s Rules Committee would block it until a discharge petition was filed, which would take another three weeks—all while a restive Congress yearned to recess for the summer. Surely, Johnson thought, his enemies would take advantage of the delays and the bill would die. “They been doin’ that for thirty-five years that I been here,” Johnson moaned, “and I been watchin’ ’em do it.”

    The new bill, which contained the ban, passed the full House and immediately went to a joint House-Senate Conference Committee to resolve the differences.

    But the committee couldn’t. Meetings dragged on into late July. Johnson and his attorney general were on the brink of despair. Katzenbach called the president’s handiwork that “damned bill.” Johnson feared that the opposition would use the poll tax as an excuse to continue their public debate, which would destroy the Voting Rights Act and his entire liberal agenda. Something had to be done.

    To break the stalemate Johnson turned to Martin Luther King. On the night of July 28, Attorney General Katzenbach spoke to King at length about the bill’s problems in the Conference Committee. King detested the poll tax and was disappointed when the Senate rejected the Kennedy amendment on May 12. Nonetheless, he certainly did not want the House ban to threaten the bill from becoming law. Katzenbach promised to add a new explicit statement, formally asserting that the tax deprived blacks of the right to vote, and he promised to order the Justice Department to sue those four states that still required it. King consented and dictated a statement that could be used to placate the liberal opposition.

    “While I would have preferred that the bill eliminate the poll tax once and for all,” King’s statement read, “it does contain an express declaration by Congress that the poll tax abridges and denies the right to vote. I am confident that the poll tax provision… —with vigorous action by the Attorney General—will operate finally to bury this iniquitous device.” With the Congress expressing its opposition to the tax, surely the Supreme Court would not reject the will of the people and would eventually abolish the tax. […]

    The first test of the Voting Rights Act came in Alabama’s Democratic primary election in May, 1966. For the first time since Reconstruction, African Americans ran for state offices and voted in large numbers. But most black candidates lost because of the ironic result of the death of the poll tax. While poor blacks had been empowered, so had poor whites. By eliminating the literacy tests and the poll tax, the Voting Rights Act gave many poor whites the opportunity to register and cast ballots. They elected Lurleen Wallace as governor, extending the power of her husband who was ineligible to serve another term. A skillful get-out-the-vote campaign by Wallace’s staff added 110,000 new voters to the white majority, decreasing black influence even as the number of black voters grew. This phenomenon was not limited to Alabama. Throughout the South, many of the new registrants were white.

    As we celebrate Dr. King’s birthday today, impoverished white Southerners should thank Dr. King, the white liberator, for giving them the power to vote.

    How Stevie Wonder Helped Create Martin Luther King Day

    Wonder was still in shock—he remembered how, when he was five, he first heard about King as he listened to coverage of the Montgomery bus boycott on the radio. “I asked, ‘Why don’t they like colored people? What’s the difference?’ I still can’t see the difference.” As a young teenager, when Wonder was performing with the Motown Revue in Alabama, he experienced first-hand the evils of segregation—he remembers someone shooting at their tour bus, just missing the gas tank. When he was 15, Wonder finally met King, shaking his hand at a freedom rally in Chicago.

    At the funeral, Wonder was joined by his local representative, young African-American Congressman John Conyers, who had just introduced a bill to honor King’s legacy by making his birthday a national holiday. Thus began an epic crusade, led by Wonder and some of the biggest names in music—from Bob Marley to Michael Jackson—to create Martin Luther King Day.

    To overcome the resistance of conservative politicians, including President Reagan and many of his fellow citizens, Wonder put his career on hold, led rallies from coast to coast and galvanized millions of Americans with his passion and integrity.

    But it took 15 years. […]

    Conyers’ bill languished in Congress for over a decade, through years of anti-war protests, Watergate and political corruption, stifled by inertia and malaise at the end of the 1970s. The dream was kept alive by labor unions, who viewed King as a working-class hero, with protests that slowly built up steam. At a General Motors plant in New York, a small group of auto workers refused to work on King’s birthday in 1969, and thousands of hospital workers in New York City went on strike until managers agreed to a paid holiday on the birthday. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, led a birthday rally that year in Atlanta, where she was joined by Conyers and union leaders. By 1973, some of the country’s largest unions, including the AFSCME and the United Autoworkers, made the paid holiday a regular demand in their contract negotiations.

    Finally in 1979, President Jimmy Carter, who had been elected with the support of the unions, endorsed the bill to create the holiday. Carter made an emotional appearance at King’s old church, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. But Congress refused to budge, led by conservative Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina, who denounced King as a lawbreaker who had been manipulated by Communists. The situation looked bleak.

    By then, Wonder had matured from a young harmonica-playing sensation to a chart-topping music genius lauded for his complex rhythms and socially-conscious lyrics about racism, black liberation, love and unity. He had kept in touch with Coretta Scott King, regularly performing at rallies to push for the holiday. He told a cheering crowd in Atlanta in the summer of 1979, “If we cannot celebrate a man who died for love, then how can we say we believe in it? It is up to me and you.” […]

    That summer, Wonder called Coretta Scott King, telling her, “I had a dream about this song. And I imagined in this dream I was doing this song. We were marching—with petition signs to make for Dr. King’s birthday to become a national holiday.”

    King was touched but she didn’t have much hope, telling Wonder, “I wish you luck, you know. We’re in a time where I don’t think it’s going to happen.” […]

    Despite the outpouring of support—and millions of signatures gathered by Wonder and his team—Congress continued to debate the issue. President Reagan opposed the holiday, citing the cost of another national day off and suggesting instead a scholarship program for young blacks. Wonder came back the next January for another rally, and finally hearings resumed in 1982 and 1983. Though both Coretta Scott King and Wonder gave moving testimony, conservatives were on fire, led by Jesse Helms. During an intense filibuster, the North Carolina Republican labeled King a “Marxist-Leninist” whose “whole movement included Communists,” and called on the FBI to release its records on King. His language was so hateful that at one point New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan angrily threw a batch of Helms’s documents on the floor, calling it a “packet of filth.”

    At that point, the rhetoric had grown so incendiary that even moderates in opposition felt compelled to express their support for the holiday. The bill passed, 78 to 22. Reagan signed the bill into law in November, 1983 but the holiday was not officially observed until the third Monday of January, 1986. For many years to come, certain states refused to honor the holiday until in 2000 South Carolina became the final state to recognize Martin Luther King Day.

  403. rq says

    MLK’s Beyond Vietnam speech – text and audio at the link. Going to put the kids to bed and listen to it.

    Superintendent says students aren’t allowed to attend ‘Selma’ viewing due to F-word, racial slurs. Oh wow.

    Hugh Taylor, the superintendent of the DeKalb County Board of Education, denied a request for a Collinsville High School history club–sponsored by teacher Bradley Crawford–to attend the movie, along with other students from Crawford’s classes.

    Taylor cites the website “Kids In Mind” when explaining his decision. The site advises that the movie “Selma” has “about 2 F-words (and) 26 derogatory term (sic) for African-Americans.”

    “I understand the movie has a lot of historical value,” Taylor told AL.com Thursday morning. “The request was denied based on language. (The website) told me there were about two F-words in that movie, which I presume may mean more. The school that wanted to go (Collinsville High) is a multicultural school and (the website) said there were going to be 26 African-American connotations, which I thought would probably be inappropriate.

    “I deemed this movie in particular inappropriate and that’s my job as the head of the school system to make those decisions,” he said.

    Crawford told AL.com Thursday night that “Mr. Taylor made his decision and we respect it.” He said he was unaware of who had first complained to Taylor about the denial.

    2 F-words and some racial slurs in a movie about black people fighting for their civil rights. To my mind, that makes it a very civil movie. And here’s to hoping he never finds the conversations occuring at this site. :P

    Racism comes in all forms: Islamophobic rally in Texas as senators push for anti-Palestinian bill

    Roxbury artist creates Google Doodle for MLK Day

    On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Holmes’s Google Doodle illustration honoring the civil rights leader is the featured image on Google’s US homepage. The collage depicts King walking arm in arm with fellow activists in Selma, Ala.

    Most artists could only dream of such exposure. Traffic to the page is typically in the many millions. “It’s pretty astronomical [and] jaw-dropping,” said Ryan Germick, who leads Google’s Doodle-making team.

    Holmes, a painter and collage artist who is not represented by a gallery, was shocked to be tapped for the project. “He said he found me somewhere on the Internet. Somewhere on the Internet? That’s like somewhere in the Himalayas,” said Holmes, 59, whose Roxbury home is about five blocks from where she grew up.

    Holmes works out of a South End studio, a jumble of art materials, found objects, and assorted items from the past — a VHS player (which she still uses), an old record player, her childhood tambourine, and her atlas dating to 1954. “Lots of things that inspire me have age on it,” she said during a recent studio visit.

    The artist layers newspaper, photos, fabric, and other materials to create luminous compositions. Many of them evoke her own happy childhood in Roxbury’s close-knit Washington Park neighborhood, where, she said proudly, King had visited. King studied at Boston University in the early 1950s — living just a few blocks from where Holmes’s studio is now — and he preached at Roxbury’s Twelfth Baptist Church, which Holmes visits occasionally. […]

    Holmes, who is passionate about grass-roots community arts outreach, also works part time for MassArt, where she is director of sparc!, the ArtMobile, an initiative that brings art and design workshops and programs to people in Boston.

    For countless Web users, Google Doodles are one highly accessible form of art — little surprise goodies that break up the monotony of an everyday Internet search. They surface randomly — “probably 40 times a year,” Germick said — and can be animated, interactive, video, or static, like Holmes’s collage.

    The Doodles, which incorporate the Google logo, celebrate events, achievements, or holidays, ranging from Christmas to the 50th anniversary of “Doctor Who.”

    Google has a core team of about 10 artists and engineers who work on the Doodles, “but we look to mix it up and we are always on the lookout [for artists],” said Germick, himself an illustrator who has personally worked on hundreds of Doodles.

    He found Holmes by chance, he said, and put her on his “running list of dream collaborators.” As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approached, he reached out to her.

    “We thought she would be wonderful,” he said. “Her work has a universal quality and is really colorful and vibrant.”

    Holmes treasures this opportunity. “It’s very cool to think of representing him on his special day,” she said of King. “It will be a different thing to get up on the 19th and type in Google.com.”

    Tony also posted this to the Lounge, but I put it here, too, with a follow-up comment: MTV Takes A Bold And Powerful Approach To Discuss Race On MLK Day

    Beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET/PT, all programming on MTV will air in black and white, marking the first time this has ever been done in network history.

    To encourage viewers to have #TheTalk, each commercial block will begin with a brief feature from some of today’s greatest cultural and political figures who share their own personal reflections on race relations in America. Some of those names include: Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Ava DuVernay, David Oyelowo, Lee Daniels, Rep. John Lewis, Sen. Cory Booker and more.

    “Underlying some of the blindness around bias and prejudice is a lack of understanding of the history – of why we are where we are today,” MTV President Stephen Friedman told The Huffington Post.

    “That’s why Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is so critical. It’s a day when we’re immersed in the history and his great legacy, and we can look back at how far we’ve come and, very importantly, look ahead at how far we still need to go.”

    However, while this campaign is certainly a historic one, it isn’t the network’s first attempt to highlight the importance of diversity with its slot on the silver screen.

    Instead, #TheTalk is an expansion of MTV’s “Look Different” project, a multiyear anti-bias campaign that launched in April and has since aired dozens of specials dedicated to denouncing discrimination across race, gender and sexual orientation.

    “We did a study and found that 73% of 14 to 24-year-olds believe that having more open, constructive conversations about bias will help people become less prejudiced, yet only 10% report having those conversations often,” Friedman said. “That’s just not good enough.”

    Friedman says understanding and uncovering bias is the first step to confronting and addressing it — and #TheTalk is a one solution MTV has proposed to help bridge this divide.

    The comment: @deray Will they talk about how they didn’t play videos by Black artists when they started?

  404. rq says

    So some protest narrative from St Louis:
    Hand-in-hand. Protest. #ReclaimMLK
    We march. Grand is shutdown. Protest. #ReclaimMLK
    Also, last time there was an officer Rossomanno present who was especially rude and aggressive towards protestors – while initially he wasn’t present this time, he did show up:
    Oh, and Rossomanno’s boss was with him tonight. That’s new. They realize that he needs to be watched too.
    Rossamanno’s boss was in the car with him. And standing next to him 75% of the time he was out on the street. That other 25%?!?
    Sgt. Rossamanno knew @deray by his name. I asked him why is he obsessed with DeRay? He said “he talks about me!”
    He tried to say that @Nettaaaaaaaa would be charged with resisting arrest by not clearing the intersection. Rossomanno is addicted to power.

  405. rq says

    I would also like to apologize to anyone still reading (I’m assuming there’s still about three or four of you out there) for updates in the next week, which will probably occur with breaks and rather large comment dumps – though the rest of the week should be less busy than today. I have extra duties at home so less time to collect material.

    And with that, onwards – the first bits will be leftovers from yesterday, again mostly the tweets from St Louis and Oakland, which I have not got around to yet. :P:
    The crowd right now is incredible. Protest. STL.
    The clergy are leading today’s march. Protest. STL. #ReclaimMLK
    Faith For Justice. #ReclaimMLK
    The Whole System, Rotten.
    #blacklivesmatter SF #ReclaimMLK

    The Poor People’s Campaign: the little-known protest MLK was planning when he died

    After all, in December 1967, just four months before he was assassinated, King announced to the press that the Poor People’s Campaign was coming to Washington, DC, that April.

    The goal: to demand that President Lyndon B. Johnson and Congress take action to help poor people get employment, health care, and decent housing. The tactic: marching through the US Capitol and demonstrating at federal agencies to convince Congress to pass major anti-poverty legislation. The unique approach: the participants would physically stay there, living on the National Mall in an encampment dubbed Resurrection City, until they saw results.

    “King’s plan was to bring this fight right to the steps of the federal agencies that had power and weren’t doing what they should be doing to remedy the problem of poverty, and in fact were propping up exploitative systems,” said Hasan Kwame Jeffries, associate professor of history at Ohio State University and the author of Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt.

    After King’s death on April 4, 1968, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) decided to move forward with the campaign, with the organization’s new president, Ralph Abernathy, taking the lead in his place.

    So, while, King wasn’t present, it was largely his vision that was carried out. That’s why the Poor People’s Campaign, the final protest the famous civil rights leader spearheaded, should be as important as anything that happened while he was alive when it comes to thinking about his legacy. Here’s what it was all about.
    1) It was more than just a march — it was like the original Occupy […]

    “They weren’t going to just do a march or a one-day demonstration — this was Occupy before Occupy,” said Jeffries, referring to Occupy Wall Street, the protest movement that began in 2011 in New York City’s financial district and inspired months-long demonstrations across the country, with participants rallying against social end economic inequality.

    The US Postal Service even gave the “city” its own zip code: 20013

    Living conditions were rough. There was raining and the flooding, and at times, morale among the protesters was low. But, “despite it all, they were still engaging in this effort. They weren’t just sitting here in the rain and the mud saying ‘this is kinda bad,” said Jeffries. “Every day, they were leading demonstrations at, say, the Department of Agriculture.”
    2) It wasn’t just a movement for poor people, it was by poor people […]

    A brochure publicizing the campaign read, “We will be young and old, jobless fathers, welfare mothers, farmers and laborers. We are Negroes, American Indians, Puerto Ricans, Mexican-Americans, poor white people.” There wasn’t an income cap, though: the document’s response to the question, “Do you have to be poor to be in this campaign?” was “No. Most persons at the start of the Campaign in Washington will be poor, but other people from all walks of life must he prepared to take their place in the lines of this campaign.”
    3) It represented a significant change in tactics

    The march represented a new phase of the civil rights movement — a switch from a focus on dismantling the legal barriers to equality, to eliminating something that needed no law or statute to keep people oppressed: poverty.

    At the time of the Poor People’s Campaign, a lot of legally backed racism — think segregation and restrictive voting laws that targeted African Americans — ad already been struck down, but it was clear there was a very different kind of work that still needed to be done. […]

    At a planning meeting for the campaign, he reportedly told delegates that it would be ‘‘the beginning of a new co-operation, understanding, and a determination by poor people of all colors and backgrounds to assert and win their right to a decent life and respect for their culture and dignity.”
    4) It revealed King’s lifelong obsession

    The SCLC brochure advertising the campaign said it would call for a “decent life for all poor people so that they will control their own destiny,” and made no attempt to minimize the expense, saying, “This will cost billions of dollars, but the richest nation of all time can afford to spend this money if America is to avoid social disaster.”

    Specifically, they demanded an “Economic Bill of Rights” with the following components:

    People were to have a meaningful job with a livable wage.
    People were to get a secure and efficient income.
    People were to be able to access land for economic reasons.
    Less well-off people were to have access to capital to promote business.
    The middle class were to have a large role in government.

    It was bold. And, according to Jeffries, it was exactly in line with how King had always seen the world, and his longstanding fixation on the radical redistribution of economic power. King had grown up during the Great Depression and escaped most of its harshest consequences because of his well-off family’s relative privilege, but “all he had to do was sit on his front porch and he could see the ravages,” said Jeffries. As a result, “Questions of economic justice were always on his mind. He wrote about it, he talked about it, he preached about it.”

    Even King’s very last act before he was assassinated — a trip to Memphis to support the sanitation workers’ strike there — was fueled by this belief. “This idea of black workers living in poverty even though they had employment, he saw as directly connected to the Poor People’s Campaign,” said Jeffries, explaining that King’s attitude, despite the many demands on his time, was, “How can I turn my back on them when the thing they’re struggling for in Memphis is the same thing we’re trying to do in DC?”

    “Questions of economic justice were always on his mind ”

    The thing that distinguished the Poor People’s Campaign from some of the undertakings for which King is better known (like the bus boycotts or marches to demand voting rights), was that it was less a reaction to a particular injustice, according to Jeffries.
    Instead, it was a proactive initiative to demand the conditions that would support large-scale justice. But it was fueled by the very same beliefs about poverty that had always motivated him.

    “With the Poor People’s Campaign, he’s not transitioning to something new,” said Jeffries. “If anything, he has found the dime to do something old.”
    5) King and Bayard Rustin disagreed about the approach

    Before his death, King reportedly bumped heads with one of his key strategists, Bayard Rustin, about the best tactics for making the demands of the Poor People’s Campaign.

    Rustin thought civil disobedience was a bad idea for addressing poverty, especially in a sensitive political climate or pre-election year. But, according to Swarthmore College’s global nonviolent action database, King overruled Rustin’s objections. His thinking was that anything it took to raise public awareness about the need for economic justice for the poor would be a good strategy. […]

    6) There’s no consensus about whether it was a success

    Perhaps part of the reason we don’t talk as much about the Poor People’s Campaign when commemorating King’s life is that there’s no real consensus about whether it was a success.

    The demonstrations fizzled out when the encampment’s permit expired on June 24, 1968, shortly after a confrontation between police and some of the inhabitants of Resurrection City led to a tear gas attack on the remaining people there. Some refused to leave, and a total of 288 protesters were jailed — making July 13 the anticlimactic official end of the campaign.

    In a 2014 reflection on the effort, NPR dubbed it “a dream unfulfilled,” noting that many participants deemed it a failure because they didn’t see immediate changes. And there’s no question that the demands were never met, and that Americans continue to live in poverty.

    I skipped a lot of good bits in the article, so definitely try and read it all!

  406. rq says

    That last article above ties into what the protestors in Oakland have turned their movement into – not just black lives, but poor lives. And with that, pictures from Oakland:
    Two arrests made for seemingly no reason. Cops escalated. No dispersal order even given. #FTP #Oakland #MLKShutItDown
    Cops had us kettled too before realizing what they were doing. No dispersal order yet. #FTP #Oakland #MLKShutItDown
    “Why we marching in these streets?” “NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!” #FTP #Oakland #MLKShutItDown
    Even though we were on sidewalk, cops escalated again, arresting a young black man riding his bike. #FTP #Oakland
    First cop we’ve seen in a while & the crowd runs to try to surround him. He speeds off. #FTP #Oakland #MLKShutItDown

  407. chigau (違う) says

    rq
    Thank you for continuing to do this.
    I suppose we can do our own surfing for a week.

  408. rq says

    Still from the #BlackBrunch:
    #BlackBrunchStl @ Scape #STL #ReclaimMLK #DayOfResilience #BlackLivesMatter #ABanks #Stl #NoJusticeNoBrunch #Ferguson
    Headed to today’s #BlackBrunchStl action w/@MillennialAU #ReclaimMLK #DayOfResilience #BlackLivesMatter #ABanks #Stl
    #MLKshutitdown @SFGate (whoops, that’s SF)
    Then, a few conversations actually began. A FEW #BlackBrunchStl #ReclaimMLK @STLcwescene #BlackLivesMatter @ScapeSTL
    When youre protesting #CWE and homeowners wave in support, #ProtestersBeLike #BlackBrunchStl #ReclaimMLK #ABanks #STL

    ‘Selma’ Stars Including Oprah March In Alabama, Honoring MLK

    Eight members of the Congressional Black Caucus joined U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay at Wellspring United Methodist Church in Ferguson as they took up King’s legacy in light of the recent deaths.

    “We need to be outraged when local law enforcement and the justice system repeatedly allow young, unarmed black men to encounter police and then wind up dead with no consequences,” said Clay, a St. Louis Democrat. “Not just in Ferguson, but over and over again across this country.”

    In Selma, Winfrey marched with “Selma” director Ava DuVernay, actor David Oyelowo, who portrayed King in the movie, and the rapper Common. Winfrey was a producer on the film and had an acting role like Common. They marched to Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, where civil rights protesters were beaten and tear-gassed in 1965.

    “Every single person who was on that bridge is a hero,” Winfrey told the marchers before they walked up the bridge as the sun went down over the Alabama River. Common and John Legend performed their Oscar-nominated song “Glory” from the film as marchers crested the top of the bridge amid the setting sun.

    Winfrey said the marchers remember “Martin Luther King as an idea, Selma as an idea and what can happen with strategy, with discipline and with love.” Winfrey played the civil rights activist Annie Lee Cooper in the movie, which was nominated for two Oscars, in categories of best picture and best original song.

    “The idea is that hope and possibility is real,” Winfrey said afterward of the civil rights movement in Selma. “Look at what they were able to do with so little, and look at how we now have so much. If they could do that, imagine what now can be accomplished with the opportunity through social media and connection, the opportunity through understanding that absolutely we are more alike than we are different.”

    “Selma” chronicled the campaign leading up to the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and the subsequent passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. […]

    Other King events planned for Monday’s federal holiday include a wreath-laying in Maryland, a tribute breakfast in Boston and volunteer service activities by churches and community groups in Illinois. In South Carolina, civil rights leaders readied for their biggest rally of the year.

    And in Georgia, King’s legacy also was being celebrated at the church he pastored in Atlanta. The current pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, said the annual King holiday is a time when “all of God’s children are busy spreading the message of freedom and justice.”

    In the Sunday sermon, Professor James Cone of New York’s Union Theological Seminary urged Ebenezer’s congregation to celebrate the slain civil rights leader “by making a political and a religious commitment to complete his work of justice.” He closed the service by leading singing of the civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”

  409. David Marjanović says

    I’m not following this thread, but I pop in when I happen to see a recent comment in the sidebar. It’s wonderful that you’re carrying all this knowledge together here, rq!

  410. rq says

    chigau
    It’s not so much that I won’t do it at all (it’s become quite the habit by now), just… if there’s a break, don’t worry. :)

    +++

    BART closed @ Fruitvale, no one allowed in OR OUT. Cops heard the ~20 protesters left were coming here. #FTP #Oakland
    Oakland marchers now out on International and 14th, confrontation w/ cops. #mlkshutitdown @SFGate
    (Those are still from Sunday. Which means pretty much the rest of this is from today.)

    @RebelDiaz black,brown, white Artivists solidarity -two all nighters, one afternoon creating these. @latinosenaxion
    Everytown, USA. Ferguson.

    Honor King’s Legacy by Protecting Voting Rights

    Last year, on King’s birthday, a bipartisan coalition in Congress introduced a legislative fix for the Shelby decision, restoring the requirement that states with the worst record of voting discrimination have to clear their voting changes with the federal government. The Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014 (VRAA) was an imperfect piece of legislation, but voting rights advocates viewed it as a good first step toward protecting voting rights.

    Despite the overwhelming reauthorization of the VRA in 2006—390-33 in the House, 98-0 in the Senate, signed by President Bush—few Republicans stepped forward to sponsor the VRAA in Congress. There are eleven Republican co-sponsors in the House but none in the Senate, even though every Senate Republican voted for the VRA eight years ago. Congress held a few hearings, but nothing came of it.

    This week, House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, who voted for the VRA in 2006, reiterated his opposition to strengthening the law. “There are still very, very strong protections in the Voting Rights Act in the area that the Supreme Court ruled on,” Goodlatte said. “To this point we have not seen a process forward that is necessary because we believe the Voting Rights Act provided substantial protection in this area right now.” (Nancy Pelosi said it was “offensive,” especially in the wake of the Steve Scalise scandal, that GOP leaders were not pushing the bill.)

    But recent evidence shows that a gutted VRA has provided scant protection to voters. Consider what has happened since the Supreme Court invalidated Section 4 of the VRA in Shelby County:

    A month after the Shelby decision, North Carolina passed the most sweeping voting restrictions in the country. Key provisions of the law were upheld by a district court and reaffirmed by the Supreme Court for the 2014 election. As Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted in her dissent, “these measures likely would not have survived federal preclearance.”

    Texas’s voter ID law, the strictest in the country, was struck down before the Shelby decision and again in a second trial last year, when a district court called it an “unconstitutional poll tax.” But the law was reinstated by the appeals court and, as in North Carolina, upheld by the Supreme Court. As a result, a law that has twice been struck down as discriminatory remains on the books.

    Four major voting rights cases, from Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Texas, reached the Supreme Court before the 2014 election, and in three of four cases the Supreme Court declined to block the new voting restrictions. The one success story, the Court’s decision to halt Wisconsin’s voter ID law for 2014, was only temporary, and the ACLU has asked the Supreme Court to consider the merits of the law.

    Since 2010, nearly two-thirds of the states previously covered under Section 4 have passed new limits on voting rights. Voters in fourteen states faced new restrictions for the first time in 2014. There were many documented cases of longtime voters who were turned away from the polls in states like North Carolina and Texas because of the new laws.

    No doubt many in Congress will praise Dr. King during his annual holiday and celebrate the accomplishments of the VRA on its fiftieth anniversary. But those words will ring hollow unless they honor King’s legacy by working to protect voting rights and strengthen the VRA.

  411. rq says

    4 Ways Martin Luther King Was More Radical Than You Thought

    1. He pushed for a government-guaranteed right to a job. In the years before his assassination, King re-shifted his focus on economic justice in northern cities as well as the South. He launched the Poor People’s Campaign and put forth an economic and social bill of rights that espoused “a national responsibility to provide work for all.” King advocated for a jobs guarantee, which would require the government to provide jobs to anyone who could not find one and end unemployment. The bill of rights also included “the right of every citizen to a minimum income” and “the right to an adequate education.”

    2. He was a critic of capitalism and materialism. King was a strident critic of capitalism and materialistic society, and urged Americans to “move toward a democratic socialism.” Referring to the now iconic Greensboro Lunch Counter sit-ins, he asked, “What good is having the right to sit at a lunch counter if you can’t afford to buy a hamburger?”

    King also explicitly linked the problem of capitalism with the problem of racism. “When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered,” he argued in a speech at Riverside Church in 1967. The reverend was very aware that this kind of challenge was even more dangerous than his work on segregation and civil rights. “You can’t talk about solving the economic problem of the Negro without talking about billions of dollars. You can’t talk about ending the slums without first saying profit must be taken out of slums,” he warned his staff in 1966. “You’re really tampering and getting on dangerous ground because you are messing with folk then. You are messing with captains of industry. Now this means that we are treading in difficult water, because it really means that we are saying that something is wrong with capitalism.”

    3. He denounced the Vietnam War. King’s harsh words on the Vietnam War alienated even his allies on civil rights, especially President Lyndon B. Johnson. Still, King continued to speak out, asserting that American involvement in Vietnam “has torn up the Geneva Accord” and “strengthened the military-industrial complex.” He also accused the U.S. of being “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world.” Not only was the Vietnam War morally unforgivable in King’s eyes, but it also took away billions of dollars that could be used to help end poverty in American slums. “Our national priorities are disastrously confused when we spend more than $30 billion a year upon a tragic, destructive war in Southeast Asia and cut back on the programs which deal with the most basic injustices of America itself,” he wrote.

    4. He championed Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights. King believed that the spread of family planning was a crucial tool in the fight to end poverty and racial inequality. “I have always been deeply interested in and sympathetic with the total work of the Planned Parenthood Federation,” he said in 1960. He connected reproductive justice with racial justice, noting that the impoverished African American community had “a special and urgent concern” in family planning. Because of these views, he believed access to contraception and family planning programs should be funded by the government.

    MLK’s nonviolence is often used by people to shutdown militant resistance against white supremacy, but #MLKalsoSaid (see picture for quote on MLK on violence in ghettos and violence of the government).

    What follows will be a slew of tweets from today, not necessarily in good order (there’s a lot of tabs, sorry), but with very interesting insight into the movement – something of the clash-of-generations hinted at before.
    The NAACP came out and made an announcement at the MLK March & said today is not about Mike Brown #reclaimMLK
    And there are limos at the rally today. I’m not sure what’s happening. STL. #ReclaimMLK
    Aye. The protestors got tired of standing for an hour and started to march. Now, the “official” organizers are quite upset. #ReclaimMLK
    #ReclaimMLK STL.

    mtc

  412. rq says

    Protestors divert the march. The official route is blocked. Y’all, we #ReclaimMLK.
    Protestors diverted the March to go to a homeless shelter, instead of a program in an auditorium. We #ReclaimMLK.
    Today will be a day of service. This is the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. #ReclaimMLK #Ferguson
    Today, as we #ReclaimMLK at the homeless shelter, this is being distributed. (a list of suggestions on how to keep the shelter open)
    No waiting for dignitaries for this MLK March. #ReclaimMLK #Ferguson
    Y’all, the protest community gave up silence in August. It’s clear that not everyone is ready for the non-silent black folk. #ReclaimMLK

  413. rq says

    By pointing out this sign I’m the real racist.

    During his speech at the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition convention yesterday, conservative entertainer and YouTube celebrity “Wild Bill” Finley claimed ownership of slain Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

    “How appropriate that we are here right at the Martin Luther King holiday,” he began. “Martin Luther King had a dream, and it was a good one — a day when skin color wouldn’t matter anymore. A time when character would be more important than skin color.”

    “But when we look at what’s going on in America today, it’s pretty easy to see that Dr. King’s dream got hijacked,” Finley continued. “I believe racism in this country would’ve died out a long time ago, except that some people figured out that racism can be very profitable — both financially and politically.”

    “And now, those who are most vocal about Martin Luther King being their hero seem to be the most race-driven people in America. The left have mastered the art of turning every issue into a skin-color issue, character be damned,” he said.

    “Manufacturing racism for political purposes is a big business in the USA, and manufactured racism has been used to hurt the Tea Party from Day 1. There’s no doubt in my mind that if Martin Luther King Jr. was alive today the liberal left would spit in his face because he would be such a threat to their political agendas.”

    “We are the people,” Finley said, “who practice Dr. King’s dream. It is the Tea Party where people are not judged by the color of their skin, and it’s Tea Party Americans who believe that character still counts.”

    “So today, I am officially announcing that the Tea Party is taking Martin Luther King away from the liberal left,” he said. “And to you race-baiting promoters of division and hatred, you’re not getting him back until you renounce your shameful skin-color politics and start practicing the politics of character.”

    Checkmate, anti-racists? :P

    Black Trans Lives Matter. #ReclaimMLK
    Sending love to you from San Antonio! @Nettaaaaaaaa @deray
    “Revolution is NOT a parade” #ReclaimMLK #Ferguson
    Getting to march to the UN now #Dream4Justice #ReclaimMLK #BlackLivesMatter
    LA is out! RT: @aauyeda: Listen to the youth. “We are not a target” #ReclaimMLK #BlackLivesMatter @YouthJusticeLA ”

  414. rq says

    Protesters shut down 7th and F NW intersection in Downtown DC on MLK Holiday chanting against police violence. @wusa9
    Tons of people here at Fruitvale BART already, and it’s still early. #Oakland #ReclaimMLK #GentrificationIsViolence
    I’m at Fruitvale BART w/ Third World Resistance, preparing for today’s #ReclaimMLK march. #GentrificationIsViolence
    The official program is at Harris-Stowe, whose security was trained by Sgt. Rossomanno’s private security company. STL.
    @deray @Nettaaaaaaaa four mile march in Boston starting now!
    Officers guard the door to the “official MLK” event. #ReclaimMLK
    That official event gets better n better from here on in. Stay tuned.

  415. rq says

    Exclusive: Newly Discovered 1964 MLK Speech on Civil Rights, Segregation & Apartheid South Africa – audio and video at the link.

    In a Democracy Now! and Pacifica Radio Archives exclusive, we air a newly discovered recording of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On December 7, 1964, days before he received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, King gave a major address in London on segregation, the fight for civil rights and his support for Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. The speech was recorded by Saul Bernstein, who was working as the European correspondent for Pacifica Radio. Bernstein’s recording was recently discovered by Brian DeShazor, director of the Pacifica Radio Archives. […]

    In 1964, Dr. King became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Days before he received that award in Oslo, Norway, Dr. King traveled to London. On December 7th, 1964, Dr. King gave a speech sponsored by the British group Christian Action about the civil rights struggle in the United States, as well as the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. The speech was recorded by Saul Bernstein, who was working as the European correspondent for Pacifica Radio. Bernstein’s recording was recently discovered by Brian DeShazor, director of the Pacifica Radio Archives. This is that address by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

    Transcript also available at the link, but I would just like to point out one thing that doesn’t seem to have changed:

    I mentioned economic justice, and I am sure that that figure, $28 billion, sounded very large. That’s a lot of money. But then I must go on and give you the other side, if I am to be honest about the picture. That is a fact that 42 percent of the Negro families of the United States still earn less than $2,000 a year, while just 16 percent of the white families earn less than $2,000 a year; 21 percent of the Negro families of America earn less than $1,000 a year, while just 5 percent of the white families earn less than $1,000 a year. And then we face the fact that 88 percent of the Negro families of America earn less than $5,000 a year, while just 58 percent of the white families earn less than $5,000 a year. So we can see that there is still a great gulf between the haves, so to speak, and the have-nots. And if America is to continue to grow and progress and develop and move on toward its greatness, this problem must be solved.

    Now, this economic problem is getting more serious because of many forces alive in our world and in our nation. For many years, Negroes were denied adequate educational opportunities. For many years, Negroes were even denied apprenticeship training. And so, the forces of labor and industry so often discriminated against Negroes. And this meant that the Negro ended up being limited, by and large, to unskilled and semi-skilled labor. Now, because of the forces of automation and cybernation, these are the jobs that are now passing away. And so, the Negro wakes up in a city like Detroit, Michigan, and discovers that he is 28 percent of the population and about 72 percent of the unemployed. Now, in order to grapple with that problem, our federal government will have to develop massive retraining programs, massive public works programs, so that automation can be a blessing, as it must be to our society, and not a curse.

    Then the other thing when we think of this economic problem, we must think of the fact that there is nothing more dangerous than to build a society with a segment in that society which feels that it has no stake in the society, and nothing more dangerous than to build a society with a number of people who see life as little more than a long and desolate corridor with no exit sign. They end up with despair because they have no jobs, because they can’t educate their children, because they can’t live in a nice home, because they can’t have adequate health facilities.

    We always hear of the various reasons why and the various myths concerning integration and why integration shouldn’t come into being. Those people who argue against integration at this point often say, “Well, if you integrate the public schools, for instance, you will pull the white race back a generation.” And they like to talk about the cultural lag in the Negro community. And then they go on to say, “Now, you know, the Negro is a criminal, and he has the highest crime rate in any city that you can find in the United States.” And the arguments go on ad infinitum why integration shouldn’t come into being.

    But I think there’s an answer to that, and that is that if there is cultural lag in the Negro community—and there certainly is—this lag is there because of segregation and discrimination. It’s there because of long years of slavery and segregation. Criminal responses are not racial, but environmental. Poverty, economic deprivation, social isolation and all of these things breed crime, whatever the racial group may be. And it is a torturous logic to use the tragic results of racial segregation as an argument for the continuation of it. It is necessary to go back. And so it is necessary to see this and to go all out to make economic justice a reality all over our nation.

    He must have been some speaker to see live.

    The split is between those who feel like respectability politics isn’t going to lead to freedom. And that this program is respectability.
    The Metro PD worked hard not to arrest anyone today at the program. Like, harder than I’ve ever seen them work not to arrest someone.
    Y’all, look at all of the police that have been called. That’s wild. STL.
    Protestors are SHOCKED that the official organizers called the police to have protestors removed. Shocked. STL.
    I don’t even know what to say. The inside is…all over the place. Like, no vine or tweet will convey it properly.

  416. rq says

    Until the moderate fans of American Sniper speak out, I will treat all of them as deranged racists. Be responsible for your own bad element. Hear, hear!!

    The current standoff. This has to be the wildest scene I’ve seen in a long time. And MLK Day. #ReclaimMLK
    This man speaking is talking about the “now generation” about the “youth asking am I next” #hssu but they’re keeping the youth OUT THE ROOM
    “Official” organizers for the MLK program called the police on #ReclaimMLK protestors? This can’t be real life.
    This man is preaching a sermon while the STL City police are lined up with the youth outside of #HSSU #ReclaimMLK
    Not ONE badge. No where. #ReclaimMLK
     mtc

  417. rq says

    Hey @CivilRights, do you see the badges on these officers? Because I don’t. #ReclaimMLK
    I hope the students of #HSSU know that a degree doesn’t save you from getting shot and killed by the police or vigilantes.
    The HSSU students are saying that a degree and education is what separates them from the protesters. Wild.
    :( “@PDPJ: MLK prog continues at HSSU, #Ferguson ppl locked out bldg, @Nettaaaaaaaa yells at crowd, steppers on now ”
    Rossomanno declared these few 30 ppl an “unlawful assembly” at #HSSU
    #DREAM4JUSTICE

  418. rq says

    So @Nettaaaaaaaa and the Dean of Students talk as he says the protests aren’t peaceful. #ReclaimMLK HER FACE!
    #ReclaimMLK at Harris Stowe U
    A bunch of guys in vests marked POLICE, but with no visible badges, greeted @deray by name. That is chilling.

    Rossomano said “you got the judge to say we need to give you a dispersal order” #ReclaimMLK #HSSU @deray
    .@kidnoble & I are talking to the STL City police major and @deray is confronting Rossomano also. #ReclaimMLK
    Y’all, they are ready. On MLK Day. The protests will continue indefinitely. #ReclaimMLK

  420. rq says

    Via Mano, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks about major issues (regarding an interview from 1965).

    They call you a socialist and a communist when you’re alive. But they save the worst insult for when you’re dead. (Billboard saying ‘MLK was a Republican’.)

    @deray Today at the march in Sacramento there were groups using some of the chants that started in #Ferguson. It was a beautiful thing

    Took bus to the march, everybody on the bus got off at the march. In the gas station now, everyone has #BlackLivesMatter attire. #Seattle
    Crowd has stopped in front of the #YouthJail. A speaker laments the move backward it represents. #Seattle #ReclaimMLK
    Councilwoman Sawant: “Our movement against the #YouthJail is same movement that started on the streets of #Ferguson.” #Seattle #ReclaimMLK

  421. rq says

    Crowd. March. #ReclaimMLK #Seattle.
    And Macklemore is participating in the Seattle protests. #ReclaimMLK

    A couple of youtube videos:
    Martin Luther King Jr Interview (Part 1 of 3) (on the Mike Douglas show);
    Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Debate

    It broke my heart that the only historically black college in STL would interact with protesters like that. We’re all young & black. #HSSU
    Had a great convo with Jazz, the president of the NAACP chapter at #HSSU. I’ve met her before & glad I know her. We’re gonna get this right.

  422. rq says

    Protestors also confront officers at protests:
    Major Caruso of the STL City PD & I had a 25 min convo discussing the policing of the protests and black bodies today. #ReclaimMLK
    So, I just had a 30 minute conversation with Sgt. Rossomanno. We both listened and we don’t agree on all things, but it was a good convo.
    Communication is possible – the question is, how to get action out of it?
    (Also, these people seem so sensible one-on-one – so why, when it comes down to it, are they so horrible in public to protestors?)

  424. rq says

    Bit more frmo yesterday:
    At the #Ferguson PD. #ReclaimMLK
    Minneapolis #ReclaimMLK MT @BoydHuppert: MLK Day BLM protest nearing end: “Amazing Grace” & group hug
    Minneapolis #ReclaimMLK MT @BoydHuppert: Light rail service and streets blocked at Univ. & Snelling
    Minneapolis #ReclaimMLK RT @BoydHuppert: Protesters march east on University Ave at Chatsworth. Traffic blocked.
    St. Paul #ReclaimMLK RT @BoydHuppert: Black Lives Matter protesters reach State Capitol 3 hours after march begins.
    Minneapolis #ReclaimMLK MT @BoydHuppert: Black Lives Matter rally filling intersection of University & Snelling.

  425. rq says

    Minneapolis #ReclaimMLK RT @BoydHuppert: Protesters stage die-in on Hamline Ave. bridge over I-94.

    Talked to a great guy named [name]? Who works with the trans folks in STL & wants to work on getting everyone more involved together. Exciting.

    Die in on Lexington bet 60 and 59 stretching the whole block. #DREAM4JUSTICE #ReclaimMLK
    Some older black people told me to stop being disrespectful and lying on MLK saying he would be inside, not out protesting #HSSU #ReclaimMLK
    MLK was told that he was “making it about race,” he was too young and impatient and scaring away allies and that he was “the real racist.”
    American police & media told MLK that if only these blacks would behave differently, THEN they’d be worthy of full protection under the law. <- This guy had a great rant about how MLK was perceived in his day, I just pulled a couple of the quotes. But it was good.

  426. rq says

    A couple hundred gathered at the #Ferguson police department before marching back to Canfield apt complex #MLK

    Justice for O’Shaine Evans and Mario Romero. Their families lead us. #Oakland #ReclaimMLK #MLKShutItDown
    Mario Romero’s sister speaks now. Another black man murdered, shot at 40 times by police. #Oakland #ReclaimMLK
    Cops wouldn’t release Mario’s body for 30 days to hide fact they shot him through palms of his hands & in his mouth. #Oakland #ReclaimMLK
    Thousands are here. March wraps around block. This is about a third of the crowd. #Oakland #ReclaimMLK #MLKShutItDown
    #Oakland #ReclaimMLK #MLKShutItDown

  427. rq says

    The children will lead us, and white allies will show their support at the back of the march. #Oakland #ReclaimMLK
    The march just took over *10 minutes* to pass me. Thousands are out to #ReclaimMLK in #Oakland. We will be heard.

    Portland, Oregon’s first March for MLK on MLK Blvd. 1/18/15 #ReclaimMLK #DontShootPDX #BlackLivesMatter

    Some Of NYPD’s Finest Said Mayor DeBlasio Is ‘Sucking The Cock Of Every Protester’

    The most jarring segment of the article, however, was when the writer joined a gang of police officers at a bar after Officer Rafael Ramos’ funeral. In between sips and toasts, the officers discredited the work of those protesting in cahoots with Millions March NYC and slandering Mayor DeBlasio in one breath:

    After Officer Ramos’s funeral, I asked a group of cops who had gathered in one of the neighborhood bars why they aimed their anger so exclusively at Mayor de Blasio. Didn’t the blacks and the protesters merit at least a portion of their contempt? No, they said, I didn’t understand, the protesters didn’t count. They were just “followers,” “rabble-rousers,” “anarchists,” “know-nothing kids looking to make a scene.” When I suggested that this surely wasn’t true of every one of the 30,000 demonstrators on December 13, one of the officers shot back, “It was de Blasio’s fault that all those people showed up. He told them it was okay to spit in our faces. They knew we had been given orders to let them run wild.”

    A diminutive, white-haired sergeant climbed onto the top of his stool, silenced the bar, and in a booming voice delivered a rhyming toast that ended with the verse, “De Blasio is nothing but a whore’s court jester, sucking the cock of every protester.” The cops in the bar roared, and three or four officers followed with de Blasio–hating toasts of their own. Drinks flowed. A retired detective from Yonkers reminisced in great detail about the various suspects—or “mutts”—he’d clobbered and left for dead. When he saw me listening and obviously suspected I wasn’t “one of us,” he said, with an unconvincing smile, “None of those stories are true, understand?”

    Sigh. The long-read is worth it to sit down and fully take in, so read the entire piece here.

    Youtube: Martin Luther King, Jr. on Income Inequality and Redistribution of Wealth + James Baldwin. As it was introduced on twitter, ‘I wonder how Fox News would present that?’

  428. rq says

    That article in 427, the second-last link, really is a good read.

    This is the King who was assassinated. #ReclaimMLK
    Those saying MLK wouldn’t approve of this or that need to think long and hard about why he is not here to offer his opinion. #ReclaimMLK

    The #KKK is recruiting in a city where Blacks are less than 2% of the population. #SantaAna
    The Seattle protestors have changed all the fronts of the local paper-of-record. Link: seattlecrimes.com

    CONFIRMED Cops who killed #MikeRodriguez in Evans CO were mistaken. He did not have a gun but a power tool. UNARMED.

  429. rq says

    Shots Fired at protesters crowd. Hit this car with children inside. Canfield Apt Witnesses say shots came from houses;
    Tonight would’ve ended totally different if baby Nigel would’ve gotten hit with a bullet instead of Mama Cat picking glass out of his hair. This is in Ferguson. Whoa.

    From earlier today: Massive die-in at Lex & 59th on #DREAM4JUSTICE march. #MLKDay #ReclaimMLK Photo by @Bike_at_W4:

    Again I ask if nametag. Again this other officer looks at his vest. “If you can’t see it, I’m sorry man.” #Seattle
    We were leaving, they wished us a nice day, and two minutes later they snatched somebody. #Seattle #ReclaimMLK

    Stanford Students ARRESTED in #ReclaimMLK Shutdown

    Participants engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience in support of the Ferguson Action national demands, which include the demilitarization of local law enforcement and the repurposing of law enforcement funds to support community-based alternatives to incarceration. They blocked the bridge for 28 minutes to symbolize the fact that every 28 hours a Black person is killed by a police officer or vigilante.

    In accordance with the Ferguson Action national pledge, organizers noted in their public statement, “this [action] is in defense of ALL black lives. We stand with Black men and women. We act when Black Queer and Trans lives are threatened. We defend the rights of our Black family when we are poor, disabled and incarcerated.”

    In addition to banners calling attention to the violence committed daily against Black communities, the protesters drew on King’s legacy of internationalism by carrying the Palestinian and Mexican flags as an act of public solidarity with victims of state-sponsored and specifically US-sponsored violence in Mexico and Palestine.

    “Combating the triplets of racism, militarism and materialism was one of the biggest legacies King left us,” said participant Kristian Davis Bailey ‘14. “We proudly carry the Palestinian flag as we call on Stanford to divest from human rights violations in the occupation and related state violence in the US. The recent trip of Black Lives Matter and Ferguson representatives to Palestine signifies these movements are coming together on a global scale.”

    Manny Thompson ‘15 added, “Reclaiming MLK means understanding that Dr. King was killed because he made connections between racial oppression and economic oppression and the interconnectedness of struggles across the globe.”

    Ultimately, the students decided to reclaim MLK day because they recognized how much work remains to be done to reach racial justice: Carla Forbes ‘17 told organizers, “I am here because the time for my humanity and the humanity of brown and black people to be recognized is long overdue. I am here because the systemic oppression and racism of systems of law enforcement must continue to be revealed.” […]

    Contact 650-427-9827 or [email protected] to provide legal or bail support to the arrested students. Follow @SiliconShutdown on Twitter for information on future actions.

  430. rq says

    Emails count as links?? Darnit. That’s one for moderation, then.

    Another from yesterday, Be clear, I yelled at the audience at #HSSU after everyone else was already escorted out. No one knew there were still protesters there.

    There is something beautiful about this scene. #Seattle #ReclaimMLK
    Off freeway ramp, but still blocking it. Y’all can’t come through. #Seattle #ReclaimMLK
    Selma-style here in #Seattle. #ReclaimMLK

    @deray Actions in KC #ReclaimMLK

    Right now: #4milemarch #SDstolenlives #ReclaimMLK march in San Diego

  431. rq says

    WE MADE IT TO THE FREEWAY #Seattle #ReclaimMLK
    Cops attacked. Cops and us on ground. Mace. #Seattle #ReclaimMLK
    Wow. They swooped in QUICK. Three more arrests. #Seattle #ReclaimMLK

    There are still 26 members of Congress who voted on making MLK Day a holiday. Six opposed it.

    Take Martin Luther King Jr. Day, for example. The holiday is the result of House approval in August 1983 and a Senate vote that October. President Ronald Reagan signed it into law in November that year.

    Twenty-six members of Congress at the time are still there, although nearly half have moved across the Capitol from the House to the Senate. It’s worth pointing out that the 98th Congress, which approved the measure, was substantially more white than the current one (which is heavily white but still the most diverse in history).

    We’ve broken down that vote below, comparing it to the current Congress. Vote tallies are from here and here. […]

    Six current members of Congress were among those voting “no” in the 338-90 House vote and 78-22 Senate tally. Two, John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) moved from the House to the Senate in the interim. (Shelby was a Democrat when he voted against MLK Day.) McCain apologized for that vote when he ran for president in 2008.

    Twenty current members supported it. They include Sens. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and 10 who moved from the House to the Senate. That list includes Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.).

    Notice how many more non-white members of Congress there are now. It’s still not representative of the American population (and is actually diversifying much more slowly), but it’s clearly less white.

    There’s one member of the current Congress who didn’t even exist at the time of the vote. That’s Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. She was born in 1984.

    On yesterday’s protesting parallel to the officially organized MLK event: Protests create moments of chaos during STL city Dr. King celebration

    After being mentioned as forthcoming speakers, politically polarizing subjects Mayor Francis Slay and newly elected St. Louis County Executive Stenger – both targets during previous protests – were mysteriously absent from the podium.

    Michael Brown’s mother Lesley McSpadden was given the floor – where she spoke of keeping the faith in wake of tragically losing her son and her family subsequently becoming the central focus of an uncomfortable discourse on race and the justice system.

    “I kept askin’ God ‘help me understand this,’” McSpadden said. “You all give me strength. And I hope that we will realize that we are all one nation under God.”

    Speakers, including Urban League of Greater St. Louis President and CEO Michael McMillan and St. Louis City Comptroller Darlene Greene spoke of coming to a place of healing and using Ferguson as a platform to build a better, stronger, more unified St. Louis. […]

    Before the program had concluded inside the Old Courthouse, groups of protesters had already begun on their mission to “reclaim MLK.” They began marching without the masses and split apart with their own agenda of a continued demand for justice in the killing of unarmed teen Michael Brown by former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

    Although the action agitated a good portion of the marchers, they carried on as they have been doing for the better part of 50 years in honor of Dr. King.

    Though clearly irritated, Dr. King commemorators responded mildly to protester efforts to disrupt the march.

    But push came to shove when a group of demonstrators marched down the aisle of Harris-Stowe State University’s Henry Givens Auditorium and commandeered the stage as MLK commission was in the final stages of its pre-show activities.

    “If y’all don’t give us our [expletive], we gon’ shut the [expletive] down,” the protesters chanted as they marched into the annual interfaith service. “I am…Mike Brown. I am…Mike Brown.”

    “Y’all are out of order,” one woman said as she stood from her and screamed at the top of her lungs.

    “There are babies in here. We are celebrating Dr. King,” another woman shouted.

    “If Dr. King were alive today, he would not only want us to celebrate him, but he would want us to take a stand against injustice,” a protester said from the stage.

    There chants continued, but the people in their seats shouted back for them to leave and the organizers and program coordinators attempted to diffuse the disruption by requesting that the audience applaud them.

    “We don’t want a damn hand,” Tory Russell said. “We want y’all’s feet on the ground with the people. This is nothing but a façade –and I just pulled back the curtain. Look at these puppets.”

    At that very moment, the sound master pulled the plug on the microphones. But the group of about 50 remained on stage.

    The crowd responded with a chant of their own.

    “Martin Luther King…Respect…Martin Luther King…Respect…Martin Luther King…Respect…”

    A confrontation between the protesters and members ensued near the front of the stage.

    The exchange compelled McSpadden to help quell the incident.

    “I’m confused on who lost a son in here…ain’t nobody in here more mad than me,” McSpadden said. “Now it’s two-way disrespect. You need to respect Martin Luther King first. Change starts with self. And when you change yourself, then you can try to change somebody else.” […]

    Protesters made their way out of the auditorium, but the conflict was far from over. Chaos continued outside as the protesters from inside met up with about 200 additional demonstrators outside the auditorium – where they squared off with police, and university students.

    As the program commenced inside, speakers created a teachable moment from the experience – whether they supported or opposed the action.

    “The young brother on stage said ‘we’ve been out there for six months.’ said Dr. Dwight Smith, provost and vice president of Harris-Stowe State University. “Norman Seay has been out there for more than 40 years. We respect our elders – and we understand the quest for social justice and equality is an ongoing one.

    If there is one thing that those young people have taught us this afternoon, it is a sense of urgency.”

    11 forgotten Martin Luther King quotes that show he was a revolutionary

    Here are a few of the best lesser-known MLK quotes, on everything from the work of William Faulkner to the war in Vietnam.

    1) In March 1956, speaking at the Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York — his first address in the North since the beginning of the Montgomery bus boycott — he dropped the soaring rhetoric and made the sentiment underlying the protest very plain:

    Today’s expression in Montgomery is the expression of 50,000 people who are tired of being pushed around.

    2) And he was perfectly clear about the source of the conflict surrounding the civil rights movement:

    Yes, there are tensions in the South. But the tension we experience there is due to the revolutionary reevaluation of the Negro by himself.

    3) He proved he wasn’t afraid to point out the ignorance of his critics, either. He had this a remark for William Faulkner, who’d recently said the civil rights activists should calm down while white people got used to the idea of black people having equal rights. King’s message was essentially, “Sorry, not gonna happen.”

    He said, “We can’t slow up because of our love for democracy and our love for America. Someone should tell Faulkner that the vast majority of the people on this globe are colored.”

    4) He used a little bit of humor to explain how messed up things were in the South:

    Dixie has a heart all right. But it’s having a little heart trouble right now.</blockquote.

    5) In the address he delivered at the conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery march on March 25, 1965, he gave credit where credit was due to white allies — with a nod to the idea that the "ugly" tradition of racism was nothing that anyone should be getting all sentimental about:

    On our part we must pay our profound respects to the white Americans who cherish their democratic traditions over the ugly customs and privileges of generations and come forth boldly to join hands with us.

    6) He also broke some news to poor white people: they weren’t exactly winning in a segregated society:

    If it may be said of the slavery era that the white man took the world and gave the Negro Jesus, then it may be said of the Reconstruction era that the southern aristocracy took the world and gave the poor white man Jim Crow.

    7) In a speech titled “Beyond Vietnam,” delivered April 4, 1967, in New York, he showed he didn’t see anything through rose-colored glasses, and admitted that he wasn’t super hopeful about the US’s prospects in Southeast Asia:

    The world now demands a maturity of America that we may not be able to achieve.

    8) And he made it very clear that in his view, no one was excused from working for justice, saying, “Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.”

    9) Sadly, he made a pretty decent prediction in this “rallies without end” bit, saying,

    The war in Vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit, and if we ignore this sobering reality, and if we ignore this sobering reality, we will find ourselves organizing “clergy and laymen concerned” committees for the next generation. They will be concerned about Guatemala and Peru. They will be concerned about Thailand and Cambodia. They will be concerned about Mozambique and South Africa. We will be marching for these and a dozen other names and attending rallies without end unless there is a significant and profound change in American life and policy.

    10) He admonished those who couldn’t see the structural forces in need of combatting:

    True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.

    11) And he had no problem at all calling for an endless battle (against the right targets, of course). He said, “Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism.”

    Links within for more context to those quotes.

  432. rq says

    That was some shitty blockquoting.

    State Troopers blocked every highway entrance. #ReclaimMLKMN
    Again, police block exists leading to highways #ReclaimMLKMN #ReclaimMLK #BlackLivesMatter
    Today Atlanta stood RADICALLY to #ReclaimMLK. Power in the numbers of those who stood w/us. Link to youtube: “There Is a Desperation” #MLKDAY2015 #RECLAIMMLK

    Young people are looking for LOVE and SUPPORT as they sacrifice to fight in the STRUGGLE for FREEDOM. WATCH as they make their voices heard at the Martin Luther King Rally at The King Center in Atlanta Georgia.

    Undergrads tell graduates they should “get their degrees.” @kidnoble: “Bruh…I HAVE THREE DEGREES” #HSSU #ReclaimMLK

    @deray Over 800 strong in Pittsburgh tonight. These girls were by far the most powerful. #ReclaimMLK

  433. rq says

    In St. Louis, protesters disrupt march for civil rights – interesting title, that!

    The actions, which involved rerouting a planned march downtown and storming the stage of an interfaith celebration using profanity-laced chants, earned them an admonishment from the mother of one of the slain young men.

    While police ushered protesters out of the interfaith event, Lesley McSpadden, whose son Michael Brown was killed by police in the suburb of Ferguson and who was participating in the official events, took the microphone. “I think we forgot why we was here, everyone in the building,” she said.

    It was the latest and perhaps most dramatic event showing the rift between the new crop of young black protesters using headline-grabbing tactics and older-guard civil rights activists, who favor peaceful, religious-tinged demonstrations that honor their civil rights forebears.

    Both groups found in King an example of their cause, with the protesters embracing his stiff spine and willingness to be hurt or jailed for his beliefs, and the traditionalists harking back to his calls for unity and nonviolence and his Christian faith.

    Organizers of the official march rejected the idea that this was a generational split. They noted that many young people were part of the official observance and accused some of those leading the protesters to be older radicals who favor violent resistance.

    “They are misled and misguided individuals with a different agenda,” said Anthony Bell, a Democratic Party official and grand marshal of the march.

    But protesters countered that their actions were more appropriate for the seriousness of the problems faced by African Americans today, and accused their current leaders of standing idly by.

    The official event was to begin with speeches by politicians and dignitaries at the Old Courthouse, followed by a march to Harris-Stowe State University, where there would be prayers, songs, sermons and more speeches about King’s legacy.

    The event began as planned at 9 a.m. But two hours later, as the march was slated to begin, protesters blocked the way. They rerouted the march to a nearby homeless shelter that was set to shutter to hand out steaming bowls of chili. […]

    Organizers of the official march implored the protesters to stay in line and not to do anything that could violate the terms of their permit from the city. But they eventually gave up, splitting off into a separate march to continue on to the college.

    Protester Kayla Reed urged marchers to join them. “If you want to help, go this way,” she said. “If you want to watch, go that way.” […]

    Indeed, many who turned up expecting the music-filled, spiritual observance that has marked this city’s King celebrations were miffed at the protesters.

    “I’m ok with peaceful protesting, but there is a place for it,” said Ron Glenn, 45, who had come to the interfaith celebration with his family.

    Interlude: Fanartist re-imagines Wonder Woman, Professor X as black heroes for MLK Day. Check out the art!

    #BlackLivesMatter Protesters Halt Traffic, LRT

    As part of a national wave of similar protests, Black Lives Matter Minneapolis led more than 500 people down one of St. Paul’s main thoroughfares to the state Capitol, decrying — among other cases — the killing of Marcus Golden by St. Paul police last week. The marchers used the rally and King’s legacy to press a point about policing tactics they say have gone overboard and led to the deaths of young men in Minnesota and elsewhere.

    “They didn’t protect Marcus. They didn’t serve him,” Michael McDowell, a protest organizer, told a crowd gathered in the middle of a high-traffic intersection before the march began. Police have said Golden drove his car at officers before they shot him.

    The march that started near Hamline University ended at the state Capitol with a candlelit vigil for Golden. Along the way, organizers attempted to lead the group onto Interstate 94 but met a blockade of state troopers at two entrance ramps. Traffic on the highway was nonetheless briefly shut down.

    The Minnesota State Patrol declined to say how many officers they dispatched for the rally. Photos from the march showed dozens of troopers blocking off the freeway with squad cars.

    A mix of young and old faces, carrying signs and chanting, cheered as they saw traffic disappear. The protest also temporarily halted parts of the Green Line train service running between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.

    Black Lives Matter Minneapolis released a list of demands a few days before the march. Among other things, the group wants an independent community board with disciplinary power to review police actions and bias and cultural competency training for Minnesota officers. […]

    The march was personal for many. Dominique Burch, a 17-year-old marcher, said she participated in the Martin Luther King Day protest because she feels uneasy around police. Burch said she wants her brother to be able to walk down city streets without being harassed.

    On a day dedicated to celebrating a civil rights leader, many said Minnesota and the nation as a whole still have far to go before minorities can feel truly equal to their white peers.

    “If we keep focused and don’t get sidetracked, this could be the start of something good,” said Jeff Martin, president of the St. Paul branch of the NAACP.

    Similar marches are scheduled in Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles.

    And because people are assholes: Md. Home Vandalized on MLK Day With “N-Word Go Home” in Spray Paint

    The victims are an African American family who moved into the North Chevy Chase home less than a week ago. Richard Brown lives across the street and helped them clean up the mess.

    “Horrifying,” Brown said. “We’ve never seen anything like this in this neighborhood and to have it happen on Martin Luther King’s birthday is gross. We’re just shocked.”

    “[We assured them] that we in the neighborhood are here and we welcome them and we want to get to know them,” neighbor Rheta Kasmer said.

    The victims did not want to be interviewed for this story.

    Autoplay video available at the link whether you want it or not. :P

    MLK Weekend Protest. (w/ @RE_invent_ED)

    Stokley and MLK give us a great example of how to bridge the generation divide in the movement. MLK a set the tone.

  434. rq says

    Memphis Jury Sees Conspiracy in Martin Luther King’s Killing

    The jury’s decision means it did not believe that James Earl Ray, who was convicted of the crime, fired the shot that killed Dr. King.

    After four weeks of testimony and one hour of deliberation, the jury in the wrongful-death case found that Loyd Jowers as well as ”others, including governmental agencies” had been part of a conspiracy. The jury awarded the King family the damages they had sought: $100, which the family says it will donate to charity.

    The family has long questioned Mr. Ray’s conviction and hoped the suit would change the legal and historical record of the assassination.

    ”This is a vindication for us,” said Dexter King, the youngest son of Dr. King.

    He said he hoped history books would be rewritten to reflect this version of the assassination. […]

    Mr. Jowers, in a 1993 television interview, said that he had hired a Memphis police officer to kill Dr. King from the bushes behind his restaurant. Mr. Jowers said he had been paid to do so by a Memphis grocery store owner with Mafia connections.

    In an unlikely alliance, the King family was represented in the case by William Pepper, who had been Mr. Ray’s lawyer. The King family maintains that Mr. Pepper’s version of the assassination is the one that gets at the real truth behind Dr. King’s death, not the official version with Mr. Ray as the gunman.

    Mr. Pepper said federal, state and Memphis governmental agencies, as well as the news media conspired in the assassination. […]

    One juror, David Morphy, said after the trial, ”We all thought it was a cut and dried case with the evidence that Mr. Pepper brought to us, that there were a lot of people involved, everyone from the C.I.A., military involvement, and Jowers was involved.”

    John Campbell, an assistant district attorney in Memphis, who was not part of the civil proceedings but was part of the criminal case against Mr. Ray, said, ”I’m not surprised by the verdict. This case overlooked so much contradictory evidence that never was presented, what other option did the jury have but to accept Mr. Pepper’s version?”

    And Gerald Posner, whose recent book, ”Killing the Dream” made the case that Mr. Ray was the killer, said, ”It distresses me greatly that the legal system was used in such a callous and farcical manner in Memphis. If the King family wanted a rubber stamp of their own view of the facts, they got it.”

  435. rq says

    Way too many people told Jimmy Kimmel they saw Martin Luther King Jr. give a speech this Monday

    Jimmy Kimmel’s “Lie Witness News” has a long history of exposing peoples’ ignorance about various topics, from illustrating how little fashionistas actually know about fashion to asking people if they voted in a nonexistent vice presidential election. But yesterday’s Martin Luther King Day segment, in which 14 unsuspecting Angelenos are asked whether they enjoyed the speech Martin Luther King Jr. “gave that morning,” and seven — seven! — said yes, might just be the most horrifying one yet. Someone liked “all the details and things like that,” another was shocked to see Dr. King speak in public after such a long public hiatus, while another just thought he could stand to lose some weight. Watch, and yikes

    Thousands on Lexington post die-in, in front of Bloomingdales. Cause we’re alive. #ReclaimMLK #BlackLivesMatter

    What It Was Like to be Gay in the Civil Rights Movement

    GEORGE CHAUNCEY, JR.: How did your homosexuality affect your work in the civil rights movement, particularly after your arrest in Pasadena in 1953 on a “sex perversion” charge?

    BAYARD RUSTIN: There is no question in my mind that there was considerable prejudice amongst a number of people I worked with. But of course they would never admit they were prejudiced. They would say they were afraid that it might hurt the movement. The fact of the matter is, it was already known, it was nothing to hide. You can’t hurt the movement unless you have something to reveal. They also said any more talk would hurt me. They would look at me soulfully and say, surely you don’t want to go through any more humiliation? Well, I wasn’t humiliated. Even at the time of the arrest, I was not humiliated. The fact of the matter is, in my case it was an absolute setup.

    CHAUNCEY: Do you mean you were entrapped?

    RUSTIN: Yes, that’s very definite. But that’s unimportant. Let’s assume I was completely guilty. It wouldn’t matter.

    CHAUNCEY: A lot of gay men were entrapped in those days. Do you think you were targeted for political reasons?

    RUSTIN: I think so. Because way back as far as 1946, ’47, I had organized all over the country, even in the deep South, and I was in California at the time of the arrest, leading demonstrations against discrimination in theaters, hotels, and restaurants. […]

    CHAUNCEY: What about the 1963 March on Washington, when your homosexuality was used publicly in an effort to discredit the movement? The leadership seems to have stood by you then.

    RUSTIN: Here again, Mr. Randolph had asked me to organize the march. I proceeded to line up people; it was always a matter of boxing in the civil rights leadership, because each had his own turf. In any event, it was Mr. [Roy] Wilkins [Executive Director of the NAACP], whom I happen to admire greatly, who raised the question this time. He called me to his office and said, “I don’t think you should lead this march because they will try to stop it, and the most important thing they have to stop it with is that the director of it is gay.” I said, “Roy, I just disagree with that, and I think that the time has come when we have to stand up and stop running from things. And I don’t believe that if this is raised by the Southern Democrats, that it will do anything but spur people on. We can issue a statement which says they will use anything to try and stop us in our march to freedom, but no matter what they use we will win.” He disagreed and called a meeting of all the civil rights leaders. Finally, a compromise was reached. Mr. Randolph would be the director of the march, but he made me his deputy.

    Then, Strom Thurmond stood in the Senate speaking for three-quarters of an hour on the fact that Bayard Rustin was a homosexual, a draft dodger, and a communist. Newspapers all over the country came out with this front-page story. Mr. Randolph waited for the phone to ring. And it did indeed ring. I went immediately to Mr. Randolph, and we agreed he would make a statement for all the civil rights leaders which basically said, “We have absolute confidence in Bayard Rustin’s integrity and ability.” He read the statement to the labor leaders and the Jewish and Catholic and Protestant leaders involved in the march and they all agreed to it.

    CHAUNCEY: Why do you think the press didn’t come down harder on you? Thurmond charged there was a whitewash.

    RUSTIN: They had a great deal of respect for our creating the march out of nothing. They just felt that why is this son-of-a-bitch from the South mouthing all of this shit that everybody knows. They thought he was just trying to get us to call off the march. And they didn’t like it. […]

    RUSTIN: Dr. King came from a very protected background. I don’t think he’d ever known a gay person in his life. I think he had no real sympathy or understanding. I think he wanted very much to. But I think he was largely guided by two facts. One was that already people were whispering about him. And I think his attitude was, look, I’ve got enough of my own problems. I really don’t want to be burdened with additional ones. Secondly, he was surrounded by people who, for their own reasons, wanted to get rid of me—Andy Young in particular, and Jesse Jackson.

    CHAUNCEY: What reasons? Because of your homosexuality?

    RUSTIN: No. Definitely not. It was because we didn’t agree on some issues—whether or not King should go north to Chicago, and also the Poor People’s Campaign.

    CHAUNCEY: Did your being gay interfere with your relationship with Dr. King?

    RUSTIN: Dr. King was always terrified of the press. His first question would be what is the press reaction going to be? He would normally have preferred never to discuss any of it. And he never did except when he was pressured in some way into doing so. And on two occasions, I went to him and said I can tell you’re deeply agonized by this. So I think that I’m going to get out of the way now. If you need me later, call me back. And on two occasions, he called me back because he needed me.

    “@powerinterfaith: From #Ferguson to #reclaimMLKPHL ” Wooww
    #Philly turned up today! #ReclaimMLKPHL !!

    Prayers in front of the home of #TenishaAnderson who was killed 11.13.14 by Cleveland P.D #ReclaimMLK #4milemarch

  436. says

    This country is all too ready to see black children as criminals

    There was clear evidence that a family member had been sexually abusing 13-year-old Catherine Jones and her 12-year-old brother, Curtis, for years. But no one helped them, and the two children were left to figure it out themselves. In 1999, Catherine and Curtis plotted to kill the abuser, as well as their father and his girlfriend, Nicole Speights, because the kids had come to believe the two were responsible for allowing the abuse to continue, according to USA Today. Curtis shot Speights with his father’s handgun. Then the kids panicked, tried to cover up the killing, and ran off.

    It was a tragic incident that should have been handled by mental health professionals, not a criminal court. But instead of being treated as victims of sexual abuse, a Florida prosecutor charged the children with first-degree murder. The two became the youngest children in U.S. history to be charged as adults. They ended up pleading guilty to second-degree murder and were sentenced to 18 years in prison and probation for life to avoid life sentences.

    Catherine Jones may be released a few years ahead of schedule this summer because of good behavior, but she will have spent a good portion of her young life in prison. She missed thumbing out a tweet, mulling a date for her high school prom, enjoying the butterflies of having a teenage crush, and doing the other things teenagers do.

    The family member who sexually abused Catherine robbed her of her innocence, and the state of Florida robbed her of her youth. Officials from the Department of Children and Families failed them after multiple investigations found proof the children were being sexually abused, yet the department did nothing. When their defense attorney argued all of these points in a plea for leniency, the prosecutors didn’t see two scared, isolated kids who were being victimized; they saw cold-blooded killers.

    Such is the life of a black child in America’s criminal justice system.

    Of the 2,500 kids serving life without parole for crimes committed under the age of 18 in America, 60 percent of them are black. Florida, Curtis and Catherine Jones’ home state, leads the nation in charging children as adults. It has a “direct file” statute that allows prosecutors to transfer juvenile cases straight to criminal courts without input from a judge. More than 50 percent of children transferred are black; 24 percent are white.

    A 2014 study titled, “The Essence of Innocence: The Consequences of Dehumanizing Black Children,” might explain what’s behind the impulse to push young black offenders into adulthood. According to the study, white people consistently view black children as less innocent than white children.

    Here is a breakdown of the study, according to the American Psychological Association:

    “The study also involved 264 mostly white, female undergraduate students from large public U.S. universities. In one experiment, students rated the innocence of people ranging from infants to 25-year-olds who were black, white or an unidentified race. The students judged children up to 9 years old as equally innocent regardless of race, but considered black children significantly less innocent than other children in every age group beginning at age 10, the researchers found.

    “The students were also shown photographs alongside descriptions of various crimes and asked to assess the age and innocence of white, black or Latino boys ages 10 to 17. The students overestimated the age of blacks by an average of 4.5 years and found them more culpable than whites or Latinos, particularly when the boys were matched with serious crimes, the study found. Researchers used questionnaires to assess the participants’ prejudice and dehumanization of blacks. They found that participants who implicitly associated blacks with apes thought the black children were older and less innocent.”

    “Children in most societies are considered to be in a distinct group with characteristics such as innocence and the need for protection,” Phillip Atiba Goff, the author of the study wrote. “Our research found that black boys can be seen as responsible for their actions at an age when white boys still benefit from the assumption that children are essentially innocent.”

  437. says

    Respond: artists offer bold, urgent take on #blacklivesmatter

    “My bone to pick with the art world” says artist Joseph DeLappe, “is that it’s too slow to respond to anything.” He’s right: the New York art world in particular isn’t known for being especially responsive to current events, especially not when regarding the concerns of black folks.

    But some 600 artists replied to the recent open call for Respond, Smack Mellon gallery’s hastily arranged but beautiful show curated around the killings of Eric Garner, Renisha McBride, Michael Brown and other black Americans.

    Smack Mellon resident artists (including Dread Scott and Steffani Jemison) selected some 200 recently created works of art. No matter how much you may have read about the death of these young men and women in newspapers, there is something extremely powerful about seeing responses by artists – a power exponentially amplified seeing so many pieces together and in conversation with one another. If the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s current show Represent: 200 Years of African American Art is “not bold, but dutiful”, the 200 works which make Respond are most definitely bold – unnervingly so.

    The Guardian spoke with 11 of the artists – white, black, new to the fine art world or highly experienced within it – about their contribution to the show.

    The 11 artists interviewed were:
    Sophia Dawson
    Oasa DuVerney
    Dread Scott
    Nina Berman
    Rosetta DeBerardinis
    Heather Hart
    Jeffrey Sims
    Steffani Jemison
    Damien Davis
    Lmnopi
    Joseph DeLappe

    (that’s a nice mixture of female and male artists)

  438. rq says

    MLK. America. (cartoon at the link)

    This seems to have happened rather quietly: Judge rejects request for new Ferguson grand jury

    A St. Louis County judge has rejected a request by the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund to convene a new grand jury to consider charges against the Ferguson police officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown.

    The civil rights group says a court administrator responded on behalf of St. Louis County Circuit Judge Maura McShane, whom it had asked in a Jan. 5 letter to also appoint a special prosecutor to oversee the case.

    The group had cited concerns about the decision by Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch to allow a witness to provide false testimony, as well as erroneous legal instructions to grand jurors.

    The grand jury declined to indict former Ferguson officer Darren Wilson.

    Soledad O’Brien Brings ‘Black in America’ Tour to College Campuses

    Based on her November CNN special, O’Brien’s tour, “Black in America 2015,” is traveling to college campuses across the country and will focus on police brutality against minorities. Acacemics, students and community members will sit down and have a much-needed discussion on an issue that is plaguing our society.

    Audiences will see exlusive footage from Eric Garner’s attack and will hear from both victims of police brutality and police officers, such as one Black NYPD cop, who think that “stop and frisk” laws help keep communities safe. Experts will weigh the benefits of police presence with the fear toward police that is increasingly present in Black communities.

    “‘Black in America’ is about Americans talking about the uncomfortable issue of race, about opening the floor to new perspectives, problems and the powerful experiences of regular people,” O’Brien said in a statement. “This is a forum for the conversation America is ready to have—why do so many Black Americans fear the very people that are supposed to protect them?”

    Seemed relevant: Harford sheriff using overdose calls to go after heroin dealers.

    Few candidates file for Ferguson election despite protests

    At the time of the shooting, just three of 53 police officers were black in a city with an African-American population of nearly 70 percent. All but one of the six council members are white, as is Mayor James Knowles, who resisted calls for his own resignation and said he plans to seek a third term as mayor in 2017.

    “The council can still be responsive to the city without the customary ‘heads have to roll’ response,” Knowles said. “If that’s what the citizens of Ferguson demanded, there would be at least one person running under the banner of, ‘They all have to go.’ And that’s just not happened.”

    Knowles said that two of three incumbents who are stepping down decided long before Brown’s death not to seek three more years in office, primarily due to work obligations.

    Activists who initially sought to oust Ferguson elected leaders and Police Chief Tom Jackson, who also remains on the job, said many residents remain disillusioned with local politics. Others believe the most effective way to push for new laws and policy changes on issues such as police conduct and voting district boundaries is to agitate from outside rather than to negotiate from within, said protest leader Ashley Yates, co-founder of Millennial Activists United.

    “It’s more about building power within our own community,” she said. “Ferguson really gave us an idea of what the City Council’s powers are — it’s not much. And there’s a realization that the system has failed black America at large. So why operate in a system that does not work?”

    Like many small cities, Ferguson relies on a professional administrator, its city manager, for most day-to-day governing decisions. Elected officials typically focus on items such as spending priorities and budget approvals.

    Here’s a candidate’s list.

  439. rq says

    Dashcam video shows man’s fatal encounter with Bridgeton police – that man would be Jerame Reid.

    Video and audio released by the Bridgeton Police Department on Tuesday shows officers Braheme Days and Roger Worley ordering Jerame Reid not to move before Reid appears to push his way out of the passenger side door. The video appears to show Reid with his hands in front of him as he stands to get out of the car and is shot and killed by the officers.

    The altercation with police, which began with a traffic stop, escalated in a matter of two minutes as police described finding a gun, according to the video which was recorded on a patrol car’s dashboard camera that was released after an Open Public Records request.

    The actual shooting occurs at about 2 minutes in, and is done by the officer on the driver’s side – he shoots Jerame Reid, who is on the passenger side.
    #JerameReid had a lawsuit pending against cops & cop who killed him identified Reid by name & Reid had his hands up when shot. FFS. Enough.
    A while ago I would have scoffed at such conspiracy theories. But now… I just don’t know.

    Ferguson Commission is still meeting: Tonight’s #FergusonCommission meeting is an extension of the Youth Summit held on Jan. 10.
    Other events going on, too – Listening to @deray speak on our panel about #Ferguson & protests around the country. #BlackLivesMatterCC

    Ferguson figures in Larry Wilmore’s first ‘Nightly Show’

    “I feel like there’s so much to talk about,” Wilmore said. “Especially if I had the show a year ago. Man, all the good-bad race stuff happened already. Seriously, there’s none left. We’re done.”

    After mock-complaining that the “Lego Movie” didn’t get nominated for an Oscar, he refused to be upset that the star of “Selma” didn’t get a nod. “He’s a British brother. I don’t really care about them.”

    Still, “I wish there were a black Hollywood expert who could go to bat for us.” Wilmore said. But “Sharpton? Again? Slow down, Al. You don’t have to respond to every black emergency. You’re not black Batman.”

    Since it was Martin Luther King Day (“and since he’s the patron saint of non-violent protests — suck it, Gandhi”), Wilmore tackled “the state of the black protest,” including a scene from Ferguson.

    The situation in Ferguson (and in other cities that drew protests over police killings) was a thread that ran through the show. In the second segment, when Wilmore switched to a “Meet the Press”-like panel to discuss topics he put on the table, one of the panelists was hip-hop artist and activist and Talib Kweli, who came here several times after the killing of Michael Brown in August.

    Others on the panel were New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, comedian Bill Burr and Indian actress Shenaz Treasury, a “Nightly Show” regular.

    “You were right there” in Ferguson, Wilmore said to Kweli. “Do you feel like any of that really made a difference?”

    “For me personally, it always does,” Kweli said. “Protest is a long game.” The Montgomery bus boycotts, he noted, took a year and a half.

    But “does it ever feel like the situation gets worse because we’re out there protesting?” Wilmore asked Burr. “Bill, are white people tired of black protests?”

    (“Speaking for all the white people, dude,” Wilmore added.)

    Speaking of elections in Ferguson, St. Louis County Director of Elections forced from office. From what I understand, she was the only black person on that board.

  440. rq says

    Oklahoma Cool With It If You Wanna Shoot Some Black Cops, Guys.

    It’s set to be a banner fucking year for white assholes. Again. An Oklahoma man who shot the black chief of police four times is being released with no charges, because of course he is.

    The gentleman in question is Dallas Horton of Sentinel, Oklahoma, which is a name you’d expect to see sported by a villain on Law & Order SVU: the kind of paranoid, creepy gun fetishist who lives off the grid because he hates the government or something. Well you’ll be pleased to know that’s exactly what he is:

    Horton’s neighbor David Delk described the gunman to the Oklahoman as a “survivalist” type who mistrusted the government, was openly unfriendly to neighbors and wore a lot of black clothing.

    Nailed it. […]

    The only way this story could get worse is if evidence surfaced that Horton’s bomb threat to a predominantly black school and his opening fire on a black officer might have been just a smidge racially motivated. Dear God it is not our day:

    A Facebook profile believed to be Horton’s is rife with racially charged images and jabs at black leaders like Rev. Al Sharpton. “Hurt ME and your [sic] gonna feel pain,” declares one image, “hurt my BEST FRIEND and your gonna need an ambulance, hurt my FAMILY…I’m gonna need a shovel.”

    Another image shows a blood-spattered 18-wheeler cab with human limbs sticking out of it. “JUST DROVE THROUGH FERGUSON,” it reads, “DIDN’T SEE ANY PROBLEMS.”

    Super. This is the point in the L&O episode where Stabler glares at his computer screen like he’s trying to incinerate it with his mind, and Benson just grits her teeth like she’s trying to hold back vomit. After the commercial break Munch and Tutuola have a snarky talk about the sorry state of race relations in America, and then the detectives get into a fight with the DA because the plot says so.

    Back in the real world, you may be wondering how on earth Horton got off with just a stern handshake. Now while your mommyblog would never try to suggest anything untoward about the politics of small town Sentinel, Oklahoma, let’s just say that it probably doesn’t hurt his case that the Mayor himself says of Horton, “I’ve known that kid all of his life.” We’re just saying.

    Obama to visit Selma on Bloody Sunday

    President Barack Obama will visit Selma, Alabama, in March to mark the 50th anniversary of civil rights demonstrators’ march across the state to Montgomery, the White House said Tuesday.

    The trip is slated for March 7, an official said, and will “highlight the president and his administration’s overall efforts to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

    The date of the trip marks what’s come to be known as Bloody Sunday, the day when state and local authorities attacked protesters as they marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) was among those in the 1965 march and will join the president on his trip.

    Black lives depend on a free and open Internet (from December 31)

    The Internet is the most democratic communication platform in history, largely because we’ve had network neutrality rules that make sure all web traffic is treated equally, and no voices are discriminated against. Because of network neutrality rules, activists can turn to the Internet to bypass the discrimination of mainstream cable, broadcast and print outlets as we organize for change. It is because of net neutrality rules that the Internet is the only communication channel left where Black voices can speak and be heard, produce and consume, on our own terms.

    But, right now, Black online voices are threatened. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is drafting and preparing to vote on new rules that will either preserve the level online playing field we’ve enjoyed for the last several decades, or destroy it.

    The FCC can take a clear path to prevent discrimination online. The agency can reclassify broadband as a common carrier service under Title II of the Communications Act. Reclassifying the Internet with strong, bright line net neutrality rules can guarantee every Internet user’s right to connect with any person or website, on any device or cell phone, without discrimination, censorship or other interference.

    So why are some against net neutrality?

    Because there is money to be made in creating two Internets, one for wealthy corporations, individuals and institutions that can afford to pay for better and faster access (i.e., control), and another second-class version for everyone else. [..]

    The civil rights movement of the 21st century must choose an Internet that works for all people, not just those who can afford to be heard. That’s why I’m in lockstep with the nearly 4 million voices that have called on the FCC to uphold real net neutrality. This coalition includes facets of every social justice movement from climate, reproductive and rural rights to immigrant rights and the new racial justice movement – alongside President Obama, artists, business owners, legal analysts and tech experts.

    The next two months will likely define the future of the open Internet. The FCC should act as swiftly as possible to draft and vote on rules it can enforce.

    Black Twitter broke the story of the murder of an unarmed teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri by police officer Daren Wilson, while consolidated broadcast and cable industries lagged behind. From unarmed Black father John Crawford, murdered by police in an Ohio Walmart, to Aiyana Stanley-Jones, a Black 7-year-old murdered by police while she slept in her home – the open Internet allowed Black communities to tell these stories with our own voices.

    #BlackLivesMatter was born online, but now lives in street actions, in conversations in our homes, and in the dignity swelling in our hearts. That is the power of the open Internet, and it is why we must do everything we can to protect Black voices. Our lives depend on it.

    Did you know that Stenger has removed the only black person on the STL County Board of Elections? Y’all.
    Brittany (@bdoulaoblongata) discusses core issues at the #Ferguson Commission community meeting. Youth #Leadership

  441. rq says

    First day of my race class student says “we aren’t going to talk about #Ferguson are we?” yes dear student. We are. Not talking got us here.

    #ReclaimMLK did work in his hometown of #Atlanta #ReclaimHERdream #FemmePower #QTPOC

    From I HAVE A DREAM to YES WE CAN to WE CANT BREATHE. We still have a long #Dream4Justice #ReclaimMLK #Harlem

    In Ferguson, Push for Criminal Justice Reform Draws Comparisons to ’60s Fight for Civil Rights

    Nine of the 46 members of the Congressional Black Caucus joined the Wellspring congregation Sunday with music, dance and prayers recalling those weeks of protests and drawing parallels between the events sparked by the shooting last August and those that helped shape the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

    Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, said she saw similarities between the civil rights movement led by Dr. King in the 1960s and the criminal justice debate by a new generation of activists that has ignited demonstrations in St. Louis and across the country.

    “Between 2005 and 2012, incidents of police altercations or killing between police and African-American men happened twice a week,” she said. “During the civil rights movement, those who were seeking to legitimately protest were incarcerated. That’s part of the criminal justice system. They were held simply for expressing their viewpoint. They were subjected to police actions that were brutal.”

    Ms. Jackson Lee continued: “We have now come to a point where we’re meshing the work of the civil rights activists with our young activists on criminal justice reform.”

    The Congressional Black Caucus is focusing, she said, on changes being pushed by Representative William Lacy Clay of Ferguson, a Democrat. Mr. Clay is leading an effort on a bill that would support President Obama’s plan to equip more police officers with body cameras, and review the grand jury system, which has come under criticism after grand juries here and on Staten Island declined to indict police officers involved in civilian deaths.

    “I want to assure you that the pursuit of justice for Mike Brown is not over,” Mr. Clay told congregants. “It’s not over for Tamir Rice. It’s not over for Eric Garner,” Mr. Clay said, referring to the two killed in Cleveland and Staten Island.

    Mr. Clay, too, framed the younger generation’s conversation about race — now focused, in part, on police tactics — in the context of another generation’s.

    “Just like 52 years ago, today we are faced with the obvious failure of local officials who are either unable, or unwilling, to provide equal justice under the law,” he said. “So once again, our community looks toward the federal government to make the promises enshrined in the Constitution finally ring true.” […]

    “These incidents have given people the sense of how important local elections are, especially because police accountability is a local issue,” Ms. Bynes said. “The City Halls across America are where people need to look when talking about police accountability.”

    As a former police officer, Representative André Carson, an Indiana Democrat, said the electoral process was the next step in achieving changes after Ferguson. “Leveraging our voting block and exercising our right to vote,” he said, is an act that “stands out clearly.”

    “How dare we feign disillusionment and not go to the polls,” he said, to the cheers of those in the church. “It is time to demand change. It’s time in Ferguson, just as it was when Dr. King went to Birmingham.”

    Oregon Was Founded As a Racist Utopia

    Waddles Coffee Shop in Portland, Oregon was a popular restaurant in the 1950s for both locals and travelers alike. The drive-in catered to America’s postwar obsession with car culture, allowing people to get coffee and a slice of pie without even leaving their vehicle. But if you happened to be black, the owners of Waddles implored you to keep on driving. The restaurant had a sign outside with a very clear message: “White Trade Only — Please.”

    It’s the kind of scene from the 1950s that’s so hard for many Americans to imagine happening outside of the Jim Crow South. How could a progressive, northern city like Portland have allowed a restaurant to exclude non-white patrons? This had to be an anomaly, right? In reality it was far too common in Oregon, a state that was explicitly founded as a kind of white utopia. […]

    Racism was generally framed as something that happened in the past and almost always “down there.” We learned about the struggles for racial equality in cities like Birmingham and Selma and Montgomery. But what about the racism of Portland, Oregon, a city that is still overwhelmingly white? The struggles there were just as intense — though they are rarely identified in the history books.

    According to Oregon’s founding constitution, black people were not permitted to live in the state. And that held true until 1926. The small number of black people already living in the state in 1859, when it was admitted to the Union, were sometimes allowed to stay, but the next century of segregation and terrorism at the hands of angry racists made it clear that they were not welcome. […]

    This is not to pick on Oregon in particular as being particularly racist and terrible. The de facto exclusion of any non-white people from a number of businesses, institutions, and communities occurred throughout the Northeast, Midwest, and West. Oregon seems to have been just a bit more vocal and straightforward about it.

    I spoke over the phone with Walidah Imarisha, an educator and expert on black history in Oregon and she was quick to explain that the state is only really exceptional in that it bothered to proclaim its goals of white supremacy so openly.

    “What’s useful about Oregon as a case study is that Oregon was bold enough to write it down,” Imarisha told me. “But the same ideology, policies, and practices that shaped Oregon shaped every state in the Union, as well as this nation as a whole.”

    Today, while 13 percent of Americans are black, just 2 percent of Oregon’s population is black. This is not some accident of history. It’s a product of oppressive laws and everyday actions that deliberately excluded non-white people from a fair shot at living a life without additional obstacles being put in their way.

    Life’s hard enough as it is. But life as a person of color in Oregon would prove to be like trying to play Oregon Trail in a roomful of Klansmen while the computer lab is on fire. […]

    The question of whether Oregon should allow slavery dates back to at least the 1840s. The majority of Oregonians (which is to say the territory’s new white residents who were systematically and sometimes violently oppressing its Native peoples) opposed slavery. But they also didn’t want to live anywhere near anyone who wasn’t white. […]

    It seems to me unclear if that provision meant that free blacks would be auctioned off as slaves to people who were on their way out of Oregon. But one thing is clear: the territorial statutes would become irrelevant the following decade when Oregon would formally write its constitution. And that document was no more generous to the tiny black population. […]

    These guys had plenty to say, but when it came to actually writing a constitution, they were pretty damn lazy. In fact, 172 of the document’s 185 sections were directly plagiarized from the constitutions of other states like Ohio and Indiana.

    The original parts? As David Schuman explains in his 1995 paper The Creation of the Oregon Constitution, they fell into two camps: limits on state spending and forms of racial exclusion. Somewhat ironically, the racial exclusion sections were included in an article called the Bill of Rights.

    The constitution was put to a popular vote in the state in 1857 and included two referendums that were to be voted on independently. The first was whether they should reject slavery. Roughly 75 percent of voters opted to reject the adoption of slavery. The second measure was whether or not to exclude black people from the state. About 89 percent of voters cast their vote in favor of excluding black and mixed race people from the state. And thus, the exclusionary aspects of the state constitution were adopted.

    The resulting Article 1, Section 35 of the Oregon state constitution:

    No free negro, or mulatto, not residing in this State at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall come, reside, or be within this State, or hold any real estate, or make any contracts, or maintain any suit therein; and the Legislative Assembly shall provide by penal laws, for the removal, by public officers, of all such negroes, and mulattoes, and for their effectual exclusion from the State, and for the punishment of persons who shall bring them into the state, or employ, or harbor them.

    The voters who overwhelmingly embraced this exclusion rationalized it not as blind hate, but as a progressive move that was simply keeping their new land “pure.” Utopia often means starting from scratch, and just as often it means excluding undesirables.[…]

    Technically the state’s exclusion laws were superseded by federal law after the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted. But Oregon had a rather complicated relationship with that particular Amendment. Having ratified it in 1866, the state then rescinded its ratification when a more racist state government took control in 1868. The move was more symbolic than anything, but Oregon gave the sign that it wasn’t on board with racial equality. Astoundingly, it wouldn’t be until 1973 (and with very little fanfare) that activists would get the state to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment yet again.

    Naturally, the state’s quest for an all-white utopia also included the oppression of other groups — especially those of Chinese and Japanese descent. Though Asian people were not specifically called out in Oregon’s constitutional exclusion laws, the white people of many towns large and small did their best to drive out non-white people any time they got the chance.

    As just one example, the white people of La Grande burned that city’s Chinatown to the ground in 1893. The Chinese residents fled, with some people getting on the first train out. But some Chinese residents weren’t about to be intimidated and set up camp nearby. This wasn’t enough for the hateful mobs of La Grande, who broke up the camp and forced anyone remaining to get on trains out of town.

    These efforts were decentralized and not officially sanctioned by the state. But as the 1910s and 20s would roll around, a new domestic terror group would re-emerge to expel, harass, and brutalize anyone who wasn’t “100 percent American.” Some pioneers of the era weren’t going to stand for it. [..]

    “The way this history gets framed often shows people of color as passive victims,” Imarisha tells me. “I think it’s important to frame it that people of color are actually active change makers. The changes that would’ve moved Oregon forward, especially racially, would not have happened without the determination, fortitude, and sheer stubbornness of people of color.”

    One of those people was Beatrice Morrow Cannady. Born in Texas in 1889, Cannady hopped around the country a bit, attending schools in New Orleans and Houston before moving to the Portland in 1912 and before long she was writing for The Advocate, Oregon’s largest black newspaper. By 1914 Cannady was helping to found the Portland chapter of the NAACP and the following year was speaking out against D.W. Griffith’s feature length film The Birth of a Nation — a movie filled with hateful stereotypes and glorified the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan.

    Cannady’s life was filled with personal and professional struggles that seemed neverending. She and her children were refused entry to the main floor of the Oriental Theatre in 1928. And it wasn’t even illegal. The Oregon Supreme Court had decided in the 1906 case Taylor v. Cohn that black people could be legally segregated from whites in public places. That particular ruling wasn’t struck down in the state until 1953, and even then limits on segregation in the state were only loosely enforced.

    Kimberley Mangun’s 2010 biography of Cannady, A Force For Change, is both inspiring and depressing. Cannady’s story is one of tiny victories hard fought over an incredibly long period of time. Frankly, that’s the overwhelming thing about all social and political change. Virtually nothing happens overnight.

    But if Cannady’s story teaches us anything it’s that if you work your ass off and foster a community where people can be a force for good, you too can eventually (one day, maybe, possibly) see minor improvements in the world.

    It was in small victories that Oregonians of color had to take solace in the first few decades of the 20th century. Because once the early 1920s hit, the battle for the future of Oregon would involve a group of terrorist cowards who liked to dress up in their bedsheets and burn shit. […]

    The Telegram was one of the few newspapers in Oregon to openly oppose the Klan at the height of its power in the state. Despite being owned by white Protestant men, the newspaper’s adversarial stance against the Klan’s terrorism brought concerted campaigns to boycott businesses that advertised in the paper. The paper hemorrhaged thousands of readers and when it folded in 1933 many reportedly blamed the Klan’s efforts.

    The Klan themselves counted men like Governor Pierce as members in secret minutes obtained in 1968 from the estate of a former state legislator. Colon R. Eberhard died at the age of 86 and while his personal papers were being processed, a folder of over 200 pages of KKK meetings in Oregon was discovered, dating from 1922 until 1924. Those pages weren’t handed over to the Oregon Historical Society until 1980. Public mention of their existence wouldn’t happen until an article in The Observer newspaper in 1985. Klan membership lists were highly secretive, but politicians like Pierce were discussed in the minutes as being loyal KKK members.

    But the Klan’s presence in Oregon was far from a secret, even in the 1920s. Not only were the hooded cowards meeting with law enforcement, they were advising them on what they’d like to accomplish — all while getting their picture in the newspaper. As the Telegram would report, the Portland police department was “full to the brink with Klansmen.” […]

    People of color were naturally a target for the Klan during this period, but with so few people to irrationally hate for the color of their skin, they turned to campaigns against other groups like Catholics. The Klan, being for American-born Protestants, hated the Roman Catholic church and any of its followers. […]

    Of course, the discrimination didn’t stop after the decline of the Klan. White restaurants still wouldn’t serve black people in Portland, black people weren’t allowed in the city’s swimming pools, and the local skating rink set aside a day for black people. This was as late as the early 1960s.

    “I do remember the signs downtown: ‘We don’t serve Negroes, Jews or dogs’,” one man recounts in a 1999 documentary from Oregon Public TV titled Local Color. The signs were everywhere. And they spanned over two world wars. War attracted soldiers from out of town, both black and white, which spawned resentment from soldiers who were used to a more tolerant atmosphere.

    The Oregon Daily Journal reported on some black soldiers from California who in the summer of 1918 were angered by a sign they saw in the window of a restaurant in Portland. The sign read, “We employ white help and cater to white trade only.” The soldiers entered the restaurant and destroyed the sign. Similarly in 1943, soldiers going off to fight in World War II saw signs in Portland and were outraged.

    The segregation in Portland was as stark as anything in the Jim Crow-era South. And Portland’s bizarre dearth of black people (bizarre to outsiders who were unaware of the climate) really came to a head during World War II, when an influx of black workers came looking for the plentiful jobs offered by the Kaiser Shipyards.

    “Portland was called the most segregated city north of the Mason-Dixon line,” Imarisha tells me. “And so the question became where would these [newly arrived black workers] go? Suddenly you have tens of thousands of black folks pouring in when in Portland there was only one tiny neighborhood called the Albina neighborhood that was already overfull with about 2,500 black folks.” […]

    Oregon today still exists as a white utopia in some respects. The state, much like so many others, is haunted by the residue of less explicit experiments in whitopia. These experiments form the basis of Rich Benjamin’s 2009 book Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America.

    In it, Benjamin travels the country, visiting places that are overwhelmingly white. He meets fascinating characters along the way, and helps to explain places like Oregon and how the actions of the 19th and 20th century bleed into the 21st. […]

    “There is and was some sense that the Pacific Northwest could amount to some form of utopia,” Benjamin tells me referring to the white supremacist movement in the region. “And Richard Butler knew this himself, the old founder of Aryan Nations.”

    Butler died in 2004, but was obsessed as so many other white nationalist militants were, with establishing a white utopia in the area. Butler, much like the founders of Oregon, bothered to write it down.

    “He identified the Pacific Northwest as what would become an Aryan homeland,” Benjamin says. “So the Pacific Northwest has always had a utopic quality to white separatists.”

    “On the one hand, I saw a lot of can-do spirit, therefore one shouldn’t be surprised by all of the technological start-ups both in Oregon and in Washington State. But I also saw a lot of Confederate refugees, to be frank,” Benjamin tells me.

    “I remember driving through swaths of Washington and Oregon and seeing a lot of Confederate flags,” he says. “There are a lot of refugees from the South who I guess are attracted to Oregon not because they’re racists but Oregon had a racial homogeneity and a conservatism and a gun culture that they really appreciate.”

    The Pacific Northwest offers a collision of the old and the new in so many forms. But there’s something particularly disturbing about his description of the juxtaposition you can see in tech hubs — the romanticization of some particularly backwards symbols of a revolution that’s supposed to be long since dead, yet nurtured in the very land that’s supposed to be creating the industries of tomorrow.

    “That was shocking, to drive through Oregon and witness so many Confederate flags, juxtaposed with the high-tech futurism,” Benjamin tells me. […]

    The racial composition of any American city is a product of its history. This may seem painfully obvious, but it’s something that we need to say out loud and type in bold letters to fully appreciate. The racial composition of any American city is a product of its history. And its a history that so many people in Oregon, in Minnesota, in any other “whitopia” don’t seem to be privy to.

    The title of Imarisha’s most commonly given presentation is Why Aren’t There More Black People in Oregon? A Hidden History. She has given the presentation to thousands of people around Oregon over the past four years and she’s understandably frustrated that so few Oregonians are aware of something so fundamental to the state’s founding. Oregon’s history simply isn’t being taught in most Oregon schools. And it’s because even the teachers have no idea.

    “It’s still a hidden history today. It’s not part of the curriculum that’s being taught in public schools in this state. I, in fact, gave a presentation that was mostly public school administrators and public school teachers and I asked them how many of them had known about the exclusionary law before they came to the presentation. Seventy to eighty percent didn’t know that Oregon had racial exclusion laws,” she tells me.

    “The image that the rest of the nation has about Portland is founded a lot on the show Portlandia, right? Keep Portland weird — this sort of idea of this being a white liberal playground. And it’s predicated on racial exclusionary laws and the surplus resources that were purposefully kept from communities of color that were redirected into the white community.”

    This humble blog post barely scratches the surface of the black experience in Oregon, be it the 19th century, 20th century, or today. And it truly isn’t meant to pick on Oregon as a lone destination of warped quasi-utopian intolerance. But as Imarisha said, they bothered to write it down.

    It’s time for white northerners to wake up to the sometimes uncomfortable history of what are now liberal enclaves like Minneapolis, Minnesota and Portland, Oregon and Madison, Wisconsin. There are stories there that may surprise you. Even if the people committing heinous acts didn’t write down their intentions first.

    It’s a long article, but that about sums it up.

  442. rq says

    And it’s more bad news.
    Justice Dept. Moving to Clear Ferguson Officer of Civil Rights Charges

    The Justice Department has begun work on a legal memo recommending no civil rights charges against a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo., who killed an unarmed black teenager in August, law enforcement officials said.

    That would close the politically charged case in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. The investigation by the F.B.I., which is complete, found no evidence to support civil rights charges against the officer, Darren Wilson, the officials said.

    A broader civil rights investigation into allegations of discriminatory traffic stops and excessive force by the Ferguson Police Department remains open, however. That investigation could lead to significant changes at the department, which is overwhelmingly white despite serving a city that is mostly black.

    A broader civil rights investigation into allegations of discriminatory traffic stops and excessive force by the Ferguson Police Department remains open, however. That investigation could lead to significant changes at the department, which is overwhelmingly white despite serving a city that is mostly black.

    The state authorities concluded their investigation into Mr. Brown’s death in November and similarly recommended no charges.

    There is a high legal bar for bringing federal civil rights charges, and federal investigators had for months signaled that they were unlikely to do so. The Justice Department plans to release a report explaining its decision, though it is not clear when. […]

    The federal investigation did not uncover any facts that differed significantly from the evidence made public by the authorities in Missouri late last year, the law enforcement officials said. To bring federal civil rights charges, the Justice Department would have needed to prove that Officer Wilson had intended to violate Mr. Brown’s rights when he had opened fire and that he had done so willfully — meaning he knew that it was wrong to fire, but did so anyway. […]

    It is not clear when the broader civil rights inquiry of the police department, known as a pattern or practice investigation, will be completed. Under Mr. Holder, prosecutors have opened more than 20 such investigations nationwide. The Justice Department recently called for sweeping changes to the Cleveland Police Department and negotiated an independent monitor to oversee the department in Albuquerque.

    Mr. Wilson resigned from the department in November, citing threats of violence against him and other officers. “It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal,” he said.

    So even with the language he used in his testimony and his trigger-happy fingers, looks like Darren Wilson will suffer absolutely no ill effects from shooting Michael Brown.

    Should Birmingham Police Be Allowed to Pepper Spray Students?

    In a trial that began yesterday, eight Birmingham students are suing their local police department after being pepper sprayed by police working at their four high schools. One tenth grade girl, “K.B.” according to a 2012 court order, was sprayed when she allegedly could not stop crying, or “calm down,” after “a fellow student harassed her with lewd comments because she was pregnant.” Other students had committed minor infractions like fighting or were being or had been detained by local police acting as “school resource officers.” No criminal charges have been lodged against any of the students, according to plaintiff attorneys with the SPLC which reports:

    From 2006 to 2011, police in Birmingham public schools – whose students are predominantly African American – used chemical weapons on about 300 students and in the vicinity of 1,250. By contrast, in the neighboring, largely suburban Jefferson County schools, chemical spray was used just once during that same period.

    An attorney for the police argues for the schools’ violent atmosphere to be taken into account, as well as the fact that police are trained on how and when to use pepper spray. The SPLC wants a stop to the use of pepper spraying in schools or mandatory training and appropriate school supervision of police officers.

    Learn more about this school discipline case on AL.com.

    Interesting that Bob McCulloch would be a keynote speaker at @SLU_Official, during Black History Month.

  444. rq says

    Also, this happened: Eric Garner memorial burned down in Staten Island on MLK Day

    The fire came after Garner’s family had spent the day attending events across the city honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

    Cynthia Davis, a spokeswoman for the family, said they believe the blaze to have been an accident.

    “The police department explained to me what happened,” said Davis, who works at the National Action Network. She said officers offered to show her surveillance footage of the memorial, which they said showed the memorial suddenly start to smoke. A passersby then saw it burst into flames and called 911.

    Garner’s daughter Erica had said she suspected arson.

    But the FDNY told HuffPost that it received a call for a “debris/rubbish fire” on the sidewalk outside 204 Bay Street at 10:23 p.m., and that the flames were extinguished by 10:41 p.m. The department said it has ruled the fire an “accidental candle fire.”

    Davis said she, the Garner family, and the Rev. Al Sharpton had held a candlelight vigil at the memorial earlier Monday evening, but that people were carrying candles in their hands, and that there were no lit candles in the memorial itself.

    I heard they rebuilt it already, which is good.

  445. says

    Police use high-tech radar to warrantlessly monitor people inside their homes

    At the center of the controversy is a portable Doppler radar device called RANGE-R. Its manufacturer states that the radio-frequency scan of a house can be done silently in seconds from outside the home. The RF waves “will penetrate most common building wall, ceiling or floor types including poured concrete, concrete block, brick, wood, stucco glass, adobe, dirt, etc.,” the website states. “However, it will not penetrate metal.”

    The device has remained largely unknown — even to judges — because law enforcement agencies are not seeking judicial approval to use them. A recent appellate case in Kansas may have been the first to draw significant attention to the controversial device.

    Deputy U.S. Marshal Josh Moff was forced to explain the use of the RANGE-R unit during examination in court:

    “It’s called a Ranger. It’s a hand-held Doppler radar device.”

    “It picks up breathing, human breathing, and movement within a house.”

    “It’s a device that’s about 10 inches by 4 inches wide, 10 inches long. You hold the device up to the house and it sends that radar out, or, Doppler radar out through the house; and when it comes back, it will tell you if it’s picking up somebody’s breathing. Then it will tell you if that person is moving or if they’re stationary. And it tells you how many feet from where you’re at it’s coming from. So it could say 10 feet, 15 feet or whatever; and if it’s moving it will say — it will read the different feet off as they’re moving, how far they are from you.”

    Deputy Moff was testifying about the 2013 arrest of a parole violator, Steven J. Denson, in Sedgwick County, Kansas. Moff and other federal agents used the RANGE-R device to detect movement in a residential home that had a utility account registered to “Steven Denson.” After using RANGE-R to detect movement inside the home, the team entered and arrested Denson.

    Interestingly, Deputy Moff’s report made no mention of the radar; it said only that officers “developed reasonable suspicion that Denson was in the residence.” The team did not have a search warrant to enter and and search the residence.

    Denson was charged with parole violation and possessing firearms following a felony conviction. Upon appeal, three judges on the federal 10th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to throw out the evidence (firearms) on account of the warrantless radar search, and upheld Denson’s conviction.

    Despite the decision, the judges wrote that they had “little doubt that the radar device deployed here will soon generate many questions for this court.”

    Indeed, the use of radar draws remarkable similarities to other techniques that have already been deemed a “search” for the purposes of the Fourth Amendment, including the use of thermal imaging to see through walls (Kyllo v. United States) and the use of dogs to sniff the perimeters of houses (Florida v. Jardines).

    USA TODAY reported that over fifty U.S. law enforcement agencies have secretly equipped their officers with radar devices. The customers of radar-maker L-3 Communications reportedly includes the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service.

    “The idea that the government can send signals through the wall of your house to figure out what’s inside is problematic,” ACLU technologist Christopher Soghoian told USA TODAY. “Technologies that allow the police to look inside of a home are among the intrusive tools that police have.”

    Until policy makers draw up some guidelines or the courts consider the radar a form of a search, law enforcement agencies will continue to expand the use of the devices and do so without requiring a warrant or permission.

  446. rq says

    Before the really bad news, let’s look at Selma again: Maureen Dowd’s clueless white gaze: What’s really behind the “Selma” backlash

    This magnificent and powerful film has, at this point, been endlessly derided by white and black critics alike who say it fails to get the story just right. Among white critics, its cardinal sin is failure to pay proper homage to Lyndon B. Johnson for being a champion of black voting rights. He’s represented in the film as a reluctant ally in the civil rights struggle, as one whose racial views evolve over time.

    Dowd rips what she calls Ava’s DuVernay’s “artful falsehood,” for having the potentially and apparently regrettable result of making the “young moviegoers [now] see L.B.J.’s role in civil rights through DuVernay’s lens.”

    “Artful falsehood,” Dowd tells us, “is more dangerous than artless falsehood, because fewer people see through it.”

    But the truth is, a new racial lens is exactly what America needs. In “Selma,” we learn what films look like when directors and cinematographers who love and respect black people turn their gaze on us. “Selma” artfully displaces a white gaze, and it is this unnamed and unsettling anxiety that sits at the heart of so many of the critiques of the film.

    This white racial anxiety of not being at the center feels to me far more dangerous to black youth than seeing a film that tells them a story about themselves and their history. Having taught in D.C. public schools, I know D.C. youth aren’t checking for any kind of saviors, white or black. Like most adolescents, they are looking to find their path and make their mark. […]

    “Selma” achieves both narrative breadth and affective depth. DuVernay added 27 new characters to a screenplay heavily focused on LBJ and MLK, most of them women. That sense of elasticity in the storytelling stretches us, demanding of us a more inclusive, less-sexist vision of the black freedom struggle. Beyond that, the movie asks us to understand the spiritual weight, the indignity, the brutality, the visceral pain of racial injustice and the vision, perseverance and digging deep required every day to stand up, fight back and keep moving.

    Many white people missed this, because they need the civil rights movement to be fewer dirges and more redemption songs. Just as there has been a failure of white people to truly grasp the singularity of the racial atrocities committed against black people (and indigenous people) in the name of white supremacy, there remains a studied indifference to the ways that we are, 50 years later, feeling these pains of democracy aborted all over again.

    Mothers cry out and grandfathers weep that our nation’s past sins are revisited upon another undeserving generation of black people vulnerable to injustice by a system and a people that forget their capacity for brutality far too quickly.

    Blood spilling from out stretched palms, the perpetrators demand absolution. Without confession. Or repentance. Or restitution. […]

    Perhaps Dowd is hypersensitive about the alleged “artful falsehood” in “Selma” because racial politics in this country are a frequent and unrelenting exercise in “artful falsehoods.” That electing a black president signaled the end of racism is an artful falsehood. That police really care to protect and serve black and brown communities is artful falsehood. That racial progress is linear is an artful falsehood. These are the pretty little lies we tell ourselves to make the fictive narrative of America–the land of life, liberty and justice for all– cohere.

    As I have listened in my blackademic circles to the various critiques of the ways that “Selma” did not get the story right, I am reminded that for those who are caretakers and guardians of black history, artistic license feels too risky. The real stories have yet to be fully told. How dare we subject them to the tools of representation, which often seem to be more hammer than chisel when it comes to carving out the beauty of our lives? Couldn’t we just have more Diane Nash and more Amelia Boynton? In a world where black lives and black histories mattered, they’d have their own films, alongside Ida B. Wells, and SNCC, and Fannie Lou Hamer.

    But how will we ever have any of those stories if we can’t trust a black woman to tell this story? We don’t trust black women to be our philosophers and theorists, our political strategists, or our film directors. Directing, like quarterbacking, we are told to believe is the province of white men. This is why the Oscar nomination “Selma” received for best picture feels hollow—the academy clearly does not respect DuVernay’s directorial vision. Save Steve McQueen, black folks, men included, are rarely deemed fitting of recognition in any kind of academy, except music. White women are not respected as directors either. It is precisely that intersection, that double jeopardy, of blackness and womanhood that gives so many black women the exceptional ability to artfully render black life, to see it in all its fullness, to move beyond the perspectival limits of whiteness and maleness. That same intersection often becomes a liability in the quest for institutional recognition of black female genius.

    Ava DuVernay surely knows that. So she made the film she wanted to make. One that features Amelia Boynton and Coretta Scott King having a conversation about what it means to be prepared, as we hear Coretta talking about her desire for a more active role in the strategy and organizing side of the movement. One in which Diane Nash reassures the men, on their car ride into Selma, that this is the next big place for movement building. One in which Annie Lee Cooper slaps the policeman who manhandles her.

    In this film, we see black women resisting, organizing, strategizing and cajoling. That we want to see even more of this tells us that “Selma” is akin to being gifted a few acres of our own after too many years gleaning cotton in fields that have not belonged to us. […]

    Black men don’t tell race stories like this. This kind of film is the unique result of what black feminist scholars call the “visionary pragmatism” of black women filmmakers.

    And this is what feels so false and condescending and egregious about Maureen Dowd admonishing Ava DuVernay, that “On matters of race—America’s original sin—there is an even higher responsibility to be accurate.” She didn’t levy such a critique of “Lincoln’s” failure to include Frederick Douglass, a trusted adviser of the president. But more than that, there is this.

    Being more accurate does not mean one has told more truth. Read any Toni Morrison novel, and you’ll learn that novels often tell far more truth than autobiography. DuVernay tells us many truths in this film about the affective and emotive dimensions of black politics, about the intimacy of black struggle, about the spirit of people intimately acquainted with daily assaults on their humanity. The recent tragic killings of unarmed youth have surely taught us that if we don’t work from a presumption of black humanity, facts don’t mean very much in our interpretation of events.

    More than that, those in power choose the “facts” that matter.

    What I hope those D.C. high school students and every high school student that will get to see this film learn is that ours is a beautiful struggle. I hope they learn that despite our defeats, we’ve had our triumphs, too. I hope they see how integral women were to this struggle. I hope they have a clearer picture of what revolutionary leadership looks like – that these people ate and slept, loved and fought, shaved and got help putting on neckties, struggled with the right words to say and sometimes made mistakes. They rose to meet the challenges of their times. And we can, too.

    Cop investigated over money missing from association of black St. Louis police officers

    “This is a police officer accused of stealing from fellow police officers,” Dotson said. He said the FBI would be asked to assist in the investigation because “there are obviously aspects of public corruption and white-collar crime.”

    No one has been charged, arrested or suspended from duty, he said.

    Dotson emphasized that there was no public money missing — all of it came from dues of members of the Ethical Society of Police.

    In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, the society said it had asked for both criminal and internal investigations after “financial irregularities with the organization’s funds” were noted in December.

    Sgt. Darren Wilson, who was president of the society for three years, has left the post, according to a letter to society members dated Jan. 8. It praised Wilson for “masterful leadership” but said he “will formally end his stewardship of the ESOP effective immediately.”

    The society’s vice president, Andre Smith, took over the presidency until the next election of officers, in August.

    Neither could be reached for comment Wednesday.

    Wilson is not related to the former Ferguson police officer of the same name, whose shooting of Michael Brown in August triggered protests nationwide.

    Ah, the man who returned ‘no indictment’ for Eric Garner. Garner prosecutor: I would oppose any law that alters grand jury decisions

    “I fear that people who disagree with one grand jury decision are going to disrupt what’s been in place for 200 years. The system works,” said District Attorney Dan Donovan, who has come under fire for not securing a grand jury indictment in the Garner case.

    He said the Founding Fathers set up a grand jury system so that prosecutors don’t have too much power.

    “The grand jury is the buffer between the government and our citizens,” Donovan told The Post.

    He warned against “making bad law” over one tough case. […]

    Donovan, a Republican running to replace Michael Grimm in Congress, said he also opposes opening up grand jury proceedings.

    “The grand jury proceedings are secret for a reason. These are assurances we make to lay people and officers when they testify. The current proceedings work. I would oppose any change,” he said.

    Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature are considering changes to the grand jury process in light of the Garner case.

    Just a note: the kkk has had 3 distinct movements: 1860’s, 1920’s, & 1950’s
    you’ll note that those dates coincide with Reconstruction (1860’s), Harlem Renaissance (1920’s), & Civil Rights Movement (1950’s)
    … So there’s probably going to be an increase in KKK activities now, too.

    Michael Brown’s family has issued the following statement to #STL media following the #NYT article #ferguson

    “The family of Michael Brown, Jr. will wait for official word from the Justice Department regarding whether or not any charges will be filed against the police officer who shot and killed him.

    The family won’t address speculation from anonymous sources.”

    – Benjamin L. Crump, Esq.

  447. rq says

    So the bad news I alluded to earlier.
    Another young man (19) has been shot in St Louis. Don’t have a name yet.
    Here’s Chief Dotson in video on the shooting, and here’s the newspaper: St. Louis officers fatally shoot armed passenger in stolen car

    The car was being followed by police when it hit a retaining wall near an alley in the area of Marcus and Cottage avenues. When two officers approached the car, Dotson said, the passenger got out holding a gun that had an extended magazine that could hold as many as 30 rounds.

    The officers told the man to drop the gun, Dotson said. When he didn’t, the officers opened fire, the chief said.

    The man was wounded and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. […]

    The chief said there were witnesses to the shooting, including a woman who lived near where it happened.

    Terramus Manley, 40, of St. Louis, said he saw the shooting as he was visiting a friend who lives at an apartment nearby.

    He said he saw officers following the Monte Carlo, but not at a high speed. When the car stopped, Manley said, police pulled up behind and he heard officers yell “freeze, freeze, freeze, don’t move.”

    Manley said the passenger got out, took about two steps and looked as if he was about to run. That’s when the officers fired, he said.

    Manley said he didn’t see a gun but that right after the shots ended he heard the officers say “get the gun.”

    Dotson:ofcs told suspect to drop gun but he did not. That’s when both ofcs opened fire hitting 19 yr old/killing him.
    After car engine died, Dotson says 19 yr old passenger got out with tech 9 handgun with extended 30 round magazine.

    Pics from scene of fatal officer involved shooting at Marcus & Cottage in #STL police say 19 y/o had gun;
    Teen shot, killed by officers had loaded gun, Dotson says

    Police said officers were doing hot-spot policing in north St. Louis when they noticed the stolen vehicle. The suspect vehicle made an illegal U-turn when the driver spotted officers, according to St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson. After the vehicle made the U-turn, officers attempted to follow, but not pursue the car. Authorities spotted the car again a short time later, right before the vehicle hit a retaining wall along Cottage near the intersection of Marcus. The car then stalled.

    Police said a passenger in the stolen car got out of the vehicle and refused to drop an Intratec TEC-9 gun that contained 30 rounds. He was shot by two officers. Officers said the driver, who was not shot, is cooperating with police.

    The suspect was taken to a hospital but later died. According to police, no officers were injured.

  448. rq says

    And comments from police as passed on by those who spoke to them:
    Officer stated he wouldn’t have got shot if he hadn’t stole the car #NorthSideShooting
    Witness says that ambulance sat for 25 minutes before checking on victim #NorthSideShooting

    Police started taking the tape down. I asked officer how he feel , he said well I don’t steal cars with guns. ARE U FUCKIN KIDDIN ME?!
    People who live here saying he literally was just tryna get away. Police fired about 10 shots. 19 year old boy smh
    It’s not illegal to have a gun in Missouri so why do they keep gunning ppl down if no one upped the gun on them? If he even had one.

  449. rq says

    For comparison, #CrimingWhileWhite: Sarah Culhane is white. Michael Brown is dead.

    Other things:
    “It is our duty to fight!” DC die in Outside Conf of Mayors #CodePink #ThinkMoor #DCFerguson #Ferguson #ReclaimMLK
    “Hey Mayors, Come Out. We have all to talk about!” DC ConfofMayors #CodePink #ThinkMoor #DCFerguson #Ferguson

    No justice. DA will not file charges in fatal police shooting in September

    No charges will be filed against an officer in the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man in Richmond last September, a Contra Costa County deputy district attorney said.

    In a letter to Richmond police Chief Chris Magnus on Tuesday, Deputy District Attorney Barry Grove wrote that Officer Wallace Jensen was justified in acting in self-defense when he shot Richmond resident Richard “Pedie” Perez on Sept. 14.

    “We conclude that not only is it not possible to prove Officer Jensen did not act in self-defense, but the facts and circumstances indicate that the officer acted in lawful self-defense,” Grove wrote.

    The Richmond Police Department has launched an internal investigation into the incident that will take several months to complete, police Capt. Mark Gagan said.

    Because an attorney representing the Perez family has filed a civil lawsuit alleging wrongful death in the case, Gagan said an outside law firm is handling the internal investigation, court proceedings and depositions. Gagan did not name the firm.

    Civil rights attorney John Burris said his client should not have been shot that day and contested the narrative set forth by the district attorney’s office.

    And because you have to see it: New video shows woman throwing bacon and sausage at cops inside police station. And the guy doing his paperwork.

    The Family of a Black Teen Shot by Palm Beach County Police Wants Answers

    Two deputies had pinned her 17-year-old son, Devin, to the ground. She heard a bang and, suddenly, his body shook violently.

    Louissaint thought he had been hit with a Taser. Then she saw the blood. He’s been shot, she thought.

    “I ran over and put my face on the ground,” she recalls, “because his face was on the ground, and I saw his eyes were dilated. He was gone.”

    Devin Jolicoeur died of gunshot wounds in the early evening that Thursday. Four bullets pierced his chest and one his hand. Not only his mother, but also his grandmother, aunt, and best friend were there. So were several other family friends and neighbors who had come out to see why police were questioning the teen.

    After a brief investigation, Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg ruled the shooting justified. Josh Kushel, the deputy who had fired the gun that killed Devin, claimed the kid had pointed a gun at his partner, Sgt. James Hightower.

    But many questions remain unanswered. Several witnesses said they never saw the boy draw a gun. Officers seemingly contradicted one another in testimony after the shooting. And they either lied or were mistaken about the presence of marijuana, which they used as a basis for the interrogation.

    “They murdered my son, and then they lied about him,” Louissaint insists. “It just didn’t happen like they said it did. Not at all.”

  450. rq says

    Response to request for investigation of Darren Wilson Grand Jury, scanned pdf. Basically, no.

    “@deray: And SLU is hosting McCulloch in February on “Policing Post-Ferguson”. America. ” Wow.

    Youtube video: Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boycott White Business Buy Black Invest In Black Business .

    While waiting at #Ferguson PD, a black man was just released after 2 weeks in Jail for traffic warrants from 10 yrs ago–Nothing’s changed.

    .@deray You think if Mike said he stole those cigars for a 13 yr old gf, he’d be painted as a prince charming? (I know twitter got one paper to change their headline about that case – they started out with the romance and love angle, rather than the crime and pedophilia angle. Called it a ‘learning experience’. Huh.)

    And this. It’s like there’s a line drawn. Wow. Map: 16 states have more people in prisons and jails than college housing. And the most of them are in the south.

    One possible takeaway is that states keeping more inmates in prisons and jails than people in college housing arguably have poor priorities. College is still a great investment, with multiple studies showing higher education significantly increases people’s wages and economic output. Mass incarceration in the US long ago hit diminishing returns that make it an ineffective crime-fighting tool; an analysis by the Pew Public Safety Performance Project found that the 10 states that shrunk incarceration rates the most over the past five years saw bigger drops in crime than the 10 states where incarceration rates most grew.

    But the map doesn’t show that there are fewer people in college than jail and prison. The entire US corrections population, which includes people in jail, prison, parole, and probation, totaled 6.9 million in 2013. In comparison, about 19.5 million people were enrolled for college that same year — but most students live off-campus.

    So while criminal justice experts generally agree it’s long past time to reduce the number of Americans in jails and prisons, the map isn’t a perfect comparison. But it at least shows the US has a lot of jail and prison inmates.

  451. rq says

    Cop says he was punished for complaining about racist cartoon used in training. It’s a racist cartoon, alright.

    Ten-year department veteran Arthur Scott — who is black — says in the Superior Court lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was the victim of a hostile work environment and on-the-job retaliation after objecting, the UT San Diego reported.

    San Diego police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said in a statement that the department will take the allegations “very seriously.” […]

    At issue is a century-old newspaper cartoon mocking a black police officer in the city. It shows Chinese men in pigtails running in fear from an ape-like caricature.

    The lawsuit said the cartoon was passed around in a training class without historical context on race relations.

    Scott, 43, said he complained to a supervisor. He claims he was later passed over for a promotion, pressured into taking an undesirable transfer and threatened with disciplinary action “based upon frivolous allegations of misconduct.”

    NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo likely won’t pay a dime for killing Eric Garner

    In a recent Mother Jones articleby Jaeah Lee, the clear case is made than Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who already lost several lawsuits for police misconduct, will likely not pay a dime for killing Eric Garner.

    Instead, taxpayers will shoulder the cost. Between 2006 and 2011, New York City paid out $348 million in settlements or judgments in cases pertaining to civil rights violations by police, according to a UCLA study published in June 2014. Those nearly 7,000 misconduct cases included allegations of excessive use of force, sexual assault, unreasonable searches, and false arrests. More than 99 percent of the payouts came from the city’s municipal budget, which has a line item dedicated to settlements and judgments each year. (The city did require police to pay a tiny fraction of the total damages, with officers personally contributing in less than 1 percent of the cases for a total of $114,000.)

    This scenario is typical of police departments across the country, says the study’s author Joanna Schwartz, who analyzed records from 81 law enforcement agencies employing 20 percent of the nation’s approximately 765,000 police officers. (The NYPD, which is responsible for three-quarters of the cases in the study, employs just over 36,000 officers.) Out of the more than $735 million paid out by cities and counties for police misconduct between 2006 and 2011, government budgets paid more than 99 percent. Local laws indemnifying officers from responsibility for such damages vary, but “there is little variation in the outcome,” Schwartz wrote. “Officers almost never pay.”

    For the rest of us, while we may be governed primarily by ethics or a moral code, we go out of our way to avoid certain actions with the full knowledge that harassing, harming, or killing someone would likely have severe physical and financial consequences. If the bulk of the consequences for the most egregious actions committed by police were removed from society like they are overwhelmingly removed for law enforcement, our nation may very well erupt into a full blown civil war with violence and mayhem of epic proportions.

    Lee goes on to explain that our very own Supreme Court has, in essence, given officers complete immunity from civil rights claims filed by families of victims.

    In the past, the Supreme Court has ruled that police officers should be afforded “qualified immunity” from civil rights claims brought by citizens—the risk of legal exposure could deter officers from carrying out their duties, the court has held—except in cases where an officer has violated “clearly established law.” Yet, in other cases the Supreme Court has ruled that municipalities should not be liable for damages incurred by its employees, and that punitive damages can’t be awarded against cities. In a 1981 majority opinion, Associate Justice Harry A. Blackmun stated that if municipalities were held liable for civil claims, it could lead to tax hikes or “a reduction of public services for the citizens footing the bill. Neither reason nor justice suggests that such retribution should be visited upon the shoulders of blameless or unknowing taxpayers.” But in Schwartz’s view, cities requiring so few officers to pay even for punitive damages “goes against the spirit of that decision.”

    If we think officers aren’t paying attention to the court decisions that freed officers who beat Rodney King or killed Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo, we’re kidding ourselves. Legal precedents and best practices by officers are being set and reset every day with each case that allows officers to do the most egregious acts imaginable with relative impunity.

    Three states make MLK Day a joint holiday with Confederate General Robert E. Lee

    Every now and then, if you happen to forget the complicated history of our country, Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi will do something to snatch you back into reality.

    These three states, all in the American South, have made the federal holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King a joint holiday with the Confederate General Robert E. Lee and went out of their way with signage and notices on government buildings to communicate this reality. The irony in Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama being so insistent on honoring General Lee on King Day is that Virginia, the state where Lee was born, raised, fought, and died, abandoned this practice decades ago.

    Interlude: Cosby. As Cosby rape accusations escalate, expect division along racial lines

    And yet, some in the black community are increasingly coming to Cosby’s defense. Call it the O.J. effect. When the former NFL star O.J. Simpson was accused and tried for the murder of his ex-wife and her companion — both of whom were white — many black folks thought he was framed.

    And they felt this way because of the historical context, of black men who were falsely accused of raping white women over the years.

    The white fear of black bucks raping white women was present throughout slavery and Jim Crow segregation. And such allegations, typically fabricated, led to the lynching of black men from trees, if not imprisonment, and massacres of black communities in places such as Rosewood, Florida, and Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

    That is not to say Bill Cosby is innocent. But it is an attempt to explain why some African-Americans will come to his defense and have done so already and why there is a growing divide over whether people believe he — like O.J. — did or did not do it.

    Aside from the racial explanation for pro-Cosby support, there is also a gender factor. The allegations of these women are by no means new, and yet it took a joke from Hannibal Buress, a male comedian, for the allegations to resurface and reenter the public domain in a serious way.

    Meanwhile, in STL: City’s Public Safety Committee Wants Regular Meetings With Police Chief. From what I understand, he was a no-show at the last meeting he was supposed to speak at, citing scheduling conflicts and a promise to reschedule.

    The St. Louis Board of Aldermen’s Public Safety Committee wants monthly updates from Police Chief Sam Dotson on the status of his department and crime in the city.

    Committee members agreed Wednesday morning to request the updates as an interim solution while they work to establish a more permanent system of accountability. The police department has been under local control since 2013 after the city gained oversight from a state board.

    Alderman Antonio French said regular updates would allow the committee and the public to ask questions and raise concerns, particularly about the city’s high homicide rate. He also wants to improve police transparency. French said the department has less accountability now than before it came under local control two years ago.

    Police union upset with Reed over ‘hands up’ photo

    At issue is a photo of Reed and celebrities including actor Chris Tucker, as well as rappers Young Jeezy and Ludacris, with their arms raised in a gesture that is commonly known as “hands up, don’t shoot.” The gesture has come to symbolize tension between law enforcement and minority communities following the death of Ferguson, Mo. teenager Michael Brown, who was killed last year in a police-involved shooting.

    Ken Allen, president of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 623, said he heard from many officers who believe the photo sends a troubling message. Allen leads a union of roughly 1,200 lawmen.

    “It’s sending a message to the community that contradicts what I think we do in Atlanta,” he said. “I think the message tells the public that there is an issue (here).”

    Reed, who is traveling in Washington this week, could not be reached for comment. But spokeswoman Anne Torres said his participation in the photo, which was taken at an event last month, was a reaction to a grand jury’s decision not to indict a police officer over Brown’s death. […]

    “Since Michael Brown’s shooting in August, Mayor Reed has been asked to comment on community policing on multiple occasions both nationally and locally,” she said in a statement. “In every instance, he has consistently expressed his appreciation of the fine work of the men and women of the Atlanta Police Department.”

    Allen acknowledged that the mayor has publicly supported APD’s handling of protests, which at times turned raucous last fall. But he thinks that support would be lost on those who see the photo with no context. […]

    Emory political scientist Michael Leo Owens thinks the mayor’s participation in the photo is politically less damaging in Atlanta, which has a majority black police force and is led by an African-American chief.

    “If we had these sort of cases in Atlanta that we see elsewhere, it would be a very different story,” he said. “And if we had those sorts of cases, the mayor might not have used what we assume is this symbol.”

    Local photographer Aric Thompson, of Dream Photography Group, said he snapped the picture during the mayor’s December ball for a series of “hands up, don’t shoot” celebrity photos. The project is not yet complete.

  452. rq says

    ‘Black Lives Matter’ Protesters Interrupt Capitol Hill Lunch

    About 50 protesters congregated in a U.S. House of Representatives office cafeteria in Washington, D.C., chanting “Black Lives Matter” and taking over the space in front of the cash registers. They held signs reading “outlaw racial profiling” and “stop jump outs” and stayed on the floor for about four and a half minutes, recalling the four and a half hours that Brown’s body remained face down in the street after he was shot.

    The protesters included Jewish, Christian and Muslim clergy and people of faith. After some urging by Capitol police officers, the protesters moved outside where it had started to snow.

    Yasmina Mrabet, who said she is a local organizer for one of the groups that has emerged in response to Brown’s death, said she was working to stop the use of “jump outs” in the district, which Newsweek recently described as “a scarier version of stop-and-frisk.”

    “We want an immediate end to this racially biased paramilitary tactic and the terrorizing of the black community in D.C.,” she said, adding that she doesn’t “see any reform really happening from President Obama or his administration” on the issue of police violence.

    McDonald’s Sued For Supervisors That Allegedly Called Staff ‘Dirty Mexican’ And Solicited Sex From Them

    The lawsuit, which was shared with ThinkProgress, claims the plaintiffs were “subjected to rampant racial and sexual harassment, committed by the restaurants’ highest-ranking supervisors.” Nine of the plaintiffs are African American, while the remaining one is Hispanic; seven of them are women. They claim that supervisors “demeaned African American workers; often complained that ‘there are too many black people in the store;’ called African-American workers ‘bitch,’ ‘ghetto,’ and ‘ratchet;’ called Hispanic workers ‘dirty Mexican;’ disciplined African-American employees for rule infractions that were forgiven when committed by white employees; inappropriately touched female employees on their legs and buttocks; sent female employees sexual pictures; and solicited sexual relations from female employees.”

    It also claims that the franchisee, Soweva Co., implemented a plan to reduce the number of black employees and hire more whites. One supervisor allegedly told another, “now we can get rid of the niggers and the Mexicans.” Nine of the plaintiffs allege they were fired soon after, along with 11 others, and they were told it was because they didn’t “fit the profile.” They say they complained to McDonald’s corporate but that it didn’t respond. The remaining plaintiff says she was forced to resign after ongoing racial harassment.
    Here’s a letter-writing campaign about it: Racist McDonald’s Bosses FIRE 10 Workers

    They were told they didn’t “fit the profile” – and then they were fired.

    Ten McDonald’s workers were fired for no reason amidst racist harassment – one McDonald’s manager said simply, “There are too many black people in the store.” It’s not right – and McDonald’s needs to end racist harassment and pay these workers back pay and damages now.

    Washington Post on the same: Fired McDonald’s workers say they were dismissed for being minorities.

    the man who filmed #nypd murdering #ericgarner is in court today. his name is #ramseyorta & he was framed.

    High Rates of Depression Among African-American Women, Low Rates of Treatment. I have a feeling the life of a protestor and activist doesn’t help.

    Although some figures vary based on the study, depression affects between 17-20 million Americans a year. Data from a study published by the Center for Disease Control — the CDC — found that women (4 percent vs. 2.7 percent of men) and African-Americans (4 percent) are significantly more likely to report major depression than whites (3.1 percent).

    But the CDC also finds that just 7.6 percent of African-Americans sought treatment for depression compared to 13.6 percent of the general population in 2011. […]

    Because the findings show that women — regardless of race or ethnicity — are more likely than men to experience depression, and African-Americans experience major depression at higher rates than whites, then black women in turn also experience high rates of depression compared to the general population.

    Despite other studies showing conflicting data that are at odds with these findings, the CDC appears to be more reliable because it is the most recent study of its kind. [..]

    A report published by researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that poverty, parenting, racial and gender discrimination put black women — particularly low-income black women — at greater risk for major depressive disorder (MDD).

    Depression is not only treated at lower rates in the African-American community, particularly among black women, but of those who do receive treatment, many don’t receive adequate treatment.

    Hector M. Gonzalez, Ph.D., and colleagues at Wayne State University, Detroit, found that overall, only about half of Americans diagnosed with major depression in a given year receive treatment for it. But only one-fifth receive treatment consistent with current practice guidelines. African-Americans had some of the lowest rates of use of depression care.

    Because blacks, particularly black women, experience higher rates of depression than their white female or black male counterparts, but receive lower rates of treatment for depression — specifically adequate treatment — they remain one of the most undertreated groups for depression in the United States. Several major reasons account for high rates of depression and low rates of treatment for depression among African-American women. […]

    “There’s a strong relationship between socioeconomic status and health such that people at the lower end, people in poverty tend to have poorer health and tend to have fewer resources … for dealing with the stressors of life,” Brown said.

    According to the National Poverty Center, poverty rates for blacks greatly exceed the national average. And poverty rates are highest for families headed by single women, particularly if they are black or Hispanic.

    Studies show about 72 percent of black mothers are single compared to 29 percent for non-Hispanic whites, 53 percent for Hispanics, 66 percent for American Indian/Alaska native and 17 percent for Asian/Pacific Islander.

    Since black women are more likely to be poor, to be unmarried and to parent a child alone, which are all stressors that can contribute to poor mental health, they are also least likely to have resources like adequate mental health insurance to address problems such as depression. […]

    Psychologist Lisa Orbe-Austin, who runs a practice with her husband and treats predominantly black women, said her patients often struggle with distorted images of themselves because of the mischaracterizations they face daily.

    She said psychologists treating black women often “try to help them shed some of these stereotypical experiences to kind of cope with healthier ways and to try to find a more integrated sense of self where they feel like they’re truly authentically themselves.”

    Depression can effect anyone but cultural and gender differences cause depression to be experienced and expressed differently in African-American woman compared to other subgroups of the population. These cultural and gender differences have a major impact on whether and how black women are treated for depression. […]

    As a result black women are more likely to deal with the shame many feel about poor mental health and depression in much of the same way by avoiding the emotional toll it takes on them.

    Lack of Knowledge

    Because of negative stigmas surrounding mental health and depression, there is an extreme lack of knowledge about depression in African-American communities.

    Researchers at Mental Health America find that African-Americans are more likely to believe depression is “normal.” In fact, in a study commissioned by Mental Health America on depression, 56 percent of blacks believed that depression was a normal part of aging.

    A report published by the National Institute of Health (NIH) examined black women’s representations and beliefs about mental illness. Researchers cite the low use of mental health services by African-American women and identify stigma as the most significant barrier to seeking mental health services among blacks.

    Not only do a troubling number of African-Americans not understand depression to be a serious medical condition, but the stereotype of the strong black woman leads many African-American women to believe that they don’t have the luxury or time to experience depression. Some even believe it is only something White people experience.

    “When seeking help means showing unacceptable weakness, actual black women, unlike their mythical counterpart, face depression, anxiety, and loneliness,” writes author Melissa Harris-Perry in her book “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America.”

    “Through the ideal of the strong black woman, African-American women are subject not only to historically rooted racist and sexist characterizations of black women as a group but also a matrix of unrealistic interracial expectations that construct black women as unshakeable, unassailable and naturally strong.”

    African-Americans tend to cope with mental health problems by using informal resources like the church, family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. In many cases they seek treatment from ministers and physicians as opposed to mental health professionals.

    This form of coping can be beneficial for black women who are uncomfortable with traditional forms of mental health care. But it can also encourage beliefs about negative stigmas surrounding mental health in the black church. […]

    Research shows that African-American women’s use of mental health services may also be influenced by barriers including, “poor quality of health care, (limited access to clinicians that are culturally competent), and cultural matching (limited access to work with minority clinicians).”

    A history of trauma and victimization experienced by African-Americans has also helped foster a cultural mistrust toward the U.S. health care system. Events like the Tuskegee Experiments are hypothesized to contribute to many black people’s negative attitudes about health care.

    High levels of cultural mistrust have also been linked to a negative stigma of mental illness in the African-American community. Mental health professionals cite it as another significant barrier to treatment seeking for African-American women. […]

    “Even though they are facing racism and sexism that they are finding ways to care for themselves and accommodate what they’re faced with from external society and largely through a lot of relationships and support systems that they built for themselves among relatives and among friends,” said Matthew Johnson, a licensed psychologist in New Jersey and faculty member at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

    “We’re seeing a change,” said Sharpe, “We now see women have a voice and I think that people are seeing that we are extremely intelligent, smart and that we have the compassion to move and to make things happen a little quicker.”

    Mental health professionals hope, with more awareness, attitudes about depression among black women will shift even more in a positive direction. “I do think our community could use a lot of healing and I do think there’s a lot of potential for psychotherapy in our community,” said Orbe-Austin.

  453. rq says

    ‘Black Lives Matter’ Protesters Interrupt Capitol Hill Lunch

    About 50 protesters congregated in a U.S. House of Representatives office cafeteria in Washington, D.C., chanting “Black Lives Matter” and taking over the space in front of the cash registers. They held signs reading “outlaw racial profiling” and “stop jump outs” and stayed on the floor for about four and a half minutes, recalling the four and a half hours that Brown’s body remained face down in the street after he was shot.

    The protesters included Jewish, Christian and Muslim clergy and people of faith. After some urging by Capitol police officers, the protesters moved outside where it had started to snow.

    Yasmina Mrabet, who said she is a local organizer for one of the groups that has emerged in response to Brown’s death, said she was working to stop the use of “jump outs” in the district, which Newsweek recently described as “a scarier version of stop-and-frisk.”

    “We want an immediate end to this racially biased paramilitary tactic and the terrorizing of the black community in D.C.,” she said, adding that she doesn’t “see any reform really happening from President Obama or his administration” on the issue of police violence.

    McDonald’s Sued For Supervisors That Allegedly Called Staff ‘Dirty Mexican’ And Solicited Sex From Them

    The lawsuit, which was shared with ThinkProgress, claims the plaintiffs were “subjected to rampant racial and sexual harassment, committed by the restaurants’ highest-ranking supervisors.” Nine of the plaintiffs are African American, while the remaining one is Hispanic; seven of them are women. They claim that supervisors “demeaned African American workers; often complained that ‘there are too many black people in the store;’ called African-American workers ‘b*tch,’ ‘ghetto,’ and ‘ratchet;’ called Hispanic workers ‘dirty Mexican;’ disciplined African-American employees for rule infractions that were forgiven when committed by white employees; inappropriately touched female employees on their legs and buttocks; sent female employees sexual pictures; and solicited sexual relations from female employees.”

    It also claims that the franchisee, Soweva Co., implemented a plan to reduce the number of black employees and hire more whites. One supervisor allegedly told another, “now we can get rid of the n*gg*rs and the Mexicans.” Nine of the plaintiffs allege they were fired soon after, along with 11 others, and they were told it was because they didn’t “fit the profile.” They say they complained to McDonald’s corporate but that it didn’t respond. The remaining plaintiff says she was forced to resign after ongoing racial harassment.
    Here’s a letter-writing campaign about it: Racist McDonald’s Bosses FIRE 10 Workers

    They were told they didn’t “fit the profile” – and then they were fired.

    Ten McDonald’s workers were fired for no reason amidst racist harassment – one McDonald’s manager said simply, “There are too many black people in the store.” It’s not right – and McDonald’s needs to end racist harassment and pay these workers back pay and damages now.

    Washington Post on the same: Fired McDonald’s workers say they were dismissed for being minorities.

    the man who filmed #nypd murdering #ericgarner is in court today. his name is #ramseyorta & he was framed.

    High Rates of Depression Among African-American Women, Low Rates of Treatment. I have a feeling the life of a protestor and activist doesn’t help.

    Although some figures vary based on the study, depression affects between 17-20 million Americans a year. Data from a study published by the Center for Disease Control — the CDC — found that women (4 percent vs. 2.7 percent of men) and African-Americans (4 percent) are significantly more likely to report major depression than whites (3.1 percent).

    But the CDC also finds that just 7.6 percent of African-Americans sought treatment for depression compared to 13.6 percent of the general population in 2011. […]

    Because the findings show that women — regardless of race or ethnicity — are more likely than men to experience depression, and African-Americans experience major depression at higher rates than whites, then black women in turn also experience high rates of depression compared to the general population.

    Despite other studies showing conflicting data that are at odds with these findings, the CDC appears to be more reliable because it is the most recent study of its kind. [..]

    A report published by researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that poverty, parenting, racial and gender discrimination put black women — particularly low-income black women — at greater risk for major depressive disorder (MDD).

    Depression is not only treated at lower rates in the African-American community, particularly among black women, but of those who do receive treatment, many don’t receive adequate treatment.

    Hector M. Gonzalez, Ph.D., and colleagues at Wayne State University, Detroit, found that overall, only about half of Americans diagnosed with major depression in a given year receive treatment for it. But only one-fifth receive treatment consistent with current practice guidelines. African-Americans had some of the lowest rates of use of depression care.

    Because blacks, particularly black women, experience higher rates of depression than their white female or black male counterparts, but receive lower rates of treatment for depression — specifically adequate treatment — they remain one of the most undertreated groups for depression in the United States. Several major reasons account for high rates of depression and low rates of treatment for depression among African-American women. […]

    “There’s a strong relationship between socioeconomic status and health such that people at the lower end, people in poverty tend to have poorer health and tend to have fewer resources … for dealing with the stressors of life,” Brown said.

    According to the National Poverty Center, poverty rates for blacks greatly exceed the national average. And poverty rates are highest for families headed by single women, particularly if they are black or Hispanic.

    Studies show about 72 percent of black mothers are single compared to 29 percent for non-Hispanic whites, 53 percent for Hispanics, 66 percent for American Indian/Alaska native and 17 percent for Asian/Pacific Islander.

    Since black women are more likely to be poor, to be unmarried and to parent a child alone, which are all stressors that can contribute to poor mental health, they are also least likely to have resources like adequate mental health insurance to address problems such as depression. […]

    Psychologist Lisa Orbe-Austin, who runs a practice with her husband and treats predominantly black women, said her patients often struggle with distorted images of themselves because of the mischaracterizations they face daily.

    She said psychologists treating black women often “try to help them shed some of these stereotypical experiences to kind of cope with healthier ways and to try to find a more integrated sense of self where they feel like they’re truly authentically themselves.”

    Depression can effect anyone but cultural and gender differences cause depression to be experienced and expressed differently in African-American woman compared to other subgroups of the population. These cultural and gender differences have a major impact on whether and how black women are treated for depression. […]

    As a result black women are more likely to deal with the shame many feel about poor mental health and depression in much of the same way by avoiding the emotional toll it takes on them.

    Lack of Knowledge

    Because of negative stigmas surrounding mental health and depression, there is an extreme lack of knowledge about depression in African-American communities.

    Researchers at Mental Health America find that African-Americans are more likely to believe depression is “normal.” In fact, in a study commissioned by Mental Health America on depression, 56 percent of blacks believed that depression was a normal part of aging.

    A report published by the National Institute of Health (NIH) examined black women’s representations and beliefs about mental illness. Researchers cite the low use of mental health services by African-American women and identify stigma as the most significant barrier to seeking mental health services among blacks.

    Not only do a troubling number of African-Americans not understand depression to be a serious medical condition, but the stereotype of the strong black woman leads many African-American women to believe that they don’t have the luxury or time to experience depression. Some even believe it is only something White people experience.

    “When seeking help means showing unacceptable weakness, actual black women, unlike their mythical counterpart, face depression, anxiety, and loneliness,” writes author Melissa Harris-Perry in her book “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America.”

    “Through the ideal of the strong black woman, African-American women are subject not only to historically rooted racist and sexist characterizations of black women as a group but also a matrix of unrealistic interracial expectations that construct black women as unshakeable, unassailable and naturally strong.”

    African-Americans tend to cope with mental health problems by using informal resources like the church, family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. In many cases they seek treatment from ministers and physicians as opposed to mental health professionals.

    This form of coping can be beneficial for black women who are uncomfortable with traditional forms of mental health care. But it can also encourage beliefs about negative stigmas surrounding mental health in the black church. […]

    Research shows that African-American women’s use of mental health services may also be influenced by barriers including, “poor quality of health care, (limited access to clinicians that are culturally competent), and cultural matching (limited access to work with minority clinicians).”

    A history of trauma and victimization experienced by African-Americans has also helped foster a cultural mistrust toward the U.S. health care system. Events like the Tuskegee Experiments are hypothesized to contribute to many black people’s negative attitudes about health care.

    High levels of cultural mistrust have also been linked to a negative stigma of mental illness in the African-American community. Mental health professionals cite it as another significant barrier to treatment seeking for African-American women. […]

    “Even though they are facing racism and sexism that they are finding ways to care for themselves and accommodate what they’re faced with from external society and largely through a lot of relationships and support systems that they built for themselves among relatives and among friends,” said Matthew Johnson, a licensed psychologist in New Jersey and faculty member at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

    “We’re seeing a change,” said Sharpe, “We now see women have a voice and I think that people are seeing that we are extremely intelligent, smart and that we have the compassion to move and to make things happen a little quicker.”

    Mental health professionals hope, with more awareness, attitudes about depression among black women will shift even more in a positive direction. “I do think our community could use a lot of healing and I do think there’s a lot of potential for psychotherapy in our community,” said Orbe-Austin.

  454. rq says

    Borkquote. Hope it’s all clear enough.

    In response to yesterday’s State of the Union, which failed to mention Ferguson and Brown and Garner to any great extent (or address any racial matters at all, much less policing), there is a State of the Black Union.
    STATE OF THE BLACK UNION: ‘The Shadow of Crisis has not passed.’

    2014 was a year that saw profound injustice, and extraordinary resilience. Homicides at the hands of police sparked massive protests, meaning that America could no longer ignore bitter truths of the Black experience. Gabriella Naverez, a queer Black woman was killed at 22 years old, unarmed. 37 year old Tanisha Anderson’s family dialed 911 for medical assistance. Instead, Cleveland police officers took her life. Anyia Parker, a Black trans woman was gunned down in East Hollywood. This brutal attack was caught on camera, yet her murder, like so many murders of Black trans women, have gone unanswered. This country must abandon the lie that the deep psychological wounds of slavery, racism and structural oppression are figments of the Black imagination. The time to address these wounds is now.

    Freedom Rider, Diane Nash, once unapologetically declared, “We will not stop. There is only one outcome.” Black lives – men and women, queer and trans, immigrant and first-generation – will be valued, protected, and free.

    In the face of the tragic killing of Mike Brown, Black youth in Ferguson said no more, sparking resistance against state violence that spread across the nation. For over 160 days we have been marching, shutting down streets, stopping trains and occupying police stations in pursuit of justice. We have stood united in demanding a new system of policing and a vision for Black lives, lived fully and with dignity. Gains have been made, but we who believe in freedom know we cannot rest until justice is won.

    The current state of Black America is anything but just. For Black people in the U.S., the shadow of crisis has not passed.

    The median wealth for single White women is $42,600. For Black women, it’s $5.001.
    The infant mortality rate for Black mothers is more than double that of White mothers, due to factors like poverty, lack of access to health care, and the physiological effects of stress caused by living under structural oppression 2.
    22 states have passed new voter restrictions since 2010, disenfranchising as many as 34 million Americans, most of them Black 3.
    In cities across the country, profit-driven policies fuel displacement and gentrification, leading to the destruction of entire Black communities 4.
    Blacks and Latinos are about 31 percent of the US population, but 60 percent of the prison population 8.
    In our country 1 in 3 black men will be incarcerated in his lifetime 5, and Black women are the fastest growing prison population 6.
    The life expectancy of a Black trans woman is 35 years. The average income of a Black trans person is less than 10K. Trans people are denied jobs, housing and healthcare just for living in their truths.
    It is legal in many jurisdictions to fire LBGT people from employment and deny them access to healthcare and housing.
    Since 1976, the United States has executed thirteen times more black defendants with white victims than white defendants with black victims 6.
    Black U.S. political prisoners have collectively served over 800 years in prison and have consistently been denied parole despite good behavior and time served.
    Increasingly, students in white areas are nourished and taught while Black children are criminalized and judged.
    Black neighborhoods lack access to affordable healthy food resulting in disproportionate levels of obesity and other chronic illnesses.

    Our schools are designed to funnel our children into prisons. Our police departments have declared war against our community. Black people are exploited, caged, and killed to profit both the state and big business. This is a true State of Emergency. There is no place for apathy in this crisis. The US government has consistently violated the inalienable rights our humanity affords.

    We say no more.

    We demand an end to all forms of discrimination and the full recognition of our human rights.
    We demand an immediate end to police brutality and the murder of Black people and all oppressed people.
    We demand full, living wage employment for our people.
    We demand decent housing fit for the shelter of human beings and an end to gentrification.
    We demand an end to the school to prison pipeline & quality education for all.
    We demand freedom from mass incarceration and an end to the prison industrial complex.
    We demand a racial justice agenda from the White House that is inclusive of our shared fate as Black men, women, trans and gender-nonconforming people. Not My Brother’s Keeper, but Our Children’s Keeper.
    We demand access to affordable healthy food for our neighborhoods.
    We demand an aggressive attack against all laws, policies, and entities that disenfranchise any community from expressing themselves at the ballot.
    We demand a public education system that teaches the rich history of Black people and celebrates the contributions we have made to this country and the world.
    We demand the release of all U.S. political prisoners.
    We demand an end to the military industrial complex that incentivizes private corporations to profit off of the death and destruction of Black and Brown communities across the globe.

    This country owes Black citizens nothing less than full recognition of our human rights. The White House’s current racial justice initiative, My Brother’s Keeper, ignores too many members of our communities. It does not address the inhumane conditions we collectively experience living in a white supremacist system. The issues facing Black women, immigrants, trans and queer people must be included and we demand a full expansion of My Brother’s Keeper to do so.

    We demand the same inclusion from our movement.

    None of us are free until all of us are free. Our collective efforts have exposed the ugly American traditions of patriarchy, classism, racism, and militarism. These combined have bred a violent culture rife with transphobia, and other forms of illogical hatred.

    This corrupt democracy was built on Indigenous genocide and chattel slavery. And continues to thrive on the brutal exploitation of people of color. We recognize that not even a Black President will pronounce our truths. We must continue the task of making America uncomfortable about institutional racism. Together, we will re-imagine what is possible and build a system that is designed for Blackness to thrive.

    We fight in the name of Aiyana Stanley-Jones, killed by Detroit Police at the age of 7 years old, who never got to graduate from elementary school. We fight in the name of Mike Brown, who was killed by officer Darren Wilson, weeks before starting college. We fight in the name of Islan Nettles, a 21 year old Black trans woman who was pummeled to death outside a NYC police station in Harlem. We fight in the name of Tarika Wilson, who was killed by an Ohio police officer while holding one of her babies, and will never get to embrace any of her six children again.

    2015 is the year of resistance. We the People, committed to the declaration that Black lives matter, will fight to end the structural oppression that prevents so many from realizing their dreams. We cannot, and will not stop until America recognizes the value of Black life.

    Contacts and endorsing organizations at the bottom.

  455. rq says

    ‘There will be some joy’: Eric Garner’s daughters will not let him be forgotten – video

    Just months before Eric Garner died at the hands of the NYPD, his youngest daughter was born. Her name is Legacy. “He didn’t just die,” says her mother.

    Weeks after a grand jury decided not to indict the police who killed her father, Garner’s oldest daughter is still searching for answers. Her name is Erica. “I’m carrying on his legacy,” she says.

    This is what loss looks like, as protests ebb and flow, as no justice becomes a kind of relative peace. This is what it feels like to live on, after a man who lived for his children is gone.

  456. says

    rq:
    Your link to the State of the Black Union is borked.

    ****

    John Lewis calls March ‘road map’ to Civil Rights Movement

    The second volume of Rep. John Lewis’ autobiographical graphic novel trilogy March hit bookstores Wednesday. Published by Top Shelf, adapted by Lewis’ aide Andrew Ayden and illustrated by Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole), this second volume is nearly double the size of the first, bringing to life some of the most harrowing incidents of the Civil Rights Movement as Lewis and others traveled the South, their very lives at risk as they attempted to non-violently protest segregation, intercut with Lewis’ appearance at Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration in 2009.

    Rep. Lewis, whose life and experiences are also depicted in the acclaimed film Selma, took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk to Newsarama about reliving his past through this book, the importance of recalling the Civil Rights Movement in America today, and his regard for the comic book format.

    Newsarama: Congressman, thank you for your time. My first question is: You’ve had a little time since March: Book One came out, and what has been the most interesting response/most interesting example of its impact that you’ve seen?

    Rep. John Lewis: Book One had a response that is just unbelievable. As you may know, schools in more than 40 states are using March: Book One. Michigan State University, along with Georgia State University and Marquette University, have made it required reading for all their freshmen students. There’s schools and colleges and libraries all across the country that want us to participate in some kind of reading program, speaking to students, community group about March.

    I think that Book Two is going to have a similar impact, if not greater. It’s larger, it’s a beautiful book. The cover just reached out and grabbed me – the burning of the bus in Anniston, Alabama.

    The story of the Freedom Ride, the Birmingham campaign, the march on Washington, the standing in line in theaters in Nashville – it’s very similar to Book One in the structure and the philosophy, you may call it the way of peace, the way of love, the way of non-violence. It’s there, throughout the book.

    Nrama: Tell me a little about your experience in working with Andrew and Nate in turning this into a comic.

    Lewis: Andrew is so smart and so gifted. He’s done a lot of research – he’s interviewed me, he talked with me, he put it in the comic book form, and he sent the written pages to Nate.

    And Nate is gifted as well…he just has such a keen sense of what was right. He takes the words off the page that we send to him and he makes them move – he makes it plain, makes it simple. You can have the words, but he gives them meaning with his artwork.

    Nrama: You mentioned the burning of the bus earlier – there are some harrowing moments recalled in this volume. What was the most startling of these events to see rendered in Nate’s art – experiencing them again in this illustrated format?

    Lewis: Well, you have to make up your mind that you’re going to tell everything – just tell it all.

    From the moment you have Washington, D.C. in May of 1961, traveling through the South, and interracial bashing, you have to make it come alive, so people can see blacks and whites sitting together on the bus, and the signs and symbols of segregation, and how we were tested at the Greyhound bus station, and how we were beaten and left lying in a pool of blood, and how the police came and said, “Do you want to press charges?” and we said, “No, we come in peace. We come in love.”

    In Montgomery, that first line of hurt and bloodied…it was dangerous. And you try to show that. It was very, very dangerous for a group full of young blacks and whites to be traveling through the South, trying to desegregate the means and ways of public transportation. And I find if you see the images, you understand we’re just lucky that we all survived.

    Nrama: That’s something I took away from the book – the hostility of America at that time is very much like a horror movie, there’s just danger around every corner.

    And that depiction brings up something I wanted to ask about. There have been some works recently that have discussed the history of the African-American experience in America such as 12 Years a Slave and obviously Selma.

    And I’m white, and I’m from North Carolina, and sometimes I’ll talk about those works to friends who are also white, and I’ll get a reaction of, “Why do people have to bring that up? I’ve never used the N-word, I don’t want to see or read something that’ll just make me feel guilty about something that happened before I was even born.”

    Lewis: Hmm.

    Nrama: Now, that’s not a reaction I agree with by any means. But given your experiences and your work with March, I wanted to get your take on why you feel it’s important to remind people of this aspect of our country’s history, particularly in light of many racially-charged incidents of violence and protest over the past few years.

    Lewis: I think it’s important for all Americans – and it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white or Asian American or Native American – so we do not repeat our dark path, and also so we can understand and be informed about what has happened.

    And through that, we can inspire a new generation. So we must not go back, we must continue to go forward, and build a truly multi-racial, multi-cultural society.

    So many people growing up in America today – and growing up all over the world – can learn so much from what happened, and how it happened. A group of people, black and white, from all kinds of different backgrounds, believed that they could change America. And they joined together and worked together to make it happen.

    Nrama: That’s a good transition into a guest question I have from author Junot Díaz of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and This is How You Lose Her.

    Díaz asks, “Do you think that the U.S. in general has become more hostile to civil rights? What would you make of a U.S. where more people believe in angels than in institutional racism?”

    Lewis: Now, I think America has become more in tune with what the Civil Rights Movement was all about. But it doesn’t mean the job is finished. In the struggle to redeem America, to make it better, there will be setbacks. There will be disappointment. But we must steer, stay focused, and keep eyes on the prize to create what Dr. King called “The Beloved Community:” a truly multi-racial democratic society.

    (bold/italics mine)
    It’s depressing to realize that very well may be true.
    Angels…more believable than institutional racism. Sigh.

  457. says

    Washington Times columnist attempts to co-opt the Black Lives Matter Movement for his anti-abortion crusade

    “Black lives matter” has become the slogan of anti-police protests across the nation, but the target of the protests is so misplaced that the motives of the so-called civil rights leaders behind the movement must be questioned. Do they really care about black lives? Or are they cynically exploiting isolated incidents, such as the death of Michael Brown, to inflame the black population and advance their own political interests?

    Today, on the somber anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, it’s time for black leaders to face up to the real danger threatening black lives in America. It isn’t the police. According to an anti-police brutality organization, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, 313 blacks were killed by “police, security guards and vigilantes” in 2013. It isn’t even black criminals, who, as Rudy Giuliani famously pointed out on “Meet the Press,” are responsible for 93 percent of violent deaths among blacks. Sources estimate that between 6,000 and 8,000 blacks are murdered each year.

    No, the greatest danger to blacks is found precisely where we ought to be safest: in our mothers’ wombs. In 2010, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 138,539 black babies were aborted.

    Thankfully, abortion is on the decline in America, down 3 percent between 2007 and 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Strikingly, the number of surgical abortion clinics has plummeted, from 2,176 in 1991 to 551 today. Nevertheless, the CDC report that in 2010, a staggering 765,651 abortions were performed in the United States. Black women continue to have the highest abortion rate of any ethnic group, with a gruesome 483 abortions for every 1,000 live births.

    The bottom line? I’ll say it again: 138,539 black babies, nearly one baby in three, were killed in the womb in 2010. According to the CDC, between 2007 and 2010, innocent black babies were victimized in nearly 36 percent of the abortion deaths in the United States, though blacks represent only 12.8 percent of the population. Some say the abortion capital of America is New York City. According to LifeSiteNews, the city’s Department of Health reported that in 2012, more black babies were aborted (31,328) than born (24,758). That’s 55.9 percent of black babies killed before birth. Blacks represented 42.4 percent of all abortions.

    Legalized abortion is working out exactly as Margaret Sanger intended. Sanger, the founder of the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, was part of the eugenics movement back in the 1930s. Her goal was to use abortion to cull what she considered inferior races from the human gene pool. According to Sanger, “Colored people are like human weeds and are to be exterminated.” She opened her first abortion clinics in inner cities, and it’s no accident that even today, “79 percent of Planned Parenthood’s abortion facilities are located in black or minority neighborhoods.”

    We mustn’t forget that babies aren’t the only victims of abortion. Sadly, more and more of the mothers are suffering and dying as well. Though many people continue to deny it, the link between abortion and breast cancer has been amply documented, and this deadly consequence of abortion is plaguing greater and greater numbers of black women.

    Ironically, black women used to suffer from breast cancer less frequently than white women. Not any longer. The Black Women’s Health Imperative notes that according to an American Cancer Society report, black women now develop breast cancer almost as frequently as whites, and are more likely to die from the disease. LifeSiteNews also cites an American Cancer Society report that black women under age 40 now are more likely to develop breast cancer than their white counterparts. They can thank Margaret Sanger — and some of today’s so-called civil rights leaders

    He used LifeSiteNews as a source?

  458. says

    Hi there racial disparities in the criminal justice system!
    Compare this story:
    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/01/this-is-what-happens-when-a-civilian-kills-a-cop-during-a-no-knock-drug-raid/comments/#disqus

    With this one:
    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-unlikely-to-face-charges-after-allegedly-shooting-police-chief/

    In the first, a black man shot and killed a police officer in a no-knock raid. He thought he was dealing with a home invasion.
    In the second case, a white man shot and injured a police chief. He too thought he was dealing with a home invasion.

    And yet only one of them is dealing with prosecutors pushing for the death penalty.

  459. rq says

    Tony
    Dangit, and I was so careful. Try here. (Though I copied out most of the text.)

    +++

    Let’s start with some morning racism.
    Okay. This is history. A city’s police force beat up the mayor and the hospital delayed her treatment.
    Kinloch PD beat up the mayor, and kicked her supporters out of the hospital. It is unclear if the mayor has received treatment.
    With pictures, She initially called in a potential burglary at her apartment complex. The Kinloch PD turned the tables on her when they arrived.
    This is what her Police department gave her. She is the interim Mayor of Kinloch – cited for resisting arrest, interfering with police officers, disruptive while questioned, etc., yet she was the one who called the cops.
    Bruises on her face. FIGHT WAS WITH Kinloch police.

    And an article: Interim Kinloch mayor scared of city she’s leading

    An interim mayor claimed threats and lack of cooperation was making it hard to govern the city of Kinloch.
    Just a month into her stint as interim mayor, Theda Wilson said she feels unprotected in the city she’s in charge of leading.

    “I have no problem doing my job it’s hard when you have people who want to block you at every angle,” Wilson said.

    Wilson said the fear of going into the city alone stems from a tumultuous relationship with the Chief of Police Adrian Roberts. She said the police department blatantly ignored her calls for service.

    She also claimed Chief Roberts prevented her access to public files and city ordinance codes. Wilson said Chief Roberts has been making perceived threats.

    “Soon as I took my spot he told me as long as I stay out of the way everything will be okay and I’m like what but I didn’t want to think more of it,” said Wilson.

    Chief Roberts said the department never threatened or ignored Wilson and he believes its unfortunate the department is being pulled into this.

    Despite the rift, Wilson said she’ll continue her duties with or without police help.

    “If the police department is failing us that’s not going to be a plus for our city,” Wilson said.

    I guess they’re jsut doing their jobs, huh?

  460. rq says

    *sigh* Forgot about the link before the break.

    Mike Brown (8.9.14) Kajieme Powell (8.19.14) VonDerrit Myers (10.8.14) Antonio Martin (12.23.14) Isaac Holmes (1.21.15) STL-Killed By Police And there you have it, the young man last killed by STL police is Isaac Holmes.

    #CrimingWhileWhite: Sir what? @deray RT @BroderickGreer: Why we must assert that #blacklivesmatter: our injustice system.

    Apparently it’s legal to carry a firearm, unless you’re black. 62-year-old black grandfather choked and held down by three white men who see his legal firearm

    When 62-year-old Clarence Daniels went to shop at his local Florida Walmart, he had no idea that he would soon be assaulted by another shopper and violently restrained by onlookers. Carrying a legally concealed firearm, properly holstered underneath his jacket, which he was licensed to do, Clarence Daniels, a black man, was spotted in the parking lot by Michael Foster, a white man 20 years his junior.

    Foster follows Daniels into the Walmart, chokes him from behind in front of children and bystanders, wrestles him violently to the ground, and is soon joined by other white onlookers who come to help Foster restrain Daniels—in which they take his gun and wait for police to arrive.

    During this entire ordeal, Daniels, according to onlookers and the police report, screamed and pleaded over and over again that he was a licensed gun owner permitted to carry his weapon, but his pleas were ignored.

    Wal-Mart again.

    Sen. McCaskill: Move Ferguson Protests to ‘Green Space’ and Screen for Guns, which I don’t get (well I do but I don’t if you see what I mean) because it’s not the protestors who have problems with firearms.

    “Maybe we can move it to some green space and do some kind of just minimal screening to make sure guns are not going in,” McCaskill told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday.

    “But right now, there is surveillance going on, and there is a real effort to try to find the people who are actually wanting the confrontation and causing the violence and seeing if we can’t begin to be more aggressive about making arrests of those people with the guns, with the weapons, and therefore make it safe for everyone.

    “We over-policed for a few days, and then we completely under-policed,” she continued. “I think what they’re doing now is what they feel they have to do to keep it safe under these dangerous circumstances with these instigators in town.”

    McCaskill said the media is giving a one-sided view of what’s happening in Ferguson.

    The confrontations are well-covered, but “nobody’s interested in covering any of the efforts that’s going on with healing,” and that is having a dire impact on small businesses, she said:

    “One of my projects now is to figure out how we can pull people back n to shop in Ferguson — it is perfectly safe in Ferguson during the day. There are many stores and businesses that need our commerce. I hate to see all these great small businesses in Ferguson suffering so terribly because their community is being portrayed in a way that frankly just isn’t true.”

    It’s from way back in August, but I wonder if she has changed her mind?

    @MusicOverPeople @deray It seems that new SLU Prez may be hosting McCullough to further distance himself from #OccupySLU #Ferguson

  463. rq says

    Let’s start with Chief Belmar tonight, shall we?
    .@SLU_Official Chief Belmar of the St. Louis County police ordered teargas to be used on pregnant women & children in August.
    .@SLU_Official Chief Belmar of the St. Louis County is apart of the reason Amnesty International human rights observers were deployed to STL.
    Why the outrage? Because Bob McCulloch was taken off the program at @SLU_Official’s program, but STL County Chief Belmar is on [link redacted to the end] Interesting. Link to program: The Thin Blue Line: Policing Post-Ferguson

    This year’s Public Law Review Symposium will address the legal challenges to law enforcement. Today’s law enforcement officers face new hurdles in an era marked by social media, smart phones, a 24-hour news cycle, citizen journalists and a growing divide between local police and the people they are called to serve. With the world’s attention turned on Ferguson, Mo., critique of law enforcement procedure, tactics and behavior is at an all-time high. Through hosting panels on Policing the Protests and Policing the Police, “The Thin Blue Line: Policing Post-Ferguson” will identify legal challenges that face law enforcement on the streets today. This year’s event will bring together academics, law enforcement officers and practitioners to engage in a candid discussion of the changing environment where police officers are working.

    I guess the concept of ‘progress’ is a tad difficult. *sigh*

    We have tried every option, right? We have petitioned, marched, sued, sat-in, cried, voted. And here we are. What then?

    Loving the photo here: “Black Lives Matter” #ReclaimMLK 1/19/15 #Ferguson #BlackLivesMatter

  464. rq says

    Sticking this one at the top of the comment.
    Violence Against Black Transgender Women Goes Largely Ignored

    Nearly three years after Trayvon Martin’s death, there has been no slowdown of black men and women dying as a result of police brutality and other forms of anti-black violence. The responses to these killings have culminated in a wide range of movements around the country, with Black Lives Matter being among the most well-known. But some transgender women, like Hearns, feel that some of those involved in the movement don’t consider anti-black struggles like theirs.

    Lourdes Ashley Hunter, who serves as executive director of the Trans Women of Color Collective, told The Root that a chasm exists between many cis black people (“cis” meaning those who identify as the gender they were assigned at birth) and transgender black women who have felt that their unique challenges regarding anti-black violence have gone largely ignored.

    “I think the black community needs to acknowledge the fact that they are being completely silent about the murders that have been happening in our community,” Hunter said. “Just last year, 12 trans women of color were murdered with no response from the black community. When folks scream, ‘Black Lives Matter,’ they’re not talking about black trans women. Most of the time, they’re not even talking about [cis] black women.” […]

    Cullors is aware of the transphobia that can take place at local protests and says that leaders organizing protests across the country must be educated on how to take action against people who are making protest spaces unsafe for transgender women. She recalled a situation from an Occupy LAPD protest where a man was being transphobic and how organizers dealt with him: “We had people go speak to him directly and pull him aside and say that’s unacceptable and we don’t accept that kind of behavior in our space and you can either get down or you can’t get down, you can leave. And he left. That intervention has to happen quickly. You can’t allow that.”

    Black Lives Matter and TWOCC have a very close partnership. TWOCC leads BLM in centering conversations to ensure that the voices of black transgender women are included in the movement. But TWOCC is just as devoted to creating its own spaces for transgender black women and helps its members to amplify their own voices.

    The collective was founded in December 2013 after the slaying of a transgender woman, Islan Nettles, in New York City. Hunter says a rally in Nettles’ honor was organized by members of the LGBT community who did not consult with transgender people about their needs. After determining that the organization of the rally was problematic, Hunter and other transgender women of color came together to form TWOCC so that they could control the narratives of members in their community. There are branches in New York City, Ohio, Louisiana and Washington, D.C.

    In Ohio, there were four slayings of transgender women of color (Tiffany Edwards, Cemia Dove, Betty Skinner and Brittney Nicole Kidd-Stergis) in June 2014 alone, according to The Advocate. [… – wow, never heard a single one of those names!]

    While the exact number is unclear, Hunter says at least 20 transgender black women have died as a result of transphobic violence over the past two years.

    According to a 2013 National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs report (pdf), 72 percent of victims of anti-LGBT homicide were transgender women, and 67 percent of victims were people of color. [THESE ARE SCARY NUMBERS!!!]

    There have also been instances of media misgendering victims by referring to them by the names they were assigned at birth. GLAAD has published a media guide for journalists to help newsrooms avoid such issues.

    Hearns, a board member of TWOCC, says there are a lot of reasons that transgender black women face violent backlash in the black community.

    “Religion plays a big part in how we deal with the LGBTQ community, period,” Hearns said. “But specifically trans women of color, there is a lot of misogyny that is compartmentalized, and a lot of people don’t want to deal with trans, even the word ‘trans,’ because it challenges everything that they’ve been taught by systems of oppression and white supremacy.”

    While TWOCC is doing the work, Hearns added that cis black people need to be more understanding of their privilege, and the collective’s membership is certainly not waiting for them to catch up.

    But Hunter says it’s not just transgender women who need to be proactive in uplifting transgender women. All black people have to realize that transphobia can’t co-exist with the fight against anti-blackness.

    “We need for people to wake up and understand that white supremacy is killing us all,” Hunter said. “Not just trans people, not just black people, but all of us. We need to work together strategically to dismantle the system. So it’s not so much about getting to know the intricate details of trans people. All you need to know is that we’re human, and humanity calls us to come together.”

    Report lauds Oakland schools’ efforts for black male students

    The UC Davis report focused on the district’s Manhood Development classes for African American males in middle schools and high schools that offer leadership training, college and career preparation, and coursework that includes African American history and conversations about black men in society.

    The classes are taught solely by African American men. The program was introduced in 2011 at three schools, enrolling 50 students combined. This year, there are 450 students at 17 schools. […]

    Those in the program post higher grades and proficiency rates than their peers, according to the report.

    But the courses also offer students a sense of possibility and hope in the future, according to the author, Vajra Watson, director of Research and Policy for Equity at UC Davis.

    “They’ve seen victimization everywhere they look — at the hands of police or sometimes at the hands of schools,” Watson said, “and changed that into empowerment to know where they come from, who they are and, importantly, where they’re going.”[…]

    “Oakland Unified School District is one of the only school districts in the country systemically addressing and eliminating institutionalized racism,” she said. “As a qualitative researcher, I am fascinated by the seeds of courage and determination that spurred a school district to make an unprecedented commitment to the education of black males.”

    Oakland Unified was the first district in the country to create a department dedicated to African American males. Other districts across the country now have similar efforts in place. The district created the African American Male Achievement Office and the Manhood courses amid “a calamity of underachievement,” Watson said.

    School as an oasis

    Of the 517 students arrested on Oakland school campuses in the 2009-10 school year, 75 percent were black. In addition, black male students often weren’t showing up for school, with nearly a quarter chronically absent in high school, according to the report. […]

    “Students felt that they were being treated like villains and suspects, even when they had done nothing wrong,” said Christopher Chatmon, executive director of the district’s African American Male Achievement Office. “School was not an oasis of learning and safety for these kids, but a place that reflected and reproduced society’s racist ailments.”

    You can see the full report here.

    Onetime center of St. Louis’ black middle class now fights high murder count

    A little distance can mean a big difference when it comes to St. Louis crime. Although murders were up 33 percent in 2014 over the year before, a Post-Dispatch analysis of police data shows that 102 of the 159 were slain in just eight of the city’s 28 wards.

    The Fourth Ward, in the heart of north St. Louis, is a good place to get a feel for that violence. It had 15 murders last year, second-highest of all the wards.

    It consists primarily of the Ville and Greater Ville neighborhoods — residents just call it the Ville — which once were the center of the city’s black middle class. Now, the typical household income is in the low- to mid-$20,000s, and unemployment is high. Between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, the population dropped 26 percent.

    Neighborhoods are pockmarked by vacant lots and crumbling homes, with conditions varying widely from block to block. The alderman, Sam Moore, said there are 1,242 vacant buildings in the area, a number he repeats for emphasis. Five schools sit empty. There are 1,700 vacant lots. Some entire blocks are just overgrown grass.

    “I’ve torn down over 600 buildings,” Moore said. “I can’t tear down all of them.”

    While murders were up, reports of other violent crimes — assault, rape and robberies — were down 24 percent last year, and showed a 56 percent drop since peaking in 2009. It was the biggest drop of any ward. The city had a 5.4 percent increase in such crimes last year.

    More at the link.

  465. rq says

    A touch more on the Kinloch PD and their rather violent treatment of the mayor:
    The mayor calls the police for a possible burglary, and the police proceed to beat her up, give her tickets and arrest her #Kinloch
    I swear I thought they weren’t around anymore RT @search4swag: This is the Kinloch PD. Just deplorable
    Kinloch Police Beat Me Tonight #KinlochPoliceBeatThedaWilson Please Help & Share!!!!

    In Tamir Rice Case, Many Errors by Cleveland Police, Then a Fatal One

    And in death last November, Tamir joined Michael Brown, a teenager fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner, a Staten Island man who died after being placed in a chokehold by an officer, as touchstones for protests of police violence against unarmed black people across the nation. Their names were chanted by demonstrators again on Monday in Martin Luther King Jr. Day marches.

    Because of multiple layers in Cleveland’s 911 system, crucial information from the initial call about “a guy in here with a pistol” was never relayed to the responding police officers, including the caller’s caveats that the gun was “probably fake” and that the wielder was “probably a juvenile.”

    What the officers, Frank Garmback and his rookie partner, Tim Loehmann, did hear from a dispatcher was, “We have a Code 1,” the department’s highest level of urgency.

    When the officers raced into action, they took a shortcut that pointed their squad car straight into the park, pulling up so close to Tamir that it made it difficult to take cover, or to use verbal persuasion or other tactics suggested by the department’s use-of-force policy.

    Within two seconds of the car’s arrival, Officer Loehmann shot Tamir in the abdomen from point-blank range, raising doubts that he could have warned the boy three times to raise his hands, as the police later claimed.

    And when Tamir’s 14-year-old sister came running up minutes later, the officers, who are white, tackled her to the ground and put her in handcuffs, intensifying later public outrage about the boy’s death. When his distraught mother arrived, the officers also threatened to arrest her unless she calmed down, the mother, Samaria Rice, said.

    Officers Garmback and Loehmann did not check Tamir’s vital signs or perform first aid in the minutes after he was shot. But Officer Garmback frantically requested an emergency medical team at least seven times, urging the dispatcher to “step it up” and to send medical workers from a fire station a block away. It would be eight minutes before they arrived. […]

    For Cleveland residents, the shooting highlighted another longstanding problem: The department’s community policing programs had been whittled down to a token effort, a result of cuts a decade earlier that might well have made a life-or-death difference to Tamir. A sign on a telephone pole yards from where he was shot down still advertises a police mini-station in the nearby recreation center where he played basketball. The station is long gone.

    “If there was one there,” Councilman Jeffrey Johnson said, “he would have known Tamir, because Tamir was a regular, and he would have heard the call and gone out there and said, ‘Tamir, what are you doing?’” […]

    The 911 caller was calm, pausing to exchange pleasantries with the dispatcher before getting to the point: A male in Cudell Commons was pointing a pistol at people and scaring them. The gun was “probably fake,” he said twice before signing off, and its wielder was “probably a juvenile.”

    Officer Garmback, 46, who had joined the force in 2008, was at a nearby church when the call came. With him was his partner, Officer Loehmann, 26, hired just eight months before.

    Officer Loehmann had grown up in Parma, a largely white suburb of Cleveland, but he commuted 30 minutes to an all-male, Roman Catholic high school on the city’s east side, Benedictine, where many of the students were minorities.

    People who knew Officer Loehmann there recalled him as quiet and serious, active in the band and the German Club. The Rev. Gerard Gonda, the school’s president, said Mr. Loehmann had a solid record at Benedictine, where as a junior he was in Father Gonda’s theology class. “He had a very low-key personality, and I would say kind of a gentle personality,” Father Gonda said. […]

    But there, according to police records, he had emotional problems related to a girlfriend. At a shooting range, he was “distracted and weepy,” a supervisor said. One of his supervisors concluded that Officer Loehmann “would not be able to substantially cope, or make good decisions,” during stressful situations. After six months, the department allowed him to resign. [… – You’d think emotional stability would be an important trait in a police officer.]

    By the time Officer Loehmann was hired, the department was already struggling with a host of problems that had begun at least a decade before.

    In 2004, city leaders laid off 250 officers to help close a budget gap. That trimmed the force 15 percent, to about 1,500 officers, seriously hurting community policing and closing mini-stations.
    Continue reading the main story
    Recent Comments
    CWC
    8 minutes ago

    “The department’s community policing programs had been whittled down to a token effort, a result of cuts a decade earlier that might well…
    poppop
    8 minutes ago

    Join the police or take responsibility for your own personal and community safety. Or disarm yourselves and play monday morning quarterback…
    Lorie
    8 minutes ago

    Those cops should go to prison. They probably won’t, because the police believe they are above the law and, in general, they appear to be….

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    Over the next two years, the city’s violent crime rate leapt by double digits. It has since declined from that peak, but the city is still more violent than it was in 2004, according to F.B.I. data, even as violent crime has continued to drop across Ohio and the country.

    As the police department was shrinking, it came under increasing criticism for excessive use of force. The Justice Department began an investigation prompted by police shootings that led to an agreement in 2004 calling for the city to tighten its guidelines for the use of force and to improve its documentation of those incidents. But many reforms were not maintained, according to the recent Justice Department report.

    Episodes of abuse continued to surface. In 2011, a helicopter video captured police officers kicking Edward Henderson in the head even though he was spread-eagled on the ground. None of the officers admitted to wrongdoing, and none were fired, though the video showed them “kicking his head like a football,” said David Malik, a prominent civil rights lawyer who won a $600,000 settlement for Mr. Henderson, who suffered a broken facial bone.

    Mr. Malik said the city’s discipline and arbitration system heavily favored officers, making it difficult to punish misconduct. “It’s a culture of no consequences,” said Mr. Malik, who has filed or investigated potential lawsuits against the Cleveland police on more than 100 occasions.

    Nearly two years after the assault on Mr. Henderson, more than 60 police cruisers and one-third of the city’s on-duty force engaged in a high-speed chase after officers mistook a car’s backfiring for gunfire. It ended when officers killed the two unarmed occupants by firing 137 rounds into their vehicle. […]

    In the weeks since Tamir’s death, the city and its police department have come under mounting pressure to explain not only the shooting, but also its aftermath, with the officers failing to provide first aid as Tamir lay bleeding. Not until an F.B.I. agent who happened to be nearby arrived four minutes after the shooting did anyone tend to the boy.

    Though the department’s use-of-force policy requires officers to “obtain necessary medical assistance” for injured people, it does not explicitly call for them to perform first aid. Walter Madison, a lawyer for Tamir’s mother, said it would be ludicrous to believe that officers would not immediately perform first aid on a wounded comrade.

    Henry Hilow, a lawyer representing Officer Loehmann, said the officers had followed protocol by calling for E.M.S., saying, “They were doing the best they could to get medical attention” for Tamir. He also defended the officers’ tactics in the moments before the shooting, saying they had positioned their cruiser to prevent Tamir from running into the recreation center, where they thought he might endanger people. They tried to stop farther away, but the car skidded, Mr. Hilow said.

    Echoing the defense of the police department after the shooting, Mr. Hilow also said the officers had seen Tamir pull the pellet gun out of his waistband moments before Officer Loehmann shot him, an account that is difficult to verify with the low-quality security video. He said the officers had shouted at Tamir to drop the gun and show his hands before their squad car came to a stop. […]

    Yet Mayor Frank G. Jackson, a Democrat in his third term, has insisted there is no “systemic failure” in the department, and has steadfastly resisted calls for the resignation of two top advisers who oversaw the department during the period studied by both the state and the Justice Department.

    Ms. Rice, 38, is awaiting explanations, and an apology. “Nobody has come to knock on my door and told me what happened,” she said. “Somebody has to be held accountable.”

    MLK Day Clash At Harris-Stowe Leads To Conversation

    The movement toward more discussion stems from a Martin Luther King Day event marked with both celebration and protest. A small group of demonstrators disrupted an afternoon program at Harris-Stowe. After briefly taking the stage and the microphone, they were escorted out.

    The interruption mirrored earlier events where youth activists have demanded a voice among dignitaries and long-established organizations.

    Johnetta Elzie, a field organizer for Amnesty International who has been active in protests in Ferguson, says demonstrators interrupted the program because, even though the event was in the name of Martin Luther King, it wasn’t necessarily in his spirit.

    “So a program, while that’s nice and it’s nice to have speeches and sermons … at the same time, there is literally a youth-led demonstration outside this program,” Elzie said. “And the elders, which most of the people in the audience were, who say these young people need leadership, decide to stay inside and call the police on the youth.”

    Once demonstrators were removed from the auditorium, a heated exchange took place between Harris Stowe students and protesters.

    Elzie said some students were yelling at protesters that they didn’t want their campus “tear gassed.”

    “It was interesting to me to hear them say that when so many young college-age people are part of this movement and have been actively involved,” she said. “So we go to the only historically black university in St. Louis and the students are telling us that they don’t want to be tear gassed on their campus. That let me know that there is a disconnect somewhere.”

    Harris-Stowe senior and sometimes protester Jazminique Holley drove to campus when she heard about the dispute. She says she thinks many students were taken aback by the protesters’ presence.

    “From what I have seen and heard talking to my peers, they felt like if this is a race issue that we are dealing with, why come to a place that is working in the best interest of people of our race?”she said. “They felt like this is an HBCU (historically black colleges and universities). This university was created to help us excell educationally. A lot of people were concerned about why they would come here.”

    Holley, who serves as president of the Harris-Stowe chapter of the NAACP, says she understands demonstrators came to Harris-Stowe to protest the event, not confront the university. So she, along with Elzie, set up a meeting with Harris-Stowe administrators and students.

    “More than anything I wanted to bridge that gap between both sides, because at the end of the day we both want the same things as African-American youth in this community,” Holley said.

    The meeting included administrators from the student affairs office, Elzie and several students including Holley.

    A statement about the meeting from the university said that “both parties discussed their concerns and concluded with a mutual understanding.”

    Here’s this again: Terrifying Video Shows Black Man “With His Hands Raised” Shot To Death By New Jersey Cop

    The fatal encounter stems from a routine traffic stop on December 30, in which Bridgeton officers Braheme Days and Roger Worley pulled over a vehicle for running through a stop sign.

    While questioning the two men, Leroy Tutt and Jerame Reid, the video shows Days suddenly shouting to his partner, “We’ve got a gun in his glove compartment!”

    “Show me your fucking hands,” Days, who appears to recognize Reid as he his heard calling him by his first name, warns. “He’s reaching for something!”

    As the situation intensifies, Reid can be heard telling the officers, “I’m not reaching for nothing. I ain’t got no reason to reach for nothing.” He then tells Days, “I’m getting out and getting on the ground.”

    Reid gets up and exits the car with his hands raised. Then the two officers fire at least six shots, killing Reid.

    “The video speaks for itself that at no point was Jerame Reid a threat and he possessed no weapon on his person,” Walter Hudson of the civil rights group National Awareness Alliance said Wednesday.

    Of course the article also mentions Reid’s record. Oh of course.

    Who killed #BrandonTateBrown @deray @ShaunKing @JamilahLemieux pls RT

  466. rq says

    A touch more on the Kinloch PD and their rather violent treatment of the mayor:
    The mayor calls the police for a possible burglary, and the police proceed to beat her up, give her tickets and arrest her #Kinloch
    I swear I thought they weren’t around anymore RT @search4swag: This is the Kinloch PD. Just deplorable
    Kinloch Police Beat Me Tonight #KinlochPoliceBeatThedaWilson Please Help & Share!!!!

    In Tamir Rice Case, Many Errors by Cleveland Police, Then a Fatal One

    And in death last November, Tamir joined Michael Brown, a teenager fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner, a Staten Island man who died after being placed in a chokehold by an officer, as touchstones for protests of police violence against unarmed black people across the nation. Their names were chanted by demonstrators again on Monday in Martin Luther King Jr. Day marches.

    Because of multiple layers in Cleveland’s 911 system, crucial information from the initial call about “a guy in here with a pistol” was never relayed to the responding police officers, including the caller’s caveats that the gun was “probably fake” and that the wielder was “probably a juvenile.”

    What the officers, Frank Garmback and his rookie partner, Tim Loehmann, did hear from a dispatcher was, “We have a Code 1,” the department’s highest level of urgency.

    When the officers raced into action, they took a shortcut that pointed their squad car straight into the park, pulling up so close to Tamir that it made it difficult to take cover, or to use verbal persuasion or other tactics suggested by the department’s use-of-force policy.

    Within two seconds of the car’s arrival, Officer Loehmann shot Tamir in the abdomen from point-blank range, raising doubts that he could have warned the boy three times to raise his hands, as the police later claimed.

    And when Tamir’s 14-year-old sister came running up minutes later, the officers, who are white, tackled her to the ground and put her in handcuffs, intensifying later public outrage about the boy’s death. When his distraught mother arrived, the officers also threatened to arrest her unless she calmed down, the mother, Samaria Rice, said.

    Officers Garmback and Loehmann did not check Tamir’s vital signs or perform first aid in the minutes after he was shot. But Officer Garmback frantically requested an emergency medical team at least seven times, urging the dispatcher to “step it up” and to send medical workers from a fire station a block away. It would be eight minutes before they arrived. […]

    For Cleveland residents, the shooting highlighted another longstanding problem: The department’s community policing programs had been whittled down to a token effort, a result of cuts a decade earlier that might well have made a life-or-death difference to Tamir. A sign on a telephone pole yards from where he was shot down still advertises a police mini-station in the nearby recreation center where he played basketball. The station is long gone.

    “If there was one there,” Councilman Jeffrey Johnson said, “he would have known Tamir, because Tamir was a regular, and he would have heard the call and gone out there and said, ‘Tamir, what are you doing?’” […]

    The 911 caller was calm, pausing to exchange pleasantries with the dispatcher before getting to the point: A male in Cudell Commons was pointing a pistol at people and scaring them. The gun was “probably fake,” he said twice before signing off, and its wielder was “probably a juvenile.”

    Officer Garmback, 46, who had joined the force in 2008, was at a nearby church when the call came. With him was his partner, Officer Loehmann, 26, hired just eight months before.

    Officer Loehmann had grown up in Parma, a largely white suburb of Cleveland, but he commuted 30 minutes to an all-male, Roman Catholic high school on the city’s east side, Benedictine, where many of the students were minorities.

    People who knew Officer Loehmann there recalled him as quiet and serious, active in the band and the German Club. The Rev. Gerard Gonda, the school’s president, said Mr. Loehmann had a solid record at Benedictine, where as a junior he was in Father Gonda’s theology class. “He had a very low-key personality, and I would say kind of a gentle personality,” Father Gonda said. […]

    But there, according to police records, he had emotional problems related to a girlfriend. At a shooting range, he was “distracted and weepy,” a supervisor said. One of his supervisors concluded that Officer Loehmann “would not be able to substantially cope, or make good decisions,” during stressful situations. After six months, the department allowed him to resign. [… – You’d think emotional stability would be an important trait in a police officer.]

    By the time Officer Loehmann was hired, the department was already struggling with a host of problems that had begun at least a decade before.

    In 2004, city leaders laid off 250 officers to help close a budget gap. That trimmed the force 15 percent, to about 1,500 officers, seriously hurting community policing and closing mini-stations.

    Over the next two years, the city’s violent crime rate leapt by double digits. It has since declined from that peak, but the city is still more violent than it was in 2004, according to F.B.I. data, even as violent crime has continued to drop across Ohio and the country.

    As the police department was shrinking, it came under increasing criticism for excessive use of force. The Justice Department began an investigation prompted by police shootings that led to an agreement in 2004 calling for the city to tighten its guidelines for the use of force and to improve its documentation of those incidents. But many reforms were not maintained, according to the recent Justice Department report.

    Episodes of abuse continued to surface. In 2011, a helicopter video captured police officers kicking Edward Henderson in the head even though he was spread-eagled on the ground. None of the officers admitted to wrongdoing, and none were fired, though the video showed them “kicking his head like a football,” said David Malik, a prominent civil rights lawyer who won a $600,000 settlement for Mr. Henderson, who suffered a broken facial bone.

    Mr. Malik said the city’s discipline and arbitration system heavily favored officers, making it difficult to punish misconduct. “It’s a culture of no consequences,” said Mr. Malik, who has filed or investigated potential lawsuits against the Cleveland police on more than 100 occasions.

    Nearly two years after the assault on Mr. Henderson, more than 60 police cruisers and one-third of the city’s on-duty force engaged in a high-speed chase after officers mistook a car’s backfiring for gunfire. It ended when officers killed the two unarmed occupants by firing 137 rounds into their vehicle. […]

    In the weeks since Tamir’s death, the city and its police department have come under mounting pressure to explain not only the shooting, but also its aftermath, with the officers failing to provide first aid as Tamir lay bleeding. Not until an F.B.I. agent who happened to be nearby arrived four minutes after the shooting did anyone tend to the boy.

    Though the department’s use-of-force policy requires officers to “obtain necessary medical assistance” for injured people, it does not explicitly call for them to perform first aid. Walter Madison, a lawyer for Tamir’s mother, said it would be ludicrous to believe that officers would not immediately perform first aid on a wounded comrade.

    Henry Hilow, a lawyer representing Officer Loehmann, said the officers had followed protocol by calling for E.M.S., saying, “They were doing the best they could to get medical attention” for Tamir. He also defended the officers’ tactics in the moments before the shooting, saying they had positioned their cruiser to prevent Tamir from running into the recreation center, where they thought he might endanger people. They tried to stop farther away, but the car skidded, Mr. Hilow said.

    Echoing the defense of the police department after the shooting, Mr. Hilow also said the officers had seen Tamir pull the pellet gun out of his waistband moments before Officer Loehmann shot him, an account that is difficult to verify with the low-quality security video. He said the officers had shouted at Tamir to drop the gun and show his hands before their squad car came to a stop. […]

    Yet Mayor Frank G. Jackson, a Democrat in his third term, has insisted there is no “systemic failure” in the department, and has steadfastly resisted calls for the resignation of two top advisers who oversaw the department during the period studied by both the state and the Justice Department.

    Ms. Rice, 38, is awaiting explanations, and an apology. “Nobody has come to knock on my door and told me what happened,” she said. “Somebody has to be held accountable.”

    MLK Day Clash At Harris-Stowe Leads To Conversation

    The movement toward more discussion stems from a Martin Luther King Day event marked with both celebration and protest. A small group of demonstrators disrupted an afternoon program at Harris-Stowe. After briefly taking the stage and the microphone, they were escorted out.

    The interruption mirrored earlier events where youth activists have demanded a voice among dignitaries and long-established organizations.

    Johnetta Elzie, a field organizer for Amnesty International who has been active in protests in Ferguson, says demonstrators interrupted the program because, even though the event was in the name of Martin Luther King, it wasn’t necessarily in his spirit.

    “So a program, while that’s nice and it’s nice to have speeches and sermons … at the same time, there is literally a youth-led demonstration outside this program,” Elzie said. “And the elders, which most of the people in the audience were, who say these young people need leadership, decide to stay inside and call the police on the youth.”

    Once demonstrators were removed from the auditorium, a heated exchange took place between Harris Stowe students and protesters.

    Elzie said some students were yelling at protesters that they didn’t want their campus “tear gassed.”

    “It was interesting to me to hear them say that when so many young college-age people are part of this movement and have been actively involved,” she said. “So we go to the only historically black university in St. Louis and the students are telling us that they don’t want to be tear gassed on their campus. That let me know that there is a disconnect somewhere.”

    Harris-Stowe senior and sometimes protester Jazminique Holley drove to campus when she heard about the dispute. She says she thinks many students were taken aback by the protesters’ presence.

    “From what I have seen and heard talking to my peers, they felt like if this is a race issue that we are dealing with, why come to a place that is working in the best interest of people of our race?”she said. “They felt like this is an HBCU (historically black colleges and universities). This university was created to help us excell educationally. A lot of people were concerned about why they would come here.”

    Holley, who serves as president of the Harris-Stowe chapter of the NAACP, says she understands demonstrators came to Harris-Stowe to protest the event, not confront the university. So she, along with Elzie, set up a meeting with Harris-Stowe administrators and students.

    “More than anything I wanted to bridge that gap between both sides, because at the end of the day we both want the same things as African-American youth in this community,” Holley said.

    The meeting included administrators from the student affairs office, Elzie and several students including Holley.

    A statement about the meeting from the university said that “both parties discussed their concerns and concluded with a mutual understanding.”

    Here’s this again: Terrifying Video Shows Black Man “With His Hands Raised” Shot To Death By New Jersey Cop

    The fatal encounter stems from a routine traffic stop on December 30, in which Bridgeton officers Braheme Days and Roger Worley pulled over a vehicle for running through a stop sign.

    While questioning the two men, Leroy Tutt and Jerame Reid, the video shows Days suddenly shouting to his partner, “We’ve got a gun in his glove compartment!”

    “Show me your fucking hands,” Days, who appears to recognize Reid as he his heard calling him by his first name, warns. “He’s reaching for something!”

    As the situation intensifies, Reid can be heard telling the officers, “I’m not reaching for nothing. I ain’t got no reason to reach for nothing.” He then tells Days, “I’m getting out and getting on the ground.”

    Reid gets up and exits the car with his hands raised. Then the two officers fire at least six shots, killing Reid.

    “The video speaks for itself that at no point was Jerame Reid a threat and he possessed no weapon on his person,” Walter Hudson of the civil rights group National Awareness Alliance said Wednesday.

    Of course the article also mentions Reid’s record. Oh of course.

  467. rq says

    465 is in moderation, but it’s the same as 466. With a few minor edits.

    Who killed #BrandonTateBrown @deray @ShaunKing @JamilahLemieux pls RT

    So.
    Was the officer’s life threatened? WARNING: Graphic content- Slow motion of Muskogee Police video of officer involved shooting.

    Officer Chansey McMillin shot and killed Terence Walker on Jan. 17, after Walker allegedly pointed a gun at McMillin while running away.

    It is graphic. And painful to watch. Especially the officer walking and then driving away at the end.

  469. says

    The numbers for my trans sisters of colour are such that their life expectancy is 35. IN THE UNITED STATES. A woman was murdered recently in New Jersey; the only place I saw it mentioned outside of trans bloggers was at shakesville.

    If it’s illustrative, let me offer my story on this, and bear in mind I’m a white woman in Canada, so I’m about three hundred rungs up the ladder from TWOC. I’ve been the target of anti-trans violence on six occasions, once by a group of Black teens, the others all white, and one of the white attackers was a woman. I have suffered broken fingers, broken foot bones, a dislocated elbow, several broken ribs, lost teeth, and gotten a few of my more recent knife scars.
    I also have been sexually assaulted once in a situation where my attacker had no reason to know me as trans. I did know, from a LOT of news reports, that trans women discovered to be trans while being assaulted tend to end up dead. So I hurt him, badly, in defending myself. Again, I don’t live in a high-risk neighbourhood, I’m 170+ cm and used to be athletic, and I had extensive combat training when I was a soldier.
    That’s why I’m able to still be talking about it.
    None of this was reported to the police, because even while white, I knew to avoid them. Toxic masculinity plus authority and impunity is a recipe for beatings and rape. Add in racism, and the recipe produces death.
    I don’t tell this for sympathy, or to centre the convo on me or women like me, but to use my much milder experience, to which I can attest, as a point of view for you to see how much MUCH worse my trans sisters of colour have it (but which it is not my story to tell), and specifically in the US for Black and Latina trans women.

    And because this thread is to show that #BlackLivesMatter, if I could ask that we draw a line under the “Cait’s story” part of the convo, I would be grateful. If you need to reply to that, maybe the Lounge or email would be better. Thanks.

  470. rq says

    Petition!!!
    Tell Judge James Daniel: Free Marissa Alexander.

    Right now we have a real chance to free Marissa Alexander, the mother who faced 60 years in prison for firing a warning shot to fend off her violent partner–but we need to act now.

    On January 27, the presiding judge will choose whether to add five more years to her sentence–that means going back to prison, instead of home to her family. We can’t let that happen.

    If thousands of us demand Marissa’s release, we can pressure the judge to finally grant her her freedom–and by doing so, fight back against the criminalization of all domestic abuse survivors.
    Tell Judge James Daniel:
    “Domestic abuse survivors should not be blamed for their abuse. Free Marissa Alexander.”

  471. rq says

    The news article on Terrance Walker (or, a news article, since I’m hoping it isn’t and won’t be the only one) – Muskogee, Oklahoma police release video, 911 call of officer-involved shooting

    olice received a call about 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 16 reporting a domestic disturbance at the Old Agency Baptist Church in the 1800 block of N 24th, police Cpl. Mike Mahan said.

    Pastor Andre Jones called 911 and said an armed man was threatening to kill a woman who was attending a wedding.

    “He’s here with a gun,” Jones said on the 911 call. “I need a police officer because I got to stop this. I got a whole bunch of people here and I don’t need nobody hurt.”

    Sgt. Michael Mahan said Friday that witnesses at the scene told police that Terence Walker, 21, told the woman at the wedding he “had a bullet with her name on it.”

    When Muskogee officer Chansey McMillin arrived to investigate the disturbance report, he met Walker outside the church.

    Video released Friday shows McMillin approach Walker and begin to search for weapons. The officer remarks that Walker seems nervous and asks Walker to relax.

    Walker then breaks away from McMillin and runs from the parking lot. Mahan said Walker hit the officer with his elbow in his attempt to get away.

    McMillins chases Walker and at one point Walker drops something on the ground.

    When Walker goes back to retrieve it, McMillin draws his gun and fires five times.

    “It is our belief that the video clearly shows the suspect pointing the gun at the officer,” Mahan said.

    The video shows Walker fall to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

    A loaded pistol was found near Walker, Muskogee police said. The video shows officers picking up the gun close to Walker’s body.

    The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting, and McMillin has been placed on administrative leave.

    Near the end of the video, Officer McMillan can be heard saying, “Why did he have to do that?”

    Wait, picking up the gun at a crime scene?? Umm… okay.

    *sigh* It’s all downhill from here. Senate Subcommittee Drops “Civil Rights And Human Rights” From Name

    A spokeswoman for Sen. John Cornyn, the number two Senate Republican and chairman of the subcommittee, defended the name change.

    “The Constitution covers our most basic rights including civil and human rights,” said Megan Mitchell, Cornyn’s spokeswoman, in an email to BuzzFeed News. “We will focus on these rights along with other issues that fall under the broader umbrella of the Constitution.”

    Now that Republicans control the Senate, senators who have ascended to the roll of chair on the various committees are free to alter the names if they choose.

    A spokesman for Sen. Richard Durbin, the ranking member on the subcommittee, said that despite the name change the committee would still work on civil and human rights.

    “The name of a subcommittee speaks to its priorities,” Ben Marter, a spokesman for Durbin, said in an email to BuzzFeed News. “Senator Durbin will make sure that civil rights and human rights aren’t dropped from Congress’ agenda.”

    A watchdog group, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, lambasted Cornyn for truncating the name.

    “The new Senate Republican Majority’s decision to expunge civil rights and human rights from this subcommittee’s name is a discouraging sign given the growing diversity of our nation and the complex civil and human rights challenges we face,” said Nancy Zirkin, the executive vice president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “Names matter. This, after all, is a subcommittee with jurisdiction over the implementation and enforcement of many of our most important civil rights laws.”

    And a Facebook page link (but no login required) for an event: “The Princess Who Went Quiet:” Talking to Kids About Incarceration.

    hicago-born artist Bianca Diaz has written a beautiful children’s book titled “The Princess Who Went Quiet.” In Bianca’s own words:
    “This comic was inspired by the stories that many people have shared with me about how incarceration has impacted their own lives, the lives of their family members, and the life of their communities. Thank you so much for letting me listen.”

    Join us on Tuesday January 27 from 6 to 8:30 pm as we address how to talk to kids about incarceration. We will be joined by formerly incarcerated parents who will share their experiences. We will also share resources (including Bianca’s book) that can help open up discussions about incarceration with children.

    We would especially like to invite families and others who have or work with people who are or have been incarcerated at Cook County Jail.

    Hard copies of the “Princess Who Went Quiet” will be distributed to people who have a loved one incarcerated at Cook County Jail through a grant by 96 Acres.

    On January 27, Marissa Alexander, a Florida mother of 3 unjustly tried, convicted and incarcerated for firing a warning shot at her abusive husband is set to be released from jail after accepting a plea deal rather than face 60 years in prison if re-convicted, will be released from Duval County jail. We are using this occasion to underscore the impact(s) of incarceration on children.

    Thanks to the Chicago Childcare Collective, we will have childcare available at this event. Let us know if you will be bringing children at [email protected]

    This event is co-sponsored by Project NIA, Moms United Against Violence and Incarceration, 96 ACRES, the Chicago Alliance to Free Marissa Alexander, Visible Voices, CLAIM Program of Cabrini Green Legal Aid, the Next Movement/Prison Ministry of Trinity United Church of Christ, LSSI Connections, Free Write Jail Arts Program, Chicago Childcare Collective, AREA Chicago.

    Considering the disproportionate number of black people currently incarcerated in the US, this seems relevant.

    And because Chicago, here’s photos of the latest action from therE:
    #traintakeover
    #traintakeover #blacklivesmatter
    CTA #TrainTakeover #BlackLivesMatter

    A few more coming up…

  472. rq says

    Gaddangit there was an email address in there… Oh well. Thsi is a continuation of the end of the previous comment, which is in moderation.

    Sign: 88% of 12,000 kids affected by 2013 #ChiSchoolClosings were black – from #traintakeover on #Chicago CTA redline p/v @kristenkaza #BLM
    “Black is God’s favorite color. And I know this because people usually hate what God loves.” #traintakeover
    U can listen to your headphones or u can hear the words of the voiceless #traintakeover
    “All we want to do is just live. But they come for our kids.” #traintakeover
    A reminder for Red Line riders. #BlackLivesMatter #TrainTakeover
    #TrainTakeover get ready! #Artists #Chicago #Facts #Stats #BlackLivesMatter

  473. rq says

    Okay… posting these four tweets (they’re from last night/this morning), and I’m not sure about the context, but the mention of police caught my eye, in relation to Ferguson and I’m wondering if this is connected to anything at all? My google-fu is failing me on this one.

    So many #ferguson people came out to support this family. Makes my heart so big. We must love and support each other;
    Black police officers have come to the vigil to support Elijah. Amazing;
    The memorial for Elijah. Rest in power young king.
    So many people came out here. Signing a poster for litte Elijah.
    Any clarity on this would be great, thanx!

  475. rq says

    Black Lives Matter stages ‘die-in’ during Dayton, Franken, Klobuchar speeches

    Arguably the three best known politicians in Minnesota gave speeches commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day today at Macalester College.

    But their remarks were upstaged by Black Lives Matter protesters who staged a “die in” during the event.

    A short time later, Black Lives Matter published a statement about the “silent protest” on the group’s Facebook page.

    The statement asks “the leadership of the state” to “take immediate action to institute meaningful, systemic policy solutions to address the worst racial disparities in the country.”

    “These racial disparities exist in every indicator of standards of living in our state including housing, employment, education, health, and policing,” it continues.

    In particular, Black Lives Matter puts Gov. Dayton on blast.

    “Every year Governor Dayton speaks on the legacy of Dr. King, yet has refused to comment on the racial inequities that continue to tear communities of color apart,” the statement says. “His silence will leave a black mark on his legacy and only serves to trivialize the legacy of Dr. King.”

    After quoting MLK Jr., the statement “puts forth the following demands to empower and protect our communities.”

    Our basic demand is an immediate end to the unjust police murders of unarmed Black people. Minnesota needs to take urgent measures to eliminate our ‘worst in the country’ racial disparities.

    Our initial and evolving list of demands include:

    1. Adopt statewide legislation to end racial profiling by law enforcement.

    2. Require all Minnesota law enforcement officers to take implicit bias and cultural competency training.

    3. Establish an independent community review board for police departments, with full disciplinary powers.

    4. Increase the number of officers that live in the communities they serve and immediately repeal the 1990 “Stanek Residency Freedom Bill.”

    5. De-militarize local law enforcement in Minnesota and across the country.

    6. Limit the use of deadly force by law enforcement.

    7) Repeal local ordinances that criminalize petty conduct such as “lurking, loitering and spitting on sidewalks,” which are used to racially profile, cite, and harass people of color.

    8) Quarterly reporting: ­Track and report to the public lawsuits, settlements, and complaints related to excessive force by police. Track and report to the public racial demographics of low level arrests.

    9) Statewide adoption of body cameras. Develop policies with input from the public to address when cameras are turned on and off, data storage, and effective protocols for review of data to ensure accountability.

    10. Bloomington City Attorney Sandra Johnson and the Mall of America must drop the outrageous charges and requests for restitution for “lost revenue” and “police overtime” being threatened against “organizers” of our peaceful gathering at the Mall of America.

    We voice our opposition to the status quo and demands action that holds the authorities accountable to the people and communities they serve.

    We will continue to push for change through non-violent action, despite the witch-hunt that has been waged upon our group and its members. Just as Dr. King and Civil Rights protesters in Selma marched amidst violent affliction, Black Lives Matter Minneapolis will not be silenced or intimidated from pursuing the justice and equity that is every person’s birthright.

    And follow a morning protest, #Act4Justice, as protestors confront Bobby Jindal in Louisana amongst other actions.
    A great crowd is forming out here! Come to the Memorial Clock Tower, we’ll be starting our march soon #Act4Justice

    So it’s not just black fathers!! :P When White Fathers Leave Their Black Children

    Over 24 million children in the U.S. live without their biological fathers. These children are, on average, two to three times more likely to experience education, behavioral, health, and emotional problems; use drugs; be poor; engage in criminal activity; or be victims of child abuse than their peers residing with two (married) parents.

    Fifty percent of these fatherless children have never even been in their father’s home.

    With nearly two in three black children growing up without their biological fathers and the exaggerated association between black males and criminality, black men have become the ultimate symbol of personal failure—their abandoned children, the ultimate statistics. The issue of black fatherhood has become paramount to the larger conversation on parenting and socio-economic outcomes for children. If you’re not talking about black men, you’re not talking about absentee fathers. […]

    Perhaps more than his words though, President Obama’s presence in and of itself remains a significant contribution to and reminder of the topic of black fathers. During public appearances he often invokes his childhood to relay a story of challenge and triumph, one characterized by single motherhood and extended familial support: another black boy without a black father.

    But what if President Obama’s father were white? How many of those upwards of 50 percent of black children that reside in single parent households have white fathers? And, more important, what happens to black children whose white fathers abandon them?

    The impact of my father’s absence on my development and outlook strays from the quintessential list of “daddy issues” that often come to mind when we hear a woman grew up without her dad; I don’t care for older men and I wasn’t a teen mother or stripper. Instead, my issues have been inextricably linked to racial politics and personal identity. At an early age I unconsciously internalized the “white savior” complex, often daydreaming about how life would be with not just any dad, but a white dad. How great my life would be if I were brought up with my white family! I’d live like all the happy white children on television! I fantasized about the day my father would come and save me from my atypical existence. It never happened.

    Through the missed holidays and countless uncelebrated birthdays and graduations, I never actually came to hate by biological father, until one day in 2013 when I had the chance to meet someone from my white family for the first time—my uncle, *Scott. Scott informed me that my father had not had any contact with me for two main reasons, (1) he experienced racism by my (black) family immediately after my birth and still carried the pain and resentment from that experience, and (2) he was now married to a German woman, with whom he has a son, and so his pride (and wife) would not allow him to acknowledge his past. Scott repeatedly mentioned that the wife was “very German” and explicitly forbid my father to have any contact with me. Within the context, I read “very German” to mean domineering and racist, but I guess that can be left to interpretation. […]

    Despite having been the fastest-growing U.S. demographic group, there has been limited research into the unique effects of fatherlessness on biracial children. Existing studies have been largely confined to examining white mothers with black ex-lovers, particularly in the U.K. These few studies, however, do support the notion that biracial children experience challenges beyond what the average statistics suggest. For fatherless biracial children, issues of cultural affiliation and racialized familial identification are heavily impacted by absenteeism.

    The challenges of growing up fatherless become especially complicated for children like myself born to black mothers and white fathers, a wholly invisible configuration that is buried in the national conversation on fatherhood and the plight of black families. Yes, I am black and fatherless, but I do not identify with the “missing black father” framing we have firmly secured to the responsible parenting narrative. We must acknowledge that because women have been shown to serve as the primary transmitters of ideology and acculturation for their children, the racial/ethnic identification of the absentee father matter when determining exactly how absenteeism affects the personal identity of the child.

    This connection between gender and race may also mean that some of those fatherless biracial children in fact identify as black, thus complicating assumptions associated with the demise of black American families and the failures of black men. Furthermore, statistics focused solely on the rate of single black mothers as a primary indicator of the state of black fatherhood may miss a growing population of biracial black children born to white, single mothers.

    So what happens when the checkboxes don’t encapsulate the reality of the lived experience? Given the rise in interracial marriages, which more often end in divorce than same-race unions, do we need to reevaluate our definition of a black American family? What does happen to biracial black children who are abandoned by their white fathers? Sometimes they become singers, or actresses, or bankers. And sometimes, they grow up to be, well, me.

    Interlude: re-writing the Three Little Pigs: ‘The Three Little Migos’: A Classic Children’s Story Retold With Rap Lyrics.

    Welcome to Atlanta, where the players play and ride on them thangs like every day [1]. The city is home to a young Takeoff, Quavo and Offset, three ‘Migos who go back like PAs and wearing PJs [2]. Each is set on building his home in the Home of the Brave, with dirty dollars, beauty parlors, baby bottles, bowling-ball Impalas [3]. But they also heed advice from OGs, specifically The Abbot, who warned of the wolves roaming The A: “Yo, you best protect ya neck,” [4] he advises.

    So the three ATLiens go about building their own houses in College Park. Takeoff has dreams of sleeping with an R&B chick [5] — FKA twigs to be specific — so he gathers some sticks and tree branches and constructs his own giant Jenga castle sure to impress the UK princess. The welcome mat reads: “Versace, Versace, Versace.” [6]

    “You will never ever catch me, no, no,” [7] Takeoff imagines saying to the wolves of the world.

    Offset is the money-hungriest of the three, so he crafts his home out of paper. It’s like an oversized origami; the print is entirely Versace.

    “You will never ever catch me, no, no,” [8] Offset imagines saying to the wolves of the world.

    Quavo’s home is symbolic of his drug kingpin dreams — he stacks bricks for a sturdy safe house. His curtains, couches and comforters are all Versace, Versace, Versace [9].

    “You will never ever catch me, no, no,” [10] Quavo imagines saying to the wolves of the world.

    Read the rest at the link. It’s wonderful reading in a wholly different kind of English (that I’m used to – no worse, no less, it’s just interesting to read since it’s not something I see on a daily basis).

  476. rq says

    ATLANTA: do you know about Kevin Davis? Why is this not on the news in Atlanta? #Ferguson #apd
    Woah. Just got word that #KevinDavis was marching in the streets w/us the months before being shot down by the police. Jesus. #shutitdownatl

    #ReclaimMLK Atlanta 2015: #ShutItDownATL (youtube video).

    Oh, this is about the earlier tweets: LSU students organize protest of Bobby Jindal prayer rally

    The AFA has espoused controversial views on topics ranging from homosexuality to the First Amendment, which the group says only protects Christian religious expression. A prayer guide released for the Jindal event implied legalized same-sex marriage and abortion might have caused Hurricane Katrina and other disasters. The prayer guide was pulled from The Response website Friday afternoon (Dec. 12).

    The protest, called Organizing against Hate Groups, will last all day and include “grassroots” workshops. Its sponsors include a handful of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) advocacy organizations as well as women’s groups. While most of the protest associations are affiliated with LSU, sponsors from Shreveport and New Orleans are also participating.

    “This is a direct attack on me and a direct attack on my friends,” said Peter Jenkins, an LSU graduate student who was also involved in organizing a campus vigil for Michael Brown — the Missouri teenager whose death after being shot by a police officer sparked demonstrations around the country.

    Students and alumni have also launched two petitions asking LSU’s administration to prevent the event from taking place on campus.

    “As a member of the LSU student community, it saddens and offends me that our administration would welcome to campus a recognized hate group whose vile rhetoric targets gay and transgendered people, Muslims, immigrants, and other marginalized groups,” wrote Maggie Cloos, the organizer of the student-led petition.

    “I think it is completely inappropriate for LSU to allow themselves to be used as a religious platform,” said Taylor Huckaby, who launched a second petition asking LSU to honor LGBT students by blocking the event. Huckaby has also submitted a public records request to find out more information about the rental of the PMAC to the AFA.

    Jenkins said six organizations thus far are officially putting on the protest, but more than 20 other organizations are considering getting involved. Around 300 people have already agreed to attend the protest, he said.

    The #RadicalBrownies are the revolutionary vanguard for the new generation.
    Someone on FB had an article on this but I didn’t fish it out. I think I will.

    More closeups of our MLK collage banner from the #TakeBackMLK rally, photo courtesy of David Royal

  477. rq says

    Minnesota Dad Takes To YouTube To Expose Racist Snapchats Sent To Adoptive Daughter (VIDEO)

    In the heartbreaking video above, Brad Knudson explains that his daughter’s friend came to the family to inform them that twins at her Prior Lake school were sending Dierdra racist Snapchat videos. Knudson and his wife recorded the Snapchats from their phone — in the shot videos, the twins can be heard calling Dierdra a nigger and a fat bitch.

    Knudson, who adopted Dierdra 11 years ago, says the family has “dealt with a little bit of racism, you know, stares, things like that when she calls us Mom or Dad,” but blew it off because “it was directed toward us.” But the videos were too much for the family — Knudson, who said he loves Dierdra more than his own life, decided to take a stand against racism and bullying because a close friend of theirs lost their 13-year-old son to bullying not long ago. […]

    Knudson identified the teens and called their father multiple times. There was no response. He resorted to visiting their home, but said no one came to the door. That’s when he got the police involved.

    But when the two fathers connected, more verbal assaults were thrown.

    Puro also left Knudson a homophobic voicemail.

    Since posting the video detailing his daughter’s torment, Puro was terminated from his job as an independent contractor. The name of Puro’s company has not been made public. And Dierdra seems to be alright — she posted a thank you note on Instagram to all of her supporters.

    The Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools are investigating the incident.

    thisisthemovement, installment #76:

    Ferguson/STL
    Isaac Holmes, Killed by STL Police On January 21st, Isaac Holmes was shot and killed by two officers who said that he ran from a stolen car “while holding a gun.” He was initially stopped for making an illegal U-turn and his family is challenging the police narrative. Must read.

    New York Times Reports DOJ To Not Charge Darren Wilson in Civil Rights Case “The Justice Department has begun work on a legal memo recommending no civil rights charges against a white police officer in Ferguson, MO., who killed an unarmed black teenager in August.” The investigation which was completed by the F.B.I. found no evidence to support civil rights charges against Darren Wilson says officials.

    Deeper Look Into Grand Juror Doe, Interview with Missouri ACLU Executive Director Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the Missouri ACLU. explains the details of the case against St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch in great detail. Absolute must read.

    Koster Changes Some Defendants In Lawsuit Re: Municipal Fees/Fines Missouri Atty. Gen. Koster filed a lawsuit against 13 municipalities in STL County last month stating that they were in violation of state law which “limits profits cities can take from traffic cases and mandates detailed financial reporting.” Recently, Koster has removed 6 municipalities from the lawsuit and added 4 others. Important read.

    Jerame Reid/NJ
    Jerame Reid, Killed by NJ Police Jerame Reid was killed by police in Bridgeton, NJ in January at a traffic stop and the dashcam video was just relased. You must watch this video. Must. Absolute must.

    #ReclaimMLK Day
    Meet Bayard Rustin, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Key Strategists Bayard Rustin, who was credited with organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956 and the March on Washington in 1963, also became friends with King. Rustin was a gay black man living in an already racist and homophobic country. Rustin knew that King didn’t judge him by his lifestyle, but the movement did. Powerful read.

    KKK Flier Drops in Orange County On Monday morning about 40 homes found fliers inside plastic bags with candy inside from the Klu Klux Klan. The fliers urge residents to not commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, calling King a “communist pervert.” Local police are investigating the flyer drop as a “hate incident.”

    Seattle Seahawks Apologize for Outrageous MLK Jr. Tweet Seahawks tweeted a photo of Russell Wilson crying and placed a Martin Luther King Jr. quote on top of it. Twitter was on it. Quick read.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    The Black Panthers, Revisited This NYT video and article explores the Black Panther Party in the context of today’s movement and reminds us of the importance of the Black Panther Party during the Civil Rights Movement. Important read/watch.

    Former Louisville Detective Found Not Guilty in Shooting of Unarmed Man Chauncey Carthan, retired detective with the Louisville Metro Police in Kentucky was cleared in the shooting of unarmed Ishmael Gough. The detective had been drinking brandy before driving off in his unmarked police vehicle and pulled over a speeding Gough.

    Understanding the DOJ and Civil Rights Charges This succinct article provides a helpful overview of the burden of proof that the DOJ has in prosecuting civil rights charges and has incredibly helpful statistics about the declining number of cases that the DOJ has chosen to investigate over time. Important read.

    YouTubeAsksObama Fact-Check During the recent #YouTubeAsksObama, President Obama highlighted a law that he helped pass in Illinois that required police departments to collect data on the race of people pulled over. This article fact-checks his claim that this law has decreased race-related stops.

    Chart: A higher education doesn’t fix race and gender pay gaps

    The chart shows large disparities in two categories: race and sex. Black Americans with advanced degrees make roughly the same as white Americans with only bachelor’s degrees. And women with advanced degrees make less than men with only bachelor’s degrees.

    Numerous studies confirm these disparities. In one study, researchers sent out otherwise identical resumes under stereotypically “white” and stereotypically “black” names; the white names were 50 percent more likely to be called back for interviews. Another study found that white people perceive “black” Americans as being less competent and having a less inviting personality than “African Americans,” which could hinder the job prospects of people who identify as black on a job application by, say, noting their membership in a “Black Student Union.” And these two studies are only a couple of many more examples.

    The research on the gender wage gap tells a similar story. After controlling for factors like race and occupation, Evan Soltas found women make about 4 to 10 percent less than men. But Vox’s Matt Yglesias explains why controlling for all these factors misses part of the story:

    Life is complicated. Any summary statistic is, by definition, going to be an effort to simplify that reality. And it is absolutely true to say that pay discrimination on the part of employers between the women they employ and the men they employ only accounts for a minority of the gap. But the statistical controls that reveal that don’t make the problem of the wage gap go away. They help us identify where it exists.

    The same applies with all these statistics — whether they touch on sex or race. But at least with the BLS data, we can rule out level of education as being the only factor behind the massive earnings disparities.

    Kinloch Police Arrest Former Interim Mayor Theda Wilson After Fight with Three Cops

    A former city leader in the small North County municipality of Kinloch claims police there arrested and physically assaulted her after she called to report a burglary in her apartment complex.

    Kinloch police cited Theda Wilson with a summons for resisting arrest and because she “fought with three police officers.”

    Kinloch police chief K. Williams says his department is investigating the incident and offered no other details. He told Daily RFT he wasn’t even sure the incident had occurred because officers involved were not back on duty and therefore unavailable. […]

    “She heard a ruckus and thought people were breaking in,” says Rice. “She called the police. When they got there, the tables just kind of turned.”

    Kinloch police released Wilson at the hospital under her own recognizance.
    “They ended up taking the cuffs off in the ambulance,” says Rice, who met Wilson at the hospital. “They just dumped her (at the hospital.) They were like, ‘Well, you’re still under arrest.'”

    Wilson, a former Kinloch alderman, was voted in as the city’s interim mayor after the ouster of Darren Small, who forfeited office in 2013 after pleading guilty to a felony count of failing to pay child support. Small was reinstated in 2014, but Wilson continues to call herself the interim mayor.

    Wilson and her supporters went to the Kinloch Police Department Friday morning to get answers, but officers blocked the driveway to the department and ordered them to stop filming — despite a federal judge’s November ruling saying that citizens are entitled to film police as long as they don’t disrupt officers’ duties. […]

    Kinloch is the oldest black community west of the Mississippi River and was once home to more than 10,000 people. But when Lambert Airport bought half of the city to make room for a (never built) second runway, Kinloch lost half its tax base. The city never recovered.

    And another one shot, no new information: Longview officers fatally shoot woman who threatened them at station

    A woman, whose identity has not been released, came to the police department at 6:28 p.m. Thursday and picked up the red phone to speak to dispatch, saying she needed an officer, police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said.

    “When police arrived to assist her that’s when she confronted them,” Brian said. “She did brandish a weapon. I don’t know what kind it was. She came at the officers and was shot.”

    No police officers were injured.

    The woman was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.

    But let us remember: Worth remembering that legal standard for officers usually is they just need to BELIEVE they were in danger. Need not actually be.

  478. rq says

    Minnesota Dad Takes To YouTube To Expose Racist Snapchats Sent To Adoptive Daughter (VIDEO)

    In the heartbreaking video above, Brad Knudson explains that his daughter’s friend came to the family to inform them that twins at her Prior Lake school were sending Dierdra racist Snapchat videos. Knudson and his wife recorded the Snapchats from their phone — in the shot videos, the twins can be heard calling Dierdra a n*gg*r and a fat b*tch.

    Knudson, who adopted Dierdra 11 years ago, says the family has “dealt with a little bit of racism, you know, stares, things like that when she calls us Mom or Dad,” but blew it off because “it was directed toward us.” But the videos were too much for the family — Knudson, who said he loves Dierdra more than his own life, decided to take a stand against racism and bullying because a close friend of theirs lost their 13-year-old son to bullying not long ago. […]

    Knudson identified the teens and called their father multiple times. There was no response. He resorted to visiting their home, but said no one came to the door. That’s when he got the police involved.

    But when the two fathers connected, more verbal assaults were thrown.

    Puro also left Knudson a homophobic voicemail.

    Since posting the video detailing his daughter’s torment, Puro was terminated from his job as an independent contractor. The name of Puro’s company has not been made public. And Dierdra seems to be alright — she posted a thank you note on Instagram to all of her supporters.

    The Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools are investigating the incident.

    thisisthemovement, installment #76:

    Ferguson/STL
    Isaac Holmes, Killed by STL Police On January 21st, Isaac Holmes was shot and killed by two officers who said that he ran from a stolen car “while holding a gun.” He was initially stopped for making an illegal U-turn and his family is challenging the police narrative. Must read.

    New York Times Reports DOJ To Not Charge Darren Wilson in Civil Rights Case “The Justice Department has begun work on a legal memo recommending no civil rights charges against a white police officer in Ferguson, MO., who killed an unarmed black teenager in August.” The investigation which was completed by the F.B.I. found no evidence to support civil rights charges against Darren Wilson says officials.

    Deeper Look Into Grand Juror Doe, Interview with Missouri ACLU Executive Director Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the Missouri ACLU. explains the details of the case against St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch in great detail. Absolute must read.

    Koster Changes Some Defendants In Lawsuit Re: Municipal Fees/Fines Missouri Atty. Gen. Koster filed a lawsuit against 13 municipalities in STL County last month stating that they were in violation of state law which “limits profits cities can take from traffic cases and mandates detailed financial reporting.” Recently, Koster has removed 6 municipalities from the lawsuit and added 4 others. Important read.

    Jerame Reid/NJ
    Jerame Reid, Killed by NJ Police Jerame Reid was killed by police in Bridgeton, NJ in January at a traffic stop and the dashcam video was just relased. You must watch this video. Must. Absolute must.

    #ReclaimMLK Day
    Meet Bayard Rustin, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Key Strategists Bayard Rustin, who was credited with organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956 and the March on Washington in 1963, also became friends with King. Rustin was a gay black man living in an already racist and homophobic country. Rustin knew that King didn’t judge him by his lifestyle, but the movement did. Powerful read.

    KKK Flier Drops in Orange County On Monday morning about 40 homes found fliers inside plastic bags with candy inside from the Klu Klux Klan. The fliers urge residents to not commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, calling King a “communist pervert.” Local police are investigating the flyer drop as a “hate incident.”

    Seattle Seahawks Apologize for Outrageous MLK Jr. Tweet Seahawks tweeted a photo of Russell Wilson crying and placed a Martin Luther King Jr. quote on top of it. Twitter was on it. Quick read.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    The Black Panthers, Revisited This NYT video and article explores the Black Panther Party in the context of today’s movement and reminds us of the importance of the Black Panther Party during the Civil Rights Movement. Important read/watch.

    Former Louisville Detective Found Not Guilty in Shooting of Unarmed Man Chauncey Carthan, retired detective with the Louisville Metro Police in Kentucky was cleared in the shooting of unarmed Ishmael Gough. The detective had been drinking brandy before driving off in his unmarked police vehicle and pulled over a speeding Gough.

    Understanding the DOJ and Civil Rights Charges This succinct article provides a helpful overview of the burden of proof that the DOJ has in prosecuting civil rights charges and has incredibly helpful statistics about the declining number of cases that the DOJ has chosen to investigate over time. Important read.

    YouTubeAsksObama Fact-Check During the recent #YouTubeAsksObama, President Obama highlighted a law that he helped pass in Illinois that required police departments to collect data on the race of people pulled over. This article fact-checks his claim that this law has decreased race-related stops.

    Chart: A higher education doesn’t fix race and gender pay gaps

    The chart shows large disparities in two categories: race and sex. Black Americans with advanced degrees make roughly the same as white Americans with only bachelor’s degrees. And women with advanced degrees make less than men with only bachelor’s degrees.

    Numerous studies confirm these disparities. In one study, researchers sent out otherwise identical resumes under stereotypically “white” and stereotypically “black” names; the white names were 50 percent more likely to be called back for interviews. Another study found that white people perceive “black” Americans as being less competent and having a less inviting personality than “African Americans,” which could hinder the job prospects of people who identify as black on a job application by, say, noting their membership in a “Black Student Union.” And these two studies are only a couple of many more examples.

    The research on the gender wage gap tells a similar story. After controlling for factors like race and occupation, Evan Soltas found women make about 4 to 10 percent less than men. But Vox’s Matt Yglesias explains why controlling for all these factors misses part of the story:

    Life is complicated. Any summary statistic is, by definition, going to be an effort to simplify that reality. And it is absolutely true to say that pay discrimination on the part of employers between the women they employ and the men they employ only accounts for a minority of the gap. But the statistical controls that reveal that don’t make the problem of the wage gap go away. They help us identify where it exists.

    The same applies with all these statistics — whether they touch on sex or race. But at least with the BLS data, we can rule out level of education as being the only factor behind the massive earnings disparities.

    Kinloch Police Arrest Former Interim Mayor Theda Wilson After Fight with Three Cops

    A former city leader in the small North County municipality of Kinloch claims police there arrested and physically assaulted her after she called to report a burglary in her apartment complex.

    Kinloch police cited Theda Wilson with a summons for resisting arrest and because she “fought with three police officers.”

    Kinloch police chief K. Williams says his department is investigating the incident and offered no other details. He told Daily RFT he wasn’t even sure the incident had occurred because officers involved were not back on duty and therefore unavailable. […]

    “She heard a ruckus and thought people were breaking in,” says Rice. “She called the police. When they got there, the tables just kind of turned.”

    Kinloch police released Wilson at the hospital under her own recognizance.
    “They ended up taking the cuffs off in the ambulance,” says Rice, who met Wilson at the hospital. “They just dumped her (at the hospital.) They were like, ‘Well, you’re still under arrest.'”

    Wilson, a former Kinloch alderman, was voted in as the city’s interim mayor after the ouster of Darren Small, who forfeited office in 2013 after pleading guilty to a felony count of failing to pay child support. Small was reinstated in 2014, but Wilson continues to call herself the interim mayor.

    Wilson and her supporters went to the Kinloch Police Department Friday morning to get answers, but officers blocked the driveway to the department and ordered them to stop filming — despite a federal judge’s November ruling saying that citizens are entitled to film police as long as they don’t disrupt officers’ duties. […]

    Kinloch is the oldest black community west of the Mississippi River and was once home to more than 10,000 people. But when Lambert Airport bought half of the city to make room for a (never built) second runway, Kinloch lost half its tax base. The city never recovered.

    And another one shot, no new information: Longview officers fatally shoot woman who threatened them at station

    A woman, whose identity has not been released, came to the police department at 6:28 p.m. Thursday and picked up the red phone to speak to dispatch, saying she needed an officer, police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said.

    “When police arrived to assist her that’s when she confronted them,” Brian said. “She did brandish a weapon. I don’t know what kind it was. She came at the officers and was shot.”

    No police officers were injured.

    The woman was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.

    But let us remember: Worth remembering that legal standard for officers usually is they just need to BELIEVE they were in danger. Need not actually be.

  479. says

    @477 rq: we also don’t require that they respond to their scaredyness with reasonable force anymore. The US used to. It was the law. Cozy relationships between prosecutors and crim- er, I mean cops, definitely cops – have led to their effectively nullifying the law.

  480. rq says

    Hey, Cait, if you’re scared, you’re scared, eh? All that fear removes all judgment regarding your own strength and technical capabilites, esp. once your ‘suspect’ turns their back on you and starts running. It’s all testosterone and adrenalin from there – biology!! Can’t stop biology!

  481. says

    LOL, I was thinking maybe a plush toy to cuddle with on their way to deal with the public in any tense manner. Turn on the sirens, and your best bear friend is there.
    I’d considered a box of favourite things, but it seemed much more difficult for the driver to experience safely.
    Maybe if we can make their cruisers a private comforting cuddlespace, we could get them arriving at scenes in a good frame of mind. ;)

  482. rq says

    A cuddlespace! Yes!

    Turn on the sirens, and your best bear friend is there.

    Drops from the ceiling, like the breathing masks in planes? Arms wide open? And a little electronic voice saying ‘Hug me!’…?
    (Is this where they get the women involved, for some pink fluffy peaceful goodness?)
    Also, I think this is enough of a derail. :D

    +++

    Pro-police rally in Clayton right now:
    And then, there’s this. Clayton. Pro Police Rally.
    And then there’s this sweatshirt. Clayton. Pro Police Rally. (The back of that shirt explains how then the cop becomes chief and ‘accidentally’ shoots his wife in his sleep.)
    The protestor livestream is LIVE IN THE POLICE CAR. Y’all. That’s wild.
    And Chief Belmar is here. Y’all. Clayton. Pro Police Rally.
    The police protect the pro police crowd. Clayton.
    Pro Police Rally. Clayton.

  483. rq says

    A bit more from the rally:
    No Surprise! @MusicOverPeople & @bdoulaoblongata Fighting back @ #Ferguson Pro-Police Rally @bassem_masri livestream
    And after refusing to show his badge, the officer opened his jacket. It shouldn’t be this hard. America.
    And this is local Fox anchor, Andy Baker, and his wife. Y’all. America.
    The officer just said she had to turn around because she was “spitting in his face.” I wish y’all could see this.

    Please read the attached photo-article, though the tweet-caption says it all: “no quotas & only want ‘good tickets’ written… Would like to remind you the tickets you write add to the revenue”
    In light of the new year, MAU has new changes we would love for you all to know about. Also worth reading, some future plans by and for young people.

  484. rq says

    Ferguson and the Decline in Anthropology

    As examples of what my academic field, anthropology, has sunk to, here are four responses to the shooting and riots in Ferguson appearing in the current issue of Anthropology News. Each is a retelling of what might be called the left’s canonical myth of Ferguson: facts submerged in a sea of fiction.

    Pem Davidson Buck, a faculty member at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, writes in “The Violence of the Status Quo” that the importance of Ferguson is that the events there “make it impossible for the rest of the country” to ignore the violence with which white people routinely oppress blacks. That violence is typically ignored, but it is pervasive because it is “a violence that is critical in maintaining the privilege that accompanies whiteness.” “Continuous low-level violence [is] required to maintain inequality.” The people of Ferguson, according to Buck, refused to accept this status quo and in so doing have “torn off the mask that hides these truths.” Buck has a lot to say about masks, and mask-removal turns out to be what anthropology is good for as well: “Anthropology can furnish analysis of the state, of the use of force, of whiteness, of structural inequality, segmented labor forces, and structural violence.”

    Steven Gregory, professor of anthropology and African-American Studies at Columbia University writes in “Ferguson and the Right to Black Life” that Michael Brown was “gunned down” in Ferguson for being “a black male walking.” The restoration of peace in the city means a return to conditions that led to Brown’s death in the first place. “It was this peace and this normalcy that killed Michael Brown.” Brown had merely been engaged in the “right to assert and defend” his “humanity.” He was killed because he was among those black people “who had the audacity to comport themselves as if their rights as citizens were inalienable and protected by the full weight of the law.” Gregory’s lessons for anthropology are more specific than Buck’s. “We must be critical of how discourses of black violence, chaos and criminality are mobilized to delegitimize black resistance while conferring carte blanche to police repression.” But Gregory rises to the larger point as well: “We must fight this battle with and not against those who agitate for freedom, democracy and human rights.”

    Raymond Codrington, anthropologist in residence at the New York Hall of Science, writes in “Ferguson: An American Story” that, “apparently, a struggle of some kind ensued” after Brown “ignored” Officer Wilson’s order to move out of the street. But this concession to the facts is immediately followed with the fable that Brown was shot “with his hands and arms raised in the air in surrender” – or so “witnesses state.” What followed demonstrated “the impact of racism and inequality in this country.” Codrington characterizes Brown’s caught-on-video strong-arm robbery of a convenience store as “shoplifting” that would have been excused as “youthful indiscretion” if done by a white teenager. Then it is on to the deep analysis: “the events in Ferguson demonstrate the cumulative impact of structural and individual racism.” Codrington recommends that anthropologists compare what is happening in the U.S. to treatment of minorities in the UK and Brazil as a step toward “developing strategies and frameworks for dismantling structural disparities.”

    Lydia Brassard, a graduate anthropology student at CUNY, and Michael Partis, an instructor in the Center for Ethnic Studies at CUNY, contributed the last of the articles, “Standing Their Ground in #Ferguson.” They explain “#Ferguson can be used for our anthropology students as a way to analyze the relationship between contemporary power structures and the trajectories of sociopolitical mobilizations over time.” (“#Ferguson” is the Twitter hashtag used by many of the protesters.) Brassard and Partis are especially interested in “digital sharing and exchange” as part of the protest movement. “Digital activism,” they argue, is a way to escape the “hegemonic narratives” of the “hegemonic news outlets.” They welcome brevity and “sentence fragments,” not least because “rather than nailing down ‘facts,’’’ they create “the most nuanced landscape of understanding.” […]

    The editors of Anthropology News plainly saw no need to present alternative views of what happened at Ferguson, including any views that match with reasonable accuracy the record of events established by the grand jury. Those matters aren’t even dismissed by the five contributors. They are simply ignored. The point of all four of the articles is to reaffirm a mythic narrative: An innocent black teenager was murdered by a white cop in an exercise of the structural violence that is part of America’s system for maintaining racial inequality. The event stands out in significance only because the people of Ferguson spontaneously rebelled. We anthropologists can use the murder and the subsequent rebellion to further our own activist agenda aimed at recruiting our students to the larger struggle against inequality.

    Every part of this myth deserves to be challenged. Michael Brown, who had physically attacked Officer Wilson, was neither peaceable nor innocent. Officer Wilson fired his weapon in self-defense. “Structural violence,” and kindred terms such as “structural racism,” “structural inequality,” and “structural disparities” are intellectually lazy simplifications of complex social circumstances. The appeal of such phrases is political. They remove all moral and social responsibility from the actors who are portrayed as the victims of violence, racism, inequality, and disparity. An anthropology that simply erases the motives of key participants and reduces them to objects acted on by invidious external forces is no anthropology at all.

    The only motive attributed to the supposed victims is their heroic decision, at long last, to rebel against their “structural” oppression. But the five authors seem oblivious to the numerous reports that the protests and the subsequent riots were mainly instigated by activists from outside Ferguson who saw an opportunity to exploit for their own political gain. (One of the writers, Gregory, alludes to this dismissively by citing a riot in Harlem in 1935 in which police blamed much of the violence on the Young Communist League—which indeed played a major role. But Gregory’s point is ‘don’t blame outsiders.’) […]

    Anthropology, in other words, learned the trick of promoting new myths in the name of demythologizing. Rip off the mask in order to promote a new mask more in keeping with a different political agenda. This breeds a great deal of cynicism within the field and a feeling that the masking never stops. Everything is a mask, and if that is the case, why not devote your effort to the mask you like best? That’s how devotion to facts and the pursuit of truth withers away.

    Today we have anthropologists eager to lend their intellectual authority to the just-so story that America is a nation run by privileged whites determined to maintain their privilege. This is, quite plainly, a myth. There is nothing in the realm of fact to support it. But it is, of course, a politically useful myth for those seeking to obtain power and influence by marshalling social resentments. How much fictionalizing can an academic discipline bear before it altogether loses its credibility?

    Can I just say WOOOOOW? Someone’s reeking of privilege and leaving the stink behind.

  485. rq says

    Akon: ‘America was never built for black people’

    Akon talks to Al Jazeera about running his musical career as a business; his projects – both philanthropic and artistic; singing songs for peace and whether he thinks it can really make an impact; and being an African in the US.

    The artist was born in Missouri, the US state where protests against police brutality targeting African-Americans erupted after the killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson last year.

    On Talk to Al Jazeera, Akon shares his views on race relations in the US and speaks frankly about why he thinks African-Americans should understand Africa better.

    He says: “Pick a project in New York, for instance: that’s a five-star hotel compared to the environment I came up in…. They actually get money from the government, there actually are programmes that help the impoverished and the poor, and you get food stamps. I mean, they have it good compared to Africa…

    “There’s a huge difference in how the government allocates funds for the poor in Africa, the environment is not even left and right. If these groups were to be taken from the environment where they are now to the same ‘equal’ environment in Africa, they would be crying to come back to America.”

    Video with more at the link, including (I presume) this quote highlighted in the text portion: “How many African-Americans do you know actually consider Africa as a vacation spot? Not one… Even just for knowledge, just to know where they came from, just to get an idea of what that is; there is so much fear instilled in them that they wouldn’t even want to go there to visit. You mention Africa, they start shaking.”

    “@Sjuccstl youth discuss Civil Rights movement, ##Ferguson & BlackLivesMatter after viewing Selma. #TrainLeaders ”

    Fear of a Black Gun Owner

    It is ironic that the modern-day argument for citizens to arm themselves against unwarranted government oppression — dominated, as it is, by angry white men — has its roots in the foundation of the 1960s Black Panther movement. Huey Newton and Bobby Seale became inspired by Malcolm X’s admonishment that because government was “either unable or unwilling to protect the lives and property” of African Americans, they ought to defend themselves “by any means necessary.”

    UCLA law professor Adam Winkler explores this history in his 2011 book, Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America. “Like many young African Americans, Newton and Seale were frustrated with the failed promise of the civil-rights movement,” Winkler writes. In their opinion, “the only tangible outcome of the civil-rights movement had been more violence and oppression, much of it committed by the very entity meant to protect the public: the police.” Winkler goes on to say, “Malcolm X and the Panthers described their right to use guns in self-defense in constitutional terms.” Guns became central to the Panthers’ identity, as they taught their early recruits that “the gun is the only thing that will free us — gain us our liberation.”

    The Panthers responded to racial violence by patrolling black neighborhoods brandishing guns — in an effort to police the police. The fear of black people with firearms sent shockwaves across white communities, and conservative lawmakers immediately responded with gun-control legislation.

    Then Gov. Ronald Reagan, now lauded as the patron saint of modern conservatism, told reporters in California that he saw “no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons.” Reagan claimed that the Mulford Act, as it became known, “would work no hardship on the honest citizen.” The NRA actually helped craft similar legislation in states across the country. Fast-forward to 2013, and it is a white-male dominated NRA, largely made up of Southern conservatives and gun owners from the Midwest and Southwestern states, that argues “do not tread on me” in the gun debate.

    The gun-rights movement has been co-opted in the post-civil rights era. Loud voices both inside and outside the NRA use the claxons of government tyranny and fear of supposed “street thugs” to justify deregulation. The Second Amendment text that calls for a “well-regulated militia” is often ignored in favor of the ambiguous phrase, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
    […]

    It seems the arguments and the players have been reversed. At its founding in 1871, the NRA was an organization dedicated to promoting marksmanship, firearms-safety education and shooting for recreation. Today it promotes utter irresponsibility and unfettered access to deadly weapons.

    In just a few short decades, what was once a reasonable debate in Washington has become corrupted. In 1989, Republican President George H.W. Bush issued an executive order banning the importation of semiautomatic weapons. Bill Clinton followed suit in 1998 and, in 2001, banned the importation of assault pistols. Today the inmates are in control of the asylum, with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee refusing to entertain any civilian restriction to military-style assault rifles.

    But unlike Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, the NRA and their GOP allies find it hard to justify unbridled support of gun ownership and access. As MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry brilliantly described in a recent segment, the Black Panthers may not have been what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they described “a well-regulated militia” taking up arms against the tyranny of the state, but that is exactly what they represented.

    The Panthers sought to protect themselves and other law-abiding citizens against indiscriminate violence perpetrated by police forces. But firepower in the hands of black men was — and still is — seen as dangerous and wildly inappropriate. Unless, of course, that violence is intraracial. When black males from Baltimore to Chicago shoot each other, policymakers hardly notice. Apathy breeds inaction, and big business encourages that the status quo be maintained.

    The justified anger that informed decisions by the likes of Malcolm X and the Black Panthers to fully embrace their Second Amendment rights has been bastardized by contemporary arguments for lax gun control. And as money continues to corrupt, it only gets worse. […]

    As arguments over gun rights continue and the debate about what constitutes “well-regulated” becomes clearer, perhaps history will inform policy and remind Americans of a time when the tyranny wasn’t colorblind.

    This is why we need diversity at ALL levels. Librarians. Publishers. Agents. Editors. Because all it takes is one person to other a book.

    And a fundraiser via GoFundMe: After-School Programs for Kids

    North Campus After-School Programming provides an additional 4 hours per day (20 per week) of services to our students. The first two hours are focused on academics, while our students spend the second half participating in enrichment electives, including:

    – Chess
    – Yoga
    – Creative Writing
    – Science Club
    – Film Studies
    – Constitution Club
    – Painting
    – Swimming

    These courses provide our students with an opportunity to engage in topics that may not be taught in a traditional school setting. Ultimately, we hope to provide an educational and enriching childhood experience for all North Campus students.

    A very short history of why we have a wealth gap between blacks and whites. tl;dr, it’s by design:

    The vast majority of blacks emerged from slavery with no money. New Deal worker protections, from the Fair Labor Standards Act, which set a minimum wage, to Social Security, initially excluded the many African Americans who then labored as domestic workers and tenant farmers. The Federal Housing Administration’s loan policies excluded many of them from the homeownership deals that allowed many whites to move to the suburbs, helping them create wealth. Similarly, most African Americans were excluded from the GI Bill benefits that followed World War II.

    (That’s the excerpt quoted in the tweet.)

  486. rq says

    Support rally for police draws protesters to Clayton

    About 75 individuals traded chants and argued their points of view for two hours at the corner of Forsyth and Central Ave. “We support our police; we support our police,” yelled one group. “You support police brutality,” retorted another demonstrator.

    The demonstration occurred outside the St. Louis County Police Department. County Chief Jon Belmar attended a portion of the event. “The police department really appreciates the support of the group that came out today,” Belmar said adding, “It means a lot to us.”

    As for the critics Belmar sees some improvement. “I hope we can get to the point where we can begin to have conversations and perhaps stop some of the yelling back and forth,” he said. At that point, the chief said he believes “we can begin to perhaps take some positive steps forward for everybody and I think that’s gonna be helpful.”

    Protest leader Bishop Derrick Robinson explained, “We support the police, but we don’t support senseless killing.” Recent police involved shootings have not resulted in any indictments of officers. Pastor Robinson said it is time police stop using racial profiling. “That should never be in our community. We’re not bad people; we’re not criminals and we don’t want to be classified as such,” he added.

    The organizer of the pro-police rally, Trish Dennison of Metro east said, “I did not see a lot of support for the officers. It just broke my heart that no one was standing up for them..if no one is gonna do it I’m gonna try.” Her group St. Louis Area Support Our LEO (Law enforcement officer) has a Facebook page. Another rally or march is in the planning stages for this spring.

    The poor maligned police officers.
    More on that rally: Police supporters and Ferguson protesters share tense moments, in photos.

    “A Systemic Failure”: New Calls for Reform as Feds Rule Out Civil Rights Charges for Darren Wilson

    The Justice Department has reportedly concluded it will not bring civil rights charges against police officer Darren Wilson for shooting unarmed African-American teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. On Wednesday, The New York Times reported Attorney General Eric Holder will have the final say, but will almost certainly side with investigators who are recommending no charges. A wider Justice Department probe into Ferguson police over reports of racial profiling in traffic stops and use of excessive force remains underway. Meanwhile, a judge has rejected an NAACP Legal Defense Fund request for a new grand jury to consider criminal charges against Wilson. The group raised concerns over the actions of prosecutor Bob McCulloch, including his decision to let a witness provide false testimony. All this comes as President Obama made just one mention of Ferguson in his State of the Union address Tuesday, prompting activists to release their own video on the State of the Black Union. We are joined by Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. […]

    AMY GOODMAN: For more on the news that the federal government does not plan to file civil rights charges against police officer Darren Wilson for shooting Michael Brown in Ferguson, we’re joined by Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

    Vince, welcome back to Democracy Now! Were you surprised?

    VINCENT WARREN: Not terribly surprised. It’s very disappointing, because I think a range of people want to have some measure of accountability. But when you actually look at the federal civil rights laws, it’s a much harder and higher burden for them to prove these types of charges. They were going to have to essentially show that Darren Wilson intended to violate Mike Brown’s civil rights. And there are ways that they can do that, by looking at the totality of the evidence, looking at what he said. But I think their view is the evidence just is probably not enough to support that higher burden of proving an intent to do something based on race or to violate his civil rights in that way. It’s a challenge.

    JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And what about the ongoing investigation of Ferguson by the Justice Department?

    VINCENT WARREN: Well, the Department of Justice has two options. One is the criminal route, which it looks like it’s not going to happen specifically with respect to Darren Wilson. But they also have other options, which are civil lawsuits against the Ferguson Police Department for pattern and practice of activities that violate civil rights—excessive force and things like that. So that’s clearly something that they’re intending to move forward. Beyond that, the Brown family also has the ability to file a civil lawsuit, which is not outstanding for the justice that people want, but it certainly is a remedy that could send a very strong financial message.

    AMY GOODMAN: On this issue of intent, I mean, even if he didn’t that morning, when he got up, say, “I want to violate his rights,” or even five minutes before, once he did that, why is that not sufficient?

    VINCENT WARREN: Well, there are a range of things in life that happen that it’s difficult to prove after the fact. And with this situation, you know, it’s not—the proof doesn’t require him to say the N-word right as he pulls the trigger. And you can look at the facts and the circumstances. So, whether Mike Brown’s hands were up or not would matter. Whether Mike Brown was running away or running towards would matter. So those are the totality of the circumstances that they can begin to look at. However, I think their take is, based on that information that they have, it’s going to be very hard for them to issue an indictment in a federal court that would sustain this type of charge, unfortunately. […]

    VINCENT WARREN: Well, yeah, the Ferguson situation has everything to do with what’s going on in different parts of the country. With respect to that particular proposal, I actually was part of a meeting with Attorney General Schneiderman of New York, who proposed a similar measure in which his office would be appointed to be able to look at these things more independently than local prosecutors who work with police officers would. This, I think, is a step in the right direction. And it really points to the larger issue that the protesters are talking about, is that we’re talking systemic failure. What’s happening in grand juries around the country, and even in terms of the federal prosecution, the system is not keeping up with the current nature and tenor of the civil rights violations that are happening with police departments. We need protesters out there to push that political agenda to make sure that black lives matter, and then we need to have smart reforms, like this one, that shift the dynamic so that the system is not trying to reform itself.

    This is… rather interesting. Real conversation I found on Fb bw a dispatcher & a police chief. They were horrified but not surprised bout St. Ann.

    This is relevant, a touch more in a bit – Johnson Publishing Company Selling Iconic 70-Year-Old Photo Archive

    In what many see as a heartbreaking development, Johnson Publishing Company, the esteemed African American owned publisher of Ebony, announced plans to sell its photo archive of five million photos, reports The Chicago Tribune.

    The iconic collection of photos spans 70 years of African-American history, culture and life, including a 1969 Pulitzer Prize winning photo of Coretta Scott King taken at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral.

    The company says it would like to get $40 million for the collection. […]

    As with print publishing in general, Ebony has fallen on some hard times in the last few years. The Tribune says that the company is “facing declining revenue and a rocky transition from print to digital under Rogers, the former social secretary for President Barack Obama, who has been steering the legacy African-American media company since 2010.” […]

    In 2012, Johnson Publishing began offering select photos for sale from its collection, and also has pursued licensing to other media on a limited basis. An outright sale of the images could be the best way to monetize the assets, says The Tribune.

    Ebony, which was founded in 1945, has a total average circulation of 1.26 million, according to the Alliance for Audited Media, and is the number one publication in the space, besting rival Essence. Advertising revenue at Ebony was down 24 percent last year.

    And here’s a response to the sale: Dear Johnson Publishing Company, About Selling Your Photo Archives

    Can we talk about this? CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS? We need to, because this is not ok and I am here to panic about it and ask some questions.

    First of all, the value of the entire archive was appraised at $40 million and y’all accepted it? 5 million images of Black icons and Black history, which includes a 1969 Pulitzer Prize winning photo of Coretta Scott King at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral is worth $40 million? Michael Jackson paid $48 million for The Beatles’ music catalogue, which included like 260 of their songs. And 5 million pics that chronicled some of the most memorable moments in 20th century Black history is being put up for less than that? Yup. I’m pretty offended. […]

    Let me move past that for a second and talk about the motive behind this sale. Desiree Rogers, JPC’s CEO is quoted as saying “It’s just sitting here. We really need to monetize that in order to ensure growth in our core businesses.”

    “It’s just sitting there.” What are the pictures supposed to be doing instead of “just sitting there?” Should they sing while in the boxes collecting dust? Why are they just sitting there? Why are they hidden? Why are they not in a museum already being displayed for the masses? Why isn’t there a photography exhibit curated by Johnson Publishing Company, charging people to come see moments in time captured award-winning photographers over the years? Why aren’t these pics being used on the EBONY website as a weekly feature? WHY ARE THEY JUST SITTING THERE? […]

    I understand that times are hard, but print has been dying for so many years. It is a well-known fact that those who stay relevant are the ones who adapt and evolve. As someone looking in from afar, I see JPC lagging behind in evolving as a media brand. Jet Magazine already folded their print edition and are now strictly online (which, is fine). EBONY is still printing monthly (thankfully) but I don’t see the magazine pushing the digital presence or the digital presence pushing the magazine. They seem to operate as 2 very different entities. Is there an EBONY iPad app that people can have paid subscriptions to?

    Selling something as valuable as your photo archive because of an immediate need for cash feels short-sighted, especially since photos like this will only appreciate with time. Letting them go now for a sudden influx of cash can’t be a good long-term strategy to sustain the company. Because in 5 years, what else will you need to liquidate to stay afloat? PLUS, that archive is worth way more.

    I know this was probably not an easy decision for the JPC staff but I have to ask these questions.

    Have you tried licensing the images out on a grand scale to a major institution to use, like the Schomburg or the Smithsonian or the DuSable Museum?

    Have you tried selling prints of these images so people can hang them up in their houses? I’d also love to rock a tshirt of Eartha Kitt serving FIERCE side-eye. That’s an option.

    Have you considered creating a company like Getty, where people can purchase rights to use some of the images?

    Do we need to kickstarter y’all some funds? What do you need to stay functioning without relinquishing your rights to these iconic images?

    Have you considered partnering with someone like Nichelle Gainer, author of the book Vintage Black Glamour?

    I’m just asking because, again, there has to be a way for you to make these pics work for you and generate income for you without letting go of them completely. THERE’S GOTTA BE!

    Johnson Publishing Company, I am Keith Sweat begging you not to sell your entire photo archives, especially not for pennies and not to whoever brings you the most money. PLEASE BABY BABY PLEASE! This sucks because Black people already lack ownership of so many things and the idea that one of the biggest Black legacy companies is about to sell such important mementos makes my heart sad.

    5 million pictures for $40 million. Again, that is $8 per picture. *wall slides* I wouldn’t be so concerned if I knew it would be sold to another Black-owned entity either. Can our images not go to the highest bidder, but to an entity that will honor them? Can they be owned by people who look like the ones in the pictures? Can we keep this in-house, JPC? I’m so sick of us selling our things to others. SO SICK. […]

    There’s another way. There’s got to be, and people are willing to help you figure out what those options are. You can even contact art curator and expert, Janice Bond. She can help you figure out other options. She’s a Black woman who’s worked internationally to curate pieces owned by us. Ask her and others in her field what to do so you can exhaust ALL OTHER possibilities. Because how did we get here? Nobody’s sposed to be here.

    We have nice things but this is why we can’t keep them. Please reconsider. Because today’s cash flow is tomorrow’s lost history. This is reducing so much of our history into a monetary transaction and we’ve done that enough. Don’t do it, Miss Celie. It ain’t worth it!

    Somebody lend me $40 million. I have some ideas.

  487. rq says

    This is some leftover commentary I had on that pro-police rally.
    @FeministaJones @deray 1957 Little Rock 2015 Clayton “pro-police” rally (see pictures for comparison).
    @FeministaJones @deray They’re not really marching for police as much as they’re marching against black people.
    Most Likely To Gas Black Children, Aug. 2014 RT @deray: And they gave Belmar a plaque. Pro Police Rally.
    Lady tells @search4swag that they support black lives with welfare checks. YALL I can’t make this up.

    After Ferguson, police consider ‘tactical retreat’ instead of force in certain cases… Umm, isn’t that a good thing?

    The national upheaval from Brown’s death, and some others since, has put enormous pressure on law enforcement to find ways to control people’s behavior while using less violence. One possibility — simple but repugnant to some officers — is to teach police to back away from certain difficult situations until help can arrive.

    The concept is known as “tactical retreat” or sometimes “tactical withdrawal” or “tactical restraint.”

    “We add the word, ‘tactical’ and not just ‘retreating’ or ‘giving up’ because that’s what makes it palatable for police officers,” explained Seth Stoughton, a criminal law professor at the University of South Carolina. The former Florida officer is a nationally prominent advocate for applying the softer approach.

    “It’s basically the choice to work smarter rather than harder.” […]

    Had Wilson been coached in tactical retreat, Stoughton said, he instead might have stepped on the gas to drive away from the encounter, and kept Brown in sight while waiting for backup.

    Wilson “could have been trained to do something different to allow him to apprehend Michael Brown without putting himself in a situation that made him feel deadly force was the only safe response,” Stoughton explained. “Train police officers to avoid putting themselves in danger, and you will see them use less force to get themselves out of danger.

    “That’s good for everybody.”

    Chiefs of the St. Louis and St. Louis County police have said in recent interviews they are reviewing training with the principles of tactical retreat in mind.

    But it’s a delicate dance, warned Sam Dotson, the city chief.

    “Society has to realize that we pay police officers to keep us safe. And if every criminal knows, ‘If I confront an officer, they will take four steps back, that’s my escape route,’ then that becomes the new norm.”

    Tactical retreat can be a hard sell to police traditionally trained to subdue an adversary — and to keep pouring on force until that is accomplished. Most departments have policies that provide discipline for cowardice.

    Gabe Crocker, president of the St. Louis County Police Association, called the tactical retreat concept “cowardice retreat,” and complained that it is “shameful” to consider.

    “Why should we have to change law enforcement nationwide to make exceptions for this violent few when what we should be doing is making it harder for this violent few to have such a powerful lobby on their side?” Crocker asked. “Police officers are trying to uphold the laws of society and protect people. Instead, people are labeling us as aggressive and people who need more training.” […]

    Dotson said he believes city officers already show restraint, and he has instituted a police shooting investigative unit that also includes a tactical review component.

    Department figures show that officers shot back 12 of the 22 times they were fired upon in the past three years. They fired seven times in the 23 incidents of someone grabbing for their guns and 21 times in 46 occasions of people pointing a gun at them.

    “I don’t think people know how dangerous this job is,” Dotson said. “I think this speaks to the discipline officers show. In a society that has so many guns, it’s amazing that we don’t have more police shootings.”

    But Stoughton said it’s important to put the dangers of the job into perspective.

    He remembers that his academy training in Tallahassee, Fla., included graphic videos of officers who were killed or beaten. The message, he said, was that officers often die due to their own lack of vigilance.

    That approach, he said, turns guardians into warriors.

    “If you’re guarding people, you don’t want to club the people you’re supposed to be guarding, but if you are in the warrior mindset, you want to because you’re in a war against something, and that really pushes the idea of talking to people and engaging with the community aside,” he said. […]

    He said SWAT officers have more training in what might be called tactical retreat, but they “operate in a controlled situation, and that doesn’t apply to the street officer.” He added, “It can be problematic because, at times, tactical retreat can get you killed.”

    Belmar said one way officers can avoid using force is as simple as avoiding profanity, which he said can inflame an encounter. He is considering a policy to prohibit officers in uniform from using profanity with citizens. […]

    Putting officers through realistic high-stress scenarios helps them gain confidence by tuning their reactions and recognizing their weaknesses, said Richmond’s deputy chief, Allwyn Brown.

    Brown said mandating scenario-based training is expensive, but asked, “How much is Ferguson costing the county now?”

    Okay… I would like to know how many ‘tactical retreat’ situations there have been where officers have been killed – since there have been at least several, because otherwise how would they know they’re so dangerous?
    It all sounds like a pretty darn good idea – less confrontational cops, more polite officers (love the line about curbing their language on the street), etc. Why the pushback, because they won’t be scary enough? Personally, I think I’d like someone more approachable rather than someone I’d fear is about to turn up the aggression.
    But maybe that’s just me.
    Also loved the line about SWAT being in more controlled situations, esp considering the elevated use of SWAT in serving warrants of late… :P

  489. rq says

    SFPD just stopped and frisked this Black man at the airport. He was giving a white guy a lighter.

    Some entertainment news:
    Viola Davis & Uzo Aduba Make SAG History: Both Lead Actress Titles Won By Black Women

    Viola Davis won the outstanding lead drama actress prize at Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards for her role in “How to Get Away With Murder.” Davis is just the third actress of color to nab the title.

    Sandra Oh of “Grey’s Anatomy” won the award in 2005, followed by Chandra Wilson in 2006, who won for the same show. Those two victories — along with Davis’ — were all for series produced by Shonda Rhimes.

    The award for outstanding comedy actress also went to an African-American performer — Uzo Aduba won her first-ever SAG award for her work on “Orange Is the New Black” at the Jan. 25 ceremony, marking the first year both winning lead actresses were African-American. […]

    The SAG Awards suggest that Hollywood is moving in the right direction — especially after not one actor of color was nominated for the upcoming Academy Awards — but Davis tells Variety that there is still much progress to be made.

    “It starts with the casting. It starts with the narratives. The narratives have got to be inclusive,” Davis said on the red carpet, moments before her big win. “We’re in the 21st century now. People are multicultural now. We know more now about the world and what the world looks like, and it’s got to be reflected in the scripts.”

    EXCLUSIVE: Bronx woman, 67, says she was tossed in jail for calling 311 too much. It’s all rather strange.

    STL police has hot spot roll call tomorrow to call attention to greater beat presence in some neighborhoods.

    Kendrick Johnson’s parents could face jail time for protest. Yah, seriously. They lost a son, and for speaking up about it, they might get jail time. Sounds fair!

    Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson, along with five family members, each face a charge of interference with government property for allegedly blocking the entrance to the Lowndes County Courthouse in Valdosta, Georgia, and blocking access to the security checkpoint inside the building.

    The demonstration was planned after Johnson’s parents became frustrated with the lack of information they’d received from local investigators regarding their son, who was found dead inside a rolled gym mat at his South Georgia high school in January 2013, attorney Chevene King said.

    Footage published on YouTube shows authorities arresting family members who held hands, blocking a door to the courthouse. Another video posted to a Kendrick Johnson tribute page on Facebook shows family members later, inside the courthouse, joining hands in front of the checkpoint. The family and others can be heard chanting, “No justice, no peace,” as officers step in to arrest them. […]

    Kendrick Johnson’s parents, who have been steadfast in their claim that their son’s death was no accident, filed a wide-ranging $100 million lawsuit earlier this month, claiming several former classmates beat their son to death inside the high school gym. The suit names 37 people, mostly members of local law enforcement, plus the city of Valdosta as defendants.

    “We know who killed him. We just have to prove it,” Johnson’s mother, Jacquelyn Johnson, told CNN.

    Daily Mail on the same: Parents of teenager found dead inside rolled-up gym mat two years ago could face jail after they staged a protest over the lack of information about his death

    Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson and five family members are facing a host of charges – including interference with government property for allegedly blocking an entrance to a Georgia courthouse.

    It is alleged that the Johnsons stood in front of the Lowndes County Courthouse in Valdosta, Georgia, and the security checkpoint inside the building.

    But the group said that they were only there to demonstrate after becoming frustrated at the lack of information from investigators about their 17-year-old son, Kendrick’s death. […]

    According to CNN, attorney Chevene King said the Johnsons have been kept in the dark about events regarding their son’s death at the South Georgia high school.

    In footage posted on YouTube authorities arrested several family members who held hands, blocking a door to the courthouse.

    Meanwhile, another video posted to a Kendrick Johnson tribute page on Facebook shows family members later, inside the courthouse, joining hands in front of the checkpoint.

    The family and others can be heard chanting, ‘No justice, no peace,’ as officers step in to arrest them. […]

    But in a twist of fate, each of the seven family members could now face up to a year in prison, and a $1,000 fine.

  492. says

    And in “good” news, Monica Jones has had her “walking while trans and Black” conviction overturned, after nearly two years. Background here courtesy of the ACLU.
    I say the news is “good” because GOOD news would be a judgement in her favour for this gross violation of her civil rights, and retraining officers to not use their porn brains at work. It doesn’t happen to white trans women nearly as often – privilege means never having to say “I’m not a sex worker!” – but I have experienced this on occasion when I was younger. The difference should be obvious: I might have gotten knocked around a bit, but they never tried to sic the law on me, because those laws aren’t meant for my body.
    I hope she sues the department til they’re posting their MRAPs on eBay.

  493. rq says

    Didn’t update last night, but I hope you’ll excuse me.
    After Cait’s ‘good’ news, I’m plowing into the bad news.
    Denver police killed another unarmed teen.

    Denver police fatally shoot teen girl suspect; officer hit by car

    Four teen girls and a teen boy had been sitting in the car in the alley for several hours, listening to music and talking, said the parent of one of the teens. She spoke on condition of anonymity.

    Earlier in the night, several girls had gathered at Fred N. Thomas Memorial Park to play with a Ouija board and to hang out. The parent had been upset because her daughter had not come home Sunday night and had not responded to phone calls and text messages.

    She said her daughter did not know the car was stolen and did not know who would have stolen it.

    “She’s taken it hard,” the parent said. “She’s been in shock off and on. It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

    Cecil Anderson, who lives along the alley, said he woke up after hearing shots and then people screaming and crying. Anderson said the screams sounded like they came from a girl.

    “Just a lot of confusion,” he said.

    The shots also woke up neighbor Chris Wilkerson.

    “It sounded like it was happening right next door,” he said. Wilkerson said he heard what “sounded like an argument” just after the shots were fired.

    A neighbor captured a video of the female suspect being searched by police after she was shot. In the video, the teen is handcuffed and rolled on her stomach and back on the ground, appearing to be searched.

    The girl is limp, silent and motionless as officers move her about.

    Emergency medical responders arrived soon after and moved her onto a stretcher and into an ambulance.

    In tweets: @elisabethepps @deray @DenverPolice Witnesses say they took her lifeless body out of the car, cuffed her and searched her after shooting.
    Apparently a cop has a broken leg and may have been hit by the “stolen” car. You know what that means, if true. Case. Closed. @perkyanda
    Girl says the other girls were all screaming hysterically & the @DenverPolice officer said they had to search #JessieHernandez for weapons.
    Girl tells me @DenverPolice handcuffed #JessieHernandez after she was alrdy dead. They say DPD had to lift her limp body to cuff her.
    16. Brown. Loved. Queer. She. And someone in the replies asks if putting in the word ‘queer’ really matters. YESITDOESASSHOLE.

  494. rq says

    Unarmed 16 year old girl was killed by @DenverPolice early this morning. Vigil planned for 7pm tonight at 26th and Newport;
    Denver action called 9am Tues meet at Webb bldg 201 e colfax to demand DA Mitch morrisey prosecute the officer who murdered Jessie Hernandez;
    Vigil for Jessie Hernandez, 16 yr old girl killed by @denverpolice happening now at 26th and Newport .
    And at first I thought this was the same incident, but it’s not: Kristiana Coignard: Teen Girl Walks Into Police Station, Cops Shoot Her Dead — What Happened? (These matter because they’re more about the trigger-happy police going at unarmed teenagers, even though the victims aren’t black.)

    Neither Longview police nor the Texas Rangers, who are now in charge of investigating the fatal shooting, would say what the alleged weapon actually was. But Longview Mayor Jay Dean described the slain teen as “a female wielding a knife.”

    “When police arrived to assist her, that’s when she confronted them,” said police spokesperson Kristie Brian, quoted in the Longview News-Journal newspaper. “She did brandish a weapon. I don’t know what kind it was. She came at the officers and was shot.”

    Yup, 17 and possibly armed with a knife. Now dead. *sigh*

    .@deray, check Yale’s response to what happened with @CharlesMBlow son. #ITooAmYale #ICantBreathe. Basically, it’s an opportunity to listen, learn and reflect – I don’t know if I posted about it, but writer Charles Blow’s son was detained at gunpoint by Yale University Police… he is a student at Yale, yet he ‘matched the description of a suspect’.

    According to the Antique Roadshow this Jolly N*gg*r Bank is worth $12,000.

  495. rq says

    And this is already frightening: As of Sunday, I’ve confirmed 107 shootings by police in 2015. 61 of them fatal. Not one day this year in which no one shot by an officer (2)
    I have no way of confirming those numbers off the top of my head, but that’s 61 deaths within 25 days. Even if some of them are ‘justified’, that seems excessive.

    This is actually an older piece, written for 75 days after the death of Michael Brown, but worth a repost: [FERGUSON FORWARD]
    75 Days Later, The Movement Only Grows

    The power of the movement which has largely come to be known as “Ferguson” is that it started because regular people—young people—armed with smartphones and frustration, came outside their homes and said “Enough is enough.” In those initial days, we learned about Mike Brown’s death and the police’s response to the manifestation of a community’s pain through Antonio French’s vines, Brittany Noble’s Instagram videos, and the tweets of Tef Poe and Netta Elzie.

    There was a time when a movement would have required the gloss or veneer of an established activist group to gain traction. Ferguson disrupts this notion that organized struggle requires an organization. Ferguson showed us that there is a way to respect the autonomy of individual actors while maintaining a uniformity of purpose.

    Over this two-and-a-half month period, the maturity of the movement can be found in the order and structure of the protest community, in the symbolism of the protest actions, and in the ability of protestors to listen and collaborate with each other in the name of the work.

    In August, protesting was about using our bodies and our voices to tell the political power of Ferguson and Missouri that they cannot kill black children without consequence. We ran from tear gas, rubber bullets, LRAD, and smoke bombs. In some ways, we were even protesting for the right to protest, as we then lived under the police’s 5 second rule, which was later deemed unconstitutional. […]

    This is organized struggle. There’s an acknowledgement that everyone has a role to play. The systems and structures created in September, fueled by the righteous indignation of August and passion of West Florrisant, laid the foundation for the power of October.

    By October, the protest community became both highly organized, as actual organizations began to form and solidify, and more thoughtful and conscious about the symbolism and intent of protest actions. Whether invoking Assata Shakur’s, “We have nothing to lose but our chains,” or Dr. King’s, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” the protest community actively began to shift to speak to larger narratives of social justice, while situating Ferguson as the site of resistance. In October, the number and visibility of live-streamers grew and became a core part of the movement. The chants became more deeply ingrained and more complex. And, importantly, the protest actions began to spread both in style and location.

    The powerful clergy protest during the #FergusonOctober mobilization was but one of the weekend’s events. We sat in at a QuickTrip gas station, as a nod to the one on West Florrisant, which served as an original meet-up for protestors. The police responded quickly and violently to this protest. There was also a protest at a St. Louis Rams game, a City Hall rally, the occupation of three Walmarts and rallies at two shopping malls.We mobilized two large groups, over 1,500 in total, for #OccupySLU, where we engaged the St. Louis University community in our efforts. One group shut down an intersection while playing childhood games, chanting “They think it’s a game, they think we playin!” Meanwhile, the other marched straight toward campus. The police didn’t know what to do with us then. #Occupy SLU serves as one of the most powerful nights of protest, both for the intense sense of community that happened that night and because protestors took the offensive, building new spaces for ourselves and occupying SLU for the following days.

    For the past 75 days, we have been tracking every story, every fact, every leak. We see through the media spin, the untruths, and the distractions. We stand firm in our demand for justice.

    It has now been 75 days and more since that article was written. As the article says, the movement lives.

    Family files $5 million lawsuit over Ebony stories on Kendrick Johnson case

    The parents of two former schoolmates of Kendrick Johnson’s have filed a $5 million slander and libel lawsuit in federal court against the publisher of Ebony magazine and writer Frederic Rosen.

    The lawsuit, dated Wednesday, claims that stories written by Rosen and published in Ebony magazine and on Ebony.com imply that the brothers played a part in Johnson’s death and their father was involved in a conspiracy to cover it up.

    The claim that the brothers played any part in the death “is completely untrue,” according to the lawsuit.

    Johnson, 17, was found dead in the center of a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, in January 2013. The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office determined that his death was an accident and closed its investigation in May 2013.

    Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson believe that their son was beaten to death and that investigators have covered up his murder.

    The U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, Michael Moore, launched a federal investigation into Johnson’s death and into the local investigation in October. The federal investigation is pending.

    The 13 year old boy who grew up in a Georgia prison: Michael Lewis, now 18 years into his sentence

    When Michael entered prison, tried and convicted as an adult for murder in Georgia at the outrageous age of 13, Bill Clinton was President of the United States and hadn’t been impeached yet. The top movie in the world was “Titanic.” Michael Jordan was still winning NBA Championships. Michael Jackson had just gotten married, Princess Diana and Mother Theresa were still alive, and the internet hardly even existed. iPhone and Android and Bluetooth and XBOX and Twitter and Facebook were all make believe.

    Before we dig in to Michael’s story, take a moment and think back to when you were 13 years old. [… – I can’t believe all those things are so old…]

    When I finally saw Michael “Little B” Lewis for the very first time, I couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t even five feet tall, weighed less than 100 pounds, and actually looked about as non-threatening as a 6th grader possibly could. He wasn’t a bully. He was pip-squeak in the truest sense of the word. A wee lad.

    He had grown up just about a mile from Morehouse, in the shadows of the Georgia Dome, in a neighborhood called “The Bluff.” As students we were told exactly where it was and that we should never go anywhere near it. The epicenter for the Atlanta drug trade, it was the most dangerous neighborhood in the city and one of the most dangerous communities in the country. […]

    I don’t know if Michael killed that dad in January of 1997. It’s possible. I have serious, credible doubts. What I do know is that in the years before that night, Michael had been abandoned, by his parents, by his school, by social services, by the community, and by his extended family long before that fateful January day. The idea that we live in a nation willing to try a pre-pubescent 13 year old 6th grader as an adult (mind you the state didn’t think he was old or responsible enough legally drive, vote, serve in the military, buy cigarettes or alcohol or lottery tickets) and banish him off to an adult penitentiary for the rest of his life is despicable.

    Michael has, for all intents and purposes, grown up in prison. As far as we know, he has spent more continuous time incarcerated, now in a supermax prison designed for death row inmates, than any person starting their sentence as a 13 year old in prison in our entire country.

    I’m going to spend the next 6 weeks sharing everything I know about Michael, his case, The Bluff, Atlanta, city politics, the education system, the social service system, the drug trade, and how Michael found himself caught right in the middle of it all as an abandoned orphan on the streets – fighting for his own survival. I’m going to go back as far as I can and tell the whole story. I hope you’ll take the journey with me.

    I’ll be following along.

    thisisthemovement, installment #77:

    Ferguson/STL
    Attacked for Challenging McCulloch “As long as the public allows the system to be cloaked in corruption, we all remain at risk of being brutalized, prosecuted or even killed,” says Christi Griffin. Griffin is the founder of The Ethics Project and one of the citizens who filed a complaint against St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch.

    Understanding the ReclaimMLK Protest on the Harris-Stowe Campus During ReclaimMLK events, Harris-Stowe students and Ferguson protestors disagreed about the purpose and role of protest while protestors were disrupting the scheduled ceremonial MLK Day Event. Afterwards, Harris-Stowe students and an administrator met with Netta, a Ferguson protestor, to talk about the conflict and chart a way to move forward. Important read.

    Jerame Reid
    Family of Jerame Reid Asks Rev. Al Sharpton to Not Be Involved Lawanda Reid, Jerame Reid’s widow stated that the National Awareness Alliance has and will continue to work on her husband’s case. “Sharpton…had been unusually silent on the matter and did not participate in any of the early protests until the story began to make national headlines.” Jerame Reid was killed by a police officer in New Jersey while exiting his vehicle with his hands up.

    Alabama
    Alabama Lawmakers Ask Obama To Change Selma Trip Date A group of black lawmakers in Alabama have asked the White House to reconsider President Obama’s trip to have the president march on Sunday, March 8th in commemoration of “Bloody Sunday” instead of his currently planned march on March 7th. Interesting read.

    Lawsuit Alleges Police in Birmingham Sprayed Hundreds of Students With Chemicals Almost 300 high school students in Alabama have been sprayed with harmful chemicals and at least 1,250 students have been indirectly exposed to the chemicals since 2006. Mace and pepper spray have been used by police officers as a form of discipline for students even in very inappropriate scenarios.

    Ezell Ford
    Group Meets with District Attorney to Seek Prosecution of Officers Who Killed Ezell Ford “We are looking to her to set the model, to set the standard of a different approach, and a different way of investigating and prosecuting these crimes,” said Black Lives Matter member Nana Gyamfi after speaking with Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey last Friday.

    Kendrick Johnson
    Kendrick Johnson’s Parents Could Face Jail Time For Protesting The parents of Kendrick Johnson are facing “up to a year in prison, a $1,000 fine, or both” as a result of protesting the slow response from government officials on releasing information about the death of their son. Absolute must read.

    Commentary/Miscellaneous
    NYT Columnist Charles Blow’s Son Accosted by Police At Gunpoint Over the weekend, the son of NYT columnist Charles Blow was accosted by an officer in Connecticut at gunpoint and, here, Blow writes about the incident from the perspective of a parent. Powerful, important read.

    Republicans drop “Civil Rights and Human Rights” from the Name of the Subcommittee With new Republican leadership, the once named subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights has removed “Civil Rights and Human Rights” from its name. Yes, this is real. America. Important, quick, read.

    Athletes, Culture, and the Messaging of Social Justice In this expertly written long-read by Jelani Cobb, he explores the role of athletes and celebrity, in general, in participating in national conversations about race and social justice. This is phenomenal article, an absolute must read.

    To Kristoff from Melissa Harris Perry, On The Perfect Victim In response to NYT Columnist Nick Kristoff’s recent tweet suggesting that activists misspent time protesting the killing of Michael Brown, Melissa Harris-Perry has penned an open letter to Kristoff rebuffing his claim. Important read.

    That last piece about the perfect victim. Whoa. The other interesting piece is where the family of Jerame Reid (recently shot by police) ask Rev. Al Sharpton not to get involved in the case.
    Interesting, that.

  496. rq says

    Denver Police Shoot, Kill Teen Who Struck Officer With Car. Notice the emphasis on the fact taht an officer has been injured? Justification FTW!!!

    Police shot the teenager early Monday morning after they say she struck and injured an officer with a stolen car. Authorities did not release the girl’s name, but friends identified her as Jessica Hernandez.

    “We’re angry about it. It’s another life taken by another cop,” said 19-year-old Cynthia Valdez, a close friend and schoolmate of the girl. “She was trying to find her talent. She wanted to find out what she wanted to be. … Who knows what she could have been?”

    Few details were immediately released after the shooting in an alley in the older, middle-class residential neighborhood. The four other people in the car were not injured by the gunfire, and all were being questioned as part of the investigation, police said. It was not clear whether any had been arrested.

    Police Chief Robert White said an officer was called to check on a suspicious vehicle and a colleague arrived after it was determined the car had been reported stolen.

    In a statement, police said the two officers then “approached the vehicle on foot when the driver drove the car into one of the officers.”

    White said both officers then opened fire. The officer hit by the car was taken to a hospital with a leg injury.

    Bobbie Diaz, whose 16-year-old daughter was in the car, said she was lying in bed when she heard four gunshots followed by an officer yelling “Freeze! Get out of the car! Get down!”

    Diaz said she came outside to see officers with their guns drawn pulling people out of the car, including Jessica.

    “She seemed like she was not responding, not moving,” she said. “They just yanked her out and handcuffed her.”

    Meanwhile, Diaz said she heard another person screaming “She’s dead! She’s dead!”

    “I’m just trying to process everything. I’m just heartbroken for the girl’s family,” Diaz said. “How could something like this happen again?”

    Another woman, Arellia Hammock, who has lived in the neighborhood for about a decade, said she heard three gunshots about 6:30 a.m. and then saw several police cars streaming down the street. Hammock said she understands one of the officers was injured, but “that’s still no reason to shoot.”

    “They shouldn’t have stolen a car. But the cops are too fast on the gun,” she said. “You’ve got stun guns. You’ve got rubber bullets. Why do they have to shoot all the time?”

    Notice? The cops shot into a car full of teens. The fact that only one is dead, I think, is a matter of pure luck.

    #Eric Garner’s killer didn’t see a judge Today Journalists & peaceful protestors do #NYC #BlackLivesMatter @deray

    Racial undertones? Overtones? Missouri state rep. proposes law requiring customers to show ID with Apple Pay.

    A couple more stats:
    African Americans in Baltimore make up 65% or the city’s population but possess only 3% of the total resident’s wealth.
    78% of African Americans males are afraid of the possibility of police brutality, only 11% of Caucasian males are afraid of the possibility.

    And this is good (better) news: Berkeley City Council adopts resolution asking for BART to drop charges against #BlackFriday14. @blackoutcollect Asks BART to withdraw their criminal complaint against protestors. Because of the excessively large sum for which they’re being sued (?), which would have a chilling effect on others wishing to exercise their First Amendment rights (that’s bad paraphrasing).

  497. rq says

    “The Struggle Doesn’t End:” Leak Reveals DOJ Not Likely to Charge Darren Wilson

    We all had grander hopes for US attorney general Eric Holder and Civil Rights Division of the DOJ – among them, that they would resolve our lingering questions from the August shooting that set off 168 days of continuous protests in Ferguson and nationwide. In past high profile cases, DOJ was able to secure convictions for the LA cops who beat Rodney King and the NYPD officers who assaulted Abner Louima – although both these men lived to tell their side of the story. And we had a lot of grand hopes for this administration. Holder’s hands-on approach and his initiatives to address mass incarceration and commutations of sentences for nonviolent offenders offered promise, yet remain unfulfilled.

    There were murmurs as early as late August – shortly after the DOJ announced a separate investigation – that it would always end up this way. The way the law is crafted creates a pretty steep burden for the federal government to prove that Wilson knowingly violated Brown’s civil rights, and that he did so with malice when he shot Brown at least six times, including two shots to the head. Intent is hard to prove because of optics of the shooting – black body, blue uniform. All a police officer has to say is I stopped a fleeing suspect and I feared for my life, as we already saw in the officer-involved killings of Garner, Crawford,Hunt and Hamilton that resulted in zero indictments.

    I don’t know the depth of the disappointment Leslie McSpadden or Michael Brown Sr must feel, nor that of some of the activists and protesters in Ferguson who have fought so long for justice for Brown and for us all. I do hope that they remain resolved in their efforts to push their community – and by extension, our society – for sweeping reforms in every level of our legal system. The story doesn’t end here. The struggle doesn’t end here.

    Traditionally, we look to the federal government to be the intercessor, the deliverer of equitable justice where states and municipalities fail. Reforms in the 21st century must be more meaningful than lip service and scrambling by municipalities facing federal oversight. It really means doing and being the things you said you’re going to do and be: train your police in non-racist practices; recruit people to reflect the plurality of your community; find alternative revenue streams for your municipality that don’t exploit your most vulnerable citizens.

    There is some comfort in knowing that the Justice Department’s wider investigation of police practices in the St. Louis County area is ongoing. And we’ve got good reason to find faith in this effort. In 2012, the Justice Department began a 16-month long investigation of the Albuquerque Police Department , and last summer, DOJ and the city of Albuquerque reached an agreement on a set of police reforms; Wednesday, they named a DOJ monitor to oversee the reforms.

    The Justice Department reached a similar accord with Cleveland days after the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice. DOJ’s investigation of the Cleveland PD and mandated reforms would have been pivotal. It could have meant relieving Timothy Loehmann of duty before he could even pull the trigger ending Rice’s short life.

    The struggle between theory and practice comes into play here for me. I believe in the rule of law, though I know it’s applied inequitably. And yet, I don’t want to imagine what it means when we can’t look to the federal government to fix systemic abuses when the law falls short of justice. My faith in the law, as it’s applied in theory, is too strong for me to want to consider any alternative.

    I question the mindset of people who apply the law; I challenge them to be mindful of biases and aware of structural inequalities. That blind spot is where we see patterns of abuse that inevitably require federal intervention.

    The feds may be able to compel corrections for St Louis County, but they’d likely have to begin inquests in nearly every municipality to root out all the injustice. We can hope that the scrutiny that Albuquerque and Cleveland have endured will be a signal to other municipalities to preemptively address their patterns of abuse, and directly deal with issues of racism internally.

    But is it too late? Last week, a Florida family discovered that a mugshot of their child and other black men were being used as targets to train police officers. How does a police administrator account for that? How do you fix a culture that allows that?

    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The Police Aren’t Under Attack. Institutionalized Racism Is. From December 21, but I don’t remember if I posted it at all, so here it goes, possibly again:

    According to Ecclesiastes, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose.” For me, today, that means a time to seek justice and a time to mourn the dead.

    The recent brutal murder of two Brooklyn police officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, is a national tragedy that should inspire nationwide mourning. Both my grandfather and father were police officers, so I appreciate what a difficult and dangerous profession law enforcement is. We need to value and celebrate the many officers dedicated to protecting the public and nourishing our justice system. It’s a job most of us don’t have the courage to do.

    At the same time, however, we need to understand that their deaths are in no way related to the massive protests against systemic abuses of the justice system as symbolized by the recent deaths—also national tragedies—of Eric Garner, Akai Gurley, and Michael Brown. Ismaaiyl Brinsley, the suicidal killer, wasn’t an impassioned activist expressing political frustration, he was a troubled man who had shot his girlfriend earlier that same day. He even Instagrammed warnings of his violent intentions. None of this is the behavior of a sane man or rational activist. The protests are no more to blame for his actions than The Catcher in the Rye was for the murder of John Lennon or the movie Taxi Driver for the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. Crazy has its own twisted logic and it is in no way related to the rational cause-and-effect world the rest of us attempt to create.

    Those who are trying to connect the murders of the officers with the thousands of articulate and peaceful protestors across America are being deliberately misleading in a cynical and selfish effort to turn public sentiment against the protestors. This is the same strategy used when trying to lump in the violence and looting with the legitimate protestors, who have disavowed that behavior. They hope to misdirect public attention and emotion in order to stop the protests and the progressive changes that have already resulted. Shaming and blaming is a lot easier than addressing legitimate claims. […]

    What prompted a mentally unstable man to shoot two officers? Protestors? The mayor? Or the unjust killings of unarmed black men? Probably none of them. He was a ticking bomb that anything might have set off. What’s most likely to prevent future incidents like this? Stopping the protests which had sparked real and positive changes through a national dialogue? Changes that can only increase faith in and respect for the police? No, because the killer was mentally unfit. Most likely protecting the police from future incidents will come from better mental health care to identify, treat, and monitor violent persons. Where are those impassioned tweets demanding that?

    In a Dec. 21, 2014 article about the shooting, the Los Angeles Times referred to the New York City protests as “anti-police marches,” which is grossly inaccurate and illustrates the problem of perception the protestors are battling. The marches are meant to raise awareness of double standards, lack of adequate police candidate screening, and insufficient training that have resulted in unnecessary killings. Police are not under attack, institutionalized racism is. Trying to remove sexually abusive priests is not an attack on Catholicism, nor is removing ineffective teachers an attack on education. Bad apples, bad training, and bad officials who blindly protect them, are the enemy. And any institution worth saving should want to eliminate them, too.

    “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose.” This is the season and time when we should be resolved to continue seeking justice together and not let those with blind biases distract, diminish, or divide us. The way to honor those who defend our liberties with their lives—as did my father and grandfather—is not to curtail liberty, but to exercise it fully in pursuit of a just and peaceful society.

  498. rq says

    If you can manage, watch the vine attached here. Woman tells protestors they wouldn’t be so badly off (incl. getting shot) if they just got more hugs from their mommies. I thought that was Sarah palin RT @deray Listen to this. Pro Police Rally. Clayton.

    Stevie Wonder and NBC Will Develop Underground Railroad Musical Miniseries. That sounds wonderful! A wonderful opportunity for actors of colour.

    Freedom Run will not only be a miniseries; it’ll also be a Broadway musical. The series is based on the book Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories From the Underground Railroad, by Betty DeRamus, which tells the story of a network that helped fugitive slaves in the 19th century flee to Northern states or Canada. The show will focus on couples, both enslaved and free, black and white, who are fighting slavery or trying to escape it.

    According to the Hollywood Reporter, Wonder will be the executive producer of the eight-hour series, and NBC hopes that he will also write the music.

    “These unforgettable moments in history, which have never been told on television before, are both incredibly painful and heartwarming and need to be presented to the world,” said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke. “We’re honored to be adapting this emotionally affecting book in a television event.”

    Are they going to spin this as a result of the ‘anti-police’ protests, too? Man opens fire on police during Minnesota city council meeting.

    Two officers were shot before police returned fire, killing the man. The officers are expected to survive.

    The shooting happened right after two newly-sworn in officers left the chambers.

    As a city council member began a discussion of a resolution, a man with a handgun began firing, said Hennepin County Chief Deputy Mike Carlson.

    Officials don’t yet know why the man targeted officers. His name hasn’t been released.

    Plain clothes police just arrested Derek Laney of @organizemo as left a protest in Clayton. #Ferguson

  499. says

    One of the cool things I’ve discovered since moving to this town is that this is one of the regions into which the Underground Railroad discharged its passengers. I wish I could say it was the Promised Land they’d hoped for, free of racism and strife, but this is real life, where white supremacy exists. That musical sounds awesome: better Forbidden Fruit than Strange.

  500. rq says

    Somewhere an ambitious historian is collecting resources for their book “Ferguson: The Subtweet Years”. It’s a multiple volume work.

    Read An Essay And Hear A New Song From Saul Williams In Honor Of MLK Day […] All Coltrane Solos At Once

    To the powers that be, we say “fuck u” and to those who, like police, follow orders, fight or work to maintain a system that does not keep their best interest, nor the overwhelming majority’s at heart we say “understand me.”

    Understand, what made Egyptian soldiers lay down their arms and join protestors during the Arab Spring. Understand what made communities across America take to the streets, storm highways & shopping centers, peacefully. Understand that although the divide and conquer tactics of pitting black against white, christian against muslim against jew, can bring worthwhile debate and heightened understanding, it doesn’t take much to realize that the true and only fight is against that which has kept women subjugated to men, and poor subjugated to rich. The sooner we understand this without brandishing overtly blind-siding terms like “terrorist” “lazy” the sooner we realize that we are all, in fact, on the same team and that the movement towards a more educated, better fed society should not be side-lined by such petty constructs as race, identity, and that which has kept many groups disenfranchised, silenced, and in debt. […]

    “Race is performative.”

    Rooted in the understanding of “race” as a social-construct, this idea asserts that, in fact, young black boys are capable of acting like young black boys. That their predilection gives them keys to performing, behaving like an established idea: a way of walking; talking; dressing, etc. They click and like. This would apply to all groups where there is an expected or simply replicated behavior pattern. It’s commonly what individuals react against in natural expressions of independence, yet it is most commonly adhered to, like gender norms and other societal creations.

    Makes me think of what my man, Bonz Malone means when he says “sheeple.” No one is really excluded, and it is not necessarily negative. Some might say it’s fun. Yet it is arguably, restrictive of individual growth and exploration. One example would be the black kid lauded for speaking “proper” or “white” and begins adjusting his swag in high-school or the girl who is suddenly being taught how to walk. On one hand, many of us may prefer when people stick to these rules and mores, on the other certain traits or replicated behavioral patterns may be more destructive when rooted in unquestioned fear and the quest to belong. In this manner someone could take a position in an argument about police brutality, for example, while subconsciously or overtly playing a game of performative alignment. “The devils advocate.”
    “My identity was encrusted with the myth of having been chosen.”

    I’m guilty of it. Ye’s guilty of it. Lot’s of us are. We feel like the sea parts for us. That somehow, God, or the universe, or luck, has singled us out and in that sense, we are chosen. The flip-side of the same coin is us who feel ignored, like our lives don’t matter, like no one cares, like we’re cursed, in fact, that’s a way of feeling chosen too. Thinking of yourself, and/or selfishly, and placing urself in the center of all processed experience reaps epiphanies and blind-spots, rewards and punishments…but it don’t necessarily reap the truth.

    It’s like superstition: “This happened because I..” It can be a helpful way of remembering that nothing is random, that everything happens for a reason, but you begin to run into problems when you carry it over to bad things happening, let’s say, to people around you because u/urself are cursed. It turns into a self-centered pity party.

    But then, if you do “belong” to a group where systemic and structural obstacles are placed on the path of achievement, let’s say they are easily “grouped”, subjugated, manipulated, exploited, and then you begin to point that out in order for the group to work it’s way out of that position, in order for the system to realize it’s oversights (I’m being nice) and short-comings… Fuck it, even if it’s deliberate, Well then maybe ur group is cursed or chosen. And maybe the flaws point to something bigger or deeper than the system itself, to unquestioned, unchecked, unchallenged cultural ideologies and traditions. Then you may feel forced to transcend expectations, to overcome and learn from the journey…. […]

    You’ve heard the statistics by now. America has more of it’s citizens in jail than any other nation. Think about that. Now think about that “Land of the free” bullshit they serve us with the hotdogs. It’s not to say that we do not experience a great amount of privilege, through freedom of speech and expression in this country. For the most part, we do. Nor is it to say that this is not a land of opportunity, It is- for individuals of any group who learn to freak the system. If you are lucky enough to feel or be part of an untargeted group, you may think, “oh that’s sad” or “well, they shouldn’t be committing crimes.” Let’s think about the recent and virtual strike by the NYPD, where because a union chief and some of his minions felt they deserved an apology from the mayor for stating a statistical fact that they found hard to swallow, they patrolled the city for two weeks making very few arrests and only interfering when absolutely necessary. Crime did not skyrocket. There were very few complaints as arrests went down as low as 94% in some cases. Yet soon news began to circulate that the city was losing as much as $10 million a day. Why? Because the criminal justice system is for profit. They have to make a certain number of arrests, they have to write a certain number of citations, just like the privatized prisons have to maintain a certain headcount for the state to not have to pay for the “wasted space.” Yep, it’s that fucked up.

    The article ends with this poem:

    Unanimous Goldmine

    All Coltrane solos at once.

    Twist them horns
    ’round the necks
    of each equation
    & expand
    upon multiples
    of death.

    We were crowded
    into the shitbins
    of a floating toilet
    dreaming of an Afterlife.

    Memory stored in a cloud.

    Terra-bytes
    in sea-major.

    The winners
    of religious thinking
    praise books
    for bookends.

    Here, is the invention
    of the astronaut.

    First Nation
    Sweat ceremony
    in a spaceship.

    To imagine hell
    is privilege.

    Paint a dreamworld
    solid enough
    to hold us.

    Held by
    blocks of time,
    margins & calendars,
    divisions of labor
    contracts: social & otherwise.

    With each kiss
    bio-dynamic
    in direct co-relation
    to stars & seasons,

    the ability to
    calculate distance,
    harness power,
    stem cells,
    erect mobile mansions
    capable of projecting destruction
    at greater & greater will,

    what could be keeping us here?

    Here is what death is like:
    Life without fear.

    Benedict Cumberbatch Apologizes After Race Row

    The Sherlock star came under fire for using the term, ironically during a discussion on the lack of diversity in British acting. He said he had witnessed British actors finding more opportunities in the U.S. than they do in the U.K..

    “I think as far as colored actors go, it gets really different in the U.K., and a lot of my friends have had more opportunities here [in the U.S.] than in the U.K., and that’s something that needs to change,” he said last week on PBS talk show Tavis Smiley.

    An anti-racism charity, Show Racism The Red Card, told The Independent that while they applauded Cumberbatch for shining a spotlight on a a very important issue, he “also inadvertently highlighted the issue of appropriate terminology and the evolution of language.” The charity said the term ‘colored’ is now “outdated and has the potential to cause offense.”

    The writer Bonnie Greer said: “If he was 80, no one would have noticed. Under 60 — who says “coloured” anymore? It indicates a mindset; a certain circle.”

    In a statement to People, Cumberbatch said: “I feel the complete fool I am and while I am sorry to have offended people and to learn from my mistakes in such a public manner, please be assured I have. I apologize again to anyone I offended for this thoughtless use of inappropriate language about an issue which affects friends of mine and which I care about deeply.”

    Oh, Bandersnatch Cummerbund. Please give those roles back to the coloured people of colour, while you’re at it. :P

    Mentioned above in a barely-accessible tweet, here’s more: Yale On the Detainment of Charles Blow’s Son: This Isn’t Ferguson

    Yale’s president, dean and the chief of police, in an e-mail sent to the campus community Monday, described how even though Charles Blow’s son—a junior at Yale—fit the description of a burglary suspect at the time he was detained, the fact that the officer drew his weapon during the incident “requires a careful review,” the e-mail read.

    “For this reason, the Yale Police Department’s Internal Affairs unit is conducting a thorough and expeditious investigation of the circumstances surrounding the incident, and will report the findings of that investigation to us,” Yale’s leaders stated in the e-mail.

    The e-mail revealed more information about the incident that had Blow, a New York Times columnist, sounding off on Twitter about how this was the latest example of black people being unfairly “accosted” by police. According to the e-mail, the officer that detained Blow’s son was African-American.

    The email noted Americans are in the middle of a national conversation about the excessive police force used against African Americans and the ugly ways racial biases rear itself in law-enforcement.

    “Many in our community felt personal pain upon reading accounts of this incident on social media and in the press as they saw national debates about race, policing, and the use of force become a very local and personal story,” Yale leaders explained in the e-mail.

    “We share these feelings and recognize that the interest in and reaction to this incident underscore that the work of making our campus and our society more inclusive, just, and safe remains an imperative for all of us,” they continued.

    Yale’s president, dean and police chief said that they did not think this incident was a regurgitation of what happened to Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., or Eric Garner in New York City. They said that because Blow’s son fit the description of the burglary suspect, down to what he was wearing, Blow’s son’s detainment—save for the drawing of the cop’s weapon—was “reasonable.”

    The e-mail stated that when the internal affair’s investigation concludes, they will be releasing their findings to the campus community.

    Yale’s leaders underscored the need to continue to have discussions about how race and law enforcement intersect, and that Yale is committed to engaging those issues.