Items

• 
  2021-04-21

  James Rayroux's JOTPY Portfolio

  --Reflections on the Pandemic Archive-- Looking back over my experience with the “Journal of the Plague Year” COVID-19 archive, my prevailing emotion is gratitude. This opportunity granted me experience that few historians earn, and the remote, asynchronous work schedule allowed me to collaborate with my colleagues in ways that maximized our respective contributions. The breadth and depth of our individual experiences and perspectives tremendously improved our collective process and products. I spent enough time in the Arizona State Archives last year to recognize such collections as historical treasure chests, but I have now participated in processing an archive’s content and navigating the ethical dilemmas those submissions sometimes create. Archivists and curators are the history profession’s truly unsung heroes, and their work facilitates society’s perception of itself. My background in police work and public safety drew me to the archive’s existing Law Enforcement collection. In taking on that subset, I succeeded in reshaping the collection’s parameters to now include stories about police and law enforcement. I wanted to diversify the collection to encompass perspective of both the police and the public with whom they interact and serve. While some overlap exists between the Law Enforcement and Social Justice collections, each remains distinct. Through my contacts and writing, I promoted a Call for Submissions to an international audience of law enforcement professionals to reduce their relative silence within the archive. Within the archive’s content, I recognized that one’s location might shape their pandemic experience, and I created and designed an Arizona-based exhibit to explore that. Further research and discussion with my mentors and colleagues ensured the exhibit illustrated these differences without excluding visitors whose diverse experiences could further enrich the archived and exhibited content. I am proud of my “Arizona’s COVID-19 Pandemics” exhibit, particularly because of its compressed, one-month incubation period. Beyond displaying images, data, and stories representative of the diverse pandemic experiences within the state, the ACP exhibit offers visitors numerous levels of interaction and engagement to became active participants and create their own exhibit experience. Visitors can complete opinion surveys, add a story to the archive, explore additional content related to the displayed pieces, view ever-changing results from pre-defined archival content searches, conduct their own archival search, view collective visitor survey results, and apply to join the staff. The exhibit’s searches will include the archive’s future submissions, which reshapes both the exhibit and the experience visitors may have with it. A more detailed explanation of my ACP exhibit may be reviewed here: https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/item/43037 Because of Dr. Kathleen Kole de Peralta and Dr. Mark Tebeau, I stand prepared to join research, curation, and exhibition teams and immediately contribute to their work products. Despite my gratitude for this experience and the opportunities it presented, I look forward to the day COVID-19 is no longer part of humanity’s daily vernacular. James Rayroux 22 April 2021
• 
  2020-05-27

  Community Solidarity Creates Resiliency

  Community solidarity creates resiliency. Fed up and want to get involved? Follow these local orgs for updates and latest actions: @blackvisionscollective, @reclaimtheblock, @mpd_150, @mnfreedomfund
• 
  2020-12-30

  Black man wrongfully detained by maskless police officer tests positive for COVID-19, fiancee says

  Excerpt from article: A Black man who was detained by police in Virginia Beach, Virginia after being suspected for a crime he did not commit, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to his fiancée, Shantel Covil.
• 
  2020-11-22

  Social anti-mask: Police break up anti-mask dance gathering at Quebec shopping mall, issue fines

  One video portrays a dance gathering at a Quebec shopping mall.
• 
  2020-05

  Police Brutality and BLM

  This presentation provides the history of police brutality towards POC, what led to the protests and the changes that being implemented
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  2020-11-12

  Don't Defund the Police

  In this article, author Paul Boyer discusses the lack of logic behind the Defund the Police movement and asks who really would benefit from a decreased police presence. The article makes some sound points and raises important questions that many might not have even considered.
• 
  2020-11-06

  Cop Car Vandalized

  After the protests turned violent cooled down in Des Moines, Iowa, there was still a lot of anger. One group decided to vandalize this cop car to send a message to the public/media. This is a picture from a social media post of the cop car.
• 2020-10-30

  The Defunding Police Idea

  I wanted to talk about the part of the BLM movement where people mention defunding the police. I found an article that talks about what the idea is.
• 
  2020-04-04

  Using the pandemic to prohibit gun sales

  This particular story pertains to the overreach of government entities during the covid-19 pandemic, specifically regarding gun sales and the second amendment. Various government entities have utilized the pandemic to prohibit or impede gun and ammunition sales. This is particularly important to me as I believe it is the right of every law abiding man and woman to possess firearms to protect themselves and their families if they choose to do so. Furthermore, I believe in a fair and impartial government which should not have the ability to circumvent standardized governmental procedures in the event of an “emergency” they deem fitting.
• 
  2020-03-21

  Policing the Plague

  This is a photograph of myself that I took just prior to the service of a search warrant on March 21st 2020 in Salinas, California. The state of California was the first to issue a statewide lock down order due to COVID-19 and had done so just the day before on March 20th. Officers in my department were required to don our gas masks for the service of search warrants and other specific activities at this time due to concerns of contacting the virus. These specific gas masks are issued to be used in environments in which CS or CN gas is introduced. They are also designed to be effective in nuclear fallout and are subsequently extreme overkill in regards to protection against COVID-19 and additionally utterly unpractical for officers whom work 40 plus hours a week. The requirement to wear these masks was very short lived as we soon downgraded to surgical masks and cloth masks. Nonetheless, this exemplifies the fear that has surrounded COVID-19, especially in the early days of the pandemic, and the often drastic reactions we as a society have had in response.
• 
  2020-04-09

  Jewish Melbourne: 'Police raid ultra-Orthodox prayer group above store in Ripponlea'

  report in The Age, by Paul Sakkal: "Police raided an ultra-Orthodox Jewish prayer group in Melbourne’s inner-east on Thursday morning where a group of at least 10 men were praying in contravention of social-distancing rules. Just after 11am, about 10 police vehicles swooped on an apartment above an IGA store in Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea."
• 
  2020-09-03

  Covid-19 has killed more police officers in the line of duty in 2020 than all other causes combined

  Given the atmosphere of the year 2020 overall, it can be easy to sometimes forget that law enforcement officers are human too and they are facing the same dangers related to Covid-19 as the general public. Everyday, law enforcement officers around the world, put on their uniform for the day and head to work to protect and serve their communities, knowing that this unseen danger lurks around every corner and every call for service they go to. Their voices are often the ones that go unnoticed and unremarked so seeing an article that shines even the faintest light on the struggles they face, this year in particular, is worthy of note.
• 
  2020-08-29

  Homeless in Tempe

  As I was driving on Saturday morning, I saw a panhandler at the corner of Priest and the 201 exit. A female cop was talking to her, I was afraid that maybe the cop was telling the woman not to beg or to move, but I saw the woman in the same spot a few hours later. The cop was wearing a face mask. There have been, subjectively, a lot more homeless people on the streets lately.
• 
  2020-07-16

  Masks and Violence: Ontario man dies in police shooting after mask dispute in grocery store

  An article relaying an incident which encompasses two of the largest issues facing Canada, and Ontario, specifically at the moment: the coronavirus (and subsequent public health measures) and changing views on the role of police in society. A 78 year old man was shot and killed by police after if he refused to wear a mask in a supermarket in cottage country north of Toronto. He then assaulted an employee and drove off recklessly, prompting police to attend his house to arrest him, where the fatal incident occurred. The body responsible for the investigation of this and other police involved deaths in Ontario, the SIU, has come under scrutiny this year as social justice advocates feel it is inappropriate for a watch dog body to be made up largely of retired police officers is not impartial.
• 
  2020-04-22

  Attack on elderly Asian man with dementia ‘racially motivated,’ Vancouver police say

  "The 92-year-old victim had wandered into a convenience store near Nanaimo Street and East 1st Avenue on the afternoon of March 13, when the male suspect began yelling racist insults at the victim, including comments about COVID-19, police said Tuesday. "Outside the store, the suspect shoved the man, which caused him to fall to the ground and hit his head, police said."
• 
  2020-06-23

  Serve and protect: Navajo Police Department resumes academy with 25 recruits

  "Officers with the Navajo Police Department in Window Rock, Arizona, report for duty. The Navajo Police Department reported 13 officers have tested positive for COVID-19. Four officers remain in isolation and nine have recovered and returned to duty. On June 19, Officer Michael Lee with the Chinle District passed away because of COVID-19. On June 15, 25 recruits reported to the Navajo Police Training Academy in Chinle, Arizona to begin a 15-week academy. (Photos/Navajo Police Department)"
• 
  2020-07-01

  Police called in to shut down Canada Day celebrations at Mooney's Bay

  "Hundreds of people were on the beach and the surrounding area Wednesday afternoon and evening. One officer on scene told CTV News that at one point, there were close to 3,500 people in the area. "Witnesses say there was very little physical distancing." "Just after 8:00 p.m., police were called to the Mooney's Bay area, where they started turning cars and residents away. Around 10:00 p.m., the City requested the site be closed immediately, citing health concerns and disorder issues."
• 2020-06-11

  Don't stereotype. Ever.

  COVID-19, BLM Notes June 11, 2020 It's hard to put my thoughts in words. The news and social media are swirling in a constant maelstrom of things that seem like they should be false. Yet they're not. In the middle of the BLM and COVID-19 crisis, President Trump announced that he would be holding his first rally since Covid-19 in Tulsa Oklahoma. It will be on the anniversary of the massacre of the black community in Tulsa by the KKK. It also is a holiday marking the end of slavery in the US. This can go so wrong. 1968 Democratic Convention wrong. With semi-automatic weapons wrong. I'm sure supporters can make the argument that Trump is planning to make a speech that will help heal wounds. I hope that is the case. I sincerely doubt it. Even if it is, his administration has to understand the tinderbox they are laying fuel for. I simply don't understand. Additionally, COVID-19 cases are on the rise as states begin to reopen. So many people gathering for rallies and protests will up the ante even more. 😔😔 I'm angry about seeing my former law enforcement community painted with the same hostile brush that should be pointed at the bad cops and unions that protect them. It's damn tough to be a cop, even in a small community like mine. I still bear some scars. Cops are underpaid for the shit they have deal with. Mental health services may be offered if a department is large enough, but it would go on ones permanent record. Mental health is still stigmatized, so why would a cop want treatment for depression on their records? When Ron and I were dating, I had to undergo, on separate occasions, a herpes test and two AIDS tests. Imagine the fun that it is to tell my new boyfriend that kissing isn't allowed because I may have gotten herpes after giving mouth to mouth to someone I just cut down. (His response : If you have it, I already have it, so it doesn't matter. You marry a guy like that. I did). Then we had a another suicide. We didn't wear gloves back then. I'm sure we had them in the trunk but it would be wimpy to wear them. I got blood on my hands. Then the coroner found the suicide note. AIDS. I'm a nail biter. I had hang nails down to my knuckles. I went to Springfield for my tests because I didn't dare have it done in my community. AIDS was a very dirty word back then. I'm a chatterbox. The phlebotomist and I would be joking and laughing until they saw what the draw was for. A cold chill over took the room as they loudly triple gloved. Snap, snap, snap...... glaring at me. I was a junkie or a prostitute. Once I explained, they were so kind and emphatic. That's when I decided to try and treat everybody with kindness and respect. I don't know their back story and what led them to be in the position they are in. Be an asshole to me and I can be one right back but you get more peas with honey. Turns out, it wasn't AIDS. False positives were common back in the early days. Strangely enough, these aren't calls that bug me. That's what cop do. There's only one that eats at me and I'll unpack that some other time. I'm still processing the ghosts of that one. I bring them up because this is the kind of emotional crap cops deal with. Every single god damn day we clean up humanities mess. Yet there are people who want to vilify the entire law enforcement community, a community that includes people like me. I remember comforting a two year old toddler at another suicide. Mom thought the sitter would show up before the child woke up. She didn't. I'm holding this little girl who spent the morning putting popsicles on her dead diabetic mother's chest to get her to wake up. 36 years later I remember exactly where I standing, trying to comfort that poor child as I tried to process what was going on. So, as you shout to defund the police and tear down every single police agency that has ever represented you, think of me as a young adult from the age of 22 to 24, holding that child, wondering if I was going to die from AIDS, almost getting herpes from a corpse. I still had almost five years to go. I'm the people you are denigrating. I'm proud of the work I did. If you're looking for the bad, that's all you're going to see. Be cautious in the wording of any negative comments you might leave. I'm not much in the mood to keep my peas on my knife.
• 
  2020-05-16

  Just as You Expected: Police Report a 50% Increase in Robberies Thanks to Everyone Wearing Masks

  Wearing Masks Increases Robberies
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  2020-03-17

  Iranian police disperse crowds from shrines after Covid-19 closures

  The article talks about how Iranian police are forced to break apart crowds of people who're forcing themselves into shrines which are normally used for prayers around the clock. It also states that COVID has affected mainly important festivals. The Article also talks about how Italy has opened private prayers and confessions. Europe and the US churches mosques and synagogues have been suspended for public celebration as well. It also talked about how 2/3rds of the confirmed cases of the virus inMalaysia can be linked back to an Islamic conference attended by about 16,000 people.
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  2020-03-22

  Police Define Essential Personnel, Westwego, LA

  Westwego Police Department shares the definition of essential personnel via social media.