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Law Enforcement
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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. -
2020-08-05
Stuck on the Highway
This picture is significant to my COVID-19 experience in 2020 because it caused me to stay on the highway for approximately 3hrs. Due to new Covid laws usually when a high-tension wire hits the ground, they can find ways to get everyone away from the wire. However, since we have to stay 6 feet apart the cops and fire department couldn’t speak directly to everyone. We had to remain in our vehicles and just assume everything was going to be alright. This was my first time experiencing something like this. A lot of people couldn’t handle just sitting in their vehicles not having answers and so they turned around on the highway and tried to drive backwards to get off the road. -
2020-08-20
Portland Protests During COVID-19
The videos that I am sharing are from the Portland Protests. I feel compelled to share them because protests at this scale are unprecedented in their diversity, longevity, and turnout, and may represent a social tipping-point precipitated by the dual economic and health crises imposed by COVID-19. Before COVID-19, I had planned to spend Spring Break visiting friends in Portland, Oregon. Midway through the break, my university moved classes online and I had the opportunity to stay in Portland for 5 months. On May 25th, the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police sparked national protests against systemic racism and police brutality. The Portland protests were especially large and active, which garnered significant media coverage and led to deployment of federal agents to the city. In the midst of a pandemic, when so many healthcare workers found themselves without adequate PPE, police departments across the country were armed with seemingly limitless munitions and riot gear. Tear gas, pepper spray, sonic weaponry, batons, and riot shields were used against demonstrators, whose defenses were composed of homemade shields, leaf blowers, traffic cones, and water bottles. Yet he crowd still showed up at the Justice Center every night, and many are still there after nearly 4 months. These protests are unprecedented, and have caused many Americans to adopt radical stances against racist and unaccountable policing, and we would be remiss not to document them as part of the Plague Year. -
2020-08-07
COVID-19 threatens migrant, officer safety at cramped ICE detention centers
By Jessica Myers/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
2020-08-07
COVID-19 outbreaks threaten migrant, officer safety at cramped detention centers, advocates say
by Jessica Myers| Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
04/08/2020
State Policies May Send People with Disabilities to the Back of the Line for Ventilators
An article by Liz Essley Whyte describing policies on medical rationing, state by state, and the efforts by disability advocacy groups to enforce equal access to lifesaving treatment. As disability rights activist Ari Ne’eman states in the article, ‘There is a long history of people with disabilities being devalued by the medical system. That’s why we have civil rights laws. We don’t have an exception in our country’s civil rights laws for clinical judgment. We don’t take it on trust.’ As Matthew Foster, an Alabama resident. says, ‘I have a right to live.’ -
2020-04-10
German police attacked with stones, iron bars while enforcing coronavirus social distance measures 4/10/2020
Police in Germany were attacked with stones and iron bars while enforcing coronavirus social distance to a large group that had gathered outside in Frankfurt late Friday in violation of lockdown orders meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus. -
2020-07-17
Getting Out Of Prison Sooner
This NPR Planet Money podcasts discusses extremely long sentences, early release due to change in laws, particularly in Oklahoma, the cost of incarceration, and criminal justice reform from the ideal of physical conservatism. Plus a brief mention of early release due to the pandemic. -
07/25/2020
Cody Brown Oral History, 2020/07/25
This is an oral history interview I conducted with a law enforcement officer and fellow ASU intern. He is in the History Master's program at ASU with me and it gives the perspective of not only a law officer but also one who lives in a very rural area in the United States during the pandemic. -
2020-08-01
"Too Many Black Americans Are Dying from COVID-19"
From the article: "The U.S. has been roiled this year by two crises that seem on the surface to be unrelated: the coronavirus pandemic and law-enforcement killings of black Americans—the latter leading to mass protests and police violence toward protesters. Although the immediate causes of these two tragedies seem distinct, both have their roots in structural racism. The virus has killed a disproportionate number of black people (as well as other people of color), and black people are by some estimates 2.5 times more likely than white people to be killed by the police. Support is building for police reform, and we can take concrete steps immediately to protect the health of black Americans." -
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. -
2020-06-22
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Requirements
ICE hasn't stopped deporting during the COVID pandemic, but they did release a document citing rules for deporting during COVID. Interviews with detainees and immigration employees have contradicted the rules for deportation during COVID. -
2020-07-14
Northeastern responds to ICE reversal on international student rule
ICE last week instituted a rule that said if international students took all online classes, they couldn't stay in America on a visa. Schools in Boston, including Harvard and MIT filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security. Northeastern joined the lawsuit, and on July 14, ICE rescinded the rule, allowing students to stay in the US and continue their education, even if all of their classes are online because of the pandemic. It's not safe to gather in large groups yet, especially indoors, and schools are starting to release fall plans mainly online. -
2020-06-05
Old Man Pushed During Protest. Is He an Antifa Agent?!
During the Buffalo Black Lives Matter protests, cops pushed an old man down and just left him there despite his head injuries. Trump tweeted this: “Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment.” Of course memes cropped up instructing us how to know if our grandparents were actually ANTIFA agents -
2020-07-11
Questions on California Coronavirus Standards
When the coronavirus first hit California, there was immediate public discussion about what should be done about one of the potentially most at-risk populations: prisoners. Although there was an initial outpouring of sympathy around less-minor releases, the cries of law and order quickly went out, accompanied by the calls that civilization was about to end. How we keep these, and other at risk populations, safe is still a question that is up in the air. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #california. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it branches off on one of the arguments against wearing masks: their efficacy. -
2020-07-01
‘They’re scared’: A look inside the COVID-19 crisis in Arizona prisons.
By Katelyn Keenehan | Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
2020-05
Tweets from Inside a Prison 5/31-6/6/2020 by Railroaded Underground
These images show the tweets from an incarcerated person, using a contraband cell phone to tell the world what it is like to be incarcerated during the pandemic. This week he continues to talk about the murder of George Floyd by the police, protestors and violence against them, his own fear of white officers in his prison which he blames on systemic racism, states his views on defunding police and the need for new politicians and laws, as well as fear of prison transfers spreading the virus. -
2020-07-08
A Toothless Mandate: Sedgwick County's Mask Order, July 8 and 9, 2020
After the city of Wichita decreed compulsory mask-wearing, the Sedgwick County Local Health officer issued an emergency order overriding the County Commission's decision to not make masks in public mandatory. The first order states that no penalties will enforce the mandate's provisions, while the second, issued the very next day, adds religious institutions to the list of exempted parties; a hot button issue that saw Governor Laura Kelly's administration besieged by lawsuits and accusations of abuse of power during the statewide lockdown. Therefore, these texts are products of the political tensions that hobbled Kansas's response efforts in the face of a surging COVID-19 crisis, with state and local leaders, most if not all of whom identified as Republicans, opting for non-existent counter-measures that prevented "executive overreach," but allowed the virus to flourish. -
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." -
2020-07-08
MIT/Harvard lawsuit joined by Northeastern
MIT and Harvard filed a civil action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security against recent rules that would bar international students from legally remaining in the US if they take classes entirely online this fall. Thousands of students would lose scholarships, their inability to research, and their student status if the government decided to follow-through. These Boston universities are seeking a way to prohibit this ruling. -
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
Please Wear Your Masks While Arresting the Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor
A reminder to wear masks even when fighting social justice issues. -
2020
"I can't breathe"
This political cartoon is a commentary on the rights people are willing to fight for. A lot of right wing people were willing to protest and fight against social-distance measures and masks. But not willing to fight for the right to live by minority communities. -
2020-07-03
Political Cartoon Lady Liberty is Confused
The drawing depicts Lady Liberty in between a crowd of protesters and a crowd of police. Liberty thinks she somehow is no longer in America. The police are in riot gear, the protesters are wearing masks. -
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." -
2020-05-12
Federal Court in Boston Rules Strongly in Favor ofImmigrants Detained by ICE at Bristol County
Since March, Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights worked to improve the situations of immigrants held in detention centers. "In a powerful order, a federal court in Boston ruled strongly in favor of immigrants detained by ICE at Bristol County. The court ruled that the Bristol County Sheriff and ICE likely have acted unconstitutionally and shown deliberate indifference to the substantial risk of serious harm posed by COVID-19 to the detainees in their care." This success shows how civil rights lawyers were correct in fighting to improve the situations for immigrants. The lawsuit led to the release of more than 50 detainees. -
2020-04-02
Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights Group File Additional Briefs for Coronavirus ICE Lawsuit
After filing an initial lawsuit against ICE and the Bristol County Sheriff in March, Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights group filed more briefs with the latest from medical and public health experts and actual stories of survival in Bristol County. Detention centers and ICE have largely ignored the health and safety protocols being instated by health officials, so as the coronavirus has spread, nothing has slowed the spread in detention centers and prisons. -
2020-03-27
Coronavirus Suit Filed Against ICE and Bristol County Sheriff
A class action for emergency release has been filed in federal court by individuals in civil immigration detention at imminent risk of COVID-19 infection due to life-threatening conditions in the Bristol County House of Corrections run by Sheriff Thomas Hodgson. The complaint, filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights and Yale Law School’s Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic in partnership with the Brazilian Worker Center, contains alarming accounts of cruel and inhumane conditions: guards who report to work with coronavirus symptoms, and detained individuals who are still being brought into the facility – amidst the contagion – without any medical testing or screening. Even after one of the individuals who recently arrived fell severely ill, Bristol County and ICE failed to provide sanitizer or disinfectant. The immigrants bringing this case are literally trapped, and subject to imminent infection, illness and death because of their detention conditions under Sheriff Hodgson and ICE. In filing this complaint, Maria Alejandra, Julio Cesar, and their peers seek emergency release and alternatives to detention for all immigrants experiencing life-threatening conditions in Bristol County. -
2020-04-13
The Barricades of Cubao
Last Friday night, an ambulance silently entered our street in Cubao. Although its red and blue lights were spinning, its siren was turned off. In the silence of that Good Friday night, two residents from the building two lots away from where we lived were brought inside the ambulance. As quickly as it appeared, the ambulance left our street. Yesterday morning, as the world celebrated Easter Sunday, the barricades on the streets of our neighborhood were reinforced. Men and women assigned by the Barangay served as guards, checking the identity of every person who wanted to enter the streets. With vehicles banned from passing through the streets, I had to walk several blocks from our residence to the Barangay Hall to get a Quarantine Pass. It was needed to allow me to buy food and maintenance medicines. Last night, we were told that one of the residents that were taken by the ambulance last Friday night had tested positive for COVID-19. Stricter measures would be implemented. This, it seems, will be our new normal. -
2020-06-22
The Waves of Change
On March 17,2020, Enhanced Community Quarantined was declared in Luzon amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic. Since then, the AFI deployed Emirate security personnel assigned at the Ayala Museum have been required to stay-in as part of the safety protocols for construction site as the museum is undergoing renovation. The emotional and mental challenge for being separated from their families and being confined in a construction environment for several months did not discourage anyone from continuously being vigilant and carry on their duty with vigor. These guards demonstrate their resiliency by adapting to life changing situations, and emerging even stronger than before. Amidst this pandemic, these resilient AFI deployed guards ensure the continuous protection of the Ayala Museum. -
2020-06-02
Solano County Sheriffs Department mandates lock-down over protests
My county was given stay-at-home orders as peaceful day-time protesting was infiltrated by looters and violence at night. I listened to the police scanner as reports of our stores being looted and burned down came in. Several stores including Walmart, CVS, Best Buy, BevMo and MiMi's Cafe were damaged and looted. There were not enough police to cover the unrest. Once the looters moved to another building the police had to abandon the newly secured building, leaving it again open for looting. The unrest lasted until sunrise. I got no sleep that night. We were worried the looting would find its way into residential streets. The next day the national guard came in. My town is no longer small. We have become one of the most affordable cities to live in the San Francisco Bay Area and we have grown so fast, but the small town feeling still lingers in its older residents like me. We have never had the National Guard here. The next morning my family packed our car up with cleaning supplies and drove to Old Town to see if there was anything we could help clean up. Luckily only larger businesses were targeted. People were so angered by the looting and were very vocal about it. I was afraid that night but I understand the looting. The looters were not there because of the George Floyd, they were there because of opportunity and generational poverty. People who have opportunity don't loot. This was kids like my students. Kids who the system works against every single day. If they could get away with a few pair of new shoes to sell and get ahead why not? I'm not mad. These systems are strong. Companies like Walmart profit off of the labor an poverty of their employees every single day. I'm not mad that they were targeted. -
2020-06-27
St. Louis mayor reads names and addresses of protesters who want to defund police
Excerpt: TV shows that are canceled or ending in 2020 Kamala Harris's police reform push becomes VP tryout KSDK-TV St. Louis logoSt. Louis mayor reads names and addresses of protesters who want to defund police St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson is facing backlash on social media Friday night for reading the names and street addresses of protesters who are calling on the city to defund the police department. -
2020-06-27
Aurora PD in riot gear, gassing & beating protesters
From original live post: Aurora PD in riot gear, gassing & beating protestors, in the minutes leading up to this magical standoff: https://www.facebook.com/brittneybuckley/videos/786032587995/?d=n “Dream On” by the same musicians a few minutes later: https://www.facebook.com/76400369/posts/786080332315/?d=n Violinist on the truck bed, who stopped the madness with his magic: Jeff “Maestro” Hughes Violinist accompanying him (who also played in the park as the riot cops approached): Josh Lee -
2020-06-27
Moment Violin vigil to honor Elijah McClain Interrupted by APD
Violin vigil to honor Elijah McClain interrupted by APD in full riot gear. Teargas the crowd. While violinists play on. -
2020-06-29
So this happened in Aurora
Peaceful protest for victim of police brutality Elijah Mclain was interrupted by heavily armed militarized police as violinists played on. -
2020-06-01
Los Angeles Police Officer Takes a Knee During Protest
There was rioting and looting during the Black Lives Matter Protests in June of 2020. Nerves were frazzled; people were definitely on edge. This LA police officer took a knee to show solidarity and to get the crowd to disperse. It worked! -
2020-06-26
HOUSE TO VOTE ON POLICE REFORM BILL
Members of the House meet on Police Reform Bill. Viewers can see social distancing and and near empty chamber. -
2020-06-09
D.C. Wants All Protesters To Get A COVID-19 Test
Excerpt from article: While COVID-19 was on the minds of nearly all, many — including some medical professionals and public health experts — saw it as a risk worth taking as the country faces "two public health crises." -
2020-06-09
City Officials Scramble to Prepare as Mass Protests Threaten a Resurgence of COVID-19
Excerpt from Article: State and local public health officials are in a tough spot. After months of imposing restrictions to protect their residents from the highly infectious coronavirus—at great cost to families’ livelihoods and the broader economy—they now must balance those efforts with another, equally vital imperative: protecting Americans’ right to gather en masse to protest police brutality and systemic racism. -
2020-06-25
Scottsdale night club charged with failing to follow Covid protocols
Popular night clubbing area "Old Town" in Scottsdale has been ordered to follow covid protocols when open to lower spread of the virus. Arizona has been fully open for some time now, including night clubs and bars. One popular night club in Old Town, Riot House, has been charged with a misdemeanor for failing to follow health protocols. Fully open close contact businesses like night clubs and bars have been pointed to as to why Arizona cases have spiked in recent weeks. As a student at Arizona State, i personally frequented Old Town and Riot House as many students do, so to see criminal charges being brought against them caught my eye. Although it is unlikely the owners will face serious legal trouble, it is clear they placed profit over health. Places like Riot House and other nightclubs currently open during the pandemic likely served as super spreader hot spots. These hot spots also likely played a large role in why Arizona is currently a global covid hotspot. I personally know many friends and acquaintances who attended night clubs in Old Town and Mill Ave in the previous weeks who have now tested positive for the virus. -
2020-05
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, Blocking Courthouse ICE Arrests
Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights group filed a case blocking immigration arrests in and around courthouses. The pandemic has not stopped ICE from detaining immigrants. "Lawyers for Civil Rights’ landmark case blocking immigration arrests in and around Massachusetts courthouses, Ryan v. ICE, is the first case of its kind in the country. The case was filed in partnership with Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), and Chelsea Collaborative with pro bono support from Goodwin LLP. It is now on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit." -
2020-05
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, Coronavirus Response
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston offered this Coronavirus Pandemic Response update outlining the work they have continued doing during the pandemic, including information about intake, community legal education and outreach, legal advocacy, small business support, unemployment assistance, medical-legal partnerships, and litigation. "The demand for our free legal services has increased exponentially since the start of the public health and economic crisis. Since March, we have received over 350 requests for legal assistance (intakes). The estimated demographic breakdown is as follows: 55% Black; 25% Latinx; 10% Asian American; and 10% other." -
2020-06-03
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, COVID Resources
Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston offer resources for legal, medical, unemployment, housing, and economic support on their COVID response webpage . This document is in English and the site also offers translations in Spanish, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. While the world shut down for the pandemic, ICE continued to detain and deport immigrants here in the US, and the Black Lives Matter movement's response to police brutality sparked a number of arrests. Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights organization has continued to offer legal support for those in need and has kept a running page of legal updates. -
2020-06-05
Waking Up to White Privilege
As a white person I have struggled with how to express myself in this difficult, historic time. Ultimately what I say doesn't matter as much as any Person of Color in this moment, because when I think I understand, i can't possibly. The only thing I think I can contribute that is my place to say, is to express some thoughts to other white people in this moment about what this moment means. It's no longer enough to not be racist. A lot of us have hung our hats on "not seeing color" or treating people equally regardless of their race. Weve been making those steps for 60 years as a nation, and the slow March of forward progress has only made actual racists hide behind more obscure symbolism and made white people feel better about themselves. Every white person who wants to consider themselves "good" in this moment, now has a responsibility to attack and drive out racism. And every white person who tries to say racism isnt that bad or isnt the real problem now, needs to be confronted with the fact they are making it worse. You cant compare police killing statistics to black on black crime. Doing so ignores the fact that a deep distrust of the police born from centuries of abuse and persecution has made minority communities vulnerable to criminal influence as good people are afraid to call the cops because the cops might be worse than criminals they need protecting from. You cant say all lives matter. Because, 1) no shit. And 2) people are trying to lift up the most abused segment of our population, and doing so will raise the tide for all people. Sure there is that incident where a white person was beaten or killed by cops. That's why BLM and other movements are asking for things like independent review of all complaints and incidents not just those affecting minorities. There are a million reasons why AllLivesMatter is not appropriate and diminishes the moment. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss this, but that conversation distracts the conversation from constructive discourse to have to have in public. You can't say protesting is causing division in this country. Black people are asking to be seen and heard, they are asking you to better understand their experience, their fear and their pain. If you are refusing to acknowledge that experience, or somehow invalidate it because you have never seen it, you are the one causing division. Citing the looting or rioting as causing this "division" is a whole separate issue. For this point I will just say, you can't equate protesting with the looting and rioting, they are different things. You can condemn looting. But instead of just using it as a reason to dismiss or act against protestors, you have to look at what is actually going on. There are multiple different types of looting and rioting going on. Some is a response to police meeting peaceful protest with more violence and oppression. This is the anger and the burning. Like when one child hits another and the second child bites in response. Neither is ok, you don't excuse the first child hitting because the response may have been worse. Violence begets violence, and places where curfews have been rolled back and protestors have not been met with police, protests have remained peaceful and people have danced in the streets. The other type of looting is what happened in Fairfield and Vallejo, with looting without protest, the stealing. This is horrible, and criminal, but also a clear sign the system has been ineffective at improving or protecting our communities and has created safe spaces for criminal elements created by their community fearing Police brutality more than the criminal elements also terrorizing them. Protestors arent saying that looting is ok, and looting shouldn't in any way diminish their message. Looting should be condemned, but also think about what the looting means and how it serves as proof the protestors are right. People loot when teams and cities win or lose sports championships every year, there are unsavory elements that will take advantage every chance they get. If anything protestors want to improve their communities so looting doesnt happen again. Looting is horrible and absolutely should be condemned, but it a symptom of the underlying problem far more than a product of protests, and is being used as an excuse to set curfews in place to justify breaking up protests unlawfully. You cant joke about Covid. People protesting during a pandemic doesnt mean they dont take it seriously or it isnt a problem. It means the moment is so big, people are willing to take on another layer of danger in unrest because they dont know when they will have this moment again. You need to demand more of your police. A good cop is no longer one that doesnt beat or abuse people, it's one who reports or acts against the abuses by others. Sadly cops who do that are driven out of forces and departments. If we want to talk about places like Camden, NJ, where they disbanded their Police department and rebuilt it with all local officers, officer involvement in the community, and they are actually seeing reductions in crime as well as Public approval of the police department, thats a good conversation to have, and something worth praising and commending. Dont post pictures of officers kneeling, 2 days ago Buffalo, NY officers kneeled, and 24 hours later in the same location, the same officers nearly killed a peaceful 75 year old man. Officers kneeling with protestors has been compared to an abusive boyfriend apologizing before beating you again 2 weeks later. We need change not gestures. A reform of our police system benefits the good cops as much as the victims of the bad cops, as they will be able to protect and serve their community the way they wanted to when they became cops, instead of fearing reprisal for speaking up or stopping abusive officers. You need to educate yourself on what protestors are facing. The police brutality in these times in coming in overwhelming waves. This brutally is causing protests to escalate into panic or riots, which then creates the safe space for the criminal element to loot. I suggest if you can stomach unsettling images you check out the Twitter thread I'm going to link. It started with a lawyer documenting 10 instances of unjustified police brutality or abuses of rights in the first day and a half of protests, 6 days in it's over 300 videos. https://twitter.com/greg_doucette/status/1266751520055459847?s=19 You need to understand the basics of what is being asked for. There is so much hurt and anger,and a lot of people only see hashtags like #defundthepolice or #abolishthepolice and think it's ridiculous we need cops. Some of it is exaggeration, some of it is just more nuanced. The basic things people want come down to. 1) Independent review. Instances of police brutality and killings are investigated and determined lawful or not by District Attorneys who work with the same officers on a daily basis and are dependent on their cooperation to do their job, as well as seek re election. This is the definition of conflict of interest, an independent office of some sort needs to do this work. 2) police funding needs to change. Police budgets are insanely large portions of local government spending, with ridiculous amounts spent on military grade equipment and way too little spent on things like social workers and drug counseling. Our communities are better served trying to better them than to punish them. Both in efficiency and quality of life. 3) elimination of qualified immunity. When a cop violates someone's civil rights and isnt even charged, the city often still loses a civil lawsuit (because civil rights were violated) the city or municipality ends up liable for the damages, not the police department or the offending officer. This further depletes resources for the community at large and is a further part of the plea to "hold police accountable". If doctors are liable for their own mistakes, why arent police departments? Why does seeking restitution for crimes against you make your community's schools, social programs or arts suffer, and not the actual entity that committed the crime? You need to see how it's working. The state of Colorado, the city of Portland, and the city of Minneapolis are making massive changes to their police programs. The LAPD budget is under review with hundreds of millions of dollars potentially being diverted to other community improvement. The officers were all arrested and charged, that happened because people werent satisfied each step along the way. And that doesnt mean the final goal is accomplished, there are hundreds of other civil rights violations and abuses new and old that have not seen justice. These protests will get stronger and stronger until that wave of change spreads, and as certain government parties respond with more force, more people will be outraged and join the protests. There is a lot there, and so much more I havent even touched. If anyone wants to discuss these points privately, without judgement, feel free to message me. My biggest regret right now is all my life I have tried to be a good friend to the people of color in my life, but I have failed because I have not done enough to be a good Ally, what they actually deserved. But this moment isn't about me or any other white persons guilt, it is about what we will do now to step up and fix an obviously broken system. -
2020-06-03
Invest in Communities, Defund the Police
Despite of Covid, people are fighting for social justice. -
2020-06-03
A Question of Trauma
This is a screenshot of the headlines on Vox News from June 3, 2020. Of the seven articles shown here, three are about healthcare (with two specific to COVID), three are about police brutality (including one about police using tear gas on protesters), and the lead story is speculation on whether or not Trump will leave office if he loses this upcoming election. Seeing a screenshot of what the daily news looked like throughout this pandemic is important for future historians because the experience of scrolling through the headlines and worrying simultaneously about a raging global pandemic, an emboldened police state, and a descent into authoritarianism helps explain why many people are describing the last few months as "traumatic." A mention of trauma warrants a careful reflection of the question "Traumatic for whom?" The centrality of white supremacy-- the disproportionate rate of COVID infections and deaths among Black and Indigenous People of Color; the disproportionate impact of police violence on Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities; and the weaponization of whiteness that allowed Trump's election in the first place-- has left many to comment on the ways in which this current moment is uniquely traumatic for People of Color and especially Black and Indigenous people. While communities of color have been condemning state violence for generations, some scholars have speculated on the uniqueness of this moment, arguing that a combination of disillusionment--as people watched the government fail to provide even the most basic protections against the virus-- and increased virtual presence-- as social media was flooded with videos of police brutalizing both citizens and protesters-- have forced white Americans to confront the extensive and devastating impacts of systemic racism in new ways. Although many white people have decried police violence and themselves donated or marched in the past few weeks, shortcomings regarding allyship have been well documented, and it's difficult to say whether or not white Americans' newfound commitments to anti-racism will be part of a better post-coronavirus World or disappointingly just another short-lived pandemic trend. As a white scholar who is not an expert on questions of race or Critical Race Theory, my description of these events is almost certainly clumsy and incomplete. While my perspective is both limited and flawed, it seems as though the extent and depth of the trauma of this moment-- to individuals, to communities, and to our nation-- is still very much unfolding. -
2020-06-22
Six in 10 Chinese Canadians say they have adjusted routines to avoid racist run-ins during COVID-19
Article discussing the statistics of racism and fear thereof towards people of Chinese descent in Canada during the pandemic. "Community groups, individuals and some police departments have raised the alarm about harassment linked to the pandemic, but the executive director of the Angus Reid Institute, Shachi Kurl, says the goal of the survey was to try and generate some empirical data on the issue. 'What we hear from Canadians of Chinese descent and Chinese ethnicity is, this is a real lived experience for significant numbers of them,' Ms. Kurl said in an interview. '[The survey] really speaks to the depth and breadth and scope and true saturation of this experience.' -
2020-06-10
A Carrier's Plight with COVID-19
This screenshot shows a Navy medical technician conducting a COVID test in front of what appears to be the docked USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). Forced to make an emergency disembarkation at Naval Base Guam in the early days of the pandemic, the ship found itself ravaged by the virus, which swept through its departments and corridors with alarming speed, prompting its commander, Captain Brett Crozier, to order the crew off the warship; an action that combined with a pointed (and public) memo to superiors that ultimately lead to his dismissal. -
2020-06-12
Containing COVID-19 aboard the USS Kidd
After having been briefly attached to the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, the USS Kidd encountered a coronavirus outbreak on board while conducting operations off the coast of South America in April 2020. This screenshot of a posted dated June 12 provides a glimpse into the Navy's early attempts to combat the disease's spread before it could potentially cripple the vessel. Also note the face mask covering the eagle's beak on the US Navy emblem in the upper left corner.