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2021-03-16
The cement industry has always been stable, expensive, and increasing. In urban areas, space is precious and construction is costly. This article is very telling of how the pandemic has affected the construction industry and cost of materials
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2021-02-25
When I found out I had COVID it put me in a dark place since I couldn't hang out with my friends and I couldn't see my parents for 16 days. So I realized that when I was here I would try to find a forever friend and I ended up adopting my cat named Millie. From a bad thing and a bad place came a good thing with a new and lifetime friend.
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2020-08-05
“I expected an ambulance to come and convince him to get treatment at the hospital,” Tarin Vang said after calling 311 requesting a wellness check for her boyfriend, Travis Jordan. “I thought someone could come to save his life, calm him down and take him somewhere safe where he could get into a better frame of mind. I thought they would send someone who could help him come back to his senses.”
Two police officers with less than 11 months of experience responded to her call, MPD Officers Ryan Keyes and Neal Walsh. After following the officers request to leave his home, a complying and dispirited Travis was shot 8 times by officers.
Travis Jordan should still be alive today.
Travis' family is demanding:
Travis’ case be REOPENED along with all other cases related to police violence.
Officers Neal Walsh and Ryan Keyes to be charged and prosecuted for the murder of Travis Jordan.
For his belongings to be given back to the family. Mike Freeman refuses to give back Travis’ notebook and black leather bracelet even though the case is closed. This is ILLEGAL.
Mental health professionals to be first responders on scene during a mental health crisis, NOT the police.
Visit 'Justice for Travis Jordan' on Facebook to support the family and learn more.
Photos from Justice for Travis Jordan - 38th Birthday Protest - July 31, 2020
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2020-08-06
"Joy is an act of resistance." - Toi Derricotte, Poet
Photos from Emergency Response - Calling Woodbury on the Carpet, July 30, 2020
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2020-08-13
Five weeks after Gov. Waltz called a special session to pass police reform, protestors gathered outside the Minnesota Senate demanding swifter and more comprehensive legislation from elected officials.
On July 24, a couple days after this protest, Gov. Waltz signed a bill that would prohibit the use of chokeholds and warrior style training. Both of these items were already banned in Minneapolis, respectively in June 2020 and April 2019. The state legislation established a duty to intercede on officers who see a colleague using excessive force and requires excessive force incident reports. The bill fell far short of the transformational change demanded after the murder of George Floyd and represented 'low-hanging fruit' for reform policies.
President Michelle Gross of the Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) shared, “It doesn’t do anything substantial to end violent policing. The legislators, frankly, are frightened of the law enforcement lobby.” The bill ignored CUAPB's recommendations such as lengthening the statute of limitations for wrongful death and civil rights violation lawsuits, community participation in collective bargaining agreements with police unions, and requiring police release body camera footage to families of victims within 48 hours.
Photos from Demand Real Change from Minnesota Senate!, July 17, 2020
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2020
Bob Kroll is the president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, the union for the city's police department. In his 31-year policing career, Kroll has been involved in three shootings, received 20 internal affairs complaints, and been the subject of lawsuits for wrongful arrest and excessive force. A 1995 lawsuit against Kroll alleged he used racial slurs while beating, choking, and kicking a handcuffed 15-year-old boy. In a letter to his police union members following the death of George Floyd (83 days ago), Kroll described him as a "violent criminal" and called the protests a "terrorist movement". Kroll is also a member of the City Heat motorcycle club, a group that is described as white supremacists by the Anti-Defamation League.
Yesterday, protesters gathered outside Kroll's home in Hugo, MN and marched in his neighborhood demanding his resignation.
Photos from Let’s Roll to KKKroll’s!, Aug 15, 2020
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2020-08-18
"Reparations is very important. Here in America, Black women are saddled with the highest amount of student debt in the country. For Black women in Boston, their median net worth is $8. In Los Angeles, the median value of assets for Black families is $200. In St. Paul, according to ISIAH, Blacks are 120% more unemployed than their white counterparts." - Trahern Crews
Protestors gathered at the Minnesota Governor's Residence on August 16th to demand the United States government pay reparations to American Descendants of Slavery for 400 years of slavery, redlining, lynching, mass incarceration, and discrimination in education, housing, and employment.
Photos from Reparations Rally In Honor of George Floyd, August 16, 2020
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2020-08-21
"No one believed my story back then. I have an abundance of support now, where I didn't have none before. So I prayed for this day and prayed for each and every last one of you that's out here with me today. Saint Paul Police, your days of silencing me are over with. It's over with. To all the police in Minnesota and around the world. Your days of hurting our people are over with." - Toshira Garroway (@toshira_nicole ), Justin Teigen's fiance and mother to his child.
Justin was found dead in a recycling center after an encounter with the St. Paul Police (SPPD) eleven years ago. His family is demanding the MN Attorney General Keith Ellison (@repkeithellison) opens an investigation into his death.
Photos from Justice for Justin, August 19, 2020
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2020-08-19
"The next thing I'm pissed off about is 38th and Chicago. I'm tired of Chicago. Why is not Floyd? When we were protesting at the beginning, what we said was 38th and Floyd." - Huda Yusuf (@justaskhuda)
On August 6th, Minneapolis city employees informed community members and business owners they were planning to remove barricades surrounding the George Floyd Memorial Zone. This area extends in a four block radius and contains the site where Floyd was murdered by police on May 25th. The city's phased reopening has since been postponed to an undetermined future date. Community members have released a list of 24 demands before the area can open again for normal vehicular traffic. This includes recalling Mike Freeman (Hennepin County Attorney), ending qualified immunity, investing $400,000 in a youth jobs program, and firing four Bureau of Criminal Apprehension officials in leadership positions.
Link in bio to the full list of demands.
Photos from Sit-In at George Floyd Memorial, August 17, 2020
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2020-08-29
On the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, tens of thousands of people gathered to demand racial equality and an end to police brutality in the US. The rally was organized by Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, the NAACP and the National Urban League. The families of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Jacob Blake, shared stories and called for systemic change. Organizers reminded attendees to practice social distancing and wear masks throughout the program.
1. Rev Al Sharpton speaking with an attendee
2. George Clinton cooling off before his performance
3. Black Panther Party member overlooking the crowd
4. Young boy holding Black Lives Matter poster
5. Martin Luther King III giving advice to activist from Texas
6. View of the crowd from the Lincoln Memorial steps
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2020-03-14
In early March, 2020, everyone in school was talking about this new, deadly virus from China. There was a few cases reported in the United States, with reports of community transmission. Suddenly, schools, and entire cities were being shut down across the states. Seeing an empty New York City (being one of
the first major cities in the states to shut down) frightened me, and opened my eyes to the brutal reality of what a global pandemic looks like.
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2020-08-29
More scenes from the Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks.
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2020-09-02
“Even though it looks dark, I want to tell you to be encouraged. . . . Stand up. We was built for this.” - Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, Get Your Knee Off Our Necks March
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2020-09-11
This week, it was revealed President Donald Trump deliberately minimized the seriousness of COVID-19 to the public despite understanding its true danger and severity. About 190,000 Americans have died from the disease since the outbreak began earlier this year.
This photo was taken during a Republication National Convention firework celebration of Trump's Presidential nomination.
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2020-09-12
Last night, a candlelight vigil was held at the Say Their Names Cemetery for George Floyd's extended family.
Family members of Justin Teigen, Paul Castaway, and Demetrius Hill were also present to share stories of how they were killed at the hands of law enforcement.
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2021-03-14
In this oral history, I interview my mom, Brenda Lee Cohen on her pandemic experience with a particular focus on her work with the Calgary police service as a crime and intelligence analyst supervisor. In this interview, Brenda talks about her initial experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, she recalls the first day of the pandemic as she and her husband were stuck in America. This particular interview touched upon what her work environment was like during the pandemic and topics such as systemic racism, the police ‘culture’ and the revocation of a popular program for city employees known as the ‘golden handshake’ in the midst of the pandemic. Brenda also spoke briefly about her experience with misogyny within the workplace and how these ideas are so prevent within a space which mixes the civilian and police worlds. Finally, Brenda also spoke about what she is most thankful for in this pandemic, and ultimately reflects on her own inability to express her thoughts and emotions – and how one day when she is out of the police environment, things will be different.
Interviewee Name: Brenda Cohen
Interviewer Name: Padraic Cohen
Date of Interview: 03/14/2021
Location: Cochrane, Alberta Canada.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Partially transcribed by Padraic Cohen
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2021-03-16
Blue & white disposable face mask east of Rural road found along the South Bank of the riverwalk along Rio Salado.
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2021-03-16
Black fabric disposable mask draped over a stick at the boat launch near Tempe Beach Park. This photo shows a lot of other trash washed up here, including a dead fish.
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2021-03-16
Child's fabric face mask with a Batman print. This was found near Tempe Beach Park. I picked it up and brought it home as it was in pretty good condition. First, I'm soaking it in vinegar and then I'll wash for my 2yo to use.
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2020-09-13
Yesterday, several hundred self-proclaimed patriots gathered at the Capital for the United We Stand & Patriots March for America. Throughout the program, speakers condemned Black Lives Matter as a terrorist movement and demanded Gov. Waltz resign for mandating masks to decrease the spread of COVID-19. Speakers included MN House Rep. Jeremy Munson and Rep. Eric Lucero.
Throughout the event, there were several verbal and physical exchanges between rally goers and a group of counter protestors in support of Black lives. Two counter protestors were arrested when trying to bypass a State police perimeter for their bicycles. Pro-Trump rally goers cheered-on as multiple police officers piled on the counter protesters for arrest. They are currently being held in police custody with gross misdemeanor charges and likely will not be released until Monday.
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2020-06-21
When I was in the second grade, I remember my math teacher telling my whole class that we would be graduating high school in the year 2020. It seemed so long ago, like this far away land that didn't exist. We all smiled and chatted amongst ourselves about how 2020 was such a cool-sounding year and we liked having that year to look forward to. Elementary school became middle school which became high school and then it was my senior year all the sudden.
My high school has a tradition in which seniors paint some boulders behind our school with our class colors and have a barbecue. At senior barbecue, we complained about how we just couldn't wait 7 more months until prom and graduation, and how excited we were for them. If only we had known that none of those things would happen. I remember in March of 2020 going to Chicago away from my hometown of Baltimore to visit the college I'd decided on, and the news was a storm of talk about a virus called covid-19. My high school friends were blowing up my phone with texts telling me that we were off school for 2 weeks and how "awesome" this was. I remember having a gut feeling that this would not be "awesome."
Though everything virtually shut down from March to May, my 4 best friends from high school and I were luckily still able to have a somewhat normal summer safely; we went swimming in the lake by my house and camped and it forced us to actually get some exercise. I also was fortunate enough to still make some money over the summer at the childcare center I worked at. I was fortunate in those ways, but I think anyone would agree it just wasn't the same.
I remember being heartbroken about prom and graduation at first, until it hit me that this was a problem so much larger than Dulaney High School in Maryland. Bigger than the east coast, bigger than all of America. This was a virus affecting virtually everyone on the planet. That mindset is crucial to keeping everyone safe; your parties can wait. Your trip to Disney can wait. I knew my prom and graduation being sacrificed was for a greater good.
I've heard that your true character isn't how you act in your finest hour, but in your worst. I'd say COVID has become a identifier for that.
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2020-09-19
University of Minnesota students rallied yesterday to demand President Joan Gabel (@joan_gabel) create a Campus CPAC (Civilian Police Accountability Council) composed of elected students and community members to oversee the campus police department. In August, the University hired Cedric Alexander, a former police officer and director at the Department of Homeland Security to lead an internal review of the UMPD. Yesterday's protesters marched through campus as incoming freshmen moved into housing.
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2021-03-16
As COVID-19 vaccine efforts are still going strong across the United States, the Cherokee Nation is struggling to get more members of the community vaccinated. Some of the hesitancy to get the vaccine stems from the memory of the government's medical malpractice the greatly affected indigenous people. Other members of the community have questions about the vaccine's side-effects and how it will affect their pre-existing conditions.
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2020-09-20
Workers from five Spyhouse locations went on strike to demand recognition of their union, Unite Here Local 17, and improve COVID-19 safety conditions.
Spyhouse owner, Christian Johnson, has hired a PR firm and lawyers with the intention of disrupting the unionization effort. The owner, through a PR firm, declined to comment on Saturday's strike.
Spyhouse workers are part of a growing new labor movement of hospitality workers in Minnesota. In recent months, workers from Tattersall, Lawless, Surly, Fair State, and Stillheart have collectively organized into a union to create more equitable workplace environments.
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2020-09-01
Minneapolis joined national protests against police violence and the lack of justice for those murdered or harmed by the police such as Daniel Prude, Breonna Taylor, and Miguel Vega.
The national day of action was organized by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, a group opposing the unjust treatment of individuals for their racial or political beliefs. They emerged from the Committee to Free Angela Davis, a group that successfully defended Angela Davis and helped her receive a not-guilty verdict from an all-white jury for kidnapping and first degree murder charges in 1972.
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2020-12-25
One of the first things my parents did when they retired and moved to Arizona was find a church. I was very vocal about wanting them to wait to return to large group gatherings but for some strange reason, they seemed to think that they couldn't get covid in church. My mom thought that after all the hardships brought on by the pandemic she needed to be back in church. A month later my dad got sick. We all naively thought it was the flu until I saw the shortness of breath. I told him to get sick and sure enough, he tested positive. Two weeks later my mom contracted Covid. I was hoping it wouldn't hit them too bad but my mom is a diabetic and they are older (late 50's and mid 60's) so I was a bit worried. As the days went by neither of them was getting better. My parents were sick through the holidays, I made Christmas dinner and we ate "together". I dropped off food at their front door then went to their back window where my kids and I ate picnic style. After three visits to the ER for my dad and four for my mom we finally started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I have lost many people to Covid, but it never hit me as hard as when I thought I was going to lose my parents. Thankfully, it was a massive lesson learned for my parents that covid spreads even in the church.
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2021-03-15
"After the rollout of Covid-19 vaccine, the number of new cases among nursing home staff members fell 83%, data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows. "It's a big relief for me," said Joan Phillips, who works at the North Beach Rehabilitation Center outside Miami. More than 3 million doses of vaccine have been doled out in nursing homes across the US."
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2021-03-13
"The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History received the vial from the first authorized Covid-19 vaccine does administered in the US. The museum formed a task force last April aimed at chronicling events from the past year as well as documenting the effects of the pandemic has had on businesses, work, politics, and culture, said a news release. "These now historic artifacts document not only this remarkable scientific progress but represent the hope offered to millions living through the cascading crises brought on by COVID-19," museum director Anthea M. Hartig said."
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2021-03-12
"About 1 in 5 Americans say they have lost a relative or close friend to #COVID_19, highlighting the division between heartache and hope as the country itches to get back to normal a year into the COVID-19 #pandemic. A new poll from the Associated Press- NORC Center for Public Affairs Research illustrates how the stage is set for a two-tiered recovery.
The public's worry about the virus has dropped to its lowest point since the fall, before the holidays brought skyrocketing cases into the new year.
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2020-03-11
"Natalie Sanchez heard it in her children's voice when their birthday parties were canceled and saw it on their faces when they couldn't play with friends. It was more than just simple disappointment. It was fear that the world they once knew might have changed forever. "I think that it's something that's going to kind of scar them. I don't think that they'll forget," says the mom of three. Now, a year into a worldwide disaster it's no longer a question of if this pandemic will shape an entire generation, But how."
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2020-09-21
Last Monday, Dawn Wooten, a nurse at an ICE detention center in Irwin County, Georgia, revealed doctors were performing unnecessary gynecological procedures, including hysterectomies, on immigrant women being held. She also revealed the facility was underreporting the number of positive of COVID-19 cases by failing to test detainees and neglecting their medical needs.
These cases of forced sterilizations are far too common in American history. After sterilization became legal and provided to Puerto Rican women for free, approximately one-third of the female population was sterilized between the 1930s and the 1970s, making it the highest rate of sterilization in the world. Health workers encouraged the procedure through door-to-door visits and employers showed favoritism towards sterilized women.
I highly recommend a short documentary called La Operación available online about this US-imposed sterilization policy in Puerto Rico.
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2020-09-22
Last Friday, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court, passed away. During her tenure on the bench, she overcame multiple bouts with cancer and other health emergencies. Through it all, she never wavered in her commitment to the court as a vehicle for a more just and more equal America.
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2021-03-15
Maya, age 6 returned to in-person learning for the first time since October. Yesterday she got a haircut to get ready for her first day. Today, I asked her how her day was and she said it was good, but sometimes she felt sleepy because she forgot how long a school day is.
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2020-09-26
This week, a grand jury indicted former Louisville Officer Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing bullets that went into an apartment next to Breonna Taylor's during an attempted search of her home. The decision and Kentucky's Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s refusal to answer questions about the investigation is troubling.
For instance, how could Hankison be charged with endangering Taylor’s neighbors but not with endangering Taylor herself? Was the grand jury even able to vote on whether the officers should be charged with homicide or was the judgement of self-defense determined by the Attorney General?
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2020-08-21
Wrigleyville home of the Chicago Cubs is known to be a neighborhood of Chicago that revolves around the Cubs. During a non pandemic year when there is a game at Wrigley Field there is people all around Wrigleyville. The neighborhood is bustling with Cubs fans everywhere. The restaurants are filled and the bars too. The cubs apparel shops are getting business and people are just happy. Now during the pandemic the neighborhood has a feeling of emptiness. No fans have been allowed in the stadium in over a year and a lot of the restaurants, bars, and apparel shops have been closed or temporarily closed until the pandemic is over. Things just aren't the same living in Wrigleyville during the pandemic.
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2020-05-10
Throughout living in this pandemic many people have had a multitude of different reactions regarding it. There is the people who really don't care too much about the pandemic and have not taken to many precautions in their life in regards to the pandemic. The next group of people are the ones who realize there is a pandemic follow the necessary precautions but don't obsess over it and make it consume their lives. And the final group of people are the ones who have let the pandemic take over their lives. My sister is in this last group. She has let it consume her and made her life revolve around this pandemic. She refuses to leave her apartment at all costs. In fact I think I have seen her in person maybe one or two times in the past year since the start of the pandemic. Along with that when I do see her even when it is known that I do not have COVID it has to be outside wearing a mask at least six feet apart and for not longer than fifteen minutes. Yes I understand the precautions of COVID but it is sad to me that this pandemic has caused family members to distance themselves from one another and has really put a lot of strain and stress on people. Hopefully the vaccine will be rolled out quickly and efficiently.
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2020-12-25
Holidays in America means at least for me have always been a time to gather with family and friends to celebrate. Big parties and gatherings have been a staple of the holidays for years. But this past year has been much different than the years before it. With the global pandemic happening the norm of these parties and gathering became inexistent. This year for the holidays I celebrated over what has become the new norm and that is Zoom. Eating and attempting to celebrate with your family on a Zoom call is one of the weirdest things I have experienced. Well it was nice getting to see everyone's faces doing it over a video call is not the way I enjoy. Hopefully things will turn soon as I am growing increasingly annoying by Zoom and video calls.
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2020-07-17
Covid-19 hit right before I was supposed to graduate as a senior in high school. We all had to go to the school, pick up our belongings, and finish online. I had looked forward to graduation day for years, and I wanted my dad to come from Colorado so badly, but he could not. Due to covid, we were only able to go to the field, wait in line, walk across the stage, and leave. It was underwhelming, yet I was very grateful my school put it together in such a hard time.
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2020-09-29
The Oromo community in Minnesota is demanding the United States help bring an end to political violence and restore human rights in Ethiopia.
In recent weeks, the country's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, has jailed his political opponents and temporarily shut down the country's internet access. Abiy also indefinitely postponed Ethiopia’s general elections which were scheduled to occur this month.
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2020-10-09
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, was released on a $1 million bond Wednesday. Under the terms of his release, he is forbidden to have contact with Floyd's family and must surrender any guns and firearms licenses. He was previously not allowed to leave Minnesota, but a judge reversed this decision due to "safety concerns".
For the second night, demonstrators protested his release. @justicesquadmn, @fsfapv, @10kfoundation, @visualblackjustice are also demanding that all legal cases of police involved murders are to be re-open; a removal of the statute of limitations on these cases, and an end to qualified immunity for police officers.
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2020-10-13
In 2019, the Washington D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department released arrest data from 2013 to 2017. The data showed Black individuals were 47% of D.C.’s population but 86% of its arrestees. During this time, Black residents were arrested at 10 times the rate of white ones.
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2020-10-15
Last night, protestors marched from Senator Amy Klobuchar's (@amyklobuchar) office in downtown Minneapolis to the Hennepin County jail to demand she take leadership in helping pass the American Dream and Promise Act. The bill would provide permanent protections for many undocumented immigrant youth, but also for the more than 400,000 people with temporary protected or deferred enforced departure statuses who live and work in the United States. This bill passed the House of Representatives in June 2019 and has been held up in the Senate.
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2020-10-23
It's been 39 days since Dawn Wooten, a nurse at a Georgia ICE facility, exposed mass hysterectomies were being performed on women for unexplained reasons. This week, 19 women at this facility came forward confirming Dawn's complaints and sharing doctors performed, or pressured them to undergo “medically unnecessary” surgery without their consent, including procedures that limit their ability to have children.
In these photos, Ananya Chatterjea, Founder of the Ananya Dance Theatre, shares a dance piece expressing grief and resilience.
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2020-10-26
On Saturday, protesters marched through the Mill District of Minneapolis and visited the residence of James Stolley, Chief Counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota. Marchers denounced inhumane conditions at ICE detention facilities locally. In the last few weeks, ICE has been criticized nationally for pressuring detainees to have invasive surgeries (including sterilizations) and underreporting the number of positive of COVID-19 cases by failing to test detainees.
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2020-11-05
With the Presidental election looming over the city, DC activists and community hosted a day of artistic expression demanding every vote is counted. Towards the event's conclusion at Black Lives Matter plaza, DC police and Health Department warned the organizers that they were in violation of a local health code that does not allow for food and aerosol spray cans to be within a specific distance from each other. After a tense standoff, the police retreated after the activists started to assemble for a potential escalation.
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2020-11-06
As Biden inched closer to 270 projected electoral college votes, protesters in DC cautiously celebrated a victory and demanded every vote should be counted. With a potential defeat in sight, yesterday President Trump doubled-down on false claims of massive election fraud without providing any evidence.
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2020-11-07
I love the bodily expression and freedom of dance. Even when choreographed, it creates space to break free from the rigid and often constraining way we're taught to move our bodies.
The People's Dancers Dance Troupe (@thepeoplesdancers) is DC-based group that uses dance as a nonviolent response technique. They aim to bring joy to dark spaces with creative movement and healing.
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2020-11-08
Pennsylvania became the state that helped Biden cross the winning threshold of 270 Electoral College votes to become the next President. His victory came after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials in the state sorted through a historical number of mail-in votes that delayed processing.
During Biden's acceptance speech he struck a conciliatory tone, but on the ground it looked like the country was staggering forward as bitterly divided as ever.
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2020-11-15
Yesterday, thousands of Donald Trump supporters rallied in Washington DC to dispute the Presidential election results. Among those attending were white nationalists, conspiracy theorists, and alt-right activists. Throughout the day, Trump supporters violently clashed with BLM and abolitionist activists.
I've had Trump supporters came at me a couple of times now. My favorite shots are the moments before they decide to make a move on me. Photo #9 is seconds before a woman decided to shove her bike in my direction.
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2020-11-16
The militarization of America's police first came in reaction to riots occurring in cities during the 1960s. These events were often in reaction to discrimination, poverty, high unemployment, inadequate schools, poor healthcare, limited housing options, and police brutality.
In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The Act created the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, which made available grants to local governments to develop and purchase military-type resources to suppress riots. The money expedited the development of SWAT and other heavily armored police forces in cities to counteract uprisings.