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National Protests are Still a Thing Because of [Police Brutality]
ElJeffe
Moderator, ClubPA mod
Moderator, ClubPA mod
(Shamelessly stolen from Eddy)
I am compiling as much information in this OP for quick reference as I can. Please let me know if there's anything I could add.
POLICE BRUTALITY VIDEO DOCUMENTATIONS (not nearly comprehensive)
https://2020policebrutality.netlify.app/
https://www.reddit.com/r/2020PoliceBrutality/comments/gvllqc/megathread_current_incident_reports_list/
here's a supercut, spoiled for violence
CHARITIES
state-by-state bail funds: https://bailfunds.github.io/
some good advice here: https://money.com/how-to-help-black-lives-matter-protests/
a wide selection of regional and national funds: https://www.theverge.com/21277358/protests-donate-police-bail-demonstrations-minneapolis-nyc
celebration of black artists in nerdspace
Fantasy subreddit put together a list of black fantasy authors: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/gtf34j/what_are_some_underrated_sff_books_by_black/
Link to the racial issues tag on Tor's website, for essays and short fiction centered on people of color: https://www.tor.com/tag/racial-issues/
Magazine of black speculative fiction's 2018 science fiction and fantasy writer survey report: https://www.fiyahlitmag.com/blackspecfic/bsfreport-2018/ (and of course, the rest of the site is great for non-sff)
Seek out not just stories of oppression, but those of black joy, promise, hope - celebrate our common humanity. I can personally recommend ross gay's book of poetry catalogue of unabashed gratitude (one poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58762/catalog-of-unabashed-gratitude )
A stream of various protests going on nationwide: https://www.twitch .tv/woke
(not directly linked just in case you don't want autoplay)
Two direct links to Facebook profiles where they've been streaming the front line of the protests in Seattle
https://www.facebook.com/brandon.frost.4
https://www.facebook.com/jessica.bundy.79
Also, similar, coverage of the smaller towns doing protests (not nearly comprehensive):
https://twitter.com/annehelen <- seriously if you want some tiny moments of hope, check out her feed
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/black-lives-matter-protests-near-me-small-towns
Tangentially, there is now a self-declared autonomous zone in Seattle. The CAPITOL HILL AUTONOMOUS ZONE (CHAZ)
If you'd like to know more, I follow @anarchomastia on Twitter but it's really hard to get more knowledge unless you're in the Seattle scene
There is a lot of disinformation on social media so always name the source and do a cursory vet of its authenticity/validity. Just check the twitter bio, read a couple tweets on their feed. There will be a lot of primary sources, so go with your gut on those and just warn that it's a rando
Debunked claims:
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/antifa-rumors-spread-local-social-media-no-evidence-n1222486
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/technology/george-floyd-misinformation-online.html
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/misinformation-in-action-false-claims-of-antifa-protesters-plague-small-cities-2020-06-02
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/no-the-thurston-county-democrats-did-not-offer-to-pay-anarchists-misinformation-flows-in-wake-of-george-floyd-protests/
https://www.factcheck.org/2020/06/viral-tweet-alert-wasnt-from-antifa/
DEMANDS OF PROTESTERS
PLEASE note that every local protest has its own specific, immediate action items for their respective mayors/councils. BLM's main website is currently down due to what I imagine is insane traffic and possibly DDoS, but here are is a general summary:
https://populardemocracy.org/news-and-publications/black-lives-matter-releases-policy-demands-includes-reparations-and-abolishing
Other common platforms are:
https://www.versobooks.com/books/2426-the-end-of-policing (free book, insightful on data-driven alternatives to police departments as we know them)
On the justification of looting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb9_qGOa9Go&feature=emb_title
What can you do to help and/or get involved?
Apart from physically joining the protests, call your local officials! City councils, mayors, especially in smaller towns are more than willing to take constituent calls. Find your mayors and councils and state legislatures here: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Also this gives you your mayor's contact info and a list of easy-to-implement reforms that have been shown to reduce police violence! https://8cantwait.org/
Donate to local organizations who are setting up basics like medical supplies, food, etc (contact whatever local BLM or Antifa or whatever chapter you can find; mutual aid groups are proliferating across the country especially with Coronavirus) - otherwise, simply donate to one of the funds listed above. A little goes a long way.
I am compiling as much information in this OP for quick reference as I can. Please let me know if there's anything I could add.
POLICE BRUTALITY VIDEO DOCUMENTATIONS (not nearly comprehensive)
https://2020policebrutality.netlify.app/
https://www.reddit.com/r/2020PoliceBrutality/comments/gvllqc/megathread_current_incident_reports_list/
here's a supercut, spoiled for violence
CHARITIES
state-by-state bail funds: https://bailfunds.github.io/
some good advice here: https://money.com/how-to-help-black-lives-matter-protests/
a wide selection of regional and national funds: https://www.theverge.com/21277358/protests-donate-police-bail-demonstrations-minneapolis-nyc
celebration of black artists in nerdspace
Fantasy subreddit put together a list of black fantasy authors: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/gtf34j/what_are_some_underrated_sff_books_by_black/
Link to the racial issues tag on Tor's website, for essays and short fiction centered on people of color: https://www.tor.com/tag/racial-issues/
Magazine of black speculative fiction's 2018 science fiction and fantasy writer survey report: https://www.fiyahlitmag.com/blackspecfic/bsfreport-2018/ (and of course, the rest of the site is great for non-sff)
Seek out not just stories of oppression, but those of black joy, promise, hope - celebrate our common humanity. I can personally recommend ross gay's book of poetry catalogue of unabashed gratitude (one poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58762/catalog-of-unabashed-gratitude )
A stream of various protests going on nationwide: https://www.twitch .tv/woke
(not directly linked just in case you don't want autoplay)
Two direct links to Facebook profiles where they've been streaming the front line of the protests in Seattle
https://www.facebook.com/brandon.frost.4
https://www.facebook.com/jessica.bundy.79
Also, similar, coverage of the smaller towns doing protests (not nearly comprehensive):
https://twitter.com/annehelen <- seriously if you want some tiny moments of hope, check out her feed
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/black-lives-matter-protests-near-me-small-towns
Tangentially, there is now a self-declared autonomous zone in Seattle. The CAPITOL HILL AUTONOMOUS ZONE (CHAZ)
If you'd like to know more, I follow @anarchomastia on Twitter but it's really hard to get more knowledge unless you're in the Seattle scene
There is a lot of disinformation on social media so always name the source and do a cursory vet of its authenticity/validity. Just check the twitter bio, read a couple tweets on their feed. There will be a lot of primary sources, so go with your gut on those and just warn that it's a rando
Debunked claims:
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/antifa-rumors-spread-local-social-media-no-evidence-n1222486
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/technology/george-floyd-misinformation-online.html
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/misinformation-in-action-false-claims-of-antifa-protesters-plague-small-cities-2020-06-02
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/no-the-thurston-county-democrats-did-not-offer-to-pay-anarchists-misinformation-flows-in-wake-of-george-floyd-protests/
https://www.factcheck.org/2020/06/viral-tweet-alert-wasnt-from-antifa/
DEMANDS OF PROTESTERS
PLEASE note that every local protest has its own specific, immediate action items for their respective mayors/councils. BLM's main website is currently down due to what I imagine is insane traffic and possibly DDoS, but here are is a general summary:
https://populardemocracy.org/news-and-publications/black-lives-matter-releases-policy-demands-includes-reparations-and-abolishing
Ending the War on Black People: This includes abolishing the death penalty, mass surveillance in communities of color, the privatization of police, violence against all Blacks (including Black trans, queer and gender nonconforming people) and using a past criminal history as a means to seek a job, housing, license and voting rights.
Reparations: To address the past and current harms that slavery, Jim Crow, and mass incarceration have done to the Black community, BLM is seeking reparations for the wealth extracted from our communities, guaranteed livable income and free access and open admissions to public community colleges, universities, and technical schools, to name a few.
Invest-Divest: Instead of federal, state, and local monies being invested into prisons, police, surveillance, and exploitative corporations, BLM would rather see that invested into long-term safety strategies such as education, local restorative justice services, employment programs, and universal health care.
Economic Justice: This is calling for Black communities to have real collective ownership of wealth in the U.S. This could be achieved with restructuring tax codes, creating federal and state job programs that specifically target the most economically marginalized Black people, breaking up large banks and ensuring better protection for workers.
Community Control: This would include the end of the privatization of education and making sure communities have the power to hire and fire officers, determine disciplinary action, control budgets and policies, and subpoena relevant agency information when needed.
Political Power: To ensure that real democracy can be achieved for all Black people, BLM wants for all political prisoners to be released, eliminating Super Pacs that fund candidates, ensuring election protection, early registration at the age of 16, full access to technology and the internet, and increased funding to HBCU’s.
Other common platforms are:
https://www.versobooks.com/books/2426-the-end-of-policing (free book, insightful on data-driven alternatives to police departments as we know them)
On the justification of looting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb9_qGOa9Go&feature=emb_titleWhat can you do to help and/or get involved?
Apart from physically joining the protests, call your local officials! City councils, mayors, especially in smaller towns are more than willing to take constituent calls. Find your mayors and councils and state legislatures here: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Also this gives you your mayor's contact info and a list of easy-to-implement reforms that have been shown to reduce police violence! https://8cantwait.org/
Donate to local organizations who are setting up basics like medical supplies, food, etc (contact whatever local BLM or Antifa or whatever chapter you can find; mutual aid groups are proliferating across the country especially with Coronavirus) - otherwise, simply donate to one of the funds listed above. A little goes a long way.
I submitted an entry to Lego Ideas, and if 10,000 people support me, it'll be turned into an actual Lego set!If you'd like to see and support my submission, follow this link.
+8
This discussion has been closed.
Posts
There was a drive-by shooting in Edgewood that killed two people, injured at least 5.
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/least-2-dead-5-injured-drive-by-shooting-edgewood/52FQKWMRZNEAXLOG2HMTJSYRDI/
The house in question below:
Between this and the possible lynching in California, we're seeing racists upping the violence in the wake of the protests.
Additionally, the body cam footage of the shooting by police has been released:
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/rayshard-brooks-atlanta-police-body-camera-footage-released-wendys-shooting/WYIWWDVJ6JG5BCYK7CIB5D4YZI/
https://rtalsoriangames.com/2020/06/12/mike-pondsmith-cops-and-racists/
LynchingS.
8cantwait reforms are already present in many of the same communities with horrible police violence and the promises of a "72% reduction" in police violence are based on some extremely faulty statistical interpretation.
A thread:
What the thread boils down to is: "more policies = fewer police killings" is technically sorta correct based on the data, but the effect size is tiny. Heck in the original report, it's established that race and number of arrests are much more significant variables. Also, the "72% reduction" number is nonsense. It's just saying "every individual policy reduces it by 15% so if you go from 0 to 8 you'd see a 72% reduction". Which is silly both because most departments don't have zero of these policies in place and also because that's just nonsense that it isn't possible to support. Also the departments that have implemented the most of these reforms on their own are likely to behave differently than other departments for reasons that don't relate to the reforms. It's a mess!
Instead of calling your reps/etc for this, just call them and ask them to defund the police.
Full clip
Matthew A Cherry is an American film director
The bodycam footage has been released, but they both fall off during the struggle. Someone needs to work on getting those things to stay on. Something so important shouldn't be so fragile.
There's also footage from the Wendy's camera I think? This one distinctly shows Books points and firing the stun gun at the officers. It also shows the cop firing.
There's also cell phone footage from one of the other cars (white car) in line at the drive-thru.
This CBS article has the Wendy's and cell phone videos: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rayshard-brooks-atlanta-killed-by-police-protests/
The Wendy's one is first (after the talking head), and then the cell phone video.
It looks like cop #1 drops his taser and draw/shoots when Brooks fires the taser at him.
It's probably a lot easier for these cams to "fall off" when there is clearly an organization-wide silent understanding that any and all bodycams will, somehow, fail at the slightest hint of a situation.
I've seen it posted plenty of times, but it needs to be reiterated that cop body cams need to be changed so they cannot be removed once in the field and they cannot be turned off by cops. It's fucking astounding how these body cams always seem to be off or broken in the exact moments when we need to see what the cops were doing.
I'd be careful to jump to conclusions . Palmdale is a red area of California, but sometimes things are what they are at face value. Maybe they wanted to make a statement commuting suicide. It's app fishy but mental illness is real.and this is a time when people are feeling hopeless and alone.
Yeah, people who want to make a statement while committing suicide tend to not write down their thoughts anywhere for people to read. That's sarcasm, by the way.
Why you're willing to give the police any benefit of the doubt on anything right now is beyond me.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Personally, I don't think it matters. He grabbed a taser, not a gun. There's no reasonable defense of murdering a man for aiming or firing a non-lethal weapon in a situation where he had to be afraid for his life, particularly when the original "offense" was being asleep in a fucking parking lot. Fine, get the guy for the DUI and move on. There was no reason for the cops to escalate this to the point of murder.
In other news, Tim Scott calls ending qualified immunity a "poison pill" that will stop all Republican support for a reform bill. Wheeeee
What does it have to do with giving police the benefit of the doubt? Where did I say that. I was saying the internet sucks at detectives and most of the time things are what they appear to be. While also pointing out that palmdale is a pretty red area so it deserves yo be seen as fishy.
It's less giving the police the benefit of the doubt and more that we should always be wary of seeing patterns that aren't there. Calling for a full and immediate investigation is the right move because it looks like something might be going on and the police can't be trusted here. But that doesn't mean there has to be something nefarious going on.
Less-lethal, not non-lethal, but yeah. That situation just doesn't warrant shooting the guy.
If tasers had the only ranged weapons those cops carried, the victim probably a) wouldn't have been in fear for his life from murder by cop and b) definitely would not have gotten shot to death over a completely non-violent offense.
But that's a separate issue, the core issue is that this guy died for basically no reason other than having the cops called on him for being black.
These black men were killed by HANGING from TREES in public spaces.
What about this is jumping to conclusions? Do you not understand the historical significance of these horrendous circumstances?
The fun part is the cops can arrest you then for DUI unless you've done something like locked your keys in the trunk. And probably even then.
Yeah, if the cops are saying "nothing suspicious" at this point, my immediate assumption is a) these men were murdered and b) police were directly involved in the murders. Even if we find out they really were suicides, these events need immediate and intense scrutiny, particularly with the police so casually trying to sweep them under the rug.
I know you can't be in either front seat with the keys on you or in the ignition.. not sure about keys and being in the backseat
Yeah, the immediate reaction should be "investigations are ongoing" at the literal very least.
They're fully investigating the one in Palmdale and there's been protests.
Rodney being one of the representatives from Delaware to the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration. He made a famous ride from his home in Dover to Philadelphia to help cast a deciding vote to declare independence. He also owned about 200 slaves which he did not free during his lifetime.
Delaware wasn't considered a slave state, they stayed in the Union as a border state, much like Maryland did. However, there were slave owners within Delaware.
I'm... iffy on the Rodney statue removal. I'm not sure that I would have focused on that as much I would had there been any confederate statues that I wasn't aware of. (Fake edit: there is apparently one confederate statue in Delaware. It's on private land at the Georgetown Historical Society and was put up in 2007. and showcases the names of 95 people from Delaware that fought for the confederacy.)
But it's not up to me if the Rodney statue gets removed or not. If that's what the black members of my home state want, then rock and roll.
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
You'd think that!
Be gone, thread bug. I posted in you. I used up my latest news to clear you. umm
I'm just kind of hoping that things and places like Dickinson Mansion in Dover and even Colonial Williamsburg will be allowed to continue, but with a focus of telling not just the white stories, but all of the stories. even the ones most people don't want to hear.
My last memory of Dickinson Mansion, they did have an interpreter working there that went into the life of his slaves, and would sit and discuss all of it, unvarnished, with school kids on up. So. hopefully that can continue.
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
Sounds like drunk driving laws encourage you to try to drive home rather than not.
Well you can always call a cab before getting in the car drunk
That didn't happen in this case. Brooks didn't pull over to sleep it off in a parking lot, he was asleep in the drive-thru lane blocking other cars, engine running. My guess is he was going to order some food and then continue driving.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/14/us/atlanta-protests-rayshard-brooks-sunday/index.html
Who's investigating? Because I'm just a bit unconvinced that the people who usually investigate crimes are going to come to an impartial finding.
If you watch the Wendy's video, I think you can see taser Brooks firing glowing and dancing the ground for a second. I am not super familiar with what they look like.
But as mentioned, having a taser loosely fired in your direction should not be cause to draw your firearm and shoot a person. Just let him go.
Also, if you watch the body cam footage, you can see the Brooks was perfectly fine, if a little tipsy. He was talking to the cops about having 1.5 drinks, and paying for his daughter's party, blah balh. He takes the BA test just fine, which he fails. The cop says he's had too much and starts to put the cuffs on Brooks. That's when Brooks jumps, and starting fighting back. Gets in a quick wrestling match, grabs the taser and runs.
And I'm not quite sure where he was sleeping. Was he in a parking spot? He was apparently somewhere people had to drive around him, at least that's what the initial call was.
The lethal force to stop a guy fleeing is the biggest problem here. That was completely unnecessary. If he had somehow taken one of the cops' firearm, and was running away with that, and firing back. That's a danger, and I could see shooting to stop him. At least my initial feeling it it wouldn't be as bad, but I could be wrong.
Very glad to see that, when I went to try and find the answer myself and almost had a rage aneurism when I saw this:
https://fox40.com/news/california-connection/southern-california-police-investigate-hanging-death-of-black-man-2nd-in-2-weeks/
Which says police are investigating and... Yeah, fuck that, they already investigated and their answer smells like shit, looks like shit, and feels like cold shit.
The running concern, like the George Floyd murder, or the Martin Gugino assault, is that if there isn't an immediate and sustained outrage, then a proper investigation by a source not heavily tainted, is unlikely, if not impossible.
Does America need to have thousands of people take to the streets demanding justice every single fucking time, to be given the barest of fig leafs toward justice?
Apparently.
Oh, and Tim Scott can go get fucked. If Republicans want to be the party of "We don't think police should be accountable, even when they straight up murder someone", that's a fucking position to take. Sadly, they'll still get 40% of the vote, because American politics is going to be fucked for generations.
The fetishization of the American cowboy means letting the bad guy get away is a worse sin than murder.
Of course, struggling and running away shouldn't ever get anyone shot in the back by cops.
That isn't what happened though. He drove drunk to a restaurant and fell asleep at the drive through.
In an ideal world Brooks would definitely be removed from the vehicle and taken somewhere he could sleep it off and be informed of his court date once he wasn't a danger to anyone. Unfortunately we live in the one where the system encourages people to resist and police to escalate.
Shooting him was insane though. There was nothing stopping them from standing down, towing his car to the pound, and arresting him later.
https://www.startribune.com/seven-minneapolis-police-officers-resign-after-george-floyd-protests-citing-lack-of-support-from-city-leaders/571241922/
Author is clearly quite biased but still, but so am I: don't let the door hit you in the thin blue line on your way out.