All posts tagged George Floyd

US unrest likely to continue at least until November election

Covid-19 has caused a lot of problems in the United States, and that looks like continuing for months at least, with a resurgence of the spread, cases and deaths. Even Donald Trump has conceded, deciding to can the Republican convention he was previously determined to go ahead with in Florida after North Carolina ruled it out due to Covid.

Alongside that are the race protests that refuse to go away following the death of George Floyd, with Trump intent on clamping down on protests or inflaming the situation.

A snapshot of current news:

  • U.S. charges 18 Portland protesters as it sends tactical police to Seattle
    U.S. prosecutors on Friday unveiled charges against 18 Portland, Oregon protesters ranging from assaulting police to arson and trespassing, a day after the Trump administration expanded the deployment of tactical police to Seattle.
  • Chicago takes down statues of Columbus, plans review of all monuments
    Chicago temporarily removed two statues of Christopher Columbus on Friday and announced it would reassess the appropriateness of all its monuments, a week after protesters had tried to topple one of the statues, leading to a violent clash with police.
  • Trump signs orders to lower prescription drug prices
    U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed four executive orders aiming at lowering prices that Americans pay for prescription drugs as he faces an uphill re-election battle and criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
  • As U.S. coronavirus surges, Trump officials press back-to-school plan
    With just weeks to go before U.S. schools begin to open, federal health and education officials on Friday stressed the need for children to get back into the classroom despite parents’ fears about safety as coronavirus infections surge.
    Administration officials said reopening schools was critical for children’s mental and emotional well-being, as well as to allow parents to get back to work to boost the economy, a priority for President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election in November.
  • The wealthy Republicans who want to oust Trump in November’s election
    Jimmy Tosh, who runs a multi-million dollar hog and grain farm in Tennessee, is a lifelong Republican. He is pro-gun, supports lower taxes and agrees with most of Republican President Donald Trump’s agenda. “I agree with 80% of the things he does; I just cannot stand a liar,” Tosh, 70, said of Trump.
  • Explainer: Why Election Day could be just the start of a long battle over the U.S. presidency
    President Donald Trump’s refusal this week to say if he would accept the results of November’s election, and his repeated assertions that the vote will be “rigged” because of mail-in ballots, have raised the specter of a disputed election that could take weeks, or even months, to resolve
  • Pompeo Urges More Assertive Approach to “Frankenstein” China
    U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took fresh aim at China on Thursday and said Washington and its allies must use “more creative and assertive ways” to press the Chinese Communist Party to change its ways, calling it the “mission of our time.”
  • China Tells U.S. to Close Chengdu Consulate in Retaliatory Move
    China has ordered the closure of the US consulate in the south-western city of Chengdu, in a tit-for-tat escalation between the two countries. China said the move was in response to the US closing its consulate in Houston, and accused staff in Chengdu of meddling in its internal affairs.

The US is not a happy place, with no sign of them getting over Covid nor racial and political division any time soon.

27 Comments
by Pete George on 25th July 2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 25th July 2020

https://yournz.org/2020/07/25/us-unrest-likely-to-continue-at-least-until-november-election/

Anti and anti-anti-racism protests in London, Paris

While anti-racism protesters clashed with French police in Paris it was far right activists causing problems in London.

BBC – French police clash with anti-racism activists in Paris

French police have clashed with activists protesting in Paris against racism and alleged police brutality.

About 15,000 anti-racism protesters gathered on the Place de la République in central Paris early on Saturday afternoon.

They chanted slogans such as “No justice, no peace”. Some climbed on the the statue of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic.

Police used tear gas against stone-throwing protesters who tried to hold a march that was banned.

The rally is part is a worldwide movement inspired by America’s Black Lives Matter protests.

It was organised under the banner “Justice for Adama”, after Adama Traoré, a young black man who died in French police custody in 2016.

BBC – London protests: Demonstrators clash with police

Groups including some far-right activists congregated in the capital, claiming they were protecting statues from anti-racism activists.

Some anti-racism protests also took place in London and across the UK.

Various groups from around the country, including some far-right activists, said they had come to London to protect symbols of British history.

Hundreds of mostly white men gathered around the Cenotaph war memorial in Whitehall and the boarded-up statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.

There were a number of clashes with police in riot gear as crowds – chanting “England” and raising their arms – surged towards lines of officers.

CNN: Europeans forced to re-examine their colonial histories

The police killing of George Floyd in the US last month has galvanized a global anti-racism movement. Now it is forcing Europeans to re-examine their colonial histories and even question their national identities.
Few Europeans will explicitly defend their country’s historical use of slavery, yet challenging the celebration of the very leaders and merchants who profited from slavery and the horrors of colonialism is proving a less comfortable conversation.

And in the US protests continue.

Fox News:  Seattle police chief and mayor at loggerheads over how to handle zone seized by demonstrators

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and police chief Carmen Best are at odds over the city’s handling of the self-declared autonomous zone set up by protesters spanning several blocks surrounding a police precinct.

Best has accused the mayor of shirking her responsibilities as an elected official and allowing protesters to oust police officers from a precinct located inside the 6-block radius now deemed a “cop free zone.”

Demonstraters inside the perimeter of the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” – or “CHAZ” – have battened down for almost a week decrying police brutality after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and are demanding the city abolish the Seattle Police Department.

CNN: These are the confederate statues coming down

The death of George Floyd is leading to the removal — by protesters in some cases and city leaders in others — of contentious statues that have riled some residents for decades, if not longer.

Controversial monuments, especially Confederate monuments, have been the subject of nationwide debate, particularly since Dylann Roof killed nine African Americans in a Charleston, South Carolina, church in 2015 in an effort to “start a race war.”
And it flared up again after white nationalists marched in 2017 to protest the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a counterprotester was killed amid violent clashes between demonstrators.
Some say they mark history and honor heritage. Others argue they are racist symbols of America’s dark legacy of slavery. While some cities have already made efforts to remove them, others have passed laws to protect them.

It looks like an issue that is going to linger.

Meanwhile Donald Trump has backed off what was seen as provocative rally: Trump Reschedules Rally After Criticism of Juneteenth Overlap

The rally would have fallen on Juneteenth, a day that memorializes the end of slavery. The site of the rally, Tulsa, was home to a notorious instance of racial violence in which hundreds of black people were massacred 99 years ago.

“Tulsa was the site of the worst racist violence in American history. The president’s speech there on Juneteenth is a message to every Black American: more of the same,” Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) tweeted.

Trump and his allies defended the timing of the rally. The president told Fox News the date was not intentional.

“Think about it as a celebration. They’re always a celebration,” Trump said. “In the history of politics, I think I can say there’s never been any group or any person that’s had rallies like I do.”

But:

The Federalist: Trump Addresses Protests And Riots: ‘Toughness Sometimes Is The Most Compassionate’

“Toughness sometimes is the most compassionate,” Trump said when asked if he intends to be both a law and order leader and a consoler. “When you look at the damage, and the travesties, and the small businesses, and the death. When you act soft and weak you end up not being compassionate.”

Trump and compassion usually appear to be as divided as the US is divided over race and politics.

32 Comments
by Pete George on 14th June 2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 14th June 2020

https://yournz.org/2020/06/14/anti-and-anti-anti-racism-protests-in-london-paris/

US Attorney General: Divide Between African Americans, Police ‘Must Change’

A shift to attempting to address the unrest in the US precipitated by the killing of George Floyd, and acknowledging problems with the US police forces and black Americans in particular.

RCP – Barr: Divide Between African Americans, Police ‘Must Change’

Attorney General William Barr sought on Thursday to quell tensions over the death of George Floyd in police custody, acknowledging a divide between many black Americans and the police and promising to spare no resource as the Justice Department investigates whether a federal civil rights crime was committed.

“While the vast majority of police officers do their job bravely and righteously, it is undeniable that many African Americans lack confidence in our American criminal justice system,” Barr said at a news conference. “This must change. Our constitution mandates equal protection of the laws and nothing less is acceptable.”

Barr’s comments appeared to contrast with prior statements he’s made condemning protests against the police and what he’s described as a “disturbing pattern of cynicism and disrespect shown toward law enforcement.” But he insisted Thursday that his views have been consistent and that the overwhelming majority of police officers “try conscientiously to use appropriate and reasonable force.”

“I believe that police chiefs and law enforcement officials and leaders around the country are committed to ensuring that racism plays no part in law enforcement, and that everyone receives equal protection of the laws,” Barr said.

I don’t think it is anywhere near a universal commitment.

Most of the protesters have been peaceful and tried to discourage violence.

The most attention is given to the worst examples and excesses, that’s just how media coverage works and there’s no easy solution to that – they would be condemned for not showing the worst. Media have also shown examples of cooperation and empathy between police and protesters.

Trump, Barr and others lay some of the blame for the unrest on left-wing extremist groups, including antifa, and other “anarchists.” Short for anti-fascists, antifa is an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups that resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations. He also said “foreign actors” appeared to be trying to “play all sides” to further incite violence in the U.S.

“We have seen evidence that antifa and other similar extremist groups as well as actors of a variety of different political persuasions have been involving in instigating and participating in violent activity,” Barr said.

A senior Justice Department official said there have been “multiple instances” where people who have been arrested at demonstrations around the U.S. have identified themselves to law enforcement as members of antifa, the official said.

Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that three Nevada men with ties to a loose movement of right-wing extremists advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government had been arrested on terrorism-related charges in what authorities described as a conspiracy to spark violence during recent protests in Las Vegas.

Anarchists and extremists and those who like to incite and cause trouble will inevitably try to take advantage of protests and unrest.

Trump has claimed he has done more for black America since Abraham Lincoln, but that is just typical self-inflating nonsense.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany earlier had sidestepped questions about whether Trump believes there’s a systemic bias in American law enforcement against African Americans.

But pressed about whether Trump believes there is a larger problem of racial bias in law enforcement, McEnany only acknowledged that Trump “believes there are some examples of injustices.”

Trump has performed poorly over the Floyd death and Black Lives matters protests. RCP polling averages show he has not just reversed gains in approval he got over Covid but has quickly lost support over the last two weeks.

.More trying to divert blame to others. I don’t know how he thinks he will “bring in a different group” in a democracy.

 

Business Insider: Trump suggests George Floyd is ‘looking down’ from heaven and appreciating the ‘great day in terms of equality’ after an unexpectedly strong jobs report was announced

In a freewheeling Friday-morning press conference in the Rose Garden, President Donald Trump touted a strong May jobs report and said he hoped George Floyd, who was killed by the Minneapolis police 10 days ago, was “looking down” from heaven and saying this “is a great thing that’s happening for our country.”

The economy added 2.5 million jobs in May, bringing the unemployment rate down to 13.3% from 14.7% in April.

That’s a surprising turnaround, but the economy has a lot to weather yet.

“Hopefully George is looking down right now and saying this is a great thing that’s happening for our country. It’s a great day for him. It’s a great day for everybody. It is a great, great day in terms of equality,” Trump said.

It is premature to be claiming economic victory after Covid – 25,000 new cases in the US so far today and another thousand deaths.

I don’t think that if George Floyd could see what has happened since his death he would see anything great happening.

A major problem in the US (apart from Trump) is that there are many different police forces managed and employed by various cities and states, with top police officials elected. It will be very difficult to improve police behaviour across the country.

28 Comments
by Pete George on 6th June 2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 6th June 2020

https://yournz.org/2020/06/06/us-attorney-general-divide-between-african-americans-police-must-change/

Challenge to Trump’s threat to deploy troops against protests

President Donald Trump has urged the greater use of force to combat the ongoing protests in the United States, and on Monday suggested deploying US troops on the streets, but the US defence secretary has come out in opposition to using troops.

CNN:  Can Trump legally deploy US troops to US cities?

President Donald Trump threatened Monday night to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 law and take the unusual step of deploying active duty US soldiers to police US streets.

While Trump claims the move would break up anti-fascists, or Antifa, who he says are organizing violent riots that have led to looting, it would also effectively squelch peaceful protests for racial justice after the death last week of a black man, George Floyd, after a police officer used lethal force during a stop.

That would be a remarkable turn on the law, which was most notably used in the 1950s to enforce desegregation. And later, in the 1960s, to address riots in Detroit.

According to the Congressional Research Service, it hasn’t been invoked since 1992 during the riots in Los Angeles that followed the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of Rodney King. Now-Attorney General William Barr was actually attorney general back then, too, under former President George H.W. Bush.

Financial Times:  Pentagon chief breaks with Trump over using troops for protests

The US defence secretary opened a rift with Donald Trump, saying he did not agree with the president about sending the army on to the streets to clamp down on protests that have erupted across the country since the death of George Floyd.

“I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act,” Mark Esper said on Wednesday, in a reference to the 1807 law, which allows a president to overrule governors and deploy active-duty soldiers in their states.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Esper, a West Point graduate and former soldier, said the National Guard was “best suited” to help local law enforcement tackle protests.

“The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations,” he said. “We are not in one of those situations.”

Mr Esper and General Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs, have come under intense fire since Monday when they accompanied Mr Trump to a church near the White House where Mr Trump held a photo opportunity with a Bible. Law enforcement officers used pepper spray on peaceful protesters to clear a path for the president.

This could signal a change of mind by Trump on the use of troops, but if not then Esper’s job must be at risk. Trump has a habit of not tolerating people who disagree with him or hold him to account.

Meanwhile the police officer who sparked the latest uprising of anger and frustration and police brutality, especially against blacks, has had now has charges upped to 2nd degree murder, and officers who did nothing while he killed George Floyd have also been charged.

Reuters: Minnesota raises charge against Chauvin in Floyd case, charges three others

Minnesota’s attorney general will increase the murder charge against a fired Minneapolis police officer in the death of an unarmed black man that has triggered nationwide protests and will level charges against three other sacked officers, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar said on Wednesday.

George Floyd, 46, died after Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes on May 25, reigniting the explosive issue of police brutality against African Americans five months before a presidential election.

Klobuchar, who is from Minnesota and a potential running mate for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the Nov. 3 election, said Attorney General Keith Ellison would increase to second-degree murder the charge against Chauvin, 44.

It’s a pity that a politician made the announcement, that won’t help the partisan divide over this.

Chauvin had been charged last week with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The new charge can carry a sentence of up to 40 years, 15 years longer than the maximum sentence for third-degree murder.

In a tweet, Klobuchar said the three other former officers who were involved in the incident will be charged also. “This is another important step for justice,” she said.

The Minnesota-based Star Tribune, citing sources, said the other officers – Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – would face charges of aiding and abetting murder.

It has taken over a week for this. Investigations and justice can take time, but time taken over the officers being charged has contributed significantly to the ongoing unrest in the US.

 

85 Comments
by Pete George on 4th June 2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 4th June 2020

https://yournz.org/2020/06/04/challenge-to-trumps-threat-to-deploy-troops-against-protests/

Trump pushes for more force, military, as protests continue in US

Protests against the killing of George Floyd by a police officer continue across the not very united States. It quickly widened to being protests against police brutality, against white vigilantes, and against a culture of racism that has plagued the US for centuries.

Meanwhile President Donald Trump is encouraging authorities to deal with the protests with more force. He is trying to sound tough from an apparent position of impotence.

Stuff: Donald Trump berates US state governors, urges them to use force to ‘dominate’ protesters

After pockets of the United States descended into chaos – after another day of protests over the death of yet another black man in police custody led to another night of fire and fury – President Donald Trump urged the nation’s governors to use force and take back the streets.

During a conference call Monday (Tuesday NZ time), Trump berated the state leaders, calling them “weak,” and urged them to “dominate” protesters, according to officials familiar with the president’s remarks. The conference call followed another turbulent night across the nation, as protests that began peacefully exploded into mayhem.

Some conservative commentators are urging the president to address the nation, but the White House press secretary said Trump is focused on the far-left “antifa” movement that he believes is behind the violence. “A national Oval Office address is not going to stop antifa,” Kayleigh McEnany said.

Trump typically likes to focus on a culprit, but the situation is far more widespread and complex than being the fault of Antifa.

Trump berated the nation’s governors on a conference call, telling them to take back the streets and use force to confront protesters and said if they did not, they would look like “fools,” alarming several governors on the call as they communicated privately, according to the officials.

“If you don’t dominate, you’re wasting your time,” Trump said, according to a person on the call. A second person on the call said Trump praised Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, D, and thanked Defense Secretary Mark Esper for his assistance.

The president told the governors that “you have to use the military” and “we have a wonderful military,” said the person on the call.

The president said that people arrested at the protests should serve a 10-year prison sentence, according to another person familiar with the call.

More force and using the military is likely to further inflame a volatile situation. Trump has been criticised for inflaming things with his language.

Difficult times for the US, and they seem to be far from over.

Even Fox News has mixed coverage that isn’t particularly pro-Trump:

This won’t help calm things: Family releases independent autopsy results indicating cause of death

Attorneys for George Floyd‘s family released the results of an independent autopsy report Monday showing that Floyd’s death was caused by asphyxia due to neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain.

Fox News contributor and forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden was one of two doctors hired by the Floyd family to conduct an independent review after prosecutors said a preliminary finding from the official autopsy concluded the combined effects of being restrained, potential intoxicants in Floyd’s system and his underlying health issues, including heart disease, likely contributed to his death.

A video showing a white officer was kneeling on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes before his death has sparked national riots in major cities from San Francisco to Boston.

Baden has conducted other independent reviews in similar cases of police brutality including that of Eric Garner, a black man who was placed in a chokehold by New York police who were attempting to arrest him for selling loose cigarettes and would not relent even as he pleaded that he could not breathe.

Floyd fell to the ground as police were attempting to put him in the squad car, saying he was claustrophobic, according to the complaint.

Floyd can be heard on video saying “I can’t breathe,” numerous times.

Video taken of Floyd’s arrest over a suspected counterfeit $20 bill shows former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, 44, kneeling on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds, including nearly three minutes after Floyd stopped moving and talking.

It sounds and like a casual callous killing.

Chauvin was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers who stood by and watched the incident unfold without intervening have not been arrested or charged in the case despite cries from the community for swift legal action.

It’s going the very difficult for the US to repair the damage caused by this.

 

82 Comments
by Pete George on 2nd June 2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 2nd June 2020

https://yournz.org/2020/06/02/trump-pushes-for-more-force-military-as-protests-continue-in-us/

Trump versus Twitter and the Floyd killing

Donald Trump reacted very quickly when Twitter tagged two of his tweets as potentially inaccurate.

Perhaps all of Trump’s tweets could be tagged as potentially inaccurate given his high rating on the Bullshitometer:

Breaking down Trump’s 654 false claims over 14 weeks during the coronavirus pandemic

Over the 14 weeks from the Monday his coronavirus task force started meeting, January 27, through Sunday, May 3, he made 654 false claims — 215 of them specifically about the pandemic. (Lots of the others were about related subjects, like the economy and China.)

Even his accusations of censorship were bull, his tweets were still published in full.

Trump has no tolerance of anything he construes as criticism. So much so that he quickly issued an Executive Order which was basically just a threat with little legal weight.

Trump signs executive order targeting Twitter after fact-checking row

Under a 1996 law, website operators, unlike traditional publishers, cannot generally be held responsible for content posted by users.

The sites are also protected from lawsuits if they block posts deemed obscene, violent “or otherwise objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected”.

The executive order argues that this immunity should no longer apply if a social network edits posts, such as by adding a warning or a label.

It also says “deceptive” blocking, including removing a post for reasons other than those described in a website’s terms of service, should not be protected.

The executive order also calls for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to spell out what type of content blocking will be considered deceptive or inconsistent with a service provider’s terms and conditions.

So he basically wants the FCC to enforce what he sees as his right to say whatever nonsense he wants to say.

But Twitter has now actually gone further in blocking a trump tweet.

While the second tweet shows fully here, on Twitter it looks like this:

“A total lack of leadership” is fairly ironic from Trump.

His response this time was more defensive…

…for now at least.

But this is not the sort of leadership the US needs right now – Trump reacts quickly when he thinks his own rights have been restricted, but when there are racial riots he fans the flames.

22 Comments
by Pete George on 30th May 2020  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 30th May 2020

https://yournz.org/2020/05/30/trump-versus-twitter-and-the-floyd-killing/

Police officer who killed George Floyd charged with murder, manslaughter

Derek Chauvin, the officer seen kneeling on George Floyd’s neck until he died died, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter

This had to happen. Riots are almost as inexcusable as the callous way George Floyd was killed, but they were an inevitable reaction.

The cellphone footage showed Floyd repeatedly moaning and gasping while he pleaded to Chauvin, kneeling on his neck, “Please, I can’t breathe.” After several minutes, Floyd gradually grows quiet and ceases to move.

Several minutes of casual callous killing.

Officer seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck in video facing murder, manslaughter charge, officials announce

– Officer seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck in video facing murder, manslaughter charge, officials announce

Reuters: Former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder of George Floyd

The white Minneapolis policeman who pinned an unarmed black man with a knee to the throat before the man died was arrested and charged with murder, a prosecutor said on Friday, after three nights of violent protests rocked the Midwestern city.

Derek Chauvin, the officer seen on a bystander’s cellphone video kneeling on George Floyd’s neck on Monday before the 46-year-old man died, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman told a news briefing.

“He is in custody and has been charged with murder,” Freeman said of Chauvin. “We have evidence, we have the citizen’s camera’s video, the horrible, horrific, terrible thing we have all seen over and over again, we have the officer’s body-worn camera, we have statements from some witnesses.”

The cellphone footage showed Floyd repeatedly moaning and gasping while he pleaded to Chauvin, kneeling on his neck, “Please, I can’t breathe.” After several minutes, Floyd gradually grows quiet and ceases to move.

Chauvin and three fellow officers at the scene were fired on Tuesday from the Minneapolis Police Department. The city identified the other officers as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng.

Freeman said the investigation into Chauvin – who, if convicted, faces up to 25 years in prison on the murder charge – was ongoing and that he anticipated charges against the other officers. He said it was appropriate to charge “the most dangerous perpetrator” first.

Tucker Carlson (Fox News): Our leadership class is fanning racial flames. They’re doing nothing to calm the situation

If you were watching any of the coverage from Minneapolis about what happened Wednesday night, you know perfectly well that what’s happening on the streets there. No matter what it may look like, is actually a quest for justice.

It’s long overdue search for answers by legitimately frustrated protesters who, if we are going to be honest about it, have been oppressed for so long they can no longer stand idle. What you’re seeing in Minneapolis is democracy in its purest form.

Effectively, it’s a political rally.

“Now, wait a second,” you may be thinking. “That didn’t look like a political rally. Those people look like looters. They were smashing cash registers with hammers to steal other people’s money.”

Well, yes, technically they were doing that. And yes, as a factual matter, they were smashing the cash registers because they had already stolen everything else in the store. So no, it doesn’t look like conventional political activism.

But before you judge them, keep in mind, it could have been far worse. It’s not like they were doing something immoral, like protesting Gretchen Whitmer‘s coronavirus lockdowns in Michigan. That would have been a different story.

Defiant armed protests against life protection measures were encouraged by President Trump.

Joy Reid, MSNBC host: Black people’s right to protest is secondary to white people’s right to be an armed protest with long guns, terrifying-looking war weapons.

Chris Hayes, MSNBC host: This is how the protest of George Floyd’s death ended up. Police in riot gear, flooding the streets with teargas and shooting rubber bullets into the crowd.

Another example of how this pandemic has been a kind of black light, exposing all the inequalities in American life.

Eddie Glaude, Jr.. chairman of African-American Studies at Princeton University and MSNBC contributor: It says if some people are accorded the rights of citizenship and other folks are just expected to be obedient.

Reid: Europeans came to this country to get away from being subjects of the kings in Europe. But what they did was they created for themselves sort of a kingdom — every man a king, but the subjects are black people.

These armed white men who can get armed up and walk into a state capitol [in Michigan], and that’s okay and the police are benign. They don’t even act afraid.

But let black people show up and protest the death of an innocent black man, and suddenly, you know what, we need tear gas. We’ve got to go full force.

Charlottesville, the same thing. The police were there to protect the people who were marching as Neo-Nazis, not to protect the black people.

…

But the problem is much bigger this time than mere hypocrisy. We’re very used to that. This problem is far more ominous.

Here it is in three sentences. There are 320 million of us in this country. A lot of us are very different from one another, yet we all have to live together. In fact, most of us want to live together. But suddenly our leaders are making that dangerously difficult.

But after the riots subside and Chauvin works his way through the legal system will anything significant actually change? This sort of thing has happened before, and has kept happening. US leaders either don’t want to to address this pox on then country, or don’t know how to.

 

 

28 Comments
by Pete George on 30th May 2020  •  Permalink
Posted in USA
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Posted by Pete George on 30th May 2020

https://yournz.org/2020/05/30/police-officer-who-killed-george-floyd-charged-with-murder-manslaughter/