Police Brutality Protests Thread

[Kara Spengler]

Ah autocorrect.

 

[Free]

Looks like all the on-camera police violence isn't working for them.

Americans' perceptions of police drop significantly in one week as protests continue, survey finds

The survey comes as protests continue following the death of George Floyd, and amid reports of excessive force by police.

www.usatoday.com

The perception of police by white Americans has dropped by double digits in just one week, as police continue to target peaceful protestors, bystanders and even journalists amid nationwide demonstrations focusing on systemic racism facing black Americans.

Perceptions also have declined across all racial groups following the death of George Floyd in police custody, according to a new survey from the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project.

 

[Romana]

Considering that they're almost certainly antisemites too, that mistake (Freudian slip, perhaps) makes perfect sense.

Besides, these guys will believe anything, if it plays into their hate or paranoia:

In Klamath Falls, Oregon, victory declared over antifa, which never showed up

Towns from Washington state to Indiana have seen armed groups begin patrolling the streets after rumors spread on social media about an antifa invasion.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Lexxi]

 

[Clara D.]

Things were relatively tame here other than some very obviously opportunistic looting.

Helps that our police chief is a black woman and not a dumbass.

 

[Free]

 

[Veritable Quandry]

So we should start arming barbers now?

 

[Free]

Wow.

Photos: Utah Marine stands alone at Utah Capitol with 'I can't breathe' covering his mouth

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Trump's scrapping of Obama-era reforms hinders police reform

Trump’s justice department has dropped the use of consent decrees to bring federal oversight of troubled police departments

www.theguardian.com

 

[Jolene Benoir]

Not sure if this has already been posted.

From 'Flash Bangs' To 'Rubber' Bullets: The Very Real Risks of 'Riot Control Agents'

The following stood out to me, as well as the misuse of "rubber bullets" that we have been witnessing, vs their proscribed usage.

The "tear gas" chemicals now seen drifting over crowds in the recent protests are banned in warfare. But the Chemical Weapons Convention does not bar their use against civilians as "riot control agents," or RCAs.

 

[Free]

 

[Sredni Eel]

 

[Free]

Using imgur as a twitter feed:

Seattle PD just stated on Twitter that officers were injured at protest from having explosives thrown at them, adding pictures of candles. The twitter response is exactly what you would expect, hilarious.

 

[Jolene Benoir]

'Gross Abuse of Authority': AOC, Pressley Join Probe Into Trump Use of Predator Drones to Surveil Protesters

In a letter to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf on Friday, the lawmakers demanded that the administration hand over all documents related to Customs and Border Protection's May 29 deployment of a drone commonly known as Predator B to spy on demonstrators in Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed by police officers.

"The drone that was flown on May 29, 2020, was reportedly also flown far outside the bounds of CBP's jurisdiction," the letter states. "Federal law authorizes CBP to conduct its missions within a 'reasonable distance,' not to exceed more than 100 air miles inland, from an external boundary of the United States."

Last time I checked, Mpls distance from Canada is well over 100 miles, as the crow flies.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Slave trader statue torn down in Bristol

A statue of Edward Colston was toppled during an anti-racism protest on Sunday.

www.bbc.co.uk

Colston was a member of the Royal African Company, which is believed to have transported about 80,000 men, women and children from Africa to the Americas.

On his death in 1721, he bequeathed his wealth to charities and his legacy can still be seen on Bristol's streets, memorials and buildings.

After the statue fell to the ground, a protester posed with his knee on the statue's neck - reminiscent of the video showing George Floyd, the black man who died while being restrained by a Minnesota police officer.

Mr Floyd's death has become the rallying point for hundreds of ant-racist demonstrations across the globe.

The Colston statue was then dragged through the streets of Bristol and thrown into the river Avon. The empty plinth was then used as a stage for protesters to make speeches.

ETA:

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

A weird thing has been happening in the PNW. Smaller towns there, just like everywhere, are starting to hold their own little demonstrations. Often the organizers of these events give notice to the local police of the intended time of the protest, and every single one has been peaceful without any problems, not even from the local police. BUT, in a few of these small towns, it seems that when a protest gets scheduled, somebody starts targeting area white residents with rumors the day of that Antifa is coming. It's always the same rumor - "two or three buses full of Antifa left an hour ago and are on their way right now", just changed for the specific town or county. And inevitably, this leads dozens, sometimes hundreds, of white people with guns to show up in the middle of town to stand guard over businesses in anticipation of the Antifa horde. Over the last week I've read like four or five different stories, each about different towns in Oregon and Washington state where this exact scenario has happened. One county in Oregon had the actual sheriff himself posting on Facebook that he was afraid the sheriff's department would be "overwhelmed" by the incoming Antifas and hoping that people in the community would "step up" to help them out.

Of course, Antifa never comes. Which was obvious from the beginning, I mean even if Antifa was everything these people are afraid it was, they wouldn't be busing people out to freaking Coos Bay, Oregon to have a riot, come on people. So all these brave armed white people end up standing around with nothing but their phallic supplement in their hands for hours for literally no reason. But people keep falling for this.

It would be easy to think that the white supremacist group that was busted earlier writing fake Antifa posts trying to encourage destructive rioting is responsible for these rumors too, and some articles have suggested that; but I'm not so sure. Inciting white people to violence against protesters sounds right up their alley; but that's not what's happening. These rumors are inciting white people to violence (or the threat of it) against absolutely nothing, because there are no antifa buses. That sounds more like a troll to me.

 

[Kara Spengler]

So we should start arming barbers now?

Well, they already have scissors.

 

[Romana]

In light of the protests, this Amy Cooper-ish incident is even more despicable:

 

[Kara Spengler]

Irreparable harm? Any of our 44 presidents would have just been amused. Maybe annoyed, but they would have more important things to worry about. It is like I said before, she found a way to speak its language and it is mad she did that so well.

 

[Romana]

Irreparable harm? Any of our 44 presidents would have just been amused. Maybe annoyed, but they would have more important things to worry about. It is like I said before, she found a way to speak its language and it is mad she did that so well.

That "irreparable ham" will vanish with the next president.
That statement is so 45. L'état, ç'est moi, as it were.