What goes through my my mind when I read the news with my morning coffee. …Or for the Simon's Rockers in the group, this is my response journal.
A police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black motorist in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is charged with manslaughter, a district attorney says.
Tulsa shooting police officer charged – BBC News
She should be charged with the crime she committed: murder.
In fact these kind of crimes by officers should be treated as hate crimes.
“I do a lot of community service. I go out there and try to help kids and try to encourage them to be better and to aspire to more. And when you tell a kid, ‘When you’re dealing with police, just put your hands up and comply with everything.’ And there’s still a chance of them getting shot and no repercussions for anyone, that’s an unfortunate time to be living. It’s an unfortunate place to be in. There’s not a lot you can tell a kid. …And something needs to be done. And so when a guy takes a knee, you can ignore it. You can say, ‘He’s not being patriotic, he’s not honoring the flag.’ I’m doing none of those things. I’m saying — straight up — this is wrong, and we need to do something. So thank you guys, have a blessed day.”
Well, alright… Good on ya, Sherman!
“In Tulsa, an unarmed man with his hands in the air. This is just unbearable. And it needs to be intolerable”
mmmhmmm
In throwing out the gun conviction of a man in Boston, the state SJC declared that black men who try to avoid an encounter with police by fleeing shouldn’t be deemed suspicious.
Mass. High Court Says Black Men May Have Legitimate Reason To Flee Police | WBUR News
Gawd-dayum right.
Wrigley, the company that owns Skittles, stepped in to the furore by responding: “Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don’t feel it is an appropriate analogy”.
Donald Trump Jr tweet: ‘I’m a refugee’ says Skittles photographer – BBC News
sigh…..
Greens Senators have walked out of Pauline Hanson’s incendiary first speech to the Senate, where she claimed the nation was “in danger of being swamped by Muslims”.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson delivers incendiary maiden speech to Senate
Unfortunately the US does not have a monopoly on electing backwards, racist, pieces of shit.
I respect the anthem. I would never kneel for it. We all come from different walks of life and think differently about the anthem and the flag and what that means. But I think you can respect and find a lot of truth in what these guys are talking about, and not kneel. Those aren’t mutually exclusive ideas.
“I think one of my good friends, Nate Boyer, who was a green beret, went and stood with Colin and said ‘Hey, I wish you would feel the same way I do about the flag and about the anthem, and I will stand here with you until you feel like you can stand.’ I thought that was powerful and coming from a guy who certainly could be very upset about Colin’s protest. He had an open mind and I think that’s the biggest thing. Just have an open mind.
“We’re concerned about the feelings of our vets, and I certainly am, but let’s treat our vets better on a daily basis. Why aren’t we outraged about the lack of benefits they get? How do we treat our vets when they come home? We should be outraged about those things on a daily basis.
Yup
Asha Lane is an 18-year-old senior at the International High School of New Orleans, a charter high school. Asha wanted to find out why New Orleans charter schools don’t always feel nurturing. We live in a dangerous city, but when does security feel unsafe?
…“On social media, we see security guards slam kids on the floor, and at my school it happens as well,” says Asha. “We fear that could happen to us at any moment. The school is tense. The security guards yell and treat us like we’re inmates. They routinely grab students by their shirts, and they’re big guys, so they often physically pick kids up off the floor. When there’s a fight, they don’t hesitate to tackle students.”
…“It’s like they’re trying to solve violence with violence. And we’re not in a prison, this is school,” Ronnie says. “We’re supposed to be here to get our education. If you want to teach us something, how about you teach us not to solve violence with violence? And stop putting your hands on us and we might stop putting our hands on each other?”
“Our society is moving in a direction where it’s not safe to go to church, a movie, and school,” explains [Edna Karr Principal] Clay. “And so to take a position not to ensure safety for kids, when they just want to learn, especially when we recognize crime stats in the area and what’s happening, is irresponsible.”
“Principal Clay puts a good spin on his school, but what he was saying didn’t match what I was hearing from his students,” says Asha.
…“How do you reference security at your school?” Asha asks. “Do you say security guards? Or do you say—”
“Oh no, it’s EKPD.”
“EKPD. What is EKPD?”
“Edna Karr Police Department.”
…“Violence is always going to be a concern at any school,” says Thena Robinson Mock. “I think, though, that what we have learned over the years in implementing more positive disciplinary responses to violence is that tightening up one’s police, metal detectors, actually runs counter to this message of peace and calm and a nurturing learning environment. And that’s really what’s needed in order to either prevent violence or address it.”
Security And Discipline In New Orleans Charter Schools Makes Many Students Feel Unsafe | WWNO
sigh….
The Department of Justice, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Interior issued the following statement regarding Standing Rock Sioux Tribe v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
“We appreciate the District Court’s opinion on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. However, important issues raised by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other tribal nations and their members regarding the Dakota Access pipeline specifically, and pipeline-related decision-making generally, remain. Therefore, the Department of the Army, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior will take the following steps.
The Army will not authorize constructing the Dakota Access pipeline on Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe until it can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions regarding the Lake Oahe site under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other federal laws. Therefore, construction of the pipeline on Army Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe will not go forward at this time. The Army will move expeditiously to make this determination, as everyone involved — including the pipeline company and its workers — deserves a clear and timely resolution. In the interim, we request that the pipeline company voluntarily pause all construction activity within 20 miles east or west of Lake Oahe.
“Furthermore, this case has highlighted the need for a serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering tribes’ views on these types of infrastructure projects. Therefore, this fall, we will invite tribes to formal, government-to-government consultations on two questions: (1) within the existing statutory framework, what should the federal government do to better ensure meaningful tribal input into infrastructure-related reviews and decisions and the protection of tribal lands, resources, and treaty rights; and (2) should new legislation be proposed to Congress to alter that statutory framework and promote those goals.
Well, alright….
Well done, bureaucrats! Good on ya!!!!
America’s triumphs in space exploration were made possible by a hidden group of employees the country didn’t see reports CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford. They were called “human computers,” women — many of them African-American — hired by NASA to hand calculate propulsion, lift, thrust and trajectory.
The “human computers” behind NASA’s rocket launches – CBS News
cool
A football star is using his public platform for good. San Francisco 49ners quarterback Colin Kaepernick donated $60,000 in backpacks to New York students
Colin Kaepernick Donates $60K in Backpacks to Harlem and Bronx Students – Atlanta Black Star
nice!
Former school resource officer Benjamin Fields was captured on video last October flipping a student onto the floor. The videos were later posted to social media and sparked widespread outrage.
White S.C. Deputy Will Not Face Criminal Charges For Tossing Black Student : The Two-Way : NPR
WTF?
Sufficient evidence? He fucking threw a child across a room.
“When we adopted him, I bought some books from the library on raising children from another race, but what it all came down to was common sense more than anything,” Teresa said then. “You want him to feel really good about the race he is. You’re not trying to make him white.”
In junior high school, Teresa drove Colin an hour to Modesto to have his hair corn-rowed like Allen Iverson. From the beginning, they taught him to embrace his heritage.
“I remember very well, he was just a couple years old, him putting his arm next to mine and saying, ‘Look, I’m brown! How come I’m brown?’” Teresa recalled. “And I said, ‘Yeah, that’s not fair, you’ve got that pretty brown color, and look at me, Mom looks like paste! You look great.’ And he would just beam.”
…In the end, for the kid from Turlock, the words and guidance from his parents who so prepared him for life in the spotlight as a black athlete, compelled him to risk his livelihood for what he believed was the truth—that a country which calls itself free has a great deal of unimpeded racial inequality.
Francis Scott Key wrote about the land that breeds this sort of citizen: The home of the brave.
Colin Kaepernick sits for national anthem at 49ers game | The MMQB with Peter King
hmmmm
Washington, D.C., university announces efforts to honor the enslaved people whose sale in 1838 helped pay off school’s debts
Georgetown University to give slave descendants priority in admission – CBS News
Wild.
“I should have gotten you something pumpkin, your people like that, right? Awwww, I’m sorry.”
Source: https://www.facebook.com/wearemitu/videos/1638677689766000/
Totally worth the click. Hilarious!
A recent scholarly paper charts the ascendance of a new moral code in American life.
Microaggressions and the Rise of Victimhood Culture – The Atlantic
Interesting take.
Waste people. Rubbish. Clay-eaters. Hillbillies. Reckoning with the long, bleak history of the country’s original underclass.
The Despair of Poor White Americans – The Atlantic
hmmm
not sure I agree with all of the conclusions or assertions here but still, a fascinating read.
Here’s my once upon a time: I’m a white woman, born and raised by a white family, who grew up to marry a white man. When my husband and I married, we decided we wanted to achieve aa few life goals before having kids. And so, together we designed our future: I graduated college and then went on to grad school, while my husband began climbing the corporate ladder in the financial industry. Then the magical plan came to a halt. I got sick — really, really sick — and ended up at death’s door. Just in the nick of time, I was diagnosed with a chronic autoimmune disease, and I knew within days of my diagnosis that we would adopt.
thank you for sharing your experiences
I’m a mom of three children, all of whom were adopted at birth. My kids are black, and my husband and I are white. When we visit the park, eat at a restaurant, meander around the mall, or stand in a checkout line, we can reliably predict the questions and comments that will come our way.
We are a multi-racial adoptive family, and we realize that our uncommon path to parenthood evokes curiosity. However, there are days we can’t even buy toilet paper or order a sandwich without hearing, “Excuse me … ” followed by a request for personal information or an assumption about adoption or race.
Please Don’t Ask Me, “Why Didn’t You Adopt a White Baby?”
Amen, sister. Amen to every word of this.
Ask most Baltimore or D.C. teachers or principals about their daily work and I bet you will better understand the Black Lives Matter movement.
Understanding Black Lives Matter through the eyes of a teacher – Baltimore Sun
This.
Few cases typify everything that is wrong with gun rights, police brutality and racial profiling like this one.
KING: Black man shot by cops after calling to report robbery – NY Daily News
sigh…
Daaaaang, Canada. Brrrrrrr. Cold but spot on.
NBC couldn’t be arsed to show you Simone Manuel’s monumental medal ceremony after becoming the first black American woman to win an individual swimming event, as they felt it was more important to air seven-hour-old footage of Russians doing gymnastics badly. Here, then, is Manuel (with Canadian Penny Oleksiak, who tied for gold) at her medal ceremony, contrasted with what NBC felt more important to show you.
Here’s Simone Manuel’s Medal Ceremony, Since NBC Didn’t Air It [Update]
you know what?
I would have enjoyed this more without the useless NBC footage in the corner. Who are you, NBC? Trying to focus me to watch that, instead of just being able to focus on the incredible events at hand? Almost like feeling superior and getting your snark in was more important than your original point that we should have been watching Simone or something…
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