I haven't been paying as much attention to the news over the last two-ish months, but it's pretty hard to NOT have heard about the muder-by-shooting of Ahmaud Arbery and the murder-by-asphyxiation of George Floyd. It's been a little bit easier (due to the coverage on all things COVID-19 related AND the 2020 elections) to miss other stories, like the murder of Breonna Taylor or the murder of Douglas Lewis (amongst others). Videos of police and vigilante violence against black people never went away. They've still been circulating around since Ferguson (and before), and it never stopped. What stopped was media coverage and the (apparently short-term) outrage of so-called allies. Trump came along, and the news cycle jumped to 24/7 coverage of stupid non-stories. Why cover the continuing excessive use of force by an element of law enforcement (up to and including murder) or sociopaths/vigilantes murdering black people when you can spend like 24 hours a day for 7 days covering Trump. tweeting the word "Covefe"?
There was a lot of justifiable rage about Trump and his policies (and their implementation) over the last 4 years, and it deserved coverage. But it was like...as soon as Trump got elected, everyone collectively decided "All that Black Lives Matter stuff is over, so let's make Trump memes." But the unjustified and excessive violence against the black community never stopped. It would pop up here and there. The murder of Botham Jean was a big deal to the media for a few days. But then the lady cop got her slap on the wrist, the brother of Mr. Jean gave her a hug, and the media was done with it. And now (SURPRISE!!) black people are fed up with it. Again. And the community is going to CONTINUE being fed up with it until something is done about this problem. Until the racist element of law enforcement is wiped out. Until justice is served after a blackman gets shot for...jogging. Until justice is served after a blackwoman (a nurse...during a global pandemic) gets murdered...in her sleep.....by police...over...some messed up paperwork? The community is tired of seeing assault-gun wielding gangs storm a state capitol building with no resistance form law enforcement over...the right to get a haircut and then go out for Red Robin burgers? But protesting an excessive force murder/homicide gets the whole riot squad, followed by the National Guard.
I want to be clear: I do NOT condone rioting. I don't condone unorganized chaos based on emotion. I don't think it solves anything in the long term. It's, in my opinion, a reaction that burns hot, quick, and ultimately never burns down the things that REALLY need to be burned down. You can burn down a building, but the system that created the injustice that made you upset enough that you felt that you had to burn down the building...the system is still in place.
BUT.... I understand. I understand why people are fed up to the point where they went and stormed a whole police station, apparently (as of 28 May at 11pm PST, that's what I'm hearing/seeing). People are tired of, at best, being used as political props and, at worst, "guaranteed votes" that can be ignored until the election cycle comes around again. Hell, in 2016, and now 2020, the folks are even being ignored DURING the election cycle. Why focus on black lives when there's so much to say about Trump and Biden having a petty Twitter fight over....face masks? How can a politician focus on a whole culture of systemic and systematic racism when they have to worry about all those voters who are worried about "MuH FrEE HeALtH CArE aND FrEe CoLLeGe AnD AlSo FReE ReNt AnD InTeRneT!"?
You think black people aren't all-the-way fed up? With both sides?
I'm not going to get into the politics. I'll leave that to the politicians and the journalists and the commentators. I'm just a guy who does math who's pissed off at this continued injustice that I've witnessed first hand, and experienced, during my four decades on this Earth.
I'm going to add to/update this post here and there, like I did/am doing with the COVID post below. I just felt like I had to write something about this NOW, because it IS a big deal. It's BEEN a big deal. It needs to STOP being a problem. NOW. We have to burn out the racism that exists at all levels of our society, and we have to start NOW..
Update 31 May 2020: I'm not sure if the street protests are winding down or not. It looks like the National Guard has started doing street sweeps (which is kind of worrisome in an Orwellian kind of way), and enforcing curfews. But if the street protests ARE winding down, this is the time to start getting together and coming up with a plan going forward. A list of demands, if you will. For myself, I'd like to see the following demands made (and met):
1) A national standard for police brutality. Right now, prosecution of police brutality has no real standard. It's sort of city-by-city, state-by-state. We need to have a standard in place that says "Murder is murder, badge or no badge". Obviously, if someone pulls a gun on a police officer, that person should probably expect to be shot. But in cases like the murder of George Floyd.... no one should have died. And there are too many cases like this, where no one should have died. Getting fired isn't enough. "Paid administrative leave" is an insult. These cases of excessive force MUST be prosecuted. Murder is murder. Brutality is brutality.
2)The demilitarization of police forces across America. We need to stop using police force forces as occupying military forces, and arming them as such. A police force is meant to keep the peace; to inspire safety and comfort. Instead we treat our police forces as military forces.
3)Better vetting of officers. It's no secret that there is a white supremacist sub-culture in police forces across the country. I personally think most police are NOT actively part of this sub-culture, but the sub-culture exists and it influences the way the police operates. These white supremacists need to be weeded out of the police forces, and we need to improve the vetting process for hiring police in a way where we can keep the people with white supremacist agendas out of our police forces.
4) Keep policing local. Right now, policing, and the hiring of police, looks like mercenarism. It's "hired guns"/posse style law enforcement. You should have to live in the city/town/county/state you want to police in for at least 5 years before you can join a police force. Get to know the people, and the culture of the people, that you want to serve and protect.. Just bringing in people from where-ever... there's no connection between the police and the people. I think this is one reason why policing and military occupation of a region in conflict are starting to look so similar. There's no emotional connection to the people...it's just a job. I personally believe that that emotional distance can make too easy to...well...kill. (I also believe this point is more for "big city" police, but i think it's relevant for small town police, too. There should be extreme vetting to ensure you're not taking in racist cops who got fired from other departments when you're hiring for your department, be it a big or small department.)
I'll add more to this list of demands later. Hopefully, other people will make lists, too. If I see other peoples ideas/thoughts, I'll try to comment on them here.
Update 1 June 2020: I just wanted to give whatever's bigger than the biggest shoutout to all of the protesters keeping everything peaceful; not stealing/looting, not destroying property... the majority of protesters, in other words. I've been watching a few videos where a lot of African-American protesters were actively discouraging the looting/stealing and property damage and violence, like the young lady organizer down in Eugene, OR. The thing is, African-American protesters have the most to be angry about, but for the most part they're the one's actively discouraging the more riot-like acts. If you're not black, and you're wondering how to demonstrate your frustrations... look to the people who have the most to be angry about and follow their lead. If the black people around you are telling you not to smash a storefront and/or loot the store, DON'T. Follow the lead of the organizers.
Update 1 June 2020 (later): I can't hold my tongue on this one... I've tried to stay politically neutral on this one. To me, this isn't a political issue, it's a culture issue. This is about black lives, not Democrat or Republican lives. But politics and culture are entwined, and so I can't completely ignore it here, no matter how much I want to try to...
But to hear this Comb-Over Fascist?... (you know who I'm talking about, and I won't say his name or call him by his official job title).... To invoke martial law over (justified) civil unrest is ridiculous. This is a path we do NOT, as a nation, want to step a foot on. Martial law over-steps every boundary of the structure of this nation. If you're a die hard, states-rights Republican who couldn't give two flying eff's about a blackpersons life, you need to care about this. This is against the very core of your beliefs; the very ideals you base your patriotic pride to. If you're following Trump on this, then stop calling yourself a "states right advocate" or a "libertarian" or a "small government advocate". You're just a fucking racist. So call yourself that. But don't hide behind the skirts of some ideology you obviously don't even believe in on even the most fundamental level. You don't come back from a self-betrayal like that.
But my biggest fear of martial law right now, given the reason it's being invoked, is the cost of Black Lives. This protest is (rightly) seen as a Black protest. And my worry is that, to soldiers, the targets will/should be Black. The ingrained racism will rear its ugly head. But if you watch almost any video or news report of...just footage in general... you'll see a lot of looting being done by white kids. You see a lot of peaceful protesters are white. But who do you think the first to get shot are going to be? I'm scared of genocide masked as supposedly "peace-restoring" martial law.. That's my biggest fear.
Any declaration and implementation of martial law is the death knell of America. We lose any moral high ground on the international stage as a paragon of liberty and freedom and justice. If we implement martial law, we ARE the Nazis. We are the Soviets. We are the Taliban. We are ISIS. We are every African, Asian, European, Oceanic, or South American dictatorship that we overthrew. in the name of the same liberty, freedom, and justice we would be betraying by invoking martial law.
Store owners who lost their businesses to looting or fires are going to get theirs back in insurance payments. No insurance company will be stupid enough to not cover riot damage DURING a pandemic. Same for property owners. You'll be able to start again. You'll be able to repair. You will regain your livelihood.
What can't be regained is lives lost.
What can't be regained is the fundamental ideals of America.
We will lose EVERYTHING if we do this. EVERYTHING.
(PS: It's 7am on 2 June. When I wrote all of the above a few hours earlier, I hadn't realized that H.R.5122 had expired in 2012. So it would be even more egregious for The Thing In The Oval Office to implement martial law, since it would have to be done autocratically and would completely demolish the bulwark of checks and balances that keeps our government at least somewhat honest and fair.)
Update 9 June: On the mental health tip.... I've definitely been feeling like...I'm not allowed to be happy about anything right now. From what I can tell (final grades aren't in yet), I've done pretty good in my classes this term (update: 3.85 GPA for the term!). I've enjoyed going to Zoom-based math conferences, and totally math-fan-boy'd out seeing names like Denis Auroux and Kenji Fukaya in attendance. I've been keeping healthy and making/eating delicious food.... I don't know... It just feels like I'm trying to keep myself from feeling overwhelmed by the...just the whole magnitude of this situation by doing things I enjoy, but then I feel guilty for being happy for even a second. Anyway...I'm not even trying to make a point here. I'm just frustrated, feeling like I'm not doing enough, but unsure what more I can do. I just hope people are able to balance the somber nature of this struggle with some happiness. I hope everyone is practicing good mental hygiene.
Update 11 June: I think it's important that I make the explicit statement here that I think the police who murdered Breonna Taylor should be charged for, at the absolute minimum, manslaughter (but preferably murder), and everyone involved in the mishandling of that warrant should, in my opinion, be reprimanded for negligence. We can't forget that this wave of isn't JUST about getting justice for the murder of George Floyd...it's about justice for ALL of the victims of these preventable crimes against citizens.
Also, I feel I have to address the "All Lives Matter" BS.. As damn near every Blackman and Blackwoman have been telling you since 2016 (and before that, even), it's not that other races don't matter, it's that the racist police are treating African-Americans like their lives DON'T matter. So we have to say "Black Lives Matter".
I think the most important thing to remember is that, while this on-going protest is primarily about eliminating the racism ingrained in police forces, the ultimate goal of these protests is to reform the current state of policing in general. These protests are for EVERYONE'S benefit. Reforming the culture of policing.... to eliminate excessive, if not completely unwarranted, force against ANY CIVILIAN.... it benefits everyone to create a stronger, human bond between the police and the citizens.
It just so happens that a disproportionate amount of incidences of excessive, if not completely unwarranted, force are enacted upon African-Americans. And it should be noted that you can easily find footage of police of ALL races perpetrating excessive force against African-American citizens.... so it's not JUST about punishing racist white cops....because they're a big problem, but they'e not the only problem. It's about changing the law enforcement/criminal justice culture that allows police to get away with excessive, unjustified, and (at an alarmingly frequent rate) lethal force against ANYONE. Black people got sick of it (disproportionately) affecting their community, so they got up (over and over and over and over and over again, year after year after year after year) and started a(NOTHER!) movement. If you're against the same kind of violence being perpetuated against your racial/ethnic community, do something about it. Nobody is saying you shouldn't be against police using excessive force against your specific racial/ethnic community. If you're in a poor, all white area in...I don't know... Montana?... and you feel that police violence against the members of your community is out of hand... protest it. By all means. People saying Black Lives Matter are not trying to take away your ability to protest police violence against you in your community, no matter what race/ethnicity you are. A lot of people around the world seem to agree that police violence is out of hand. Even in predominantly European-white areas of the world, and predominantly Arab areas of the world, and predominantly East-Asian areas of the world...etc, etc.... people are saying "Black Lives Matter" AND "Change the culture of policing to benefit EVERYONE", and there's really no conflict between those two sentiments/rallying cries. There's nothing to gain from being AGAINST unnecessary deaths of (often innocent) civilians at the hands of officers who have sworn to protect and serve those same citizens. There's nothing to gain from being AGAINST the disproportionate use of violence against African-Americans, specifically. There's nothing to gain from being AGAINST the demand that vigilante sociopaths like George Zimmerman and those two McMichael guys be charged like the murderers they are, and NOT be given a free pass by a biased justice system because their victims are Black. These protests, and the change they hopefully bring, are ultimately for everyone's well-being. Please don't forget that. Please don't forget that Black Lives Matter just as much as any other life..
Update 14 June: I watched the videos of the Rayshard Brooks killing (both the surveillance footage and the cellphone footage). I do want to say, straight off the bat, that he should have never taken that taser. I mean, the reports are that he was intoxicated and was asleep at the time the officers made contact with him, so I'm guessing he was probably... not thinking straight. I'm guessing he had to be at least a bit disoriented, and intoxication doesn't lend to good decision making. Either way, two cops should have been able to take down an intoxicated guy who was JUST woken from sleep without...having to kill him. Like, honestly...I don't get how someone so intoxicated that they were able to fall asleep in a Wendy's parking lot (that looked pretty busy, going by the video) could take out one sober, well-trained cop, much less two. AND get one of their tasers? AND outrun both of them?
I guess I just don't understand how well-trained, sober cops could think their only option was to shot Mr. Brooks. The taser he took (and shot) was spent. In the video, you can see it's on the ground sparking after Mr. Brooks tries to hit them with it. So there was no weapon any more. But they shot him (form what I can tell) AFTER the taser was spent and on the ground. They should have been able to take him down without taking him out as soon as the taser was spent. And their back up was RIGHT there almost immediately. Even if the intoxicated Mr. Brooks had slipped the cops in the parking lot, he would have been pick up seconds later (minutes at most) by the incoming back up. Basically, I just don't see why it had to be a fatal encounter. It doesn't make sense. I hope the investigation in to this is honest and thorough. This would be a really stupid moment in history to think a quick "sweep it under the rug and walk away" investigation is going to fly.
With that said..... to the protesters.... DON'T SET FIRE TO WENDY'S OR ANY OTHER PROPERTY! . Stop that bullshit. Neither the Wendy's employees nor the building itself, killed anyone. But now the building is gone and some people probably just lost their jobs. During a whole "pandemic enduced economic crisis". And some of those employees were probably African-Americans. If you're protesting, remember LIVING Black Lives Matter just as much as the dead ones. Putting people out of jobs buy burning their tore-fronts down and/or stealing the things they sell.... you're ruining lives. You need to think it through. In a majority African-American city like Atlanta? Any store front you burn down or item you steal is almost definitely going to negatively impact a Black business owner or employee. Think on that, if you're really out there protesting for Black Lives.
To everyone out there who's protesting peacefully.... intelligently....righteously.... I salute you. Please be safe, please stay smart, and please stay peaceful.
Update 18 June: Special shoutout to the group of 4 or 5 people who were holding up "Black Lives Matter" signs in front of the Tru-Value out here in Philomath yesterday. I was driving by and gave them a honk form my car's horn. I've seen a few "BLM" signs in windows in Philomath, too. It's nice to see. Just a few years ago, I used to see tons of Confederate flags around town here, and now I never see them. But I AM seeing a lot of "BLM" signs. I like to think of that as positive change. I feel like the local police out here (Philomath and Corvallis) have gotten about 1000% better, too. It's just worth acknowledging the positive change.
I also saw a few videos (and read a few articles) about local student-led protests in Corvallis, and wanted to acknowledge the hard work and bravery of the students who took it upon themselves to lead the protests. I know quite a few of them from the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Centre on campus, and while I've always been proud of all the students up there, I'm especially proud of them right now. Special shoutout to my guy James for holding it down when some jackass started yelling "All Lives Matter".
I also wanted to address the recent slew of hangings (none of which determined to be from either suicide or homicide, to the best of my knowledge). I personally think its strange, if not borderline unbelievable, that 5 people (4 Black, 1 Latino from what I've read) hung themselves in public places in such a short span, especially during this moment of racial tension we're facing as a nation. Do I think this is some organized conspiracy to co-ordinate lynchings across the country? Not really. Do I think it's possible that one person inspired copy cats? Most definitely.
I just find it hard to buy the suicide narrative. If it was only 1 person, 1 case... I could see someone committing suicide to make a point (an act similar to people who have set themselves on fire in public to make a point). But 5 (or more) in such a short span during this crisis? I can't buy that all 5 are suicides. Anyway...I hope that these cases are investigated thoroughly, honestly, and immediately.
Update 20 June: I wasn't quite sure where to put this, but I'll put it here.... Happy Juneteenth. I think this year is a time to really reflect on the meaning of freedom. Freedom isn't just some words on a piece of paper saying "Slavery Is Over!". Freedom is a whole society saying "We accept that this group is as free as the rest of us, and we respect their freedom and their lives as being equal to our freedom and our lives. ", and right now it doesn't feel like we're quite yet there. We still have a ways to go. We've come a long way from slavery, to be sure, but there's still some distance left to go on the road to True Freedom. This means more than just tearing down some statues or getting rid of corporate mascots that are racist caricatures. Those acts are fine (and necessary, IMO), but are ultimately empty gestures without real a systemic shift towards a truly equal society. It means nothing if you don't hold accountable those people who would take, or have taken, the lives and freedoms of their fellow Americans.
I hope people celebrated Juneteenth. I hope people were able to get in a day of rest from the struggle (see what I said about mental health above). But I hope people also took time to reflect on the continuing struggle.
Update 20 June (later): I'm trying to figure out what the ultimate point of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) is at this exact moment. I saw someone got killed there, and I was trying to figure out how that occupation of a few city blocks even began. The whole CHAZ thing always seemed...tangential.. to the more general Black Lives Matter/Police Reform protests. It seems like the CHAZ participants are more interested in doing a social experiment in anarcho- communal living. Which is fine. But they could have easily started a GoFundMe and pooled some collective cash and bought some land instead of taking over some city blocks under the guise of support for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahumad Arbery, and all of the other victims of racist violence.
I don't know...I just don't see the point of the whole CHAZ thing. In a way, I feel it kind of hurts the other protests around the nation by 1) taking attention away from the heart of the reason the protests began in the first place, and 2) creating more animosity in police. The CHAZ occupation is essentially a bunch of white kids giving the middle finger to the police, but with state and local government protection. So who will the cops be inclined take their anger out on? My bet is more Black people will catch the brunt of the backlash from this, especially considering the CHAZ participants started this as a (supposed) show of support to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Anyway... I just think the whole CHAZ thing is in bad taste right now. And I really think they should just buy some land and start a commune.
Update 26 June: I thought this article from Reason Magazine (link: reason.com/2020/06/21/was-the-search-warrant-for-the-drug-raid-that-killed-breonna-taylor-illegal/) on the legality of the search warrant for Breonna Taylor's residence was interesting. The "TL;DR" is basically "No, it wasn't legal..at all..on any level.", but I highly suggest reading the article itself. While Reason is a libertarian magazine (which might turn some people off), I think it's one of the better, more "enlightened" libertarian periodicals. Anyway, I almost completely agreed with everything in the article, so I'm suggesting it to interested parties, even if they have a distaste for the over all libertarian philosophy. As I've mentioned before, I tend to identify as "left-libertarian", which means I kind of straddle the line between the American versions/idealizations of "Liberal" and "Conservative". Anyway... I don't care if you're socialist, conservative, MOR...whatever. Give the article a shot. We're all in this one together, and we need all the help we can get to point out flaws in the system, and then fix those flaws.
Update 27 June: So, for the most part, I like H.R7120 (George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020). I think there's some really strong points in it (e.g.; no tolerance for not using body/dash cams, limiting [but unfortunately, not barring] what equipment law enforcement can obtain from the military, banning no-knock warrants for drug busts, establishment of a registry for police who use [or get fired for] use of excessive force).
There's a lot of points in the Act that I'm kind of ambivalent about. Things like "no chokeholds allowed" and "require racial sensitivity training" are great, but a lot of those laws are already in place and...well, we've seen how effectively those rules have been enforced.
In general, I think it's a good first step..but it's not the final step. One of the strengths of the Act is the language, which seems to allow for the bill to evolve if things aren't working out. In fact, a lot of the bill is really just adjustments to previous bills. But...all in all, end of the day...it's a good start. I'm going to talk about this more in-depth over the next week, but for now...those are my thoughts on H.R. 7120. I hope it passes, and I also hope every lawmaker realizes there's still so much more work to do in terms of this long-standing crisis.
Full Text of H.R. 7120: apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=6939206-Justice-in-Policing-Act-Full-Bill-Text
Summary of H.R. 7120: apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=6939207-Justice-in-Policing-Act-Summary
Update 27 June (later, about 8:45pm PST): I just saw the news about the gunman/woman (but let's be honest..it was almost definitely a guy) opening fire on the people in Jefferson Square Park in Louisville who were (PEACEFULLY) protesting for justice for Breonna Taylor. This is a fucking disgusting. act of cowardice and unnecessary violence by someone who obviously has no regard for the value of human life. Whomever this shooter is...they're the type of person that makes me hesitant about supporting the abolition of the death sentence. This shooter is the very definition of what's wrong with America. This shooter should be hunted down by law enforcement (who, unfortunately, seem more pressed to contain the peaceful protesters than protect them). As of now, I'm hearing there's 1 person murdered and 6 who were injured (correction: 1 dead, 1 injured) This is unacceptable. It's unacceptable on any level. It's disgusting. I'm so sick and tired of this.
What's worse is.... I haven't seen word one about this from any public officials. I expected to hear nothing from The Thing In the Oval Office (who seems to be more concerned with statues than real problems). But I'm surprised by people like Joe Biden or AOC or Bernie or any of these other supposed "allies" not even doing the bare minimum by making statements of condemnation of the act. I guess they don't want to rock the boat TOO much, what with elections coming up.. Even the Democratic-Socialists amongst them apparently don't want to risk losing that juicy taxpaper-funded paycheck and all of those sweet perks. And you know what? Fuck them, too. It's 9:05pm right now. It;s taken me about 20 minutes to write this AND chain smoke 3 cigarettes. But these mf'ers need hours to run their carefully prepared statements by their campaign managers, if they're going to make a statement at all. And you know what my carefully prepared statement is for them? Fuck you. Fuck each and everyone of you you calls yourself a radical for social justice, but puts your re-election above making a stand in the moment...off the cuff. That's what people need to see now. So fuck you for sitting on your hands during this moment.
ALSO (even later..about midnight):
I just read about the shooting at the Walmart in Red Bluff, CA (2 people were murdered, 4 were injured). I'd like to say, this is one of the situations where we should recognize that police are necessary. I'm personally glad that there are people who choose their work to be for the protection of bystanders from psychopaths like this shooter. This is why I said in an earlier update that we're nowhere near being at the point, as a species, where we can live without police. We just need to get rid of the racist police officers, and those who abuse their positions in other ways (otherwise known as "dirty cops", according to good cops).
Update 28 June: I wanted to post this earlier, but it's nice to see the state of Mississippi taking the steps to remove the Confederate symbol from the state flag. It's long overdue, in my opinion... but whatever. I'm just glad it's happening. Removing hateful symbology is a big, important step. But the road to total, true equality is long, and bigger steps will need to be taken in EVERY state. We have to be ready to take those steps. The sooner we can start making real, substantial, structural and cultural changes. Changing laws and enforcing the new laws is half the battle. The other half is changing hearts and minds of people who don't believe that all people are born equal, and should enjoy that equality throughout their life, not just for a brief moment in the cradle..
Anyway, I'm just glad the symbols of hate are being removed. from public spaces. From NASCAR, to Mississippi, to universities around the country.. and .just around the country in general... even in private spaces (businesses, homes, etc.)...
Update 4 July: It's funny (in a really depressing way) to watch history repeat itself. We're basically watching 2016 happen all over again. Much like 2016, we're watching a movement for equality be slowly phased out of the news/political cycle. Sure, the symbolic gestures like statues coming down and building names being changed are still being made (much like 2016), but go through major news sites and you'll see less and less articles/videos/coverage on the BLM movement since George Floyd's death. I get there's also a pandemic going on, and elections are coming up, but the deaths of Blackmen and Blackwomen shouldn't be taking a backseat to these issues. We've been ignoring systemic racism for CENTURIES, and, as a country, we apparently seem intent on ignoring it for a few more centuries. I just feel like, at this point, ignoring the problem is actually taking more work and effort than actually dealing with the problem.
I also think it's weird that Biden seems to be intent on making the same mistake Hilary did in 2016: pay the BLM some lip service by throwing out some platitudes and non-promises while all-but-ignoring the problems and issues of systemic/institutional racism. Much like HRC, he's got good poll numbers as the election approaches, and much like HRC he seems to think saying the minimum (and doing nothing) to/for Blackpeople is going to....inspire the Black Community to vote for him? Much like HRC, Biden seems to be combating Trump's overt racism by... ignoring racism and barely acknowledging the current anti-racism movement going on in the country. It's just got me scratching my head. Like, how do you not learn from the last candidate's mistake? Like, at all? This is is why I just can't bring myself to identify as a Democrat. I'll never understand the mindset some Democratic candidates (especially the older ones) have...the one where they seem to think "Black people OWE me their vote! I don't have to do anything but the absolute bare minimum for them!". It's just...pathetic.
(Note: I'm probably still going to vote for Biden, simply because I can't watch the country burn for another 4 years. Does it mean I like Biden? Not really. I just don't want him to make the same mistakes HRC did in 2016. I don't want him to ignore arguably the most important part of his potential voting base: the Black voters. And I don't want him to shuffle his feet when it comes to helping that base if/when he gets elected. In the "lesser of 2 evils" scenario, Biden is definitely the lesser of 2 evils. But he needs to avoid doing the EXACT same things that cost HRC her "guaranteed victory" in 2016. Nothing's promised to anyone. Not life, not money...and DEFINITELY not the presidency. I'm just saying...)
(Also: If there were a viable, capable 3rd party candidate polling above 40% with whom I agreed with ideologically...I'd GLADLY vote for them. I haven't seen a candidate meeting that criteria yet, though.)
Update 9 July: I've just read some on the case of Robert Fuller, one of the young Blackmen who were found hanging in public places recently. I see it's being ruled a suicide after an investigation, and based off of what I'm reading in reports... it looks like the right Cause of Death is being given. It sounds like a suicide. The fact that he bought the rope himself, and apparently no other fingerprints were found... that's pretty straight-forward. It's still extremely tragic, all the same. I think this highlights some of what I was saying above about needed to care for our mental health during these times. We're protesting generations worth of racism on a mass scale DURING a global pandemic DURING an important election year. It's a lot for most people to handle, having such a huge mental and emotional load thrust on them all at once like this. We have to remember to check in on ourselves and others. It's really easy to feel hopeless right now, with everything happening at once.
I hope young Mr. Fuller's family can eventually find peace. I don't expect that to be immediate, because this IS a tragedy, no matter what the cause of death was. It's a traumatic experience for his family either way. My heart goes out to them, even as I wish I could do more for them than just typing some words on a low-traffic blog.
Update 24 July: It's really....alarming (to put it lightly) to see the Federal intervention taking place in cities like Portland, and (soon enough) Chicago. Kidnapping people off of the street, complete disregard for states rights AND citizens rights to protest peacefully.... it's....it's sickening...it's depressing...it's all of that and more. It's darkly ironic that "Make America Great Again" apparently meant "Make America Exactly What America Was Founded In Opposition To". It's insane to me to watch us become absolutely no better than some 3rd world dictatorship or some 1st world totalitarian state. It's sad to see that people are willing to just sit back and watch America sink into despotism because such a large portion of the population really is that racist. It's surreal to watch people contradict their supposed core beliefs of freedom and liberty because of skin colour and fucking statues. Like...right now, at this moment, I have absolutely no hope in the future of America. It's very, very sad to me.
To add to this (on 27 July), I think the psychological impact of this militarized Federal intervention on all sides (because, honestly, this isn't just 2 groups....there are multiple agendas here) of the protests is especially dangerous. It looks like war to all sides, and that creates a sense and level of desperation, anxiety, and anger that only increases the level of violence. Aside from a handful of idiots, the protests in Portland have been peaceful. The current administration thinks this will look like a show of strength that will electrify their base. But their wrong. This isn't a "bag the bad guys and bring them out in cuffs for a photo op" thing. This is bigger and deeper and people are very passionate about this, on all sides.. What happens if the conflict leads to members of Wall of Moms or Wall of Vets getting killed by Federal troops while peacefully protesting? What if the Mayor (who's already been tear gassed) gets shot by Federal troops, even if it's an honest accident? It won't look good AT ALL. The current administration really put themselves in a worse position than they were in before. There's no way this ends well. And the years it's going to take for people to build trust with each other in general... I think people on all sides involved. are going to be living with the effects of this moment for a long time, and I fear, more than anything maybe, the length of time it's going to take to build up enough trust between groups to the point where we're stable enough to actually make progress instead of just...whatever this cultural spinning of wheels we're going through is...
And to be clear, I think the actions of the people generally being referred to as "Antifa" (htough they seem too disorganized to be a real group) are having an equally negative effect on the psyches of all sides. I don't like this "Antifa" crap. These are the people I was talking about earlier in this pose...the ones who come to a protest about inequalities in policing with the intent to turn it into a riot for their own purpose. The people smashing windows and looting and setting fire...they're equally culpable in the escalation this has taken. They share the blame for the years we're going to take to that point in time I was talking about above. I have absolutely no love for the unorganized collective known as "Antifa".
Just remember..."Antifa" isn't the same as "Black Lives Matter" or "Wall of ___" or any of the PEACEFUL protesters out there who are just trying to get a righteous and just cause to FINALLY be taken seriously and dealt with.
This is why I said earlier that there are "multiple agendas at work here". Antifa has NOTHING to do with those other groups. They're just violent opportunists cosplaying as "SJW's" or whatever, much like the current administration are violent opportunists cosplaying as "traditional, small government Republicans". The only difference is that one if comprised of government officials and the other is comprised of random suburban punkasses who would';t do ANY of this if they weren't wearing a mask.
I just wanted to make it clear...I don't like (much less support) Antifa either.
I DO support the groups protesting peacefully.
And, while I don't agree with their stance, I also support the freedom to protest for any counter-protesters who are also being peaceful.
And while I support the right to (peacefully) bear arms, it's my hope that protesters and counter-protesters alike will leave the guns (and other weapons, improvised or otherwise) at home.
Update 23 August: Just hearing about the incident in Kenosha, WI (see video via WGN Chicago here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdtKzHc4K-0) where a man named Jacob Blake (who was unarmed) was shot 7 times in the back by officers for...trying to get to his kids in his car after he broke up a fight between two other people. I'm at a loss.... I really don't know what to say beyond "This is so incredibly fucked up:". We, as a species, just don't learn, apparently. So many times I've heard ignorant people say things like "Well, if black people would just take care of their own neighbourhoods, police wouldn't have to shoot them" (which doesn't even make sense on any level, but whatever). But here's a Blackman doing exactly that: taking care of his neighbourhood. Deescalating a confrontation. Being a peace-maker. Using words and kindness, not guns and violence, to disarm a situation. And he got shot 7 times in the back for his trouble. What more do these "Thin Blue Line"/"Blue Lives Matter" people want? If it's just about annihilation of arace...just say it. Don't be a bitchass punk hiding behind veiled phrases and symbology. Just be real. Stop calling it "Blue Lives Matter" and start calling it "the KKK" or whatever. I'm sorry to all of the good police officers out there. I' not directing this at you/them. But the ones who keep killing for no reason...and their supporters... fuck them. Mr. Blake didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to be tased, shot, or even detained in the 1st place. The only thing he deserved was/is a medal for being an upstanding citizen. But mf'ers just can't let a good deed go unpunished.
Now, I know "the full story of the incident" hasn't been told yet, but I don't care what the whole story is... Mr. Blake did NOT deserve to get shot even once, much less 7 times. Short of video footage coming out of Mr. Blake spraying the block with an AK-47 while screaming "Kill all cops!", there's nothing that can convince me that the police in this incident needed to fire ANY shots, much less 7. I don't pray, but I do hope for Mr. Blake's full recovery, and I do hope the officers in this incident are fired and charged with excessive force charges, up to and including attempted murder (I'm assuming a strong Blackman like Mr. Blake will survive this).
Also.....please...everyone out protesting right now in Kenosha...please be as peaceful as possible. I know it's damn near impossible, but please.... No Molotov cocktails, no bricks, no guns...etc. Don't give these people an excuse. Don't give these racists tweeting and facebooking (from anonymous profiles, most likely) more fuel for the race-war fire they're trying to start. I believe all protesters have the right to protect themselves, like anyone else, but please....do everything possible to keep things peaceful.
ALSO: I acknowledge that there are similar stories of White people (& Latino/Latina people, and Asian people, etc.) being victims of excessive force. I'm against that, too. While, in general on this blog, I focus on incidents where a Blackperson has been the victim, I know there are more cases involving...well, just about every other race. And I think that just emphasizes the fact that something's not right/not working, and that we need to take a long, hard look at how police are being trained, how they're being vetted (i.e.; weeding out the bad cops and the cops who just aren't mentally fit for the job), and how we're dealing with the aftermath of incidents (i.e.; accountability).
ALSOALSO: It's funny (in a disturbing way) to see the same people saying "wait until we hear the whole story before assuming the cops are in the wrong"also saying "But Jacob Blake had a warrant", implying that made it ok to shoot him in the back 7 times. A warrant doesn't imply guilt. It implies suspicion, but not guilt. If Mr. Blake was indeed guilty of the crime he was suspected of (sexual abuse, if I'm not mistaken), then he certainly deserves to be punished AFTER guilt is established, and punished in a manner commensurate with the crime. I don't think being shot 7 times in the back at point blank rage is the appropriate punishment even if he is/was guilty of the crime. And I'm saying this as a victim of years of sexual abuse, and as someone who thinks our justice system goes too soft on sexual abusers. But if Brock Turner can be caught red-handed raping a passed out girl, and he DIDN'T get shot once (or punished at all, really), then certainly Mr. Blake can be arrested for his warrant to stand trial without being shot 7 times in the back at point blank range in front of his kids.
Update 28 August: If you saw my latest post, you'll know I was in the wilderness for a couple of days and didn't bring my computer (for obvious reasons). I'm just seeing the story about the 17 year old kid who killed protesters in Kenosha. It just goes to show that radicalization happens on all sides. There;s no reason a 17 year old kid should be open carrying an assault rifle during a protest, no matter what side of the protest they're on. I don't even know what to say about this.... I just can't even fathom what was going through this kid's head...
Update 4 Sept.: So a few things have happened in the last few days. I'm thinking specifically of the killing of Deon Kay in D.C., as well as the released footage of the killing of Daniel Prude. But those are just the "big" stories. I'll take a second here to acknowledge all of the incidents/killings that don't/aren't getting coverage.
In the killing of Deon Kay..I have nothing to add to the argument that about a million people have made that Kyle Rittenhouse (the 17 year old mentioned in the previous update) lived, even though he had a gun AND had just killed someone and shot another. Yet somehow Kyle is alive....even after walking past police in the SECONDS following the shooting of his victim(s).In fact, he's being treated almost like a martyr by racists who are becoming increasingly religious with their hate. But Deon Kay is dead. Even though he threw his gun away BEFORE he got shot. He wasn;t even technically armed when he was shot.
In the killing of Daniel Prude...I'm immediately reminded of this (video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTbRRqVRvus). The fact that the guy in the video in the link didn't get killed by cops even after killing 2 women and a baby AND attacking citizens AND police....but Daniel Prude is dead even though he was complying with officers. From what I understand, Mr. Prude's brother called police because he was worried Mr. Prude was a danger to HIMSELF, not others.
I think both of these cases highlight what the protests are REALLY about....it's the stuff that doesn't come up in the stats or the raw numbers. It's the fact that equal crimes almost always get harsher punishments...up to a spur-of-the-moment execution without trial (or even an arrest)... when the suspect is a person of colour, and especially when that colour is Black. That's what all of this is about. You can throw numbers out. But they don't show things that video shows. Arguments like "Well whites are actually 3 times more likely to be shot/killed by police than blacks! Habadat?!". And it's almost a convincing argument, until you realize that there's almost 7 times as many white people than black people in the U.S. That means, to be proportional to demographics, whites would actually have to be 7 times more likely to be killed by police for it to even be a valid argument. The "3 times more likely" argument actually shows that whites are LESS likely than Black people to be shot/killed by police, in terms of proportion to population.
Anyway... Beyond that, I don't really know what to say. It's sad and scary to see this amount of division and hatred in this country. It's sad that this is where we're at. I know society/culture tends to work in a "one step forward, two steps back, three steps forward" manner, but it just feels like we're missing the "forward" steps right now, and we keep moving backwards....
(Note: I'm not yet commenting on the shooting of Dijon Kizzee in LA. I don't know enough to feel comfortable commenting, and there's no footage from a body camera or otherwise. I personally believe that if ALL of the officers are equipped with body cameras, and NONE of the were on... that's a major red flag. But, still, I'm holding my opinion until more comes out about this case. It seems like we're getting a few new cases every other day, and it's rough on the psyche. I just don't want to make a rash judgement based on emotion here.)
Also: I know the people causing problems from within the protest in Rochester need to sit the eff down. We don't need fires in the street, or people climbing houses to yell slogans. We don't need tables flipped over, or yuppies feeling terrorized by the flipping of said tables. These protests are about change, not warfare. Stop being immature jackasses, and start following the PEACEFUL lead of the organizers..
Update 27 Dec: I mentioned in another post how it feels like the current protests against inequality and killings of innocent Black people have kind of slowed down. I mentioned how the protests seemed to be morphing into Anti-Trump protests, and less emphasis was being placed on the Black Lives Matter message. I thought the couple of people who read this blog may have wondered how I'm feeling about the post-election protest climate.
Honestly, I'm reserving judgement. I'm interested to see how many people get back to protesting after Biden's sworn in AND after this newest COOVID Tsunami has calmed down. I've previously expressed concern about protests acting as super-spreader events. I just don't want to say "America gave up on Black people again...just like 2015-2016 post-Ferguson". I want to see how it plays out once things are back to (relative) normalcy. I think it's better to reserve judgement. So I guess...I'll get back to this later.
I will say, I think it's sad that media (who don't have to be in the streets to keep the issue in the public eye) have kind of just dropped the issue outright. I get that COVID is priority #1, and I get the media want to milk the Trump reality show for its last dollar, but...I mean, if you can't find an hour during your 24-hour news cycle to devote to updating current cases, spotlighting efforts, etc. regarding this issue? Come on...
Also: It's great that Biden is getting loots of under-represented peoples positions in his administration. Representation matters. But I hope that we aren't using "increased representation" as a substitute for "actual justice". Symbolic acts are important, but they mean nothing without actual effort to change the situation that's being addressed. Ignoring the real problem changes all of your "symbolic acts", no matter how well-intentioned, into "empty gestures"..