thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-05--Black Lives Matter Has Been Doing The Work To 'Defund The Police' For Years

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images Days after the Los Angeles Police Department 's violent crackdown on protests against police brutality , the city 's elected officials were forced to admit that Black Lives Matter activists were right : The LAPD is getting too much money .
As the council failed to act , street protests continued and videos documenting LAPD violence to suppress peaceful demonstrators went viral .
More than 500 people signed up to submit public comments during an online meeting of the city ’ s Police Commission to express their horror at law enforcement ’ s use of chemical irritants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to injure demonstrators .
On Wednesday City Council President Nury Martinez introduced a motion asking city staffers to pull at least $ 100 million to $ 150 million from the LAPD budget and redirect it to disadvantaged communities and communities of color .
The motion is a small concession : If passed , it would eliminate only the planned increase to LAPD ’ s budget .
Garcetti embraced the proposal and pledged to look for additional funds to direct into job programs , health initiatives and support for the Black community .
Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd , a 46-year-old Black man killed last week by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes , even as he pleaded that he could not breathe .
The group is famous for mobilizing demonstrations against cops who kill and the people who let them do it with impunity .
But Black Lives Matter ’ s leadership in fighting Los Angeles ’ s budget is indicative of the more tedious but equally important political organizing work the group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — things like community education , pushing state legislation to make records of police misconduct public , mobilizing against prosecutors who fail to hold cops accountable and lobbying school boards to end racist “ random search ” practices .
The group was formed in Los Angeles , home to one of the most violent police forces in the country .
LAPD became infamous for violent crackdowns in response to the 1965 Watts protests , the 1992 uprising after acquittals of the officers who brutally beat Rodney King , and the Rampart anti-gang unit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nationwide , LAPD is one of the most lethal police departments for civilians .
According to LAPD ’ s own data , its officers kill more people than police departments in major cities with comparable violent crime rates — including the New York Police Department , which oversees more people .
The activists set out to create a “ movement ” not a moment , Abdullah said , which meant doing work beyond the protests .
They hosted educational events , provided support to family members whose loved ones were killed by police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systematic racism who may have otherwise gone unnoticed .
When Marissa Alexander , a woman in Florida who fired a warning shot toward her abusive husband after he threatened to kill her , was charged with aggravated assault , BLM rallied behind her and pointed out the hypocrisy of Zimmerman being granted protection under Florida ’ s “ stand your ground ” law but not Alexander .
“ I have a target on my back everywhere I go to , ” Abdullah ’ s 11-year-old daughter , Thandiwe , told the Los Angeles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is nothing I can do about it and age doesn ’ t matter anymore .
I can be killed at 11 , ” she said , speaking one month after 12-year-old Tamir Rice was killed by a Cleveland police officer while playing with a toy gun .
The “ Occupy LAPD ” protest ended when Abdullah and another organizer were arrested as they tried to deliver their written demands to then-Police Chief Charlie Beck .
Although Black Lives Matter does not endorse candidates , it has led the effort to oust Lacey , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reform measure that has come up during her eight years in office .
Lacey , the county ’ s first Black district attorney , ran for reelection in 2016 unopposed but is facing a progressive challenger in November after failing to secure more than 50 % of the vote in the primary .
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit Los Angeles , BLM paused its in-person meetings and protests , shifting operations online .
It ’ s easier to get people to “ show up ” for online activism than in person , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we need , ” Abdullah said .
The activists considered holding smaller demonstrations outside of Lacey ’ s office on Wednesdays that would allow social distancing , but they worried that it would just make it more likely they ’ d get arrested .
The turnout was a testament to the city ’ s anger — but also to the organizing and coalition-building Black Lives Matter has done .
The group has shown how a militarized and racist police force hurts the entire community — not just the people who are most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cops , but also the people who can ’ t get housing assistance when they lose their job during a pandemic because the city ’ s budget is held hostage by the police union .
It has also exposed the falsehood of the notion that systemic racism and police brutality are problems that can be fixed simply by voting for Democrats .
California Gov .
Gavin Newsom , a Democrat , deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles to help quash the protests , and outbreaks of looting , at the request of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat .
Garcetti praised law enforcement on Saturday for their “ extraordinary restraint ” and expanded curfews for several days , providing law enforcement with an easy excuse to arrest demonstrators for no other reason than being outside after a sometimes hastily set time , sometimes as early as 6 p.m. Michel Moore , the police chief appointed by Garcetti , accused those who looted businesses during the protests of being equally to blame for Floyd ’ s death as the police officer who killed him .
( He later apologized . )

Days after the Los Angeles Police Department's violent crackdown on protests against police brutality, the city's elected officials were forced to admit that Black Lives Matter activists were right: The LAPD is getting too much money. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — On Monday, after the Los Angeles Police Department spent days violently attacking people protesting police brutality and racism, the City Council appeared set to allow a new budget — which would allocate nearly 54% of the city’s discretionary spending to the LAPD — to go into effect. With revenue tanking amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the budget cut funds to most city agencies, but it but expanded the police budget by 7.1%, including raises for officers.
Organizers from Black Lives Matter, the activist movement best known for protesting police officers who kill Black people, worked for more than a month with a coalition of activists in Los Angeles to fight the budget proposed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, which included union-negotiated $41 million in bonuses for officers with college degrees.
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Los Angeles’ BLM chapter and its partners proposed an alternative “People’s Budget,” which showed how redirecting money allocated for LAPD could pay for desperately needed housing assistance, rent suspension, mental health services and support for public schools. The activists succeeded in embarrassing City Council members into delaying a vote on the budget and ultimately allowing a June 1 deadline to pass without revising the budget.
As the council failed to act, street protests continued and videos documenting LAPD violence to suppress peaceful demonstrators went viral. More than 500 people signed up to submit public comments during an online meeting of the city’s Police Commission to express their horror at law enforcement’s use of chemical irritants, projectiles, batons and even vehicles to injure demonstrators. On Wednesday City Council President Nury Martinez introduced a motion asking city staffers to pull at least $100 million to $150 million from the LAPD budget and redirect it to disadvantaged communities and communities of color. The motion is a small concession: If passed, it would eliminate only the planned increase to LAPD’s budget. Garcetti embraced the proposal and pledged to look for additional funds to direct into job programs, health initiatives and support for the Black community.
“Let me be clear: this is only happening because of years of action put in by @BLMLA,” tweeted Nithya Raman, who is running for a City Council seat and has been an outspoken critic of the city budget. “The struggle is not over, but it’s a clear example of the power of organizing.”
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Black Lives Matter has been at the center of nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man killed last week by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, even as he pleaded that he could not breathe. The group is famous for mobilizing demonstrations against cops who kill and the people who let them do it with impunity. But Black Lives Matter’s leadership in fighting Los Angeles’s budget is indicative of the more tedious but equally important political organizing work the group has been doing for nearly seven years — things like community education, pushing state legislation to make records of police misconduct public, mobilizing against prosecutors who fail to hold cops accountable and lobbying school boards to end racist “random search” practices.
The group was formed in Los Angeles, home to one of the most violent police forces in the country. LAPD became infamous for violent crackdowns in response to the 1965 Watts protests, the 1992 uprising after acquittals of the officers who brutally beat Rodney King, and the Rampart anti-gang unit corruption scandal of the late 1990s. Nationwide, LAPD is one of the most lethal police departments for civilians. According to LAPD’s own data, its officers kill more people than police departments in major cities with comparable violent crime rates — including the New York Police Department, which oversees more people.
Although the proposed cuts to LAPD’s budget are minimal, it’s a step toward reversing a two-decade expansion of the police force’s budget — and a symbolic win for activists that City Council members appear willing to break with the police union at all.
A Movement Not A Moment
The first planned Black Lives Matter protest was in July 2013, in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the vigilante who killed Trayvon Martin, a Black 17-year-old who was walking to a family friend’s home after buying Skittles at a 7-Eleven in Sanford, Florida.
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The protest took place in Beverly Hills, part of the group’s long-standing principle of disrupting “affluent white spaces” and not causing “harm or distress in Black and working-class communities,” Melina Abdullah, a co-founder of the group, said in an interview.
The activists set out to create a “movement” not a moment, Abdullah said, which meant doing work beyond the protests. They hosted educational events, provided support to family members whose loved ones were killed by police and amplified the voices of victims of systematic racism who may have otherwise gone unnoticed. When Marissa Alexander, a woman in Florida who fired a warning shot toward her abusive husband after he threatened to kill her, was charged with aggravated assault, BLM rallied behind her and pointed out the hypocrisy of Zimmerman being granted protection under Florida’s “stand your ground” law but not Alexander.
Sometimes there was too much police violence to know where to direct efforts first. In August 2014, BLM activists planned their first Freedom Ride: a caravan of four 15-person vans to drive nearly 2,000 miles to Ferguson, Missouri, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot by a white police officer after putting his hands in the air. As the activists were getting ready to leave Los Angeles, LAPD officers shot and killed a 25-year-old unarmed Black man named Ezell Ford.
When they got back to Los Angeles, BLM started pushing for the two officers who shot Ford to be fired. In December, they camped outside of LAPD’s downtown headquarters for 18 days.
“I have a target on my back everywhere I go to,” Abdullah’s 11-year-old daughter, Thandiwe, told the Los Angeles Times at the time. “There is nothing I can do about it and age doesn’t matter anymore. I can be killed at 11,” she said, speaking one month after 12-year-old Tamir Rice was killed by a Cleveland police officer while playing with a toy gun. The “Occupy LAPD” protest ended when Abdullah and another organizer were arrested as they tried to deliver their written demands to then-Police Chief Charlie Beck.
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In 2016, LAPD officers fatally shot Kisha Michael and Marquintan Sandlin, a Black couple sleeping in a parked car. The five officers involved in the shooting were fired, but Kisha’s twin sister believed they should be prosecuted, too, Abdullah said. Black Lives Matter activists asked Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey for meetings and delivered petitions and letters to her office. When that didn’t work, they started protesting outside her office every Wednesday afternoon.
They haven’t skipped a weekly protest in the 2½ years since they started.
Despite its progressive reputation, Los Angeles has lagged behind the rest of the state in criminal justice reform. L.A. County jails incarcerate more people than any other jail system in the country. Black Lives Matter activists have been at the forefront of efforts to change that.
Although Black Lives Matter does not endorse candidates, it has led the effort to oust Lacey, who has opposed almost every criminal justice reform measure that has come up during her eight years in office. Lacey, the county’s first Black district attorney, ran for reelection in 2016 unopposed but is facing a progressive challenger in November after failing to secure more than 50% of the vote in the primary.
Thanks to BLM organizing, L.A. County residents approved Measure R in March, a civilian-driven ballot initiative that aims to reduce the county’s jail population by getting prisoners with mental health conditions out of jail and into treatment. Organizers collected 250,000 signatures to get Measure R on the ballot.
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit Los Angeles, BLM paused its in-person meetings and protests, shifting operations online. It’s easier to get people to “show up” for online activism than in person, but “it’s not the disruption that we need,” Abdullah said. The activists considered holding smaller demonstrations outside of Lacey’s office on Wednesdays that would allow social distancing, but they worried that it would just make it more likely they’d get arrested.
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‘We Can’t Stay Home For This One’
Late last Tuesday, the day after Floyd was killed, the group decided it was time to revive the Wednesday in-person protests. They urged attendees to wear masks and keep as much distance as possible, but they knew the COVID-19 risk was unavoidable.
“Black people are more vulnerable to coronavirus than other people — but we’re not more vulnerable to coronavirus than we are to police murder,” Abdullah said. “We’ll minimize the risk as much as possible, but we’re going to have to stand up. We can’t stay home for this one.”
Although crowded outdoor gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19, the more significant transmission risk comes from the police response. By beating and arresting protesters police officers are forcing people into jails and hospitals, two high-risk environments for COVID-19 exposure.
Before the pandemic, the weekly demonstrations usually attracted 50 to 100 people. Last week, more than 3,000 people showed up to march, Abdullah said.
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“We could tell the momentum was building, but we didn’t think it had built up that much,” Abdullah said. “I think we tend to underestimate ourselves.”
The next protest on Saturday drew about 20,000 people, Abdullah estimated.
The turnout was a testament to the city’s anger — but also to the organizing and coalition-building Black Lives Matter has done. The group has shown how a militarized and racist police force hurts the entire community — not just the people who are most at risk of getting shot by the cops, but also the people who can’t get housing assistance when they lose their job during a pandemic because the city’s budget is held hostage by the police union.
After hours of peaceful demonstrations on Saturday, LAPD officers and Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies confronted protesters as they headed toward Beverly Hills and the Melrose district, both wealthier areas with high-end restaurants and shops. Law enforcement used rubber bullets and tear gas to clear the crowds and beat protesters with batons. Across town at a separate protest the next day, a police SUV was filmed driving into a small group of protesters, reversing and driving away after a man fell to the ground.
The past week of protests and the violent response from the LAPD have vindicated the mission of Black Lives Matter activists who have been protesting and organizing against police brutality for years. Demands to defund the police, a concept often dismissed as a fringe anarchic fantasy, are increasingly understood as an acknowledgment that law enforcement budgets could be better spent on social workers, housing and other community health efforts. LAPD’s brazen display of violence against people protesting police violence makes calls for incremental reform appear naive and disingenuous.
It has also exposed the falsehood of the notion that systemic racism and police brutality are problems that can be fixed simply by voting for Democrats. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles to help quash the protests, and outbreaks of looting, at the request of Mayor Garcetti, who is also a Democrat. Garcetti praised law enforcement on Saturday for their “extraordinary restraint” and expanded curfews for several days, providing law enforcement with an easy excuse to arrest demonstrators for no other reason than being outside after a sometimes hastily set time, sometimes as early as 6 p.m. Michel Moore, the police chief appointed by Garcetti, accused those who looted businesses during the protests of being equally to blame for Floyd’s death as the police officer who killed him. (He later apologized.)
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And Lacey, the county’s Democratic prosecutor — the most progressive candidate voters have had the option of choosing in the previous two elections, has charged just one law enforcement official with killing a civilian while on duty. In 2018, she declined to prosecute a former LAPD officer who killed an unarmed Black man, even after the police chief called on prosecutors to file charges. Hundreds of people have been killed by law enforcement in L.A. during Lacey’s time in office.
“No one has ever voted their way to freedom,” Abdullah said. “Voting is important. I vote in every single election. However, we also know that, at most, voting someone good into office will soften the ground for the kind of meaningful change that we need. What’s always worked is the protest piece.
“We can think of mama Harriet Tubman as a protester or Frederick Douglass as a protester, Abdullah said. “The kind of transformative change that we’re looking for comes through more than voting.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said Measure R will be on the ballot in November. It was approved in March.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-06--Trump Tweet Gets Personal Fact-Check From Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey

A Trump campaign video was yanked Thursday following a complaint about copyright infringement , which was clearly explained when the video was removed .
The takedown request came from the owner of one of the images included in the video , though Twitter did not reveal who made the request .
The video was also removed from Facebook and Instagram Friday after Facebook received the same request , Variety reported .
Trump complained Friday about the move to pull the video , which he said revealed his “ empathy for peaceful protesters ” after the police killing of George Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard for the Radical Left Democrats .
A one sided battle , ” Trump added .
“ Illegal .
Section 230 !
” Dorsey shot back almost immediately : “ Not true .
And not illegal .
This was pulled because we got a DMCA [ Digital Millennium Copyright Act ] complaint from copyright holder.
” In fact , it ’ s copyright infringements that are illegal .
Trump ’ s reference to Section 230 is a law he wants changed to provide social media companies fewer protections regarding speech .
Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his tweets .
Twitter added a fact-check alert to his claim in two tweets last month that mail-in ballots are often fraudulent .
It also labeled as “ glorifying violence ” his message “ when the looting starts , the shooting starts , ” referring to demonstrators protesting the death of Floyd , a Black man , during a brutal arrest by white police officers in Minneapolis .
The video Trump referred to Friday had been posted by Trump campaign .
Trump and his supporters have accused Twitter of a liberal bias @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets away with messages that would be completely unacceptable by average users .
Twitter on Friday imposed a 12-hour lock on an account that posted Trump ’ s tweets verbatim .
Account @ SuspendThePres was set up to determine if Twitter ’ s algorithms would flag it as inappropriate .
It hit its goal in less than three days , after posting Trump ’ s May 29 tweet calling protesters “ THUGS ” and threatening violent intervention in Minneapolis .

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President Donald Trump got the highest-level fact-check on a tweet Friday — by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey himself.
A Trump campaign video was yanked Thursday following a complaint about copyright infringement, which was clearly explained when the video was removed. The takedown request came from the owner of one of the images included in the video, though Twitter did not reveal who made the request.
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The video was also removed from Facebook and Instagram Friday after Facebook received the same request, Variety reported.
Trump complained Friday about the move to pull the video, which he said revealed his “empathy for peaceful protesters” after the police killing of George Floyd. He accused Twitter of “fighting hard for the Radical Left Democrats. A one sided battle,” Trump added. “Illegal. Section 230!”
Dorsey shot back almost immediately: “Not true. And not illegal. This was pulled because we got a DMCA [Digital Millennium Copyright Act] complaint from copyright holder.”
In fact, it’s copyright infringements that are illegal. Trump’s reference to Section 230 is a law he wants changed to provide social media companies fewer protections regarding speech.
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Twitter Pulls Trump Campaign Video of President Showing Empathy For Peaceful Protesters https://t.co/5DEIoPHsud They are fighting hard for the Radical Left Democrats. A one sided battle. Illegal. Section 230! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2020
Not true and not illegal.
This was pulled because we got a DMCA complaint from copyright holder. https://t.co/RAsaYng71a — jack (@jack) June 6, 2020
Trump has only recently been pulled up by Twitter for his tweets. Twitter added a fact-check alert to his claim in two tweets last month that mail-in ballots are often fraudulent. It also labeled as “glorifying violence” his message “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” referring to demonstrators protesting the death of Floyd, a Black man, during a brutal arrest by white police officers in Minneapolis.
The video Trump referred to Friday had been posted by Trump campaign.
Trump and his supporters have accused Twitter of a liberal bias. But critics complain that the president gets away with messages that would be completely unacceptable by average users.
Twitter on Friday imposed a 12-hour lock on an account that posted Trump’s tweets verbatim. Account @SuspendThePres was set up to determine if Twitter’s algorithms would flag it as inappropriate. It hit its goal in less than three days, after posting Trump’s May 29 tweet calling protesters “THUGS” and threatening violent intervention in Minneapolis.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-06--Trump Erupts After Attack Target Lisa Page Joins MSNBC As National Security Analyst

Donald Trump blew up Friday following the announcement that former FBI attorney and frequent target of the president Lisa Page has been named as a national security and legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC .
Page posted her TV introduction by MSNBC ’ s Nicolle Wallace on her Twitter account , writing , “ I started something new today !
” In Page ’ s first appearance ( check out the video at the top ) she discussed the GOP reaction to the Trump administration ’ s approach to protests over the brutal police killing of George Floyd during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Lisa Murkowski ( R-Alaska ) for sharing her concerns about Trump , and noted that it “ isn ’ t easy to be courageous.
” But Page said she was hopeful that “ courage begets courage ” and that more people , like former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis , would speak out against the Trump administration .
Trump has long reveled in bashing Page and her former colleague , ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok , who disparaged Trump in messages to each other while they were investigating his campaign ’ s possible collusion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sway the 2016 presidential election to Trump .
Trump last year even acted out an imagined near-orgasm between Page and Strzok at a campaign rally .
Page finally lashed out publicly at Trump a short time later and called his act “ truly reprehensible.
” She later accused him of being “ obsessed ” with the FBI pair .
More than three years later , long after his election victory , Donald Trump is still obsessed with two officials who did their jobs while personally not liking him .
They are still the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president performs their exchanges , grotesquely .
https : //t.co/6E76hpKi9N — Lisa Page ( @ NatSecLisa ) March 1 , 2020 A report by the Justice Department ’ s inspector general issued late last year concluded that Page and Strzok ’ s personal opinions about Trump did not impact the investigation , further making a lie of Trump ’ s claim that the probe against him was concocted by haters .

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Donald Trump blew up Friday following the announcement that former FBI attorney and frequent target of the president Lisa Page has been named as a national security and legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.
“You must be kidding???” Trump tweeted. “This is a total disgrace!”
You must be kidding??? This is a total disgrace! https://t.co/3QdaYCaiZS — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2020
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Page posted her TV introduction by MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace on her Twitter account, writing, “I started something new today!”
I started something new today! 😳 https://t.co/ZfzGK5FhST — Lisa Page (@NatSecLisa) June 5, 2020
In Page’s first appearance (check out the video at the top) she discussed the GOP reaction to the Trump administration’s approach to protests over the brutal police killing of George Floyd during an arrest. She was supportive of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) for sharing her concerns about Trump, and noted that it “isn’t easy to be courageous.” But Page said she was hopeful that “courage begets courage” and that more people, like former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, would speak out against the Trump administration.
Trump has long reveled in bashing Page and her former colleague, ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok, who disparaged Trump in messages to each other while they were investigating his campaign’s possible collusion with the Kremlin in a bid to sway the 2016 presidential election to Trump.
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Trump last year even acted out an imagined near-orgasm between Page and Strzok at a campaign rally.
Is the president doing an impression of Peter Strzok having an orgasm? pic.twitter.com/izFVmlfqaW — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 11, 2019
Page finally lashed out publicly at Trump a short time later and called his act “truly reprehensible.” She later accused him of being “obsessed” with the FBI pair.
More than three years later, long after his election victory, Donald Trump is still obsessed with two officials who did their jobs while personally not liking him. They are still the stars of Trump rallies, where the president performs their exchanges, grotesquely. https://t.co/6E76hpKi9N — Lisa Page (@NatSecLisa) March 1, 2020
A report by the Justice Department’s inspector general issued late last year concluded that Page and Strzok’s personal opinions about Trump did not impact the investigation, further making a lie of Trump’s claim that the probe against him was concocted by haters.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-06--The Labor Movement Faces A Reckoning Over Police Unions

Illustration : HuffPost ; Photos : Getty Images The protests prompted by the killing of George Floyd have put new attention on the power wielded by police unions .
The AFL-CIO has a financial interest in the IUPA remaining a member , since unions pay per-capita taxes to the federation , although the IUPA is relatively small compared to other public-sector unions .
Those who want the union to remain might make a philosophical argument as well : that the federation should keep the tent as broad as possible and not draw lines around who does or doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are fending off attacks on collective bargaining around the country .
More than half of states and the entire public sector are now right-to-work .
Some in the public sector may be leery of ostracizing any union for government workers , even if they believe police unions need to be reined in .
And the building trades unions tend to be more conservative than those in the service and public sectors .
Although there are exceptions ― notably , the work of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades in challenging immigration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bristle at the AFL-CIO ’ s use of time and resources toward progressive causes .
It ’ s not easy to know the intentions of the vandals , and whether there was any more significance to the AFL-CIO being damaged than a nearby tea shop .
But Berkley thought at least one person with a can of spray paint had made a deliberate target of the building .
The photos from that night aren ’ t entirely clear , and the building has since been boarded up and decorated with “ AFL-CIO supports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one tag appeared to say : “ Those who remain silent are part of the problem .
”

Carmen Berkley spent four years directing the AFL-CIO’s civil rights department, trying to advance the cause of underrepresented communities at the country’s largest labor federation. Her tenure overlapped with seismic social justice events, including the protests that followed the killing of Michael Brown by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.
Berkley felt that the AFL-CIO often broached difficult conversations about race, but failed to follow through. With the country now engulfed in anger over police brutality, she believes the federation needs to cut its ties with police unions.
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“It will take an extraordinary amount of bravery for the conversation to have action,” said Berkley, who is Black. “My hope is that Americans know that American trade labor unions are different from police associations. Police associations are a dangerous group that need to be defunded.”
The recent police killing of George Floyd has brought new scrutiny to the power of police unions. Their collective bargaining agreements often undermine transparency and accountability around shootings, delay investigations and protect bad cops with long histories of excessive force. Their political power with both Democratic and Republican officials has made them hard to tame.
Police unions have long occupied an uneasy place within the labor movement. Many otherwise fierce trade unionists believe they need to be curbed in the interest of public safety and social progress. That might include opening their bargaining sessions up to public oversight, or restricting what they can bargain over. Some go so far as to say they should be abolished completely.
The same debate took place in labor circles in the wake of the events in Ferguson. But now, with civil unrest that surpasses 2014, labor leaders will have a difficult time avoiding a basic question: Should there be a place for police unions within the labor movement?
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A police officer fires rubber bullets at protesters during a demonstration next to the city of Miami Police Department on May 30. Anti-racist protests were held throughout the country, sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by Minneapolis police. ASSOCIATED PRESS
In the case of the AFL-CIO, that question hovers over one of its affiliates, the International Union of Police Associations, which represents 100,000 workers. The Fraternal Order of Police, which is larger and better known, is not part of the federation. The AFL-CIO includes other unions that represent corrections officers and law enforcement personnel, though they are a minority of those unions’ overall members.
There does not appear to be a broad or coordinated effort within the AFL-CIO to expel the IUPA, or to force the union to embrace police reform as a condition of membership. At least not yet.
According to the AFL-CIO constitution, ejecting a member union would require an investigation and vote by its executive council, which includes the federation’s top officers and representatives from the 55 member unions. The federation has parted ways with individual unions before, however: both the Teamsters and the Bakery and Confectionery Workers International Union were expelled decades ago over corruption charges. Others more recently disaffiliated by choice over strategic differences.
Richard Trumka, the federation’s president, suggested on a call with reporters about racial justice this week that he had little interest in a debate on whether to boot police unions. The answer “is not to disengage and condemn,” he said. And the reluctance goes well beyond Trumka. The Center for Public Integrity recently reached out to 10 major unions and labor groups to discuss police unions and found no takers.
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In a statement, Trumka said the federation was committed to ending systemic racism, bringing about criminal justice reform and demanding “better practices from our nation’s police departments and officers.”
“Just yesterday, the AFL-CIO Committees on Civil and Human Rights and Legislation and Policy met in emergency session and began the process of engaging directly with police affiliates to encourage the structural change and internal accountability measures necessary to crack down on police brutality once and for all,” he said.
The debate over law enforcement unions is already escalating inside some of the federation’s affiliates. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, acknowledged that members of her own union have recently raised concerns about being part of a federation with law enforcement unions. She also said the subject was recently discussed on a call with other members of the AFL-CIO’s executive council.
“Everyone who works needs a union. That is the truth,” Nelson told HuffPost.
But she said there are expectations of any union in the federation, including those in law enforcement.
“I think we have to make it very clear for every union in the AFL-CIO that when we see outright violence and oppression against working people, we have to stand against it,” she said. “They have to be a part of the solution, or they shouldn’t be around. It’s that simple.”
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On Friday, Nelson’s union adopted a formal “Black Lives Matter” resolution. It included the sort of criticism most unions have shied away from: “Many police and law enforcement unions across the country have refused common-sense steps to reform departments, address systemic bias in law enforcement and hold their own members accountable.”
Kim Kelly, an influential labor reporter, recently wrote in The New Republic that police unions should be eliminated, arguing it “wouldn’t make any sort of strategic sense for police-affiliated unions to try and make nice with the rest of the movement.” Kelly is a member of the Writers Guild of America-East, an AFL-CIO union, and sits on its council. Other members of the WGAE have publicly called on the federation to drive out the IUPA. (The WGAE represents HuffPost staffers.)
As a union with the @WGAEast , which is a member of the @AFLCIO, we believe the AFL-CIO should disengage from police unions and stop giving resources to enemies of labor https://t.co/rt5JgVRcCD — Onion Inc Union (@OnionIncUnion) June 4, 2020
The issue of police brutality cuts to a core tension within the AFL-CIO. The most progressive members believe the federation needs to do everything it can as an agent for social change. Other, more conservative members insist it should focus its energy on basic workplace issues: improving the pay and benefits of members.
Those two aims are not mutually exclusive, of course, and they are often inextricably linked. But the friction between those two goals often surfaces when it comes to heated political issues like the Keystone Pipeline or immigration reform.
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The AFL-CIO has a financial interest in the IUPA remaining a member, since unions pay per-capita taxes to the federation, although the IUPA is relatively small compared to other public-sector unions. Those who want the union to remain might make a philosophical argument as well: that the federation should keep the tent as broad as possible and not draw lines around who does or doesn’t belong, at a time when unions are fending off attacks on collective bargaining around the country. More than half of states and the entire public sector are now right-to-work.
There are reasons the IUPA might want to stay in the federation even if it didn’t feel welcome. The AFL-CIO functions as a powerful trade group for labor, lobbying on unions’ behalf and offering aid in battles with employers and legislators. Being an affiliate comes with another lesser-known but significant benefit: protection from “raids” ― that is, when one union tries to poach another union’s members. The AFL-CIO maintains a no-raiding rule among its affiliates.
A concerted push to expel police unions could make for messy and surprising schisms within the federation.
“The labor movement stands for working people, and working people don’t kill other working people.” - Ana Avendaño, former member of an AFL-CIO race commission
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees carries the torch of the Memphis sanitation strikers, and has one of the country’s most powerful Black labor leaders as its president, Lee Saunders. AFSCME also includes a fair number of corrections officers. The American Federation of Government Employees is waging a bitter fight with the Trump administration over collective bargaining rights for government workers. It also represents Trump-supporting officers within Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Some in the public sector may be leery of ostracizing any union for government workers, even if they believe police unions need to be reined in. And the building trades unions tend to be more conservative than those in the service and public sectors. Although there are exceptions ― notably, the work of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades in challenging immigration crackdowns ― members in those unions often bristle at the AFL-CIO’s use of time and resources toward progressive causes.
Ana Avendaño saw these internal tensions up close as part of an AFL-CIO race commission that convened after Ferguson. The commission held what she believed were meaningful hearings on structural racism. She thought there was strong internal support for those efforts, but there was also resistance from the IUPA and the building trades.
Avendaño said a showdown will become increasingly difficult for the federation to avoid.
“Kicking IUPA out would be largely symbolic. But it would be, I think, hugely symbolic,” she said. “It would really make a statement about what the federation and what the labor movement values, and doesn’t value.”
Whether police deserve collective bargaining rights, she noted, is a different question from whether they belong in the labor movement.
“The labor movement stands for working people, and working people don’t kill other working people,” she said.
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AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has spoken out against police brutality and joined calls for reform. Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
Avendaño said she saw Trumka as a pretty strong leader in the wake of Ferguson. At the time, he added his name to a letter sent to the White House from the late civil rights icon Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) calling for the creation of a commission to implement reforms and a police czar to oversee law enforcement.
Trumka’s signature infuriated the IUPA. The union’s president, Sam Cabral, sent Trumka a scathing two-page missive. Whatever problems the Black community is facing, Cabral wrote, police deserve none of the blame (the full letter can be read here).
“They are not responsible for the single parent families, the unemployment, the school dropout rate or its attendant unacceptable literacy rate among black youth,” he wrote. “They are not responsible for the gangs, black on black crime or the infant mortality rate.”
Cabral said the federation had no business weighing in on policing and the Black community. “You are using resources, time and credibility on an issue that has nothing what so ever to do with labor,” he wrote. The views laid out in Cummings’ letter “are not reflective of the blue collar American worker who builds homes, fights fires, installs telephones, or teaches students.”
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The letter left plenty of staffers within the federation doubtful they could ever work constructively with the union on reform. The IUPA has since become a booster for Trump and last year endorsed his reelection bid. The union did not respond to interview requests left by HuffPost.
In 2014, Trumka delivered a gutsy speech to the Missouri AFL-CIO taking racism head-on. It included a memorable line ― “our brother killed our sister’s son” ― a reference to Darren Wilson, the police officer who was not charged in Michael Brown’s death, and Brown’s mother, Lezley McSpadden, a grocery store worker and member of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. “If we in the labor movement truly want to act as a positive force for change around issues of racism and classism we have to acknowledge our own shortcomings,” Trumka said.
The speech was not what attendees were expecting from a burly, mustachioed white guy who came up through the United Mine Workers of America, said Amaya Smith, who worked at the AFL-CIO for nearly a decade, including as an adviser to Trumka. She now co-owns the Brown Beauty Co-Op, a D.C. beauty boutique devoted to women of color. Smith remembers complete silence ― and palpable awkwardness ― as Trumka spoke. She said she will always respect him for “delivering hard truths to people who needed to hear it.”
“When I was at the AFL-CIO, I was wildly optimistic we could be the place to have this really difficult conversation about what that means to work together to solve these problems,” Smith said.
But she never saw the serious discussion about law enforcement unions that she believes needs to happen. Still, even she is not sold on the idea of expelling the IUPA.
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“Can you use their membership for accountability?” she wondered. “I don’t think they’d be receptive to the message, but I’m not sure folks have tried to have that internal conversation. … The AFL-CIO could use its platform.”
The anger over police brutality arrived at the AFL-CIO’s front door this week, quite literally. A crowd vandalized its Washington headquarters near the White House during protests on May 31, smashing windows to the lobby and defacing the building with phrases like “fuck the law” and “we matter.” The federation condemned the violence, calling it “disgraceful,” but supported peaceful protesters’ message, with Trumka reiterating support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
It’s not easy to know the intentions of the vandals, and whether there was any more significance to the AFL-CIO being damaged than a nearby tea shop. But Berkley thought at least one person with a can of spray paint had made a deliberate target of the building. The photos from that night aren’t entirely clear, and the building has since been boarded up and decorated with “AFL-CIO supports Black Lives Matter” signs. But one tag appeared to say: “Those who remain silent are part of the problem.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-06--Watchdog Calls For FBI Probe Into Medical And Pharma Stock Holdings Of Pence Chief Of Staff

A citizens watchdog group has filed a complaint with the FBI demanding an investigation into hundreds of thousands of dollars in pharmaceutical and medical company stock held by Vice President Mike Pence ’ s chief of staff .
Marc Short is playing a “ prominent role ” in the federal response to COVID-19 even as he stands to gain from investments in the very companies that may be involved in government contracts , according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington .
“ There is reason to believe he may have violated ” the primary federal conflict-of-interest law by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matters affecting companies in which he holds stock , ” said a letter from CREW sent to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday .
NPR reported last month that Short owns between $ 506,043 and $ 1.64 million worth of stocks in companies doing work related to the Trump administration ’ s pandemic response .
Short even declared some of his holdings a potential conflict of interest after joining Pence ’ s office last year , but he did not sell them after he was denied a capital gains tax break in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed he is skirting conflict of interest issues by recusing himself from specific matters that could bolster his investments .
Yet CREW wrote Wray that the “ breadth of his investment portfolio casts serious doubt as to whether recusal is feasible.
” The White House press office reported earlier this year that Short was expected to attend meetings in March and April regarding the COVID-19 response with representatives from United Health Group , CVS , Johnson & Johnson , Pfizer , Walmart and Disney — all companies in which Short has investments , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attending those meetings , according to CREW .
Several of the companies have been dealing with the White House and have even been touted by the Trump administration for their work with the government .
Short himself gave a shoutout to Honeywell for manufacturing respirator masks during an interview with reporters in March ( see the video above ) .
He owns between $ 50,000 and $ 100,000 worth of Honeywell stock , NPR reported .
President Donald Trump visited the Honeywell plant in early May .
Pence spokesman Devin O ’ Malley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ followed all applicable ethics laws.
” After the establishment of the coronavirus task force , headed by Pence , Short has “ worked with legal counsel to implement appropriate recusals , ” according to O ’ Malley .
But CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said in a statement that while Short “ helps craft and guide the government ’ s coronavirus response efforts , he appears to have maintained financial interests that could be affected by those efforts — and could influence his decision-making on important issues.
” The law requires executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before participating in any decision — or even deliberations — affecting companies or specific industries in which they have investments , NPR noted .
Violations can trigger civil and criminal penalties .
Under federal conflict-of-interest laws “ an employee is prohibited ... from participating personally and substantially in an official capacity in any particular matter in which , to his knowledge , he or any other person specified in the statute has a financial interest , if the particular matter will have a direct and predictable effect on that interest .
”

A citizens watchdog group has filed a complaint with the FBI demanding an investigation into hundreds of thousands of dollars in pharmaceutical and medical company stock held by Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff.
Marc Short is playing a “prominent role” in the federal response to COVID-19 even as he stands to gain from investments in the very companies that may be involved in government contracts, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
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“There is reason to believe he may have violated” the primary federal conflict-of-interest law by “participating personally and substantially in particular matters affecting companies in which he holds stock,” said a letter from CREW sent to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday.
NPR reported last month that Short owns between $506,043 and $1.64 million worth of stocks in companies doing work related to the Trump administration’s pandemic response. Short even declared some of his holdings a potential conflict of interest after joining Pence’s office last year, but he did not sell them after he was denied a capital gains tax break in the event of a sale.
Short has claimed he is skirting conflict of interest issues by recusing himself from specific matters that could bolster his investments. Yet CREW wrote Wray that the “breadth of his investment portfolio casts serious doubt as to whether recusal is feasible.”
The White House press office reported earlier this year that Short was expected to attend meetings in March and April regarding the COVID-19 response with representatives from United Health Group, CVS, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Walmart and Disney — all companies in which Short has investments, CREW noted. Photos have shown him attending those meetings, according to CREW.
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He and his wife also own stock in 3M, Abbott Laboratories, Gilead Sciences, Procter & Gamble, Medtronic, Bristol Myers Squibb, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Roche, NPR reported.
Several of the companies have been dealing with the White House and have even been touted by the Trump administration for their work with the government. Short himself gave a shoutout to Honeywell for manufacturing respirator masks during an interview with reporters in March (see the video above). He owns between $50,000 and $100,000 worth of Honeywell stock, NPR reported. President Donald Trump visited the Honeywell plant in early May.
Pence spokesman Devin O’Malley told NPR last month that Short has “followed all applicable ethics laws.” After the establishment of the coronavirus task force, headed by Pence, Short has “worked with legal counsel to implement appropriate recusals,” according to O’Malley.
But CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said in a statement that while Short “helps craft and guide the government’s coronavirus response efforts, he appears to have maintained financial interests that could be affected by those efforts — and could influence his decision-making on important issues.”
The law requires executive branch employees to resolve conflicts of interest before participating in any decision — or even deliberations — affecting companies or specific industries in which they have investments, NPR noted. Violations can trigger civil and criminal penalties.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-06--Banksy's New Anti-Racism Artwork Sets Fire To The American Flag

The British street artist depicted a shrine to an anonymous Black figure in the new artwork he posted to Instagram on Saturday morning .
In the image , a burning candle has set the American flag on fire .
Banksy explained in a statement accompanying the image how “ at first I thought I should just shut up and listen to black people about this issue.
” “ But why would I do that ?
” he asked .
“ It ’ s not their problem .
It ’ s mine.
” “ People of colour are being failed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Banksy continued .
“ Like a broken pipe flooding the apartment of the people living downstairs .
This faulty system is making their life a misery , but it ’ s not their job to fix it .
They can ’ t — no-one will let them in the apartment upstairs.
” “ This is a white problem , ” Banksy concluded .
“ And if white people don ’ t fix it , someone will have to come upstairs and kick the door in.
” Protests have spread worldwide following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week .
Floyd , a Black man , died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes .
Some 4,000 people are reportedly expected to attend a rally in Banksy ’ s home city of Bristol , in southwest England , later Saturday .
Banksy has used his art to tackle racism on multiple previous occasions .
In 2014 , authorities in Clacton-on-Sea , Essex , erroneously believed his satirical commentary on immigration , below , contained “ offensive and racist remarks ” — and scrubbed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Banksy , who has never been officially identified , last month donated this painting to Britain ’ s National Health Service in honor of health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic : The piece , titled “ Game Changer , ” was almost stolen soon after being installed at Southampton General Hospital in southern England .
It will be auctioned to raise money for health care charities in the fall .

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Banksy is making a powerful statement against systemic racism with his latest piece.
The British street artist depicted a shrine to an anonymous Black figure in the new artwork he posted to Instagram on Saturday morning.
In the image, a burning candle has set the American flag on fire.
Scroll across to see the full picture:
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Banksy explained in a statement accompanying the image how “at first I thought I should just shut up and listen to black people about this issue.”
“But why would I do that?” he asked. “It’s not their problem. It’s mine.”
“People of colour are being failed by the system. The white system,” Banksy continued. “Like a broken pipe flooding the apartment of the people living downstairs. This faulty system is making their life a misery, but it’s not their job to fix it. They can’t — no-one will let them in the apartment upstairs.”
“This is a white problem,” Banksy concluded. “And if white people don’t fix it, someone will have to come upstairs and kick the door in.”
Banksy also changed his Instagram profile picture to a black circle:
Instagram/Banksy
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Protests have spread worldwide following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. Floyd, a Black man, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.
Banksy has used his art to tackle racism on multiple previous occasions.
In 2014, authorities in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, erroneously believed his satirical commentary on immigration, below, contained “offensive and racist remarks” — and scrubbed the potentially valuable mural from the wall.
Banksy, who has never been officially identified, last month donated this painting to Britain’s National Health Service in honor of health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic:
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-06--Scant Evidence For Trump Claim That Antifa Is Behind Protest Violence

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Scott Nichols, a balloon artist, was riding home on his scooter from the protests engulfing Minneapolis last weekend when he was struck by a rubber bullet fired from a cluster of police officers in riot gear.
“I just pulled over and put my hands up, because I didn’t want to get killed,” said Nichols, 40. “Anybody that knows me knows I wasn’t out there to cause problems.”
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Nichols, who before the coronavirus pandemic made his living performing at children’s birthday parties under the stage name “Amazing Scott,” spent two days in jail before being released on criminal charges of riot and curfew violation.
President Donald Trump has characterized those clashing with law enforcement after George Floyd’s death under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer as organized, radical-left thugs engaging in domestic terrorism, an assertion repeated by Attorney General William Barr. Some Democrats, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, initially tried to blame out-of-state far-right infiltrators for the unrest before walking back those statements.
There is scant evidence either is true.
The Associated Press analyzed court records, employment histories, social media posts and other sources of information for 217 people arrested last weekend in Minneapolis and the District of Columbia, two cities at the epicenter of the protests across the United States.
Rather than outside agitators, more than 85% of those arrested by police were local residents. Of those charged with such offenses as curfew violations, rioting and failure to obey law enforcement, only a handful appeared to have any affiliation with organized groups.
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It’s ANTIFA and the Radical Left. Don’t lay the blame on others! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2020
Those charged with more serious offenses related to looting and property destruction – such as arson, burglary and theft – often had past criminal records. But they, too, were overwhelmingly local residents taking advantage of the chaos.
Social media posts indicate only a few of those arrested are left-leaning activists, including a self-described anarchist. But others had indications of being on the political right, including some Trump supporters.
The president has tried to portray the protesters and looters with a broad brush as “radical-left, bad people,” ominously invoking the name “antifa,” an umbrella term for leftist militants bound more by belief than organizational structure. Trump tweeted last Sunday that he planned to designate antifa as a terrorist organization.
“These are acts of domestic terror,” Trump said in a Rose Garden speech Monday, moments before heavily armed troops and riot police advanced without warning on the largely peaceful protesters across the street from the White House.
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Barr, put in charge of organizing the police and military response, activated the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force last weekend to target protest organizers.
“The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly,” Barr said in a statement issued Sunday.
Congratulations to our National Guard for the great job they did immediately upon arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night. The ANTIFA led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly. Should have been done by Mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
“I don’t see any indication that there were any white supremest groups mixing in. This is an ANTIFA Organization. It seems that the first time we saw it in a major way was Occupy Wall Street. It’s the same mindset.” @kilmeade @foxandfriends TRUE! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 1, 2020
There have been violent acts, including property destruction and theft. Police officers and protesters have been seriously injured and killed. But federal law enforcement officials have offered little evidence that antifa-aligned protesters could be behind a movement that has appeared nearly simultaneously in hundreds of cities and towns in all 50 states since Floyd’s death.
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The AP obtained copies of daily confidential “Intelligence Notes” distributed this past week to local enforcement by the Department of Homeland Security that repeat, without citing evidence, that “organized violent opportunists — including suspected anarchist extremists — could increasingly perpetrate nationwide targeting of law enforcement and critical infrastructure.”
“We lack detailed reporting indicating the level of organization and planning by some violent opportunists and assess that most of the violence to date has been loosely organized on a level seen with previous widespread outbreaks of violence at lawful protests,” the assessment for Monday says.
The following day, the assessment noted “several uncorroborated reports of bricks being pre-staged at planned protest venues nationwide.”
Law enforcement officers stand in formation along Lake Street near Hiawatha Ave. as fires burned after a night of unrest and protests in the death of George Floyd early Friday, May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP) ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Although we have been unable to verify the reporting through official channels, the staging of improvised weapons at planned events is a common tactic used by violent opportunists,” the Tuesday assessment says.
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But social media posts warning that stacks of bricks have been left at protest sites in Atlanta, Boston and Los Angeles have been debunked by local officials who have explained that the masonry was out in the open before the protests or was for use in construction projects.
Nichols, the balloon artist, hardly fits the portrait of a radical.
He recently gained local notice for a giant balloon rabbit and other sculptures displayed in his front yard for Easter. He laughed when asked if he had any ties to antifa or other militant groups. A white man who lives less than a half mile from where Floyd was killed on May 25, Nichols said he protested to support of his neighbors, many of whom are black.
“It was the most insane thing I’ve seen in my life,” he said. “The city was going crazy.”
Nichols said he and a friend helped douse a dumpster fire that near a laundromat. He remembers getting a text from his mother saying that Minneapolis had set an 8 p.m. curfew, but he thought it would be enforced loosely.
“Had I known that being out after curfew would be such a severe penalty, I would have never done it,” Nichols said, adding that he missed his son’s high school graduation while he was in jail.
Lars Ortiz, a 35-year-old classical musician, said he was driving just blocks from his Minneapolis home on May 29 after visiting a friend recovering from COVID-19 when officers pulled him out of his car at gunpoint. He said he had been unaware of the 8 p.m. curfew enacted that night.
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Ortiz and another friend in the car with him were put in zip-tie restraints and forced to wait on a bus for hours before police took them to jail, where he would spend the weekend.
“It was scary. It was confusing. I felt violated,” said Ortiz, a cellist who identifies as a biracial Mexican American.
Ortiz was held on a riot charge and curfew violation. He said he was told when he was released from jail on Monday the more serious rioting charge was dropped.
Lt. Andy Knotz of the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies were deployed from the suburban county north of Minneapolis into the city to help with the unrest, said it was a “chaotic scene” and that Ortiz was coming from the direction of the protests. Knotz said Ortiz was removed from his car by the Minnesota State Patrol, and an Anoka deputy took him to the police station.
“In chaos like that you can’t determine who is legit and who isn’t,” Knotz said.
Natalie Cook, 43, who’s white, said she had never before participated in a protest, but wanted to be there to support and protect her 24-year-old son, who’s black.
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“Not only did I want to go to be an ally to black people, but I wanted to go to support my son,” Cook said. “Also, I was afraid to send him out by himself.”
A Minneapolis Police officer stands near a structure fire, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cook said they were marching peacefully with about 100 protesters for hours when police started using tear gas and shooting rubber bullets. As they tried to get away, they were pepper sprayed and her son was hit at close range by a rubber bullet, she said. They were both jailed and released on Monday, charged with riot and violating curfew.
Cook said her son was deeply affected by Floyd’s death and she doesn’t have any regrets about going out to make their voices heard.
“My son was really struggling with it,” she said. “We couldn’t just sit by and watch.”
AP filed public records requests seeking arrest reports and other documents that might show what evidence law enforcement officers have against Nichols, Ortiz the Cooks and others arrested in Minneapolis. Those records have not yet been provided.
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In Washington, the D.C. Metropolitan Police arrested at least 81 people last weekend, including some as young as 13. Most were charged with curfew violations and felony rioting, which could result in up to 180 days in jail and $5,000 in fines.
Among the highest profile arrests made by federal authorities in the last week was Matthew Lee Rupert. Prosecutors allege the 28-year-old Illinois man traveled to Minneapolis to participate in riots and then posted videos on a Facebook page showing him looting stores and handing out explosives.
In one video, Rupert, a convicted felon, says: “We come to riot, boy! This is what we came for!”
Though Rupert is alleged to have targeted police officers, there is no evidence cited in his indictment he is affiliated with any organized group. Among the few indicators of his political beliefs was a series of Facebook posts celebrating Trump’s 2017 inauguration. “Trump is my president but I’m not racist,” he wrote, adding that he loves Mexican food.
Rupert, who made an initial court appearance Friday, remains in federal custody. A federal public defender assigned to represent him did not respond to a voicemail message seeking comment.
Michael German, a former FBI agent and fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, said people often travel and cross state lines to participate in protests and that not all of them have peaceful intent. He said politicians and law enforcement often cite the presence of out-of-towners to justify greater police force against protesters.
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“It’s an old tactic for law enforcement policing protests to suggest that the problems are being caused by outside agitators,” German said. “It opens up the opportunity for greater police violence in response.”
Among those who traveled to Minneapolis to protest Floyd’s killing was Tara Houska, a 36-year-old attorney and member of the Couchiching First Nation from northern Minnesota. An activist for indigenous rights, she was arrested in Minneapolis last Saturday night and charged with not complying with a peace officer.
Houska, who attended college and law school in the city, said she was with a group a couple blocks from where Floyd died when police told them they were breaking curfew. They replied they were going home, she said, and then the officers hit them with pepper spray and zip-tied their hands.
“Almost everyone that was in our holding tank with us was from Minnesota,” Houska said.
Sierra West, 29, of Kansas City, Missouri, said she drove to Minneapolis with a friend because she is “so angry about what is happening” with police brutality and wanted to peacefully protest.
After marching for hours, West she broke away from the crowds and was walking back to her car through an alley alone when police arrested her early Saturday on riot and curfew violation charges. She said she did nothing to provoke the four officers who confronted her.
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“They were hiding, and they literally jumped out of the shadows with guns drawn on me,” she said. “The street was completely empty.”
West, who is white and describes herself as a strong supporter of the Black Lives Movement, was freed from jail on Monday afternoon.
University of Minnesota Law School student Santana Boulton, 23, said a police officer pepper-sprayed her in the face on May 28 before she was tear-gassed two days later and then arrested on Sunday, charged with unlawful assembly and violating a curfew.
About 15 minutes before the 8 p.m. curfew, Boulton said she and her boyfriend joined a large crowd of marchers on Interstate 35. People linked arms and kneeled before two lines of police officers formed near the protesters. She said she never heard any orders to disperse.
“It was nothing like a riot. It was a sit-in,” she said.
Boulton, a white woman who moved from Michigan to Minneapolis to attend law school, was arrested and spent 16 hours in custody. She described herself as “philosophically an anarchist,” but “not a revolutionary.”
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“Antifa isn’t even real,” Boulton said. “As an actual person who identifies with the political label of anarchist, the only thing anarchists do is have meetings where they argue for five hours and get nothing done.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-06--Marine Corps Bans Confederate Flag From Public Display

The Marine Corps said it will no longer allow its troops to display the Confederate battle flag .
“ The Confederate battle flag has all too often been co-opted by violent extremists and racist groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in our Corps.
” the military branch said in a statement released Friday .
The Confederacy lost the Civil War , which it fought to preserve slavery .
Marines will no longer be able to display the flag in public and on items including bumper stickers , clothing and mugs .
In its decision , the Marine Corps cited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Virginia , in 2017 in which anti-racist protester Heather Heyer was murdered by a white supremacist The hate symbol “ presents a threat to our core values , unit cohesion , security and good order and discipline , ” the statement said .
Last week , Confederate statues in Virginia and Alabama were taken down .
The removals come as protests have ignited across the country following the police killing of Black Minneapolis man George Floyd .
“ I am mindful that many people believe that flag to be a symbol of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corps commandant Gen. David Berger said in an April memo .
“ But I am also mindful of the feelings of pain and rejection of those who inherited the cultural memory and present effects of the scourge of slavery in our country .
”

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The Marine Corps said it will no longer allow its troops to display the Confederate battle flag.
Today, the Marine Corps released guidance on the removal of public displays of the Confederate battle flag.
MARADMIN 331/20: https://t.co/WLW4m70LW1 pic.twitter.com/TKoYJUL7Vo — U.S. Marines (@USMC) June 6, 2020
“The Confederate battle flag has all too often been co-opted by violent extremists and racist groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in our Corps.” the military branch said in a statement released Friday.
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The Confederacy lost the Civil War, which it fought to preserve slavery.
Marines will no longer be able to display the flag in public and on items including bumper stickers, clothing and mugs.
In its decision, the Marine Corps cited the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 in which anti-racist protester Heather Heyer was murdered by a white supremacist
The hate symbol “presents a threat to our core values, unit cohesion, security and good order and discipline,” the statement said.
Last week, Confederate statues in Virginia and Alabama were taken down. The removals come as protests have ignited across the country following the police killing of Black Minneapolis man George Floyd.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-06--New Jobs Report Diminishes GOP Appetite For More Virus Aid

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — A stronger than expected jobs report could further scramble an already uncertain picture for passing a fifth and possibly final coronavirus aid bill .
The positive statistics are feeding the wait-and-see approach of the White House and its GOP allies in Congress .
Republicans say the numbers vindicate their decision to take a pause and assess the almost $ 3 trillion in assistance they already have approved .
The White House was already showing little urgency about pursing another trillion-dollar response bill , much less the $ 3.5 trillion measure passed by the House last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopening the economy .
The coming weeks are expected to bring difficult negotiations over what the package should contain , just months before an election where the White House and control of Congress are at stake .
For lawmakers , tough decisions loom about how much money to allocate to states , how to extend unemployment benefits for millions of people and whether to create lawsuit protections for businesses and schools as they reopen during the pandemic .
Friday ’ s jobs report showed a 2.5 million gain instead of an expected loss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the aid talks .
Trump is difficult to gauge , but talks often of pursing public works spending and a payroll tax cut , which is a nonstarter on Capitol Hill .
“ They are less than urgent , less than inclined for another package , ” said Rep. Patrick McHenry , R-N.C. , a GOP leader when his party was in the majority .
“ There is less urgency to go strike a hard deal — and this one would be a hard deal .
Doesn ’ t mean it won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urgency is far lessened.
” Democrats looked at the jobs report and saw job losses for 600,000 public employees that are likely to worsen if Washington doesn ’ t help cash-starved state and local governments .
Despite the positive jobs news , unemployment nationwide is at 13 % , so the looming expiration of a supplemental $ 600 per week jobless benefit promises to provide a catalyst for action .
Top Democrats such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York are united behind the $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which contains party priorities such as jobless aid , another round of $ 1,200 checks and money for essential workers , local schools , colleges and people missing mortgages and rent payments .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other Republicans are opposed to the Democratic plan .
But they are struggling with their own divisions , with more pragmatic lawmakers favoring aid to states and local governments and recognizing that additional jobless aid is inevitable if there is to be an agreement .
GOP Sens .
Mitt Romney of Utah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gardner of Colorado back a significant state aid package , and there ’ s strong support across Congress for help for smaller municipalities .
But concerns about piling additional trillions of dollars onto the national debt have risen , and some Republicans believe Congress has done enough .
McConnell has already said Republicans won ’ t extend the $ 600 per week supplemental unemployment benefit , which they say is taking away incentive for people to return to the job market .
A recent Congressional Budget Office report estimated that 5 out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to receive the higher benefits than returning to work and that extending the benefit would harm the economy next year .
What is plain is that the enormous sense of urgency that produced the first four aid bills has faded , along with the freewheeling dynamic that inflated the price tags .
That dynamic helped Democrats to win gains in the $ 2 trillion CARES Act in March that they might not have gotten through a more deliberate process .
“ Unlike the CARES Act , where we really did need to act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have a little bit of luxury of time , but that time is not indefinite , ” said Neil Bradley , chief policy officer at the U.S Chamber of Commerce .
“ We don ’ t have months.
” Now , Republicans have set a goal of keeping the cost of the next bill below $ 1 trillion .
That ’ s going to be a hard sell for Pelosi , who devoted almost $ 1 trillion just to states and localities .
Supporters of a deal had hoped to reach an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ annual August recess is now looking more like the informal deadline .
For starters , leadership aides in both parties acknowledge there have been virtually no bipartisan talks so far , with Pelosi and McConnell communicating through their public statements .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A stronger than expected jobs report could further scramble an already uncertain picture for passing a fifth and possibly final coronavirus aid bill. The positive statistics are feeding the wait-and-see approach of the White House and its GOP allies in Congress.
Republicans say the numbers vindicate their decision to take a pause and assess the almost $3 trillion in assistance they already have approved. The White House was already showing little urgency about pursing another trillion-dollar response bill, much less the $3.5 trillion measure passed by the House last month, and prefers to concentrate on reopening the economy.
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The coming weeks are expected to bring difficult negotiations over what the package should contain, just months before an election where the White House and control of Congress are at stake.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, arrives for a Republican luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 4. AP Photo/Susan Walsh
For lawmakers, tough decisions loom about how much money to allocate to states, how to extend unemployment benefits for millions of people and whether to create lawsuit protections for businesses and schools as they reopen during the pandemic.
Friday’s jobs report showed a 2.5 million gain instead of an expected loss of millions more, complicating prospects for the aid talks. Trump is difficult to gauge, but talks often of pursing public works spending and a payroll tax cut, which is a nonstarter on Capitol Hill.
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“They are less than urgent, less than inclined for another package,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a GOP leader when his party was in the majority. “There is less urgency to go strike a hard deal — and this one would be a hard deal. Doesn’t mean it won’t happen, I just think the urgency is far lessened.”
Democrats looked at the jobs report and saw job losses for 600,000 public employees that are likely to worsen if Washington doesn’t help cash-starved state and local governments. Despite the positive jobs news, unemployment nationwide is at 13%, so the looming expiration of a supplemental $600 per week jobless benefit promises to provide a catalyst for action.
Top Democrats such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York are united behind the $3.5 trillion “HEROES Act,” which contains party priorities such as jobless aid, another round of $1,200 checks and money for essential workers, local schools, colleges and people missing mortgages and rent payments.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other Republicans are opposed to the Democratic plan. But they are struggling with their own divisions, with more pragmatic lawmakers favoring aid to states and local governments and recognizing that additional jobless aid is inevitable if there is to be an agreement.
GOP Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado back a significant state aid package, and there’s strong support across Congress for help for smaller municipalities. But concerns about piling additional trillions of dollars onto the national debt have risen, and some Republicans believe Congress has done enough.
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McConnell has already said Republicans won’t extend the $600 per week supplemental unemployment benefit, which they say is taking away incentive for people to return to the job market. A recent Congressional Budget Office report estimated that 5 out of 6 people would earn more by continuing to receive the higher benefits than returning to work and that extending the benefit would harm the economy next year.
What is plain is that the enormous sense of urgency that produced the first four aid bills has faded, along with the freewheeling dynamic that inflated the price tags. That dynamic helped Democrats to win gains in the $2 trillion CARES Act in March that they might not have gotten through a more deliberate process.
“Unlike the CARES Act, where we really did need to act in a matter of days, here we have a little bit of luxury of time, but that time is not indefinite,” said Neil Bradley, chief policy officer at the U.S Chamber of Commerce. “We don’t have months.”
Now, Republicans have set a goal of keeping the cost of the next bill below $1 trillion. That’s going to be a hard sell for Pelosi, who devoted almost $1 trillion just to states and localities.
Supporters of a deal had hoped to reach an agreement this month, but acknowledge the annual August recess is now looking more like the informal deadline. For starters, leadership aides in both parties acknowledge there have been virtually no bipartisan talks so far, with Pelosi and McConnell communicating through their public statements.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-06--Protest Cost Him His Career. Still, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Urges On The Protesters

But it wasn ’ t his near-perfect free throws that drew him into the spotlight .
In 1996 , over the course of several games , the Denver Nuggets player chose to either sit quietly or wait inside the locker room during the national anthem .
There was a host of issues that led to Abdul-Rauf ’ s protest .
He said mostly that the flag , to him , had become “ a symbol of oppression ” that contradicted his Muslim beliefs .
His actions went largely unnoticed until a reporter asked why he was seated .
When the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s position was met with swift punishment from the NBA and the American people .
To see these images , and to think about how their children and their loved ones are going to have to live with that image for the rest of their life , and all of us who are privy to it as well .
It has long-term effects and some of these effects for some people are going to be irreparable .
So there ’ s a lot of thoughts that are going through my mind .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have now on television , and you turn it into black and white , it looks the same .
If you pull up the conversation of what was going on then , the issues that black people and minorities were dealing with and what they were demanding , it ’ s some of that same stuff now .
Sometimes the only language that political or powerful institutions can hear after you ’ ve had all the talks , and the conversations and the waiting , is when the property is destroyed or there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Only then there is this need to have a conversation about how we need to end racism .
It shouldn ’ t take that , but it does , unfortunately .
It ’ s going to take a lot of different strategies to make people listen .
It ’ s beautiful to see the constant and consistent protests ― that they haven ’ t let up , even after the arrest .
The people have been through so much .
Keep it going and put the pressure on .
Don ’ t take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cost whatsoever .
Now we need to push for other things and let them know this is serious now .
The results [ of our work ] , one could say , is never up to us .
We see something that needs to be done and we address it .
The outcome may not come during this time that you ’ re living in , but you ’ re planting seeds .
You may not benefit from the growth of that tree and what it produces .
But down the line , @ @ @ @ @ @

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Nearly 24 years ago, basketball star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf knew he had to stand up for his beliefs, even if it was going to cost him his NBA career.
And it did cost him his career.
Abdul-Rauf ― who was known as Chris Jackson before he converted to Islam in 1991 and later changed his name ― was a talented shooter who in 1994 had a free throw percentage of 95.6, the second-highest in NBA history.
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But it wasn’t his near-perfect free throws that drew him into the spotlight. In 1996, over the course of several games, the Denver Nuggets player chose to either sit quietly or wait inside the locker room during the national anthem. There was a host of issues that led to Abdul-Rauf’s protest. He said mostly that the flag, to him, had become “a symbol of oppression” that contradicted his Muslim beliefs. His actions went largely unnoticed until a reporter asked why he was seated. When the news of his protest spread, Abdul-Rauf’s position was met with swift punishment from the NBA and the American people.
The NBA suspended him for one game and he subsequently lost over $30,000 in wages until he agreed to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Commentators fiercely debated Abdul-Rauf’s views, questioned his patriotism, and scolded him for being ungrateful.
He and the basketball league quickly reached a compromise that allowed him to stand and pray with his head down during the anthem. But the damage was done. Abdul-Rauf’s playing time dropped and though he’d dominated the season at just 29 years old, once his contract expired he was weeded out of the NBA.
Like many activists before and after him, Abdul-Rauf paid a stiff price for sticking by his principles. There were no hashtags or social media campaigns ― for or against him ― but he had more enemies than supporters. Abdul-Rauf moved on to play abroad before he retired in 2011. Over 20 years later, he doesn’t regret a thing.
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HuffPost spoke to Abdul-Rauf from his Atlanta home about George Floyd’s death, the anti-racism protests and how his Muslim faith continues to keep him grounded.
This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.
How are you feeling and processing everything right now?
Outraged. But this is a feeling I’ve been having for many, many years, and I think Black people in general [have]. To constantly wake up to televised and broad-daylight public executions in what we would classify as the murder of Black people, with George Floyd being the most recent and visible casualty.
It’s reminiscent of when you reach back in history where people used to send postcards of lynchings and burnings and mutilated bodies to share with their loved ones and their friends. Now it’s just video shared and it’s on television.
It definitely and rightfully so makes you angry because you think about not just the person’s life that was lost, but you think about the generational damage that it’s caused.
To see these images, and to think about how their children and their loved ones are going to have to live with that image for the rest of their life, and all of us who are privy to it as well. It has long-term effects and some of these effects for some people are going to be irreparable. So there’s a lot of thoughts that are going through my mind.
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How do you think society has changed in the way people respond to injustices today versus back when you were protesting the national anthem?
I think one of the differences is that now you have social media. Anybody with a phone could film something, and then it goes viral and more people have access. The media, even if they don’t want to focus on it, are now forced to because of the public outcry.
But outside of that, I don’t see that there’s much of a difference. You always had people speaking out and challenging the system. But not much has changed.
If you take the images that we have now on television, and you turn it into black and white, it looks the same. If you pull up the conversation of what was going on then, the issues that black people and minorities were dealing with and what they were demanding, it’s some of that same stuff now.
Isn’t it frustrating that these issues are still the same?
Of course, it’s frustrating. James Baldwin says that if you’re Black in this country, you’re almost always enraged.
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Every year you’re promised something by so-called representatives, and every year we are lied to and we’re given crumbs. [The promised changes] are never something that’s meaningful and impactful, that makes you feel that there is real change that occurs. We’re told just to be patient.
Sometimes the only language that political or powerful institutions can hear after you’ve had all the talks, and the conversations and the waiting, is when the property is destroyed or there’s an attempt on life. Only then there is this need to have a conversation about how we need to end racism. It shouldn’t take that, but it does, unfortunately. It’s going to take a lot of different strategies to make people listen.
What do you think needs to happen to break this cycle?
There’s a lot of things that have to change. The whole system needs to change because right now Black people don’t trust the system. We don’t trust law enforcement. We don’t trust what politicians say.
It’s beautiful to see the constant and consistent protests ― that they haven’t let up, even after the arrest. The people have been through so much. Keep it going and put the pressure on. Don’t take your feet off the gas at any cost whatsoever. Now we need to push for other things and let them know this is serious now.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf ― seen here during the BIG3 basketball league championship in August 2017 in Las Vegas ― says he needs to see more before he'll believe the NBA has actually changed. Sam Wasson/BIG3/Getty Images
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Brands and institutions like the NFL, Nike, Amazon, have all put out statements addressing George Floyd’s death ― including the NBA, which has recently been hosting virtual roundtables on the issue of police brutality. But 24 years ago, the NBA suspended and fined you. Do you think these institutions are changing how they go about these issues?
I would be more inclined to embrace their genuineness if I can see a consistent defense when injustices occur and when their hiring practices change. Outside of that, for me personally, it’s for public consumption and to protect their wealth.
Do you think if your protest happened today, the NBA or society would have responded differently? Why do you think your stance was so controversial back then? You received death threats and were the target of ugly and racist commentary.
People don’t like for you to attack the American symbol, which is the flag. They don’t like for you to attack the government or the military or talk about police brutality or racial inequality. Just look at Colin Kaepernick.
It’s hard for this country to admit that it’s done wrong because there are consequences that come with that. Then you gotta talk about reparations and you gotta talk about compensating people, and they don’t want to do that.
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You have been an agent of change for various social justice movements ― some causes that were acknowledged and some were not acknowledged. What advice would you give to those people who feel like their voices and concerns aren’t being heard?
The results [of our work], one could say, is never up to us. We see something that needs to be done and we address it. The outcome may not come during this time that you’re living in, but you’re planting seeds. You may not benefit from the growth of that tree and what it produces. But down the line, generations may benefit from it.
I’m speaking from what my understanding of Islam teaches me. Allah says in the Quran that he can turn your greatest enemy into your most intimate friend. You never know how information that I give a person may impact or influence them.
My advice is to continue to work and always try to find and locate people who think similarly and have some of the same passions. I think about the verse where Allah says to be in the company of the righteous.
Your faith was obviously the foundation of protests then. How has your faith helped you hold on to those same principles and make sense of the world today?
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My faith is everything. I’m not perfect. Islam governs everything I do. It governs my understanding as to how I approach politics, how I approach my family, my health, my children, how to approach people who don’t share my faith.
So when I have an issue, whether we’re talking about justice or we’re talking about love, I don’t want to hear what man says about love. What does my faith say about love? What does my faith say about peace?
You had minimal support when you were protesting and the backlash that ensued after. This has me thinking about people’s silence today and the idea of complicity. What advice do you have for people so as to make sure they aren’t silent and complicit this time around?
Read things that are going to make you uncomfortable. Read things that are going to challenge your overall perception. There’s a saying that once your mind grows, it can’t go back to its normal place.
Information is power. I love to learn, whether it’s through books or listening to people. And I also love to share because you never know who it’s going to influence. I’m constantly reminding myself of this because once you throw something out there, you are responsible for trying your best to uphold it ― not just in words but in your behavior.
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So force yourself to be uncomfortable, to learn something different, and to think outside the box that you see yourself.
Are you hopeful?
You always have to remain hopeful. We’re always going to have moments of justice, just like we’re always going to have moments of oppression. We just try to work to close the divide.
It’s not ever going to be perfect but we’re going to try to make it as perfect as we can.