thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Native Americans In California Are Toppling Statues Of This Catholic Saint

Now , the removal of Confederate symbols across the South has reenergized calls for California to stop putting Serra on a pedestal .
This is happening because protesters are finding connections between the violence that Black and Native American experienced in the U.S. , according to Olivia Chilcote , a scholar of American Indian studies at San Diego State University and a member of the San Luis Rey Band of Luiseño Mission Indians .
Serra ’ s legacy as a Catholic missionary is intricately tied to Spain ’ s colonization of California .
Spain ’ s King Charles III sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the late 18th century to solidify his hold on the region .
As part of that occupying presence , Spanish priests built 21 missions up and down the coast .
The goal of these missions was to convert Indigenous peoples to Catholicism and ultimately turn them into loyal citizens of Spain .
After baptism , Native Americans were forced to live at the missions to receive religious and language instruction .
Their own customs and beliefs were banned , while their forced , unpaid labor sustained the missions .
Those who tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back , and those who disobeyed were whipped and put in stocks .
Today , some Native scholars compare the missions to slave plantations and concentration camps .
Serra ’ s sole intention in coming to California was to give Native Americans the “ greatest gift he could imagine to offer — the knowledge of Jesus Christ and his salvation , ” Gómez wrote .
He pointed out that after a Native-led revolt against Spanish rule led to the death of a fellow priest , Serra stepped in to ask for the fighters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not enough to legitimate a public statue in the state that he did so much to create , then virtually every historical figure from our nation ’ s past will have to be removed for their failings measured in the light of today ’ s standards , ” the bishops wrote .
But Native people of Serra ’ s time found the mission system to be cruel , which is why they resisted it in various forms over the years , Chilcote said .
And visitors to the missions ― Europeans and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote about the horrific treatment of Native Americans at these missions .
The institutions of the Catholic Church are wired to support people it has already canonized since to withdraw support would be to call into question the sometimes centuries-long vetting process for sainthood , according to Natalia Imperatori-Lee , a scholar of Catholic ecclesiology and Latinx theology at Manhattan College .
There were protests around Serra ’ s canonization , but many Catholics ultimately saw it as a step forward because the church has such a paucity of so-called New World saints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she said .
But the problem is that with Serra , the church added someone intimately involved in the violence of colonization .
“ Whatever the intent of the Catholic colonizers , and to be sure some expressed a ‘ benign ’ desire to save souls , the violent means of accomplishing this salvation still scars the nation and the church , ” she said .
“ After all , even after the Native Americans ( who weren ’ t exterminated ) had converted , they were not admitted into seminaries because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taught spiritual truths like theology.
” Serra is still very much present in California society .
There are schools , streets , parks and buildings named after him , along with numerous Serra statues .
Until recently , fourth-graders in the state learned about Serra and the Spanish missions by building tiny replicas of the sites using household objects ― a project that some Native scholars compare to having children build Southern slave plantations for school projects .
But there have been some recent signs of change .
Last year , Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ historical mistreatment , violence and neglect of California ’ s Native American peoples in the early decades of California ’ s statehood .
California revised its fourth grade curriculum in 2017 to drop the missions project .
Stanford University changed the name of buildings named for Serra .
The University of California , Santa Cruz , removed a mission bell from its campus .

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As the nation reckons with symbols of America’s white supremacist history, some Native American protesters in California have renewed calls for the state to reevaluate the legacy of a Spanish colonizer-turned-saint ― Junipero Serra.
Protesters toppled two statues of the 18th-century Roman Catholic missionary last weekend ― one in San Francisco and another in Los Angeles. A third city, Ventura, agreed to demote a statue of Serra from its place outside City Hall to a nonpublic location.
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San Diego students have launched a campaign to rename Junipero Serra High School and change the public school’s mascot, a conquistador.
Catholic dioceses have taken a more protective stance towards Serra monuments ― removing his statues in an effort to shield them from vandalism.
The Catholic Church has long defended Serra as a kind-hearted missionary who pressed Spanish authorities to be benevolent conquerors. But Native American groups have called Serra’s legacy into question for years, pointing out that he was the architect of a system that brutalized Indigenous peoples and their cultures.
Now, the removal of Confederate symbols across the South has reenergized calls for California to stop putting Serra on a pedestal. This is happening because protesters are finding connections between the violence that Black and Native American experienced in the U.S., according to Olivia Chilcote, a scholar of American Indian studies at San Diego State University and a member of the San Luis Rey Band of Luiseño Mission Indians.
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“The U.S. is a settler colonial nation-state that was built by killing Native peoples and taking their land while also relying on enslaved Africans as forced labor,” Chilcote said. “These two aspects of settler colonialism in the U.S. uniquely tie the Native American and Black communities together.”
A statue of Catholic St. Junipero Serra in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on Monday after it was daubed with graffiti reading "racist." JAIME REINA via Getty Images
Statues such as Serra’s represent a “sanitized” version of California’s history, said Cutcha Risling Baldy, a Native American studies scholar at Humboldt State University.
“These statues represent a physical assertion of power over our communities,” said Risling Baldy, who is Hupa, Yurok and Karuk and an enrolled member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe in Northern California.
“[Serra] doesn’t deserve a place of reverence when what he stood for was the killing, removal, genocide, assault and exploitation of Indigenous peoples in California,” she added.
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Serra’s legacy as a Catholic missionary is intricately tied to Spain’s colonization of California. Spain’s King Charles III sent both military troops and priests to California in the late 18th century to solidify his hold on the region. As part of that occupying presence, Spanish priests built 21 missions up and down the coast. The goal of these missions was to convert Indigenous peoples to Catholicism and ultimately turn them into loyal citizens of Spain.
After baptism, Native Americans were forced to live at the missions to receive religious and language instruction. Their own customs and beliefs were banned, while their forced, unpaid labor sustained the missions. Those who tried to escape were hunted down and brought back, and those who disobeyed were whipped and put in stocks. Today, some Native scholars compare the missions to slave plantations and concentration camps.
The Spanish arrivals also brought disease to California, wiping out Indigenous people who did not have immunity. Illness, slave labor and separation from their traditional ways of life contributed to thousands of Indigenous deaths during the mission period.
Serra wasn’t just part of that colonizing force ― he helped build it. When the friar first arrived in present-day San Diego, where he founded his first mission, he was accompanied by a Spanish military officer. Serra built a total of nine missions before his death in 1784.
“Serra orchestrated an attempted genocide of Indigenous peoples in California. He mistreated Native people, and he also watched as soldiers and others from the church abused, raped and assaulted Native people,” Risling Baldy said. “These are things that he wrote about in his own reports and reflections. He was not a good guy.”
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A police vehicle parks near a statue of Junipero Serra in front of the San Gabriel Mission in San Gabriel, California, on Sunday. FREDERIC J. BROWN via Getty Images
Pope Francis canonized Serra in 2015, making him the first Hispanic American saint. U.S. Catholic bishops have repeatedly defended the priest and the Spanish mission system. Los Angeles Archbishop José Gómez wrote in a letter earlier this month that, although the missionaries “made mistakes and caused real harm to people,” their motives were “evangelical and humanitarian” since they wanted to improve Native people’s lives.
Serra’s sole intention in coming to California was to give Native Americans the “greatest gift he could imagine to offer — the knowledge of Jesus Christ and his salvation,” Gómez wrote. He pointed out that after a Native-led revolt against Spanish rule led to the death of a fellow priest, Serra stepped in to ask for the fighters to be pardoned.
“St. Junípero has long been misunderstood and, in my opinion, wrongly used as a symbol for the tragic abuses committed against California’s first peoples,” Gómez wrote.
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said that Serra made “heroic sacrifices” to protect Indigenous peoples from the abuse of Spanish soldiers.
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California’s bishops echoed Cordileone’s words in a joint statement, arguing that Serra was a man “ahead of his times” who worked against an “oppression that extends far beyond the mission era.”
“If that is not enough to legitimate a public statue in the state that he did so much to create, then virtually every historical figure from our nation’s past will have to be removed for their failings measured in the light of today’s standards,” the bishops wrote.
Pope Francis pauses in front of a sculpture of Junipero Serra in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sept. 24, 2015. MICHAEL REYNOLDS/WHITE HOUSE POOL (ISP POOL IMAGES)/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
But Native people of Serra’s time found the mission system to be cruel, which is why they resisted it in various forms over the years, Chilcote said. And visitors to the missions ― Europeans and fellow priests, among others ― also wrote about the horrific treatment of Native Americans at these missions.
“So hold him to the standards of his own time then,” Risling Baldy said in response to the bishops’ statement. “Also, I think starving people and beating people and kidnapping people and watching as women and children were raped in front of people is never OK, no matter the time in history.”
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The institutions of the Catholic Church are wired to support people it has already canonized since to withdraw support would be to call into question the sometimes centuries-long vetting process for sainthood, according to Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a scholar of Catholic ecclesiology and Latinx theology at Manhattan College. There were protests around Serra’s canonization, but many Catholics ultimately saw it as a step forward because the church has such a paucity of so-called New World saints that adding one seemed like a victory, she said. But the problem is that with Serra, the church added someone intimately involved in the violence of colonization.
“Whatever the intent of the Catholic colonizers, and to be sure some expressed a ‘benign’ desire to save souls, the violent means of accomplishing this salvation still scars the nation and the church,” she said. “After all, even after the Native Americans (who weren’t exterminated) had converted, they were not admitted into seminaries because the belief was they could not be taught spiritual truths like theology.”
A Junipero Serra statue in Hillsborough, California, on Thursday. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Stories about Serra contribute to a “mission fantasy fairy tale” about California’s history, according to Angel M. Hinzo, an assistant professor in ethnic studies at the University of San Diego. This romanticized history “erases genocide and violence,” she said.
“Learning the mission fairy tale today does many people in California a disservice since it erases the actual history of California and prevents the opportunity to understand the impacts of this violence and the resilience of contemporary Native American communities,” she said.
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Serra is still very much present in California society. There are schools, streets, parks and buildings named after him, along with numerous Serra statues. Until recently, fourth-graders in the state learned about Serra and the Spanish missions by building tiny replicas of the sites using household objects ― a project that some Native scholars compare to having children build Southern slave plantations for school projects.
But there have been some recent signs of change. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an apology for the historical mistreatment, violence and neglect of California’s Native American peoples in the early decades of California’s statehood. California revised its fourth grade curriculum in 2017 to drop the missions project. Stanford University changed the name of buildings named for Serra. The University of California, Santa Cruz, removed a mission bell from its campus.
After years of student activism, the University of San Diego, a Catholic institution, changed the name of Serra Hall to Saints Tekakwitha and Serra Hall. St. Kateri Tekakwitha is the first Indigenous Catholic saint from North America.
Hinzo said she would be “ecstatic” if Serra’s name was dropped completely.
“As a Native American faculty member who teaches California Indian history and Native studies, I cannot describe how troubling it is to teach this material in a building named after an individual complicit in the massacre of California Indian people,” she said.
A statue of Junipero Serra in front of the San Gabriel Mission. FREDERIC J. BROWN via Getty Images
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The Catholic Church has much work to do to confront its complicity in white supremacy, Imperatori-Lee said.
“Along with the nation, the church has to enter a period of deep self-examination, of listening to colonized communities, of appreciating the violent and traumatic legacy of colonialism,” she said. “The bishops would do well to invite those activists into dialogue and to stand with those who feel completely dispossessed. It’s what Jesus did.”
Risling Baldy said that for the church to truly grapple with its past, it would need to make concrete commitments ― such as returning land and resources to Indigenous peoples and providing monetary support for the revitalization of their languages and culture.
“The church has money, and it’s time that they start to support Indigenous peoples in their movements for decolonization with real funding and with land return,” she said.
CORRECTION: Because of an editing error, a previous version of this story stated incorrectly that Angel M. Hinzo is a visiting assistant professor. She is an assistant professor.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--The Senate Underrepresents Black Americans. D.C. Statehood Could Help Change That.

Cotton dismissed the idea of statehood as an attempt by the Democratic Party to seize permanent power and “ an act of historic vandalism.
” He dismissed the fact that the district has a population larger than two states ― Vermont and Wyoming ― because Wyoming is a “ well-rounded working-class state , ” with “ many workers in mining , logging and construction.
” Cotton didn ’ t need to mention that the population of D.C. is 46 % Black while Wyoming is 92 % white to get his point across .
But then he went further .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current mayor , a center-left Democrat who endorsed Michael Bloomberg for president in 2019 , and Barry , the deceased former mayor , a populist politician and onetime civil rights icon best known for his crack-cocaine arrest ?
They are Black and were elected by the voters of a plurality Black city .
Cotton is concerned they wouldn ’ t properly defend the White House .
The people of Washington had no one to reply to Cotton ’ s racist dismissal of them because they do not have any representation in the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If they did , one of D.C. ’ s two likely Black senators would be there to reply to Cotton .
Most of D.C. ’ s elected government is Black .
The mayor is Black .
The elected attorney general is Black .
A majority of the D.C. Council is Black .
No state has this high a level of Black representation in political power at the moment .
And there are few places in American politics that have seen as little Black representation as the U.S. Senate .
D.C. statehood would change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a moment where Americans are rising up in favor of structural democracy changes to fix structural racism , ” said Stasha Rhodes , the campaign director of 51 for 51 , which is pushing Democrats to eliminate the filibuster and pass D.C. statehood if they win control of the Senate in 2020 .
“ The fact that there ’ s only been 10 Black senators in all of American history points to structural racism.
” The 10 Black Americans who have served in the Senate since 1789 is equal to just .05 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken a seat in Congress ’ s upper chamber .
Sen. Hiram Revels ( R-Miss . )
became the first Black senator during Reconstruction in 1870 , and Sen. Blanche Bruce ( R-Miss . )
was the second in 1875 .
( P.B.S .
Pinchback was elected senator as a Republican from Louisiana in 1872 but was never seated . )
After Blanche ’ s term ended in 1881 , the Senate would not see another Black member until Republican Sen. Edward Brooke ’ s election in Massachusetts in 1966 .
Since then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another two appointed to temporary vacancies .
Two of them ― Carol Moseley Braun and Barack Obama , both Democrats ― were elected to the same Illinois Senate seat .
Shockingly , no two Black senators served concurrently until 2013 , when Sen. Cory Booker ( D-N.J. ) won a special election and joined Sen. Tim Scott ( R-S.C. ) .
There are now three Black senators , with Booker and Scott joined by Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-Calif. ) in 2017 .
Still , no Black senator has ever chaired a committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible that the number of Black senators could soon drop .
Scott has already announced his intention to retire instead of running for reelection in 2022 , and Harris is a favorite to join presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden ’ s ticket as vice president , which would set off a free-for-all for her seat .
The problem is not entirely structural .
Solidly blue states with significant Black populations , including New York and Maryland , have never elected Black senators .
National Democrats have passed on chances to back Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even the Congressional Black Caucus stayed neutral as Rep. Chris Van Hollen triumphed over Rep. Donna Edwards in Maryland .
The same year , the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee backed Rep. Tammy Duckworth , who is Asian American , over Black attorney Andrea Zopp for an ultimately successful challenge to Sen. Mark Kirk ( R-Ill. ) .
The admission of D.C. as a state would likely ensure that faces that look like 13 % of the nation are always included in debates over Supreme Court justices , treaties with foreign nations and executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure that D.C. can finally argue for itself against the likes of Tom Cotton .
Cotton ’ s racist invective against the people of the district is nothing new .
After Black residents of the district were granted suffrage before the passage of the 15th Amendment , Congress eliminated its local elected government .
It would not return for a century .
In 1943 , Sen. Pat McCarran ( D-Nev. ) demanded that a committee hearing on the district ’ s right to govern itself focus on the problems of Black suffrage ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subject “ people say you can ’ t talk about.
” Or , as Sen. Allen Ellender ( D-La . )
said in 1963 , “ Negroes can not govern themselves .
”

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Ahead of a historic vote Friday in the U.S. House on legislation to admit the District of Columbia as the 51st state in the union, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) took to the Senate floor to announce his opposition, even though the Senate has no plans to vote on the measure.
Cotton dismissed the idea of statehood as an attempt by the Democratic Party to seize permanent power and “an act of historic vandalism.” He dismissed the fact that the district has a population larger than two states ― Vermont and Wyoming ― because Wyoming is a “well-rounded working-class state,” with “many workers in mining, logging and construction.” Cotton didn’t need to mention that the population of D.C. is 46% Black while Wyoming is 92% white to get his point across. But then he went further.
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“Would you trust Mayor [Muriel] Bowser to keep Washington safe if she were given the powers of a governor?” Cotton said. “Would you trust Marion Barry?”
What connects the vastly different Bowser, the current mayor, a center-left Democrat who endorsed Michael Bloomberg for president in 2019, and Barry, the deceased former mayor, a populist politician and onetime civil rights icon best known for his crack-cocaine arrest? They are Black and were elected by the voters of a plurality Black city. Cotton is concerned they wouldn’t properly defend the White House.
The people of Washington had no one to reply to Cotton’s racist dismissal of them because they do not have any representation in the Senate as they are not a state. If they did, one of D.C.’s two likely Black senators would be there to reply to Cotton.
“It’s not a guarantee that if D.C. becomes a state there’s going to be two more African American senators,” said Bo Shuff, the executive director of D.C. Vote. “But an African American candidate would have a better chance here.”
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Most of D.C.’s elected government is Black. The mayor is Black. The elected attorney general is Black. A majority of the D.C. Council is Black. No state has this high a level of Black representation in political power at the moment. And there are few places in American politics that have seen as little Black representation as the U.S. Senate. D.C. statehood would change that.
Advocates for D.C. statehood argue there’s a direct link between the protests against structural racism that have erupted nationwide in the weeks since George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by Minneapolis police and the House Democrats’ decision to hold the first congressional vote on statehood in more than two decades.
“The Senate entrenches white, male, rich rule, and will do so for a long time in the future. And that’s kind of by design.” - Todd Tucker, Roosevelt Institute
“We’re at a moment where Americans are rising up in favor of structural democracy changes to fix structural racism,” said Stasha Rhodes, the campaign director of 51 for 51, which is pushing Democrats to eliminate the filibuster and pass D.C. statehood if they win control of the Senate in 2020. “The fact that there’s only been 10 Black senators in all of American history points to structural racism.”
The 10 Black Americans who have served in the Senate since 1789 is equal to just .05% of all the people who have ever taken a seat in Congress’s upper chamber. Sen. Hiram Revels (R-Miss.) became the first Black senator during Reconstruction in 1870, and Sen. Blanche Bruce (R-Miss.) was the second in 1875. (P.B.S. Pinchback was elected senator as a Republican from Louisiana in 1872 but was never seated.) After Blanche’s term ended in 1881, the Senate would not see another Black member until Republican Sen. Edward Brooke’s election in Massachusetts in 1966.
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Since then five Black senators have been elected and another two appointed to temporary vacancies. Two of them ― Carol Moseley Braun and Barack Obama, both Democrats ― were elected to the same Illinois Senate seat. Shockingly, no two Black senators served concurrently until 2013, when Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) won a special election and joined Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). There are now three Black senators, with Booker and Scott joined by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) in 2017. Still, no Black senator has ever chaired a committee.
“The Senate entrenches white, male, rich rule, and will do so for a long time in the future. And that’s kind of by design,” said Todd Tucker, the director of governance studies at the Roosevelt Institute and the author of a report on how to reform the Senate to make it more democratic.
The Senate’s lack of Black members is directly related to its empowerment of smaller, often rural and majority-white states like Maine, New Hampshire, the Dakotas, Montana and Vermont. The 10 smallest states are an average of 80% white and just 4.7% Black. The country as a whole is 60.1% white and 13.4% Black.
Black voters are underrepresented in the Senate by 16% relative to their total population, according to a study by Michael Ettlinger and Jordan Hensley from the University of New Hampshire Carsey School of Public Policy. The admission of D.C. as a state would reduce that underrepresentation by more than one-third, to 10%.
Intense political polarization around race adds to the problem. Of the 14 states where Black residents make up more than 15% of the population, eight are in the Deep South, where Black voters are essentially monolithic in their support for Democrats and white voters back Republicans with only slightly less unanimity.
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Those eight states ― Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and Arkansas ― have combined in modern times to elect just one Black senator, Scott, and just two other Black statewide elected officials.
There’s a chance the number of Black senators could soon skyrocket. As many as five Black Democrats could make it to general election ballots in the fall: Rev. Raphael Warnock in Georgia, former assistant Democratic National Committee Chair Jamie Harrison in South Carolina, state Rep. Charles Booker in Kentucky, former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy in Mississippi and state Sen. Royce West in Texas. Businessman and veteran John James, a Republican, is challenging Democratic Sen. Gary Peters in Michigan.
But all of the above remain underdogs ― West and Booker still need to win their primaries, Harrison is running in a bright red state, James is trailing in the polls and Warnock will likely need to triumph in a January runoff that has historically favored Republicans.
And it’s just as possible that the number of Black senators could soon drop. Scott has already announced his intention to retire instead of running for reelection in 2022, and Harris is a favorite to join presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s ticket as vice president, which would set off a free-for-all for her seat.
The problem is not entirely structural. Solidly blue states with significant Black populations, including New York and Maryland, have never elected Black senators. National Democrats have passed on chances to back Black candidates for Senate. In 2016, even the Congressional Black Caucus stayed neutral as Rep. Chris Van Hollen triumphed over Rep. Donna Edwards in Maryland. The same year, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee backed Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who is Asian American, over Black attorney Andrea Zopp for an ultimately successful challenge to Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).
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This cycle, national Democrats are backing Harrison, Espy and Warnock, and they aggressively recruited Stacey Abrams to run for Georgia’s other Senate seat. But they also endorsed two white candidates in diversifying states, picking attorney and veteran Cal Cunningham over state Sen. Erica Smith in North Carolina and backing veteran MJ Hegar over West in Texas.
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser at a June 16 news conference in the U.S. Capitol on D.C. statehood. Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
The admission of D.C. as a state would likely ensure that faces that look like 13% of the nation are always included in debates over Supreme Court justices, treaties with foreign nations and executive branch appointees. It would also make sure that D.C. can finally argue for itself against the likes of Tom Cotton.
Cotton’s racist invective against the people of the district is nothing new. After Black residents of the district were granted suffrage before the passage of the 15th Amendment, Congress eliminated its local elected government. It would not return for a century. In 1943, Sen. Pat McCarran (D-Nev.) demanded that a committee hearing on the district’s right to govern itself focus on the problems of Black suffrage (he was against it), a subject “people say you can’t talk about.” Or, as Sen. Allen Ellender (D-La.) said in 1963, “Negroes cannot govern themselves.”
It is no coincidence that the Senate did not see another Black member to counter these voices for practically the same length of time as D.C. was stripped of its right to govern itself.
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As the nation decides whether to go forward with racial progress or perhaps take an old and familiar route away from it, the admission of D.C. as a state would ensure that Black voices matter in the Senate.
“We’re at a moment where Americans are rising up in favor of structural democracy changes to fix structural racism,” Rhodes said. “It would be hopeful. It would be a step in the right direction.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Is The Black Caucus Ready To Ride The Progressive Wave?

Jones , who was the clear front-runner in a race to succeed retiring Appropriations Committee chair Nita Lowey ( D-N.Y. ) , didn ’ t get the CBC ’ s endorsement until Saturday , three days before the primary — and only after HuffPost began asking CBC leaders why the group hadn ’ t endorsed Jones .
“ They endorsed Mondaire when it didn ’ t matter , ” a senior aide to a progressive House member said , requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter .
Meeks told HuffPost last week that “ generally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ” if there are multiple Black candidates in an open-seat race .
In the Jones race , among a field of seven candidates , there was another Black challenger , Asha Castleberry-Hernandez .
But while Jones was polling at 25 % , Castleberry-Hernandez was polling at 3 % ― and she had raised a fraction of the money that Jones had .
Meanwhile , there were two other white candidates polling in the mid-teens .
Many activists think the CBC preferred Blake , the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York Democratic political machine , whereas Torres ― who , like Jones , is gay ― touted himself as the most electable progressive option .
( Blake also prided himself on being a liberal candidate , running on an affordable-housing platform and amplifying criticism of Torres for watering down a police reform bill while on the City Council . )
In all of those cases , electing a new generation of liberal leaders went hand in hand with a new generation of Black candidates .
And with other new , stalwart progressives in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-Mass . )
and Ilhan Omar ( D-Minn. ) ― combined with more experienced liberal lawmakers like Barbara Lee ( D-Calif. ) and CBC Chairwoman Karen Bass ( D-Calif. ) , the caucus could be a progressive force in the House in years to come .
Part of the issue is that , despite a desire for change from a number of members in the CBC , many are party loyalists .
The CBC has had success in supporting a tenure system in Congress , which rewards the members who can stick around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Many CBC members sit in safe Democratic districts , and don ’ t like the idea of primary challenges .
In fact , the CBC has a policy of supporting incumbents .
The CBC ’ s non-endorsements are especially glaring alongside the list of candidates they have chosen to back .
In addition to standing by Engel , the caucus endorsed the reelection of Josh Gottheimer , a white , centrist Democrat facing a progressive challenge July 7 in a suburban New Jersey swing seat .
Gottheimer leads a bloc of moderate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House from placing tougher humanitarian conditions on a border funding bill in July .
Gottheimer ’ s challenger , Arati Kreibich , is a neuroscientist who immigrated to the U.S. from India as a child .
But that is not to say the CBC simply bows to the whims of corporate lobbyists , nor does it mean the caucus is monolithic .
The group includes members of the business-friendly New Democrat Coalition , including Reps. Terri Sewell ( D-Ala. ) and Val Demings ( D-Fla. ) , as well as storied progressives such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) and Bonnie Watson Coleman ( D-N.J. ) .
And Pressley and Omar also offer a left-wing perspective as part of a young vanguard that has sometimes clashed with Democratic leadership .
Progressives might soon get their wish .
Rep. Brenda Lawrence ( D-Mich. ) told Politico that it was time for the CBC to take a closer look at its policy of supporting incumbent Democratic allies , particularly when the primary challenger is Black .
“ Black candidates are running and fighting and qualified to run for office , ” she said @

Bronx middle school principal Jamaal Bowman addresses supporters on Tuesday night. The Congressional Black Caucus PAC backed his opponent, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.). Lucas Jackson/Reuters
It should be the Congressional Black Caucus’s biggest moment.
Multiple CBC members being vetted as a potential vice presidential pick. A national uprising over systemic racism in policing that could finally address core issues in Black communities. And a host of Black progressives winning Democratic nominations that will almost certainly sweep them into office.
But with the CBC either not endorsing some of those liberal Black candidates who won Tuesday night — or outright opposing them — many activists are wondering if the CBC is progressive enough to lead this movement.
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“If it wasn’t clear before tonight, I hope it is now. The CBC is disconnected from middle and lower black America,” progressive Black activist Danny D. Glover tweeted Tuesday night after the election results.
“Do not listen to them,” he added.
Glover, who ran the outreach program for historically black colleges and universities for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign, told HuffPost on Wednesday that the CBC’s reluctance to endorse Black candidates with left-wing credentials ― candidates who appear to have won their Democratic nominations Tuesday ― speaks to a “lack of connection” to working-class voters.
“The fact that they’re willing to stake their entire reputation and legacy on folks that exist outside of the mission of the Congressional Black Caucus says a lot about the leadership,” Glover said, referring to the CBC’s endorsement of 16-term Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) over Black middle school principal Jamaal Bowman.
Maurice Weeks, the co-executive director of the Action Center on Race and the Economy, also said the Engel endorsement over Bowman spoke to “a larger crisis for the CBC in this moment, where it’s clear they’re not actually representative of the progressive Black agenda in America.”
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“Folks like Bowman are the face of that agenda,” Weeks said.
Bowman ultimately defeated Engel, the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, and a number of liberal activists noticed that the CBC threw its weight behind Engel, who is white, over, say, helping Black challengers in open races, like Mondaire Jones in a nearby district.
“The CBC has spent more to protect Eliot Engel against a Black challenger than they’ve done to get a Black man across the finish line.” - Sean McElwee, co-founder, Data for Progress
“The CBC has spent more to protect Eliot Engel against a Black challenger than they’ve done to get a Black man across the finish line,” activist Sean McElwee, the co-founder of the liberal think tank Data for Progress, noted to HuffPost last Friday.
A spokesperson for the CBC PAC did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
CBC PAC Chairman Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) defended the Engel endorsement to Politico, citing Engel’s role in advocating against police brutality. “You judge a person based upon the merit of their service,” he said. “So if you earn it, that’s who we support.”
Jones, who was the clear front-runner in a race to succeed retiring Appropriations Committee chair Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), didn’t get the CBC’s endorsement until Saturday, three days before the primary — and only after HuffPost began asking CBC leaders why the group hadn’t endorsed Jones. “They endorsed Mondaire when it didn’t matter,” a senior aide to a progressive House member said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.
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Meeks told HuffPost last week that “generally” the CBC “stays out of it” if there are multiple Black candidates in an open-seat race. In the Jones race, among a field of seven candidates, there was another Black challenger, Asha Castleberry-Hernandez. But while Jones was polling at 25%, Castleberry-Hernandez was polling at 3% ― and she had raised a fraction of the money that Jones had. Meanwhile, there were two other white candidates polling in the mid-teens.
And if the CBC PAC generally stays out of it when there is more than one viable Black candidate, that wasn’t the standard they held in a different New York City race.
In the South Bronx, Afro-Latino progressive Ritchie Torres beat out another crowded primary field to represent one of the most Democratic districts in the country. Yet he wasn’t the one who got the CBC’s endorsement. That went to New York Assemblyman Michael Blake, despite Torres’s apparently greater electoral viability.
Many activists think the CBC preferred Blake, the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, because of his ties to the New York Democratic political machine, whereas Torres ― who, like Jones, is gay ― touted himself as the most electable progressive option. (Blake also prided himself on being a liberal candidate, running on an affordable-housing platform and amplifying criticism of Torres for watering down a police reform bill while on the City Council.)
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, has defended the decision to endorse Rep. Eliot Engel's reelection. Tom Williams/Getty Images
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Regardless, in a number of Democratic primaries Tuesday ― the first major elections since Black Lives Matter protests swept the country in late May ― Black insurgents cleaned up.
Although the abundance of votes cast via absentee ballots has postponed the official results, the score was clearly in progressives’ favor. Bowman holds a lead over Engel widely viewed as insurmountable. Jones won his nomination. Torres, too. And Charles Booker is currently ahead of well-funded ― and longtime favorite ― U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath in Kentucky.
In all of those cases, electing a new generation of liberal leaders went hand in hand with a new generation of Black candidates. And with other new, stalwart progressives in the CBC ― like Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) ― combined with more experienced liberal lawmakers like Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and CBC Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.), the caucus could be a progressive force in the House in years to come.
In fact, the CBC is already flexing its muscle. On Thursday, the House passed a sweeping police reform bill that was largely composed by members of the CBC.
But activists and progressive aides worry that some of the old trappings of the caucus ― taking corporate money, being friendly with Wall Street and lobbyists, and defending institutionalist norms, like seniority and incumbency ― could threaten its ability to be a progressive force. And the decision to endorse Engel over Bowman typifies that concern.
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“Endorsing Engel over Bowman is absurd,” the senior progressive House aide told HuffPost. “They should have been aware of the dynamics of that race. More sophisticated actors would have stayed out.”
Part of the issue is that, despite a desire for change from a number of members in the CBC, many are party loyalists. The CBC has had success in supporting a tenure system in Congress, which rewards the members who can stick around the longest with powerful committee chair positions. Many CBC members sit in safe Democratic districts, and don’t like the idea of primary challenges. In fact, the CBC has a policy of supporting incumbents.
In 2018, the CBC endorsed then-Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), who went on to be unseated by Pressley, the first Black woman to represent Massachusetts in Congress. And barring a massive upset, Bowman will enter Congress and the CBC next year after the organization opposed his candidacy.
But it’s not just the CBC supporting incumbents over Black candidates. The CBC has endorsed ― or chosen not to endorse anyone ― in a number of curious races.
For instance, the CBC hasn’t endorsed Will Cunningham, a former aide to CBC lion Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), who died last year.
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Cunningham is running to unseat Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Democrat turned Republican in South New Jersey. And while Cunningham ― who, like Jones and Torres, is also gay ― has not generated nearly the money or enthusiasm of other Black insurgents, a campaign adviser argued that a CBC endorsement could change that.
“This is the kind of race that the CBC should be pushing,” Cunningham adviser Kaushal Thakkar told HuffPost.
Will Cunningham, an attorney and former House aide, is competing for a South New Jersey congressional seat. He doesn't yet have the Congressional Black Caucus PAC's endorsement. Will Cunningham for Congress/Facebook
The CBC’s non-endorsements are especially glaring alongside the list of candidates they have chosen to back. In addition to standing by Engel, the caucus endorsed the reelection of Josh Gottheimer, a white, centrist Democrat facing a progressive challenge July 7 in a suburban New Jersey swing seat. Gottheimer leads a bloc of moderate Democrats and Republicans that prevented the Democratic-controlled House from placing tougher humanitarian conditions on a border funding bill in July. Gottheimer’s challenger, Arati Kreibich, is a neuroscientist who immigrated to the U.S. from India as a child.
Questions remain about how the CBC PAC actually decides its endorsements. The PAC told The Intercept in February 2016 that it endorsed Hillary Clinton for president based on a vote conducted by its board of directors. At the time, the 20-person board included 11 lobbyists and seven members of Congress.
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The CBC PAC’s board now includes 11 members of Congress. But it still contains many corporate lobbyists, including Cherie Wilson, a General Motors lobbyist; Daron Watts, who recently represented two pharmaceutical companies and the tobacco vape manufacturer Juul; William Kirk, who last year lobbied for a Michigan-based electric utility, an Atlanta-based real estate development firm and Starbucks; and former Rep. Al Wynn of Maryland, whose clients in 2019 included British American Tobacco and coal company Peabody Energy. (Wynn entered the lobbying world after losing to progressive primary challenger Donna Edwards in 2008.)
But that is not to say the CBC simply bows to the whims of corporate lobbyists, nor does it mean the caucus is monolithic. The group includes members of the business-friendly New Democrat Coalition, including Reps. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) and Val Demings (D-Fla.), as well as storied progressives such as Lee, Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.). And Pressley and Omar also offer a left-wing perspective as part of a young vanguard that has sometimes clashed with Democratic leadership.
“It really does push back on this notion that progressive challengers are just white hipsters.” - Maurice Weeks, Action Center for Race and the Economy
But, as a group, the CBC has been especially hostile toward the activist left’s strategy of targeting incumbents.
Justice Democrats, the group that recruited Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has only ever run two candidates against CBC members. The organization supported nurse Cori Bush’s unsuccessful run against Rep. Lacy Clay in Missouri in 2018, and attorney Morgan Harper’s losing bid to unseat Rep. Joyce Beatty in Ohio this cycle. (Bush is running a second time against Clay in Missouri’s Aug. 4 primary.)
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The races were enough to prompt CBC to lambaste Justice Democrats in the press. Last July, Meeks, the CBC PAC chairman, implied that the progressive political action committee might be motivated by a bias against Black members of Congress. Clay compared the outfit to the “Russian trolls of 2016.”
For some Black progressives, Bowman’s victory, in particular, provides an opportunity to take some of the air out of the idea that the CBC is under attack from a predominantly white group of progressive activists.
In the words of Weeks, who organizes low-income communities of color behind progressive economic policies, Bowman exudes “a working-class work ethic and is supported by this very, very diverse community.”
“It really does push back on this notion that progressive challengers are just white hipsters,” Weeks said.
Progressives might soon get their wish. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) told Politico that it was time for the CBC to take a closer look at its policy of supporting incumbent Democratic allies, particularly when the primary challenger is Black. “Black candidates are running and fighting and qualified to run for office,” she said.
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Glover called Bowman’s win a “reckoning” for the CBC. He predicted that if CBC members didn’t embrace the more ambitious calls for reform issued by the younger Black protesters taking the streets over the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, individual CBC members would be run out of office with primary challenges.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Trump Justice Department Forms Task Force To Investigate Antifa, Boogaloo

WASHINGTON ― The Trump administration is forming a Task Force on Violent Anti-Government Extremists that will “ develop detailed information about violent anti-government extremist individuals , networks , and movements , ” Attorney General William Barr said Friday .
In a memo to top Justice Department officials , Barr said that the nation had seen “ anti-government extremists engaged in indefensible acts of violence designed to undermine public order ” in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd .
“ Among other lawless conduct , these extremists have violently attacked police officers and other government officials , destroyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ innocent people , ” Barr wrote .
“ Although these extremists profess a variety of ideologies , they are united in their opposition to the core constitutional values of a democratic society governed by law.
” “ They seek , in essence , to become a law unto themselves by violently opposing those who stand in the way of their particular vision , ” Barr continued .
“ Some pretend to profess a message of freedom and progress , but they are in fact forces of anarchy , destruction , and coercion.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boogaloo , ” a right-wing organization that has used the cover of demonstrations against police brutality to kill law enforcement .
The Washington Post first reported on the existence of the memo .
Barr writes that the extremists might be “ fortified by foreign entities seeking to sow chaos and disorder in our country.
” The Justice Department , he wrote , “ will respond to these violent groups in the same way we respond to other organized criminal or terrorist networks ― by disrupting their violent activities and ultimately dismantling their capability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr has been gearing up to bring the force of the federal government down on protesters as President Donald Trump seeks enhanced penalties against people who destroy monuments — mostly honoring treasonous members of the pro-slavery Confederacy — during anti-racism demonstrations across the United States .
The task force will be headed by U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Craig Carpenito and U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox .
Last week , when Barr tried to force out and ultimately fired U.S. Attorney for the Southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he initially tried to replace him with Carpenito .

Attorney General William Barr walks around downtown Washington, D.C., during curfew on June 1, 2020. ROBERTO SCHMIDT via Getty Images
WASHINGTON ― The Trump administration is forming a Task Force on Violent Anti-Government Extremists that will “develop detailed information about violent anti-government extremist individuals, networks, and movements,” Attorney General William Barr said Friday.
In a memo to top Justice Department officials, Barr said that the nation had seen “anti-government extremists engaged in indefensible acts of violence designed to undermine public order” in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.
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“Among other lawless conduct, these extremists have violently attacked police officers and other government officials, destroyed public and private property, and threatened innocent people,” Barr wrote. “Although these extremists profess a variety of ideologies, they are united in their opposition to the core constitutional values of a democratic society governed by law.”
“They seek, in essence, to become a law unto themselves by violently opposing those who stand in the way of their particular vision,” Barr continued. “Some pretend to profess a message of freedom and progress, but they are in fact forces of anarchy, destruction, and coercion.”
The memo names both antifa and “Boogaloo,” a right-wing organization that has used the cover of demonstrations against police brutality to kill law enforcement. The Washington Post first reported on the existence of the memo.
Barr writes that the extremists might be “fortified by foreign entities seeking to sow chaos and disorder in our country.” The Justice Department, he wrote, “will respond to these violent groups in the same way we respond to other organized criminal or terrorist networks ― by disrupting their violent activities and ultimately dismantling their capability to threaten the rule of law.”
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Barr has been gearing up to bring the force of the federal government down on protesters as President Donald Trump seeks enhanced penalties against people who destroy monuments — mostly honoring treasonous members of the pro-slavery Confederacy — during anti-racism demonstrations across the United States.
The task force will be headed by U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Craig Carpenito and U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. Last week, when Barr tried to force out and ultimately fired U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman, he initially tried to replace him with Carpenito.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--On Parler, The Right-Wing Social Media Site, Free Speech Isn’t Free

In recent days , several prominent conservatives have proclaimed that they will join Parler , which has been actively recruiting right-wingers who are disgruntled with the supposed anti-conservative bias on Twitter — a baseless right-wing grievance that has been accelerated by Twitter ’ s new , albeit occasional , practice of noting that some of President Donald Trump ’ s tweets are “ misleading ” or threaten or glorify violence .
The Trump campaign is reportedly considering building up a presence on Parler ’ s platform , and Trump ’ s 2020 campaign manager , Brad Parscale , already has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kayleigh McEnany announced on Thursday that she had created a Parler account , joining such Republican politicians and Trump allies as Reps. Devin Nunes , Thomas Massie , Jim Jordan , Elise Stefanik and Matt Gaetz , Sen. Ted Cruz , and former U.S .
Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley .
In fact , Parler ’ s user agreement and community guidelines ban several forms of speech protected under the First Amendment .
And it reserves the right to “ remove any content and terminate your access ” to the platform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason or no reason.
” Unlike Twitter or Facebook , Parler requires users to “ agree to defend and indemnify Parler , as well as any of its officers , directors , employees , and agents , from and against any and all claims , actions , damages , obligations , losses , liabilities , costs or debt , and expenses ( including but not limited to all attorneys fees ) arising from or relating to your access to and use of the Services.
” In order to use Parler , individuals must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in court or join a class-action claim and instead must settle disputes in arbitration , a secretive process that typically favors businesses over individuals bringing complaints .
( Neither Twitter nor Facebook requires arbitration in their terms of service . )
“ Every time anyone tries to say , ‘ This is the platform that really protects free speech , ’ they ’ re lying .
I mean , they have the same rules and regulations as most other companies with a few more thrown in — and the indemnification clause on top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a professor at the University of Miami School of Law , said in an interview .
“ It ’ s a false statement to begin with to say that there ’ s anything meaningfully different about this space.
” If enforced as written , the platform ’ s indemnity clause could be financially devastating for the average American .
Although Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act largely protects social media companies from legal responsibility for what people say and do on their platform , the companies can still be sued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases in court .
Twitter , for example , spent more than a year defending itself in a lawsuit brought by Rep. Nunes over parody Twitter accounts that made fun of him before a judge ruled that the company was protected by Section 230 .
( The California lawmaker has urged his followers on Twitter to “ SAY NO TO SOCIALISM ” and join him on Parler . )
If Nunes decided to sue Parler for letting people make fun of him on its platform , Parler would probably win in court , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its user agreement , the company could try to force the user who mocked the congressman to pay its legal fees .
“ Parler gives users a false sense of safety that they can be controversial and less unmoderated than other platforms , but Parler in reality passes all costs of this unfettered speech onto the speakers , ” Carrie Goldberg , a New York-based lawyer with expertise in online harassment , told HuffPost .
If Parler gets sued by someone outside the U.S. , in a country without a law similar to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher risk the company would lose the case and face a costly judgment — which it could try to pass on to the user whose post prompted litigation .
Some free-speech warriors may be willing to risk going bankrupt paying for Parler ’ s lawyers in exchange for access to a social media platform that allows them to post whatever they want .
But Parler doesn ’ t even offer that .
Its community guidelines warn users to avoid spam , blackmail , bribery , plagiarism , support for terrorist organizations , spreading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , describing “ sexual organs or activity , ” showing “ female nipples , ” and using language or visuals “ that are offensive and offer no literary , artistic , political , or scientific value.
” Parler also advises users against “ any other speech federally illegal in USA , ” which the platform incorrectly claims includes doxing and “ content glorifying violence against animals.
” Perhaps the greatest irony of Parler positioning itself as a free-speech haven for people who are outraged by Twitter attaching a warning to a few of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the fact that Parler grants itself the right to remove any post or ban any user from its platform for literally “ no reason.
” With terms of service at least as restrictive as mainstream tech platforms , the real allure of Parler appears to be the hope that in actively recruiting far-right individuals — including some who have been kicked off Twitter for being too racist — Parler is suggesting it won ’ t enforce certain parts of its community guidelines .
And so far , it hasn ’ t .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ become another space for white supremacist propaganda and conspiracy theories — including calls to “ gas the kikes , ” start a “ race war ” and “ red pill boomers on Jews and the anti-white agenda , ” as well as claims that the police killing of George Floyd was a “ hoax .
”

Illustration: HuffPost; Photos: Getty
Parler, a social media site marketing itself as an “unbiased” alternative to Twitter, promises users “the right to express your thoughts, opinions and ideals online.” But there’s a catch: If Parler gets sued over something you post online, the company could make you pay its legal fees.
In recent days, several prominent conservatives have proclaimed that they will join Parler, which has been actively recruiting right-wingers who are disgruntled with the supposed anti-conservative bias on Twitter — a baseless right-wing grievance that has been accelerated by Twitter’s new, albeit occasional, practice of noting that some of President Donald Trump’s tweets are “misleading” or threaten or glorify violence.
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The Trump campaign is reportedly considering building up a presence on Parler’s platform, and Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, already has an account. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany announced on Thursday that she had created a Parler account, joining such Republican politicians and Trump allies as Reps. Devin Nunes, Thomas Massie, Jim Jordan, Elise Stefanik and Matt Gaetz, Sen. Ted Cruz, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
According to Parler, Twitter has become “a Tech Tyrant, stepping on our Freedoms to push their agenda driven narrative.” Parler claims that, by contrast, its platform offers “free speech social media focused on protecting user’s rights.”
In fact, Parler’s user agreement and community guidelines ban several forms of speech protected under the First Amendment. And it reserves the right to “remove any content and terminate your access” to the platform “at any time and for any reason or no reason.”
Unlike Twitter or Facebook, Parler requires users to “agree to defend and indemnify Parler, as well as any of its officers, directors, employees, and agents, from and against any and all claims, actions, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to all attorneys fees) arising from or relating to your access to and use of the Services.”
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In order to use Parler, individuals must also forfeit their right to sue Parler in court or join a class-action claim and instead must settle disputes in arbitration, a secretive process that typically favors businesses over individuals bringing complaints. (Neither Twitter nor Facebook requires arbitration in their terms of service.)
Parler was founded in 2018 in Henderson, Nevada, by software engineers John Matze and Jared Thomson. The company’s website says they were “exhausted with a lack of transparency in big tech, ideological suppresssion [sic] and privacy abuse” so they created their own alternative.
But as Matze and Thomson apparently realized, running a minimally regulated social media platform that allows users to spread disinformation and violent threats is a risky endeavor.
“Every time anyone tries to say, ‘This is the platform that really protects free speech,’ they’re lying. I mean, they have the same rules and regulations as most other companies with a few more thrown in — and the indemnification clause on top of that,” Mary Anne Franks, a professor at the University of Miami School of Law, said in an interview. “It’s a false statement to begin with to say that there’s anything meaningfully different about this space.”
Parler did not respond to a list of questions about its user agreement.
If enforced as written, the platform’s indemnity clause could be financially devastating for the average American. Although Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act largely protects social media companies from legal responsibility for what people say and do on their platform, the companies can still be sued and it costs money to successfully fight cases in court.
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Twitter, for example, spent more than a year defending itself in a lawsuit brought by Rep. Nunes over parody Twitter accounts that made fun of him before a judge ruled that the company was protected by Section 230. (The California lawmaker has urged his followers on Twitter to “SAY NO TO SOCIALISM” and join him on Parler.)
If Nunes decided to sue Parler for letting people make fun of him on its platform, Parler would probably win in court, just like Twitter did. But under its user agreement, the company could try to force the user who mocked the congressman to pay its legal fees.
“Parler gives users a false sense of safety that they can be controversial and less moderated than other platforms, but Parler in reality passes all costs of this unfettered speech onto the speakers,” Carrie Goldberg, a New York-based lawyer with expertise in online harassment, told HuffPost.
If Parler gets sued by someone outside the U.S., in a country without a law similar to Section 230, there’s a higher risk the company would lose the case and face a costly judgment — which it could try to pass on to the user whose post prompted litigation.
“Absolute free speech on a commercial platform is demonstrably harder than people think. Parler shows one way to plug the leak is with your users’ money,” wrote Twitter user Wolf Lawyer, who first flagged Parler’s indemnity clause.
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Some free-speech warriors may be willing to risk going bankrupt paying for Parler’s lawyers in exchange for access to a social media platform that allows them to post whatever they want. But Parler doesn’t even offer that. Its community guidelines warn users to avoid spam, blackmail, bribery, plagiarism, support for terrorist organizations, spreading false rumors, suggesting people should die, describing “sexual organs or activity,” showing “female nipples,” and using language or visuals “that are offensive and offer no literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” Parler also advises users against “any other speech federally illegal in USA,” which the platform incorrectly claims includes doxing and “content glorifying violence against animals.”
Parler’s guidelines “appear to be written to make it misleadingly look like wholly discretionary aspects of their moderation policy are legally required,” Julian Sanchez, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, wrote on Twitter.
If it wanted, Parler could legally allow much of the content it restricts in its community guidelines. But like other private companies, it has made a business decision against providing a completely unregulated, unmoderated platform.
Perhaps the greatest irony of Parler positioning itself as a free-speech haven for people who are outraged by Twitter attaching a warning to a few of the president’s most unhinged tweets is the fact that Parler grants itself the right to remove any post or ban any user from its platform for literally “no reason.”
With terms of service at least as restrictive as mainstream tech platforms, the real allure of Parler appears to be the hope that in actively recruiting far-right individuals — including some who have been kicked off Twitter for being too racist — Parler is suggesting it won’t enforce certain parts of its community guidelines. And so far, it hasn’t. A quick search shows that Parler has become another space for white supremacist propaganda and conspiracy theories — including calls to “gas the kikes,” start a “race war” and “red pill boomers on Jews and the anti-white agenda,” as well as claims that the police killing of George Floyd was a “hoax.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Trump And Biden Lay Out Stark Contrast Visions For Coronavirus Responses

LANCASTER , Pa. ( AP ) — A presidential campaign that has largely been frozen for several months because of the coronavirus is looking a bit more like those from other years .
President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden swung through critical battleground states , presenting starkly different visions for America as it struggles with a pandemic .
“ Amazingly , he hasn ’ t grasped the most basic fact of this crisis : To fix the economy we have to get control over the virus , ” Biden said .
“ He ’ s like a child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened to him .
His whining and self-pity.
” With just over four months remaining until the election , the contrasting styles of Trump and Biden are increasingly on display .
The president is itching to move past an outbreak that has dashed the economy and resulted in about 125,000 confirmed deaths in the United States , according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
Biden , meanwhile , is seeking to present himself as a competent and calming leader ready to level with the nation about the hardships that may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Beyond knocking Trump ’ s leadership , Biden spent much of Thursday defending the Obama administration ’ s signature health care law and decrying what he said was a White House-led effort to dismantle it via a court challenge .
It was part of a larger Democratic effort to refocus the 2020 election on health care , an issue that helped the party retake the House last cycle and one it hopes will resonate with even more voters amid the pandemic .
Trump , for his part , repeatedly took aim at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During a Fox News Channel town hall taped in Green Bay , Trump questioned Biden ’ s acuity and charged that the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party would be running the show in a Biden administration .
“ He ’ s a candidate that will destroy this country , ” Trump said .
“ And he may not do it himself .
He will be run by a radical fringe group of lunatics that will destroy our country.
” Narrow 2016 victories in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were vital in sending Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would build his travel around trying to do that again — and that Biden would respond with trips meant to flip the states back to Democratic — wouldn ’ t usually be a surprise .
But the coronavirus has upended normal campaign travel since March .
After long campaigning virtually from his Delaware home , Biden has in recent weeks begun visiting Pennsylvania , allowing him to target a swing state without venturing far .
Lancaster is about an hour and 15 minutes by car from Biden ’ s house , and yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traveled lately , aside from a trip to Houston to meet with the family of George Floyd , whose death in police custody sparked protests around the nation .
Trump , by contrast , staged a rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , last weekend and spoke at an Arizona megachurch on Tuesday .
On Thursday , he visited a rural Wisconsin shipyard and taped a town hall to be broadcast by Fox News Channel from an airport in Green Bay .
Vice President Mike Pence also hit another key state , Ohio .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ events and enforced social distancing .
Trump has refused to wear a mask in public , and his campaign says Biden is using a cautious approach to hide the fact that he can ’ t draw large , enthusiastic crowds .
Biden donned his mask while meeting in an outdoor courtyard with three mothers and two children who told of benefiting from the health care law .
Beyond the police cordon , a group of Trump supporters could be heard chanting “ four more years ” and “ USA.
” Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Protect and Build on the Affordable Care Act.
” He scoffed at Trump ’ s suggestion during last weekend ’ s rally that he ’ d asked officials to slow down testing for the coronavirus because it was uncovering more cases .
Polls in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania show Biden ahead , but nearly every poll had Trump trailing in 2016 before his base came together in the final weeks of the campaign .

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LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — A presidential campaign that has largely been frozen for several months because of the coronavirus is looking a bit more like those from other years. President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden swung through critical battleground states, presenting starkly different visions for America as it struggles with a pandemic.
Touring a shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, on Thursday, Trump insisted the economy is “coming back at a level nobody ever imagined possible.” But in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Biden warned that “no miracles are coming” and slammed Trump’s handling of the virus.
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“Amazingly, he hasn’t grasped the most basic fact of this crisis: To fix the economy we have to get control over the virus,” Biden said. “He’s like a child who can’t believe this has happened to him. His whining and self-pity.”
With just over four months remaining until the election, the contrasting styles of Trump and Biden are increasingly on display. The president is itching to move past an outbreak that has dashed the economy and resulted in about 125,000 confirmed deaths in the United States, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Biden, meanwhile, is seeking to present himself as a competent and calming leader ready to level with the nation about the hardships that may be required to emerge from the current turmoil.
Beyond knocking Trump’s leadership, Biden spent much of Thursday defending the Obama administration’s signature health care law and decrying what he said was a White House-led effort to dismantle it via a court challenge. It was part of a larger Democratic effort to refocus the 2020 election on health care, an issue that helped the party retake the House last cycle and one it hopes will resonate with even more voters amid the pandemic.
Trump, for his part, repeatedly took aim at Biden throughout his day in Wisconsin. During a Fox News Channel town hall taped in Green Bay, Trump questioned Biden’s acuity and charged that the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party would be running the show in a Biden administration.
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“He’s a candidate that will destroy this country,” Trump said. “And he may not do it himself. He will be run by a radical fringe group of lunatics that will destroy our country.”
Narrow 2016 victories in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were vital in sending Trump to the White House. That he would build his travel around trying to do that again — and that Biden would respond with trips meant to flip the states back to Democratic — wouldn’t usually be a surprise. But the coronavirus has upended normal campaign travel since March.
After long campaigning virtually from his Delaware home, Biden has in recent weeks begun visiting Pennsylvania, allowing him to target a swing state without venturing far. Lancaster is about an hour and 15 minutes by car from Biden’s house, and yet it is the farthest he’s traveled lately, aside from a trip to Houston to meet with the family of George Floyd, whose death in police custody sparked protests around the nation.
Trump, by contrast, staged a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last weekend and spoke at an Arizona megachurch on Tuesday. On Thursday, he visited a rural Wisconsin shipyard and taped a town hall to be broadcast by Fox News Channel from an airport in Green Bay. Vice President Mike Pence also hit another key state, Ohio.
Biden’s team has organized small events and enforced social distancing. Trump has refused to wear a mask in public, and his campaign says Biden is using a cautious approach to hide the fact that he can’t draw large, enthusiastic crowds.
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“I know, as Americans, it’s not something we’re used to. But it matters,” Biden said of wearing a mask, noting he wears one “everywhere I go.”
Biden donned his mask while meeting in an outdoor courtyard with three mothers and two children who told of benefiting from the health care law. Beyond the police cordon, a group of Trump supporters could be heard chanting “four more years” and “USA.”
Biden’s subsequent speech was behind a placard proclaiming “Protect and Build on the Affordable Care Act.” He scoffed at Trump’s suggestion during last weekend’s rally that he’d asked officials to slow down testing for the coronavirus because it was uncovering more cases.
“He thinks finding out that more Americans are sick will make him look bad. And that’s what he’s worried about,” Biden said. “He’s worried about looking bad.”
Trump countered during his Wisconsin stop: “If we didn’t test, we wouldn’t have cases.”
Polls in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania show Biden ahead, but nearly every poll had Trump trailing in 2016 before his base came together in the final weeks of the campaign.
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Trump predictably went maskless for an event at Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard that was outside. Hundreds attended, and some didn’t wear masks, despite requirements to do so.
Trump toured vessels under construction, then took credit for a new contract won in April to build Navy frigates at the facility. Trump said it injected economic growth to the community and saved the plant from closure.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Trump Blames Wisconsin Lawmaker For Being Assaulted By Protesters

President Donald Trump falsely suggested that a Democratic state senator in Wisconsin who was assaulted during a protest this week brought it upon himself because he “ was probably out there rooting them on or something.
” State Sen. Tim Carpenter , 60 , says eight to 10 people punched and kicked him for unknown reasons when he used his cell phone to take a video of a protest at the Wisconsin state Capitol in Madison earlier this week .
Witnesses said the attack was unprovoked , an assertion backed up by video .
Police were still seeking Carpenter ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ erupted late Tuesday after officers arrested a Black man who had walked into a restaurant with a megaphone and a baseball bat , according to police .
Trump blamed Carpenter for being attacked on Thursday during a town hall with Fox News ’ Sean Hannity .
The president said the state senator was likely encouraging destructive actions by protesters , who ended up toppling a statue of anti-slavery activist Col. Hans Christian Heg , who died fighting for the Union in the Civil War .
“ The person they beat up was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was probably out there rooting them on or something because Democrats think it ’ s wonderful that they ’ re destroying our country , ” Trump said .
“ It ’ s a very sick thing going on .
Nobody ’ s ever seen it.
” “ I don ’ t know what ’ s worse — the beating or having someone turn something so personal that happened to you and weaponize it against you , ” he told the newspaper .
I heard what Trump said at Fox ’ s Town @ @ @ @ @ @ @ riot- they ’ re tapes of what took place.Don ’ t know which is more brutal the beating I took or the lies and beating of the truth by Trump .
My body will heal in time but DJT ’ s LIES will live forever .
He ’ s sacred/desperate — Tim Carpenter ( @ TimCarpenterMKE ) June 26 , 2020 Carpenter told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he supports civil rights and tried to explain that to the people who assaulted him — but in no way did he encourage any violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his attackers on Twitter after he was assaulted , pleading : “ Stop violence now Plz !
” I took this pic- it got me assaulted & beat up .
Punched/kicked in the head , neck , ribs .
Maybe concussion , socked in left eye is little blurry , sore neck & ribs .
8-10 people attacked me .
Innocent people are going to get killed .
Capitol locked- stuck in office.Stop violence nowPlz !
pic.twitter.com/Zw2hdfYG66 — Tim Carpenter ( @ TimCarpenterMKE ) June 24 , 2020 I believe this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he told us the protesters assaulted him .
Then he collapsed walking towards the Capitol .
We called paramedics .
An ambulance is here now .
pic.twitter.com/uUSdKyQ1hp — Lance Veeser ( @ lanceveeser ) June 24 , 2020 Following the melee outside the Capitol , Gov .
Tony Evers ( D ) put the Wisconsin National Guard on notice to protect state buildings , including the Capitol , on Wednesday .

President Donald Trump falsely suggested that a Democratic state senator in Wisconsin who was assaulted during a protest this week brought it upon himself because he “happened to be gay and was probably out there rooting them on or something.”
State Sen. Tim Carpenter, 60, says eight to 10 people punched and kicked him for unknown reasons when he used his cell phone to take a video of a protest at the Wisconsin state Capitol in Madison earlier this week. Witnesses said the attack was unprovoked, an assertion backed up by video. Police were still seeking Carpenter’s attackers on Friday.
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The protest erupted late Tuesday after officers arrested a Black man who had walked into a restaurant with a megaphone and a baseball bat, according to police.
Trump blamed Carpenter for being attacked on Thursday during a town hall with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. The president said the state senator was likely encouraging destructive actions by protesters, who ended up toppling a statue of anti-slavery activist Col. Hans Christian Heg, who died fighting for the Union in the Civil War.
“The person they beat up was a Democrat who happened to be gay and he was probably out there rooting them on or something because Democrats think it’s wonderful that they’re destroying our country,” Trump said. “It’s a very sick thing going on. Nobody’s ever seen it.”
It was unclear why Trump pointed out that Carpenter is gay.
"The person they beat up was a Democrat who happened to be gay" -- Trump brings up a Wisconsin politician's sexual orientation for no apparent reason at all pic.twitter.com/qCVU4eyOtr — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 26, 2020
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Carpenter was stunned.
“I don’t know what’s worse — the beating or having someone turn something so personal that happened to you and weaponize it against you,” he told the newspaper.
He tweeted a similar statement, describing the “beating” Trump gave to the truth.
I heard what Trump said at Fox’s Town Hall. I was at the MSN riot- they’re tapes of what took place.Don’t know which is more brutal the beating I took or the lies and beating of the truth by Trump. My body will heal in time but DJT’s LIES will live forever. He’s sacred/desperate — Tim Carpenter (@TimCarpenterMKE) June 26, 2020
Carpenter told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he supports civil rights and tried to explain that to the people who assaulted him — but in no way did he encourage any violence or destruction.
He posted a video of his attackers on Twitter after he was assaulted, pleading: “Stop violence now Plz!”
I took this pic- it got me assaulted & beat up. Punched/kicked in the head, neck, ribs. Maybe concussion, socked in left eye is little blurry, sore neck & ribs. 8-10 people attacked me. Innocent people are going to get killed. Capitol locked- stuck in office.Stop violence nowPlz! pic.twitter.com/Zw2hdfYG66 — Tim Carpenter (@TimCarpenterMKE) June 24, 2020
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I believe this is State Senator Tim Carpenter. Minutes earlier he told us the protesters assaulted him. Then he collapsed walking towards the Capitol. We called paramedics. An ambulance is here now. pic.twitter.com/uUSdKyQ1hp — Lance Veeser (@lanceveeser) June 24, 2020
Following the melee outside the Capitol, Gov. Tony Evers (D) put the Wisconsin National Guard on notice to protect state buildings, including the Capitol, on Wednesday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--White Actors Won't Voice Nonwhite Characters On 'Simpsons,' 'Family Guy'

“ The Simpsons ” and “ Family Guy ” are the two latest animated TV shows to make changes in their voice casting .
On Friday , “ The Simpsons ” producers issued a statement saying that the long-running series will no longer use white actors to voice nonwhite characters .
In addition , “ Family Guy ” cast member Mike Henry — a white actor who has provided the voice of the Black character Cleveland Brown on the show and its spinoff , “ The Cleveland Show , ” for 20 years — announced he will no longer do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years .
I love this character , but persons of color should play characters of color .
Therefore , I will be stepping down from the role .
pic.twitter.com/FmKasWITKT — Mike Henry ( @ mikehenrybro ) June 26 , 2020 Earlier this year , Hank Azaria — a white actor who originated the voice of Indian immigrant convenience store owner Apu on “ The Simpsons ” — announced he would no longer voice the character .
White actor Harry Shearer originally voiced some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Hibbert .
But Variety reported that Black actor Kevin Michael Richardson has voiced many of the African American characters in recent seasons .
Richardson has voiced white characters in the past , most notably the Joker in the animated series “ The Batman , ” for which he was nominated for two Daytime Emmys , and Barney Rubble in the animated movie “ The Flintstones : On the Rocks.
” The announcements come a day after white actors Kristen Bell and Jenny Slate both announced that they will no longer voice their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and “ Big Mouth.
” In separate social media posts , the actors both said the roles should be recast with Black or mixed-race actors .

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“The Simpsons” and “Family Guy” are the two latest animated TV shows to make changes in their voice casting.
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In addition, “Family Guy” cast member Mike Henry — a white actor who has provided the voice of the Black character Cleveland Brown on the show and its spinoff, “The Cleveland Show,” for 20 years — announced he will no longer do the voice.
It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role. pic.twitter.com/FmKasWITKT — Mike Henry (@mikehenrybro) June 26, 2020
Earlier this year, Hank Azaria — a white actor who originated the voice of Indian immigrant convenience store owner Apu on “The Simpsons” — announced he would no longer voice the character.
White actor Harry Shearer originally voiced some Black characters on the show, including Dr. Hibbert. But Variety reported that Black actor Kevin Michael Richardson has voiced many of the African American characters in recent seasons.
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Richardson has voiced white characters in the past, most notably the Joker in the animated series “The Batman,” for which he was nominated for two Daytime Emmys, and Barney Rubble in the animated movie “The Flintstones: On the Rocks.”
The announcements come a day after white actors Kristen Bell and Jenny Slate both announced that they will no longer voice their mixed-race characters on “Central Park” and “Big Mouth.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--13 Amazing Photos You Missed This Week

13 Amazing Photos You Missed This Week

We ’ re highlighting exceptional photos from around the world for the week of June 20 to 26 .
Check @ @ @ @ @ : An annular solar eclipse as seen Sunday from Xiamen , China .

We’re highlighting exceptional photos from around the world for the week of June 20 to 26. Check them out below.
Above: An annular solar eclipse as seen Sunday from Xiamen, China.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--'Bachelorette' Is The First Major TV Show To Head Back Into Production

Looks like the ABC reality hit “ The Bachelorette ” will be the first major TV show to head back @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
The popular show is getting ready to film its new season with star @ @ @ @ @ delays , a source close to the production confirmed to HuffPost .
Variety was the @ @ @ @ @ .
With the pandemic still a reality , the reality show will be filmed with @ @ @ @ @ “ heavy-duty safety precautions.
” For instance , the cast will film the season in @ @ @ @ @ ― cast and crew alike ― can be quarantined .
People involved in the production @ @ @ @ @ before shooting starts , as well as regular testing and temperature checks during the shoot @ @ @ @ @ will start traveling very soon because there has to be a quarantine period , ” @ @ @ @ @ production told Variety .
No exact date has been announced for the show ’ s @ @ @ @ @ said it will air Tuesday nights in the fall .

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Looks like the ABC reality hit “The Bachelorette” will be the first major TV show to head back into production amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The popular show is getting ready to film its new season with star Clare Crawley after months of delays, a source close to the production confirmed to HuffPost. Variety was the first to report the news.
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With the pandemic still a reality, the reality show will be filmed with what the trade paper called “heavy-duty safety precautions.”
For instance, the cast will film the season in one isolated location where everyone ― cast and crew alike ― can be quarantined.
People involved in the production will be subject to tests before shooting starts, as well as regular testing and temperature checks during the shoot itself.
“The cast will start traveling very soon because there has to be a quarantine period,” a person familiar with the production told Variety.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Thomas Blanton, KKK Bomber Of 16th St. Baptist Church, Dies At 81

BIRMINGHAM , Ala. ( AP ) — Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. , the last of three one-time Ku Klux Klansmen convicted in a 1963 Alabama church bombing that killed four Black girls and was the deadliest single attack of the civil rights movement , died Friday in prison , officials said .
He was 81 .
In May 2001 , Blanton was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison for the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham .
Ivey , in a statement , called the bombing “ a dark day that will never be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that of our nation.
” When asked by the judge during sentencing if he had any comment , Blanton said : “ I guess the good Lord will settle it on judgment day.
” Sen. Doug Jones , who prosecuted Blanton , said the fact that Blanton remained free for almost 40 years after the bombing “ speaks to a broader systemic failure to hold him and his accomplices accountable.
” “ That he died at this moment , when the country is trying to reconcile the multi-generational failure to end systemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement .
The church bombing , exposing the depths of hatred by white supremacists as Birmingham integrated its public schools , was a tipping point of the civil rights movement .
Moderates could no longer remain silent and the fight to topple segregation laws gained new momentum .
The investigation into the bombing was stalled early and left dormant for long stretches , but two other ex-Klansmen , Robert Chambliss and Bobby Frank Cherry , also were convicted in the bombing in separate trials .
Chambliss was convicted in 1977 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cherry was convicted in 2002 and died in prison in 2004 .
On Sept. 15 , 1963 , a bomb ripped through an exterior wall of the brick church , killing four girls who were inside preparing for a youth program .
The bodies of Denise McNair , 11 , and Addie Mae Collins , Cynthia Wesley and Carole Robertson , all 14 , were found in the downstairs lounge .
Collins ’ sister , Sarah Collins Rudolph , survived the blast but lost her right eye and is known as the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her chest , left eye and abdomen for decades after the explosion .
A parole hearing was scheduled next year for Blanton , and Rudolph and her husband planned to attend in opposition to his release , which was denied during a previous hearing .
Lisa McNair , the sister of Denise McNair , said she also hoped Blanton had repented and added : “ I wish I could have sat down with him to find out if he had had a change of heart.
” Blanton never admitted any role in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was part of a group of hard-core Klansmen who made a bomb and planted it on a Sunday morning .
During the trial , then-U.S. Attorney Jones , appointed as a special state prosecutor , said Blanton acted in response to months of civil rights demonstrations .
The targeted church was a rallying point for protesters .
Blanton proclaimed his innocence years after being sent to prison .
In a 2006 interview with Birmingham station WBRC-TV , he claimed the government used trumped-up evidence and lies to gain his conviction .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government ... and that ’ s why I ’ m here , ” Blanton told the television station from prison .
“ I ’ m sorry it happened .
Deeply sorry .
But I ’ m not responsible for it.
” A 1993 meeting in Birmingham between FBI officials and Black ministers led to the reopening of the bombing case against Blanton and Cherry .
The investigation remained quiet until 1997 when agents went to Texas to talk to Cherry .

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., the last of three one-time Ku Klux Klansmen convicted in a 1963 Alabama church bombing that killed four Black girls and was the deadliest single attack of the civil rights movement, died Friday in prison, officials said. He was 81.
Gov. Kay Ivey’s office said Blanton died of natural causes. He was being held at Donaldson prison near Birmingham, prison officials said.
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This undated file photo shows Alabama inmate Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., a one-time Ku Klux Klansman convicted in the 1963 church bombing that killed four black girls in Birmingham, Ala. ASSOCIATED PRESS
In May 2001, Blanton was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison for the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Ivey, in a statement, called the bombing “a dark day that will never be forgotten in both Alabama’s history and that of our nation.”
When asked by the judge during sentencing if he had any comment, Blanton said: “I guess the good Lord will settle it on judgment day.”
Sen. Doug Jones, who prosecuted Blanton, said the fact that Blanton remained free for almost 40 years after the bombing “speaks to a broader systemic failure to hold him and his accomplices accountable.”
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“That he died at this moment, when the country is trying to reconcile the multi-generational failure to end systemic racism, seems fitting,” Jones said in a statement.
The church bombing, exposing the depths of hatred by white supremacists as Birmingham integrated its public schools, was a tipping point of the civil rights movement. Moderates could no longer remain silent and the fight to topple segregation laws gained new momentum.
The investigation into the bombing was stalled early and left dormant for long stretches, but two other ex-Klansmen, Robert Chambliss and Bobby Frank Cherry, also were convicted in the bombing in separate trials. Chambliss was convicted in 1977 and died in prison in 1985. Cherry was convicted in 2002 and died in prison in 2004.
On Sept. 15, 1963, a bomb ripped through an exterior wall of the brick church, killing four girls who were inside preparing for a youth program. The bodies of Denise McNair, 11, and Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carole Robertson, all 14, were found in the downstairs lounge.
Collins’ sister, Sarah Collins Rudolph, survived the blast but lost her right eye and is known as the “fifth little girl.” Glass fragments remained in her chest, left eye and abdomen for decades after the explosion.
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A parole hearing was scheduled next year for Blanton, and Rudolph and her husband planned to attend in opposition to his release, which was denied during a previous hearing.
“She hopes that he found Jesus Christ and repented,” George Rudolph said on behalf of his wife.
Lisa McNair, the sister of Denise McNair, said she also hoped Blanton had repented and added: “I wish I could have sat down with him to find out if he had had a change of heart.”
Blanton never admitted any role in the blast, but evidence showed he was part of a group of hard-core Klansmen who made a bomb and planted it on a Sunday morning.
During the trial, then-U.S. Attorney Jones, appointed as a special state prosecutor, said Blanton acted in response to months of civil rights demonstrations. The targeted church was a rallying point for protesters.
“Tom Blanton saw change and didn’t like it,” Jones said in the trial.
Blanton proclaimed his innocence years after being sent to prison. In a 2006 interview with Birmingham station WBRC-TV, he claimed the government used trumped-up evidence and lies to gain his conviction.
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“I think I was cleverly set up by the government ... and that’s why I’m here,” Blanton told the television station from prison. “I’m sorry it happened. Deeply sorry. But I’m not responsible for it.”
A 1993 meeting in Birmingham between FBI officials and Black ministers led to the reopening of the bombing case against Blanton and Cherry. The investigation remained quiet until 1997 when agents went to Texas to talk to Cherry.
A decade earlier, the U.S. Justice Department concluded that former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had blocked prosecution of Klansmen in the bombing.
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