thetennesseestar--2020-06-07--Commentary: Leftism, Not Racism, Destroys Black Upward Mobility

The rioting and looting across the United States have been widely—though not universally—condemned .
The “ peaceful protests , ” on the other hand , have been universally praised .
But is this appropriate ?
Wouldn ’ t a broader and more balanced discussion be more constructive than praise without reservation ?
Obviously , people have the right to peacefully protest injustice , and obviously incidents of murderous police brutality are more than sufficient justification for protests .
But that ’ s as far as it goes .
The scope of these protests is disproportionate to the offense , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong , but because there are far more dangerous challenges facing black Americans .
The biggest challenge of all : leftists who indoctrinate blacks to think they are always first and foremost victims of racism .
Debunking this narrative of racism can start with the allegation that a disproportionate number of blacks are victims of police brutality , which in itself ( and regardless of race ) is extremely rare .
To put this into context , there are more than 800,000 sworn police officers in America , authorized to make arrests and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans have at least one encounter with a police officer per year , usually involving something minor such as a traffic stop .
Police make over 10 million arrests each year .
On average , just over 1,000 Americans each year are killed by police , but nearly all of them were armed .
In confrontations with unarmed people over the past decade , only between 50 and 100 have been shot per year by police , about the same number as police who are killed in hostile encounters per year .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fractions of tragedy .
Over 50 million police encounters , less than 100 unarmed people killed .
It is statistically impossible to root out every single incident of misconduct in a group that large .
Social media makes it easy to collect and aggregate tragic incidents and make them appear to be epidemic , and the leftist media amplifies every incident .
It is grossly misleading .
But whether police misconduct is epidemic or incredibly rare , are blacks disproportionately targeted ?
It is true that the number of blacks killed by police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. population .
Over the three year period from 2017 through 2019 , blacks represented 27 percent of all people shot to death by police , yet they comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population .
On the surface , this looks pretty bad .
But there is a lot more to this story .
When considering any case of disproportion , you have to examine the underlying facts .
In an unvarnished analysis recently published in the Wall Street Journal , Manhattan Institute fellow and author Heather Mac Donald presents some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as likely to be fatally shot by police than whites , but , “ in 2018 , the latest year for which such data have been published , African-Americans made up 53 % of known homicide offenders in the U.S. and commit about 60 % of robberies , though they are 13 % of the population.
” These facts are well known , but they ’ re ignored .
When crime rates are taken into account , it turns out that blacks are not disproportionately killed by police and , in fact , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent study that even NPR reporters acknowledged was peer-reviewed and published by the National Academy of Sciences , the researchers concluded : “ We find no evidence , at the national level , that officers show racial bias against Blacks in the decision to use deadly force , ” and “ we found no evidence that the race of a police officer related to the race of a citizen shot.
” Like many civilizations throughout human history , the southern states in America had black slaves .
This is an indefensible legacy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ northern states had millions of white abolitionists who viewed slavery as the abomination it was and were willing to fight and die to end it .
Moreover , prejudice and discrimination have never been limited to race .
Immigrants to America from Ireland and Eastern Europe were white as snow , yet encountered discrimination to rival what blacks endured .
When you examine why some groups in America succeeded and assimilated in spite of discrimination , and others did not , one quality surfaces again and again : They did not think of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easier for white immigrants to adopt a positive mindset because they could blend in more easily .
But was it easier for Orthodox Jews with their exotic attire ?
Was it easier for Filipinos , Japanese , Chinese , or Nigerians ?
All of those groups outperform whites in academic and economic achievement .
So what else explains their success ?
The legacy of slavery , Jim Crow , and redlining , obviously accounts for some of the challenges facing American blacks , even today .
But how much ?
Slavery was abolished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were completely eradicated by 1965 , redlining by 1968 .
Most American blacks of working age were not even born during the era of Jim Crow and redlining .
And what has happened since the 1960s civil rights era ?
Americans have gone , if anything , to the other extreme , with mandatory racial quotas now applied to college admissions , corporate hiring and promotions , and awarding of government contracts .
In every American institution , the “ institutional racism ” in effect is most assuredly directed against whites , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , the “ War on Poverty ” has showered hundreds of billions of dollars into black communities over the past half-century , providing food and shelter in the form of food stamps , welfare , and subsidized housing .
And despite all of this effort and expense , blacks continue to lag behind every other ethnic group in America in household income and household wealth , at the same time as they are the most likely to be convicted of crimes , imprisoned , or killed by police .
For the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Racism .
Endemic , systemic , conscious , unconscious , full-spectrum white racism .
A virus in the brain of every white person in America .
Maybe Treating People As Victims Makes Them Victims But what if the Left is wrong about everything ?
What if blacks have lower academic and economic achievement , and wind up on the wrong side of the law more than other groups , as a result of welfare and affirmative action ?
How does it benefit anyone ’ s character to be told they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ achieve because of their skin color ?
That they live in a hostile nation and can not succeed without the government subsidizing their lives and forcing people to hire them ?
Why shouldn ’ t we draw a direct line of causation between the rate of broken homes in black communities and the rate of high school dropouts and criminal convictions ?
Why are these obvious , common-sense connections ignored by leftist politicians and community leaders and the left-wing press ?
One reason is that the Left feeds on the victim narrative .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ power .
It is a seductive message with a destructive impact , but while the target of the message is destroyed , the purveyor of the message collects another paycheck .
It is a tool of big government , at the same time as it is parroted by every pernicious special interest and fringe element that would see us tear ourselves apart as a nation .
It has nothing to do with helping black people get ahead in life .
Charlie Kirk , despite mixed reviews from many conservatives , gets it right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it wrong , and he outdid himself in a recent video .
Kirk not only debunked the whole police-are-racist lie , but also steadfastly asserted his right to discuss these issues despite his pale skin .
Bravo for that .
Everyone in America loses if black Americans don ’ t succeed , so everyone needs to stand up and be counted—especially if they ’ re being told to sit down and shut up because they ’ re white .
When it comes to members of the black community who will challenge the victim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in short supply .
They just find themselves cut out of the mainstream conversation .
Here are just a few of them : Justin Wilson , Antonia Okafor , Candace Owens , Dr. Carol Swain , Chandler Crump , CJ Pearson , Anthony Brian Logan , David J Harris Jr. , Lynnett Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson ( Diamond and Silk ) , Jesse Lee Peterson , KingFace , Larry Elder , Mike Nificent , Allen West , Pastor Mark Burns , Patricia Dickson , Horace Cooper ( Project 21 ) , Shekinah Geist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Terrence K Williams , Taleed Brown , Keith Hodge and Kevin Hodge , Brandon Tatum , Will Johnson , Wayne Dupree , Jon Miller , Jamarcus Dove-Simmons , Derrick Blackman , Joy Villa , Mind of Jamal , Jermain Botsio , Jay McCaney .
For a stirring recapitulation of why blacks are not and should never consider themselves as victims , watch this video by the Hodge Twins .
If the media adopted a healthier bias—perhaps encouraging people to not think of themselves as victims—these two brothers would be world-famous superstars .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never get from ABC ’ s David Muir or CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper , or any member of the Democratic Party , watch this video by Candace Owens , where , quoting Shelby Steele , she makes this unforgettable observation : “ The black community is unique from other communities because we are the only community that caters to the bottom denominator of our society.
” The point Owens is making is incendiary , but maybe it shouldn ’ t be .
Why , she is asking , are blacks uplifting a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrest was high on methamphetamine and fentanyl , a man who was convicted of armed robbery , a man who was imprisoned five times ?
Why are leftists making a martyr out of this man ?
Owens isn ’ t saying this man deserved to die , nor is she defending the rogue cops who killed him .
But why is he being held up as someone who led a heroic life , in defense of the lie that police are systemically racist ?
If you want to know why blacks in America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other groups , don ’ t look to racism from whites .
Instead , look to the Left .
You will find a kaleidoscopic melange of media deities from Stacey Abrams to Joe Biden , spanning the color wheel , making their money and careers by spinning endless , useless lies .
Want to assign blame for black underachievement ?
Look to the Left .
Blame them , and walk away .
Edward Ring is a senior fellow of the Center for American Greatness and co-founder of the California Policy Center , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Lives Matter Supporter ” by David Geitgey Sierralupe .
CC BY 2.0 .

by Edward Ring
The rioting and looting across the United States have been widely—though not universally—condemned. The “peaceful protests,” on the other hand, have been universally praised. But is this appropriate? Wouldn’t a broader and more balanced discussion be more constructive than praise without reservation?
Obviously, people have the right to peacefully protest injustice, and obviously incidents of murderous police brutality are more than sufficient justification for protests. But that’s as far as it goes. The scope of these protests is disproportionate to the offense, not because the offense wasn’t hideously wrong, but because there are far more dangerous challenges facing black Americans. The biggest challenge of all: leftists who indoctrinate blacks to think they are always first and foremost victims of racism.
Debunking this narrative of racism can start with the allegation that a disproportionate number of blacks are victims of police brutality, which in itself (and regardless of race) is extremely rare.
To put this into context, there are more than 800,000 sworn police officers in America, authorized to make arrests and use deadly force. Over 50 million Americans have at least one encounter with a police officer per year, usually involving something minor such as a traffic stop. Police make over 10 million arrests each year. On average, just over 1,000 Americans each year are killed by police, but nearly all of them were armed. In confrontations with unarmed people over the past decade, only between 50 and 100 have been shot per year by police, about the same number as police who are killed in hostile encounters per year.
These are big denominators, yielding infinitesimally small fractions of tragedy. Over 50 million police encounters, less than 100 unarmed people killed. It is statistically impossible to root out every single incident of misconduct in a group that large.
Social media makes it easy to collect and aggregate tragic incidents and make them appear to be epidemic, and the leftist media amplifies every incident. It is grossly misleading. But whether police misconduct is epidemic or incredibly rare, are blacks disproportionately targeted?
In a word: No.
It is true that the number of blacks killed by police is consistently disproportionate to their share of the U.S. population. Over the three year period from 2017 through 2019, blacks represented 27 percent of all people shot to death by police, yet they comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population. On the surface, this looks pretty bad. But there is a lot more to this story.
When considering any case of disproportion, you have to examine the underlying facts. In an unvarnished analysis recently published in the Wall Street Journal, Manhattan Institute fellow and author Heather Mac Donald presents some inconvenient facts: Blacks are indeed twice as likely to be fatally shot by police than whites, but, “in 2018, the latest year for which such data have been published, African-Americans made up 53% of known homicide offenders in the U.S. and commit about 60% of robberies, though they are 13% of the population.”
These facts are well known, but they’re ignored.
When crime rates are taken into account, it turns out that blacks are not disproportionately killed by police and, in fact, the opposite is true.
In a recent study that even NPR reporters acknowledged was peer-reviewed and published by the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers concluded: “We find no evidence, at the national level, that officers show racial bias against Blacks in the decision to use deadly force,” and “we found no evidence that the race of a police officer related to the race of a citizen shot.”
The Obsession With Disproportionate Outcomes
Like many civilizations throughout human history, the southern states in America had black slaves. This is an indefensible legacy. But at the same time, the northern states had millions of white abolitionists who viewed slavery as the abomination it was and were willing to fight and die to end it.
Moreover, prejudice and discrimination have never been limited to race. Immigrants to America from Ireland and Eastern Europe were white as snow, yet encountered discrimination to rival what blacks endured.
When you examine why some groups in America succeeded and assimilated in spite of discrimination, and others did not, one quality surfaces again and again: They did not think of themselves as victims. Maybe it was easier for white immigrants to adopt a positive mindset because they could blend in more easily. But was it easier for Orthodox Jews with their exotic attire? Was it easier for Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese, or Nigerians? All of those groups outperform whites in academic and economic achievement.
So what else explains their success?
The legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and redlining, obviously accounts for some of the challenges facing American blacks, even today. But how much? Slavery was abolished 157 years ago, Jim Crow laws were completely eradicated by 1965, redlining by 1968. Most American blacks of working age were not even born during the era of Jim Crow and redlining.
And what has happened since the 1960s civil rights era? Americans have gone, if anything, to the other extreme, with mandatory racial quotas now applied to college admissions, corporate hiring and promotions, and awarding of government contracts. In every American institution, the “institutional racism” in effect is most assuredly directed against whites, in favor of blacks.
At the same time, the “War on Poverty” has showered hundreds of billions of dollars into black communities over the past half-century, providing food and shelter in the form of food stamps, welfare, and subsidized housing. And despite all of this effort and expense, blacks continue to lag behind every other ethnic group in America in household income and household wealth, at the same time as they are the most likely to be convicted of crimes, imprisoned, or killed by police.
For the American Left, there is only one explanation. Racism. Endemic, systemic, conscious, unconscious, full-spectrum white racism. A virus in the brain of every white person in America.
Maybe Treating People As Victims Makes Them Victims
But what if the Left is wrong about everything? What if blacks have lower academic and economic achievement, and wind up on the wrong side of the law more than other groups, as a result of welfare and affirmative action?
How does it benefit anyone’s character to be told they’re victims, that they can’t achieve because of their skin color? That they live in a hostile nation and cannot succeed without the government subsidizing their lives and forcing people to hire them? Why shouldn’t we draw a direct line of causation between the rate of broken homes in black communities and the rate of high school dropouts and criminal convictions? Why are these obvious, common-sense connections ignored by leftist politicians and community leaders and the left-wing press?
One reason is that the Left feeds on the victim narrative. It is the currency of their political power. It is a seductive message with a destructive impact, but while the target of the message is destroyed, the purveyor of the message collects another paycheck. It is a tool of big government, at the same time as it is parroted by every pernicious special interest and fringe element that would see us tear ourselves apart as a nation. It has nothing to do with helping black people get ahead in life.
Charlie Kirk, despite mixed reviews from many conservatives, gets it right at least as often as he gets it wrong, and he outdid himself in a recent video. Kirk not only debunked the whole police-are-racist lie, but also steadfastly asserted his right to discuss these issues despite his pale skin. Bravo for that. Everyone in America loses if black Americans don’t succeed, so everyone needs to stand up and be counted—especially if they’re being told to sit down and shut up because they’re white.
When it comes to members of the black community who will challenge the victim narrative, however, they are not in short supply. They just find themselves cut out of the mainstream conversation. Here are just a few of them:
Justin Wilson, Antonia Okafor, Candace Owens, Dr. Carol Swain, Chandler Crump, CJ Pearson, Anthony Brian Logan, David J Harris Jr., Lynnett Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson (Diamond and Silk), Jesse Lee Peterson, KingFace, Larry Elder, Mike Nificent, Allen West, Pastor Mark Burns, Patricia Dickson, Horace Cooper (Project 21), Shekinah Geist, Stacy Dash, Star Parker, Terrence K Williams, Taleed Brown, Keith Hodge and Kevin Hodge, Brandon Tatum, Will Johnson, Wayne Dupree, Jon Miller, Jamarcus Dove-Simmons, Derrick Blackman, Joy Villa, Mind of Jamal, Jermain Botsio, Jay McCaney.
For a stirring recapitulation of why blacks are not and should never consider themselves as victims, watch this video by the Hodge Twins. If the media adopted a healthier bias—perhaps encouraging people to not think of themselves as victims—these two brothers would be world-famous superstars.
For a critical insight that you’ll never get from ABC’s David Muir or CNN’s Anderson Cooper, or any member of the Democratic Party, watch this video by Candace Owens, where, quoting Shelby Steele, she makes this unforgettable observation: “The black community is unique from other communities because we are the only community that caters to the bottom denominator of our society.”
The point Owens is making is incendiary, but maybe it shouldn’t be. Why, she is asking, are blacks uplifting a man who at the time of his arrest was high on methamphetamine and fentanyl, a man who was convicted of armed robbery, a man who was imprisoned five times? Why are leftists making a martyr out of this man? Owens isn’t saying this man deserved to die, nor is she defending the rogue cops who killed him. But why is he being held up as someone who led a heroic life, in defense of the lie that police are systemically racist?
If you want to know why blacks in America, in aggregate, have lagged behind other groups, don’t look to racism from whites. Instead, look to the Left. You will find a kaleidoscopic melange of media deities from Stacey Abrams to Joe Biden, spanning the color wheel, making their money and careers by spinning endless, useless lies.
Want to assign blame for black underachievement? Look to the Left. Blame them, and walk away.
– – –
Edward Ring is a senior fellow of the Center for American Greatness and co-founder of the California Policy Center, which he co-founded in 2013.
Photo “Black Lives Matter Supporter” by David Geitgey Sierralupe. CC BY 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-07--Social Distancing, Social Justice, Science, and More Experts Keep Getting It Wrong

Americans have relied on experts to guide them and to provide factual , unbiased information throughout the coronavirus pandemic — but some experts have been proven wrong on multiple topics just this week .
Public health officials have urged Americans to social distance from one another since the coronavirus pandemic began .
Quarantines , social distancing orders , and lockdowns have kept Americans in their homes and away from friends and family .
Those who suggested that social distancing orders may have gone too far were publicly shamed .
In a viral Twitter thread , mother and commentator Bethany Mandel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an end to months of indefinite lockdowns .
“ You can call me a Grandma killer , ” Mandel tweeted May 6 .
“ I ’ m not sacrificing my home , food on the table , all of our docs and dentists , every form of pleasure ( museums , zoos , restaurants ) , all my kids ’ teachers in order to make other people comfortable .
If you want to stay locked down , do .
I ’ m not.
” Media and experts alike tore into Mandel for her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a “ grandma killer , ” and much more .
“ You ’ re a grandma killer yes .
But you ’ re also a nurse killer , a doctor killer , a cop killer , a grocery clerk killer , a student killer , a 5 year old killer , a bus driver killer , a father killer who just had a child killer , a family killer , ” tweeted CNN analyst Joe Lockhart .
“ Good people take care of their community.
” A few weeks later , experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following the death of George Floyd .
Some health officials going so far as to say that the public health risks of racism are more dangerous than those of the coronavirus pandemic .
“ We should always evaluate the risks and benefits of efforts to control the virus , ” John Hopkins epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo tweeted Tuesday .
“ In this moment the public health risks of not protesting to demand an end to systemic racism greatly exceed the harms of the virus.
” “ While I have voiced concerns that protests risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t going to stop # covid19 either , ” he tweeted .
“ As much as this is a chapter in American racism , so too is it in the # covid19 response .
It ’ s beyond time for us in public health to step up.
” Atlantic staff writer Connor Friedersdorf called on public health experts to “ strive to provide a neutral accounting of risk ” in the Thursday story : “ The Protesters Deserve the Truth About the Coronavirus.
” “ Public health experts who explicitly adopt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the risk of spreading COVID19 at protests ill serve protesters themselves and undermine their credibility in ways that will do lasting damage , ” Friedersdorf tweeted .
Public health experts and media touted the results of studies in May showing damaging effects the supposedly damaging effects of using hydroxychloroquine and widely-used blood pressure medications to treat COVID-19 patients .
Both experts and media mocked President Donald Trump for his praise of the treatment as well as his own use of the treatment himself as a precaution .
But only this week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emerged regarding both the studies .
Both The Lancet , which published the study on hydroxychloroquine , and The New England Journal of Medicine ( NEJM ) , which published a study on blood pressure medications , issued expressions of concern this week warning readers that concerns over the studies have emerged .
Major news networks that had criticized Trump over the medication did not cover the news regarding the studies , an examination by conservative blog Newsbusters found .
“ The evening newscasts of ABC , CBS , and NBC refused to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lauded scientific study , purporting to show anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine was ineffective and deadly , was retracted Thursday because of questions surrounding its accuracy and ethics , ” Newsbuster ’ s Nicholas Fondacaro wrote .
“ That , even though all three had used the study to chide President Trump for pushing the drug and taking it himself.
” Economists ’ projections for the number of Americans unemployed during the month of May were wildly inaccurate .
Experts had predicted that the unemployment rate would be around 20 % and that about 8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The forthcoming May jobs report will amount to a shocking sequel to the April horror story , ” a senior economic analyst for Bankrate Mark Hamrick had predicted to Politico .
“ It is likely to add further economic insult to the injury already established with the jobless rate .
.
.
Millions more are expected to fall off of payrolls.
” Instead , the economy saw the largest monthly gain in new jobs since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking this data series in 1939 .
The May jobs report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jobs in May and that unemployment fell to 13.3 % , according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday .
“ The U.S. economy is more resilient than expected , ” chief strategist at Principal Global Investors Seema Shah told CNBC .
“ Remember all those commentators and journalists who smugly informed us that the woke craziness and suppression of campus speech was being overhyped and it was just a few overzealous students , ” Brookings Institute Fellow Shadi Hamid tweeted Thursday .
“ They ’ ll never admit they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very , very wrong.
” The tweet came the same day that the New York Times apologized for and removed an op-ed by Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton calling on Trump to end the violence , looting , and attacks on police officers that have occurred throughout the country .
The Times ultimately decided to remove the op-ed following outrage from the publication ’ s employees , who expressed outrage and anger that their publication would publish such sentiments .
“ We ’ ve examined the piece and the process leading up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Thursday .
“ This review made clear that a rushed editorial process led to the publication of an Op-Ed that did not meet our standards .
As a result , we ’ re planning to examine both short term and long term changes , to include expanding our fact checking operation and reducing the number of Op-Eds we publish.
” Vox writer Matt Yglesias posted in a response to Hamid ’ s tweet Thursday that he has recently changed his mind about various topics “ thanks to a couple recent things ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was just saying in a Slack that I am going to have to admit I was wrong and the excesses are spreading , ” Yglesias tweeted .
“ I stand by a lot of my criticisms of the anti-PC discourse of five years ago , ” he added , “ but I wrongly thought the most egregious excesses of campus activists would stay on campus when they have instead spread as people age into other roles.
” Senior editor of Reason Magazine Robby Soave predicted in 2019 that the so-called social justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free speech , but would in fact grow .
“ Social justice warriors are just getting started , ” Soave wrote in a May 2019 op-ed for the Washington Examiner .
“ The current incarnation of callout culture has trickled outward from the campus culture where it originated , ” Soave wrote .
“ It was student activists who normalized the leftist idea that words are themselves a form of violence and they can inflict pain just as sticks and stones do.
” Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller @ @ @

by Mary Margaret Olohan
Americans have relied on experts to guide them and to provide factual, unbiased information throughout the coronavirus pandemic — but some experts have been proven wrong on multiple topics just this week.
Social Distancing To Social Justice
Public health officials have urged Americans to social distance from one another since the coronavirus pandemic began. Quarantines, social distancing orders, and lockdowns have kept Americans in their homes and away from friends and family.
Those who suggested that social distancing orders may have gone too far were publicly shamed. In a viral Twitter thread, mother and commentator Bethany Mandel called for a return to normalcy and an end to months of indefinite lockdowns.
“You can call me a Grandma killer,” Mandel tweeted May 6. “I’m not sacrificing my home, food on the table, all of our docs and dentists, every form of pleasure (museums, zoos, restaurants), all my kids’ teachers in order to make other people comfortable. If you want to stay locked down, do. I’m not.”
Media and experts alike tore into Mandel for her comments, accusing her of being selfish, a “grandma killer,” and much more.
“You’re a grandma killer yes. But you’re also a nurse killer, a doctor killer, a cop killer, a grocery clerk killer, a student killer, a 5 year old killer, a bus driver killer, a father killer who just had a child killer, a family killer,” tweeted CNN analyst Joe Lockhart. “Good people take care of their community.”
A few weeks later, experts have begun condoning the crowds joining protests following the death of George Floyd. Some health officials going so far as to say that the public health risks of racism are more dangerous than those of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We should always evaluate the risks and benefits of efforts to control the virus,” John Hopkins epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo tweeted Tuesday. “In this moment the public health risks of not protesting to demand an end to systemic racism greatly exceed the harms of the virus.”
“While I have voiced concerns that protests risk creating more outbreaks, the status quo wasn’t going to stop #covid19 either,” he tweeted. “As much as this is a chapter in American racism, so too is it in the #covid19 response. It’s beyond time for us in public health to step up.”
Atlantic staff writer Connor Friedersdorf called on public health experts to “strive to provide a neutral accounting of risk” in the Thursday story: “The Protesters Deserve the Truth About the Coronavirus.”
“Public health experts who explicitly adopt an ideological double standard in talking points about the risk of spreading COVID19 at protests ill serve protesters themselves and undermine their credibility in ways that will do lasting damage,” Friedersdorf tweeted.
Public health experts and media touted the results of studies in May showing damaging effects the supposedly damaging effects of using hydroxychloroquine and widely-used blood pressure medications to treat COVID-19 patients.
Both experts and media mocked President Donald Trump for his praise of the treatment as well as his own use of the treatment himself as a precaution.
But only this week, serious questions posed by medical journals have emerged regarding both the studies. Both The Lancet, which published the study on hydroxychloroquine, and The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), which published a study on blood pressure medications, issued expressions of concern this week warning readers that concerns over the studies have emerged.
Major news networks that had criticized Trump over the medication did not cover the news regarding the studies, an examination by conservative blog Newsbusters found.
“The evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC refused to give airtime to the revelation that a lauded scientific study, purporting to show anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine was ineffective and deadly, was retracted Thursday because of questions surrounding its accuracy and ethics,” Newsbuster’s Nicholas Fondacaro wrote. “That, even though all three had used the study to chide President Trump for pushing the drug and taking it himself.”
Unemployment
Economists’ projections for the number of Americans unemployed during the month of May were wildly inaccurate. Experts had predicted that the unemployment rate would be around 20% and that about 8 million jobs would have been lost.
“The forthcoming May jobs report will amount to a shocking sequel to the April horror story,” a senior economic analyst for Bankrate Mark Hamrick had predicted to Politico. “It is likely to add further economic insult to the injury already established with the jobless rate. . . Millions more are expected to fall off of payrolls.”
Instead, the economy saw the largest monthly gain in new jobs since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking this data series in 1939.
The May jobs report showed that U.S. economy gained 2.5 million jobs in May and that unemployment fell to 13.3%, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday.
“The U.S. economy is more resilient than expected,” chief strategist at Principal Global Investors Seema Shah told CNBC.
Suppression of Speech
“Remember all those commentators and journalists who smugly informed us that the woke craziness and suppression of campus speech was being overhyped and it was just a few overzealous students,” Brookings Institute Fellow Shadi Hamid tweeted Thursday. “They’ll never admit they’re wrong. But they were very, very wrong.”
The tweet came the same day that the New York Times apologized for and removed an op-ed by Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton calling on Trump to end the violence, looting, and attacks on police officers that have occurred throughout the country.
The Times ultimately decided to remove the op-ed following outrage from the publication’s employees, who expressed outrage and anger that their publication would publish such sentiments.
“We’ve examined the piece and the process leading up to its publication,” a NYT spokeswoman said Thursday. “This review made clear that a rushed editorial process led to the publication of an Op-Ed that did not meet our standards. As a result, we’re planning to examine both short term and long term changes, to include expanding our fact checking operation and reducing the number of Op-Eds we publish.”
Vox writer Matt Yglesias posted in a response to Hamid’s tweet Thursday that he has recently changed his mind about various topics “thanks to a couple recent things” that he did not discuss.
“I was just saying in a Slack that I am going to have to admit I was wrong and the excesses are spreading,” Yglesias tweeted.
“I stand by a lot of my criticisms of the anti-PC discourse of five years ago,” he added, “but I wrongly thought the most egregious excesses of campus activists would stay on campus when they have instead spread as people age into other roles.”
Senior editor of Reason Magazine Robby Soave predicted in 2019 that the so-called social justice warriors would not subside in going after free speech, but would in fact grow.
“Social justice warriors are just getting started,” Soave wrote in a May 2019 op-ed for the Washington Examiner.
“The current incarnation of callout culture has trickled outward from the campus culture where it originated,” Soave wrote. “It was student activists who normalized the leftist idea that words are themselves a form of violence and they can inflict pain just as sticks and stones do.”
– – –
Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-07--Commentary: School Reopenings in Denmark Did Not Worsen COVID-19 Spread, Data Show

A new Reuters report says data show the school reopenings in Denmark did not lead to an increase in the spread of COVID-19 .
Sending children back to schools and day care centers in Denmark , the first country in Europe to do so , did not lead to an increase in coronavirus infections , according to official data , confirming similar findings from Finland on Thursday .
As nations around the world seek to end the restrictive lockdowns designed to curb the spread of COVID-19 , many expressed worry that reopening schools could result in a surge of coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Denmark .
Similar findings were reported out of Finland .
The results would seem to support emerging evidence that suggests closing schools is an ineffective way to tame the spread of COVID-19 , and may actually increase deaths .
As was pointed out last week , the left-leaning magazine Mother Jones came to the defense of Sen. Rand Paul , who came under fire for questioning Dr. Anthony Fauci over the national policy of encouraging schools to close to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 .
Writer Kevin Drum pointed out that an abundance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position that closing schools is a poor way to contain the spread of COVID-19 .
“ [ The ] best evidence we have seems to suggest that school closures have a fairly minimal effect taken on their own , and a zero or maybe even negative effect when you net out the increase in COVID-19 deaths that they cause indirectly , ” wrote Drum , a longtime blogger at The Washington Monthly , who cited five academic studies .
The findings , which emerged as new evidence suggests the coronavirus may be weakening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have observed .
“ We feel more and more confident about [ not ] closing schools , ” Anders Tegnell , Sweden ’ s top infectious disease expert , told TV host Trevor Noah in May .
“ It ’ s not something that really is going to be effective for this kind of disease .
Schools don ’ t seem to be very much of a motor of this epidemic.
” To be clear , schools have many problems .
During this pandemic , many parents have discovered a newfound appreciation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of millions of children who had never experienced homeschooling before are now doing so for the first time , and quite possibly learning more as a result .
The broader implication of the research is not that compulsory schooling is good , truancy laws are just , or even that public schools should reopen , but that children should be allowed to gather—whether in schools , homeschooling groups , summer camps , parks , libraries , or museums .
Whatever the pros and cons of the schooling model of education , healthy child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much harder under social distancing .
Jonathan Miltimore is the Managing Editor of FEE.org .
His writing/reporting has been the subject of articles in TIME magazine , The Wall Street Journal , CNN , Forbes , Fox News , and the Star Tribune .

by Jon Miltimore
A new Reuters report says data show the school reopenings in Denmark did not lead to an increase in the spread of COVID-19.
Sending children back to schools and day care centers in Denmark, the first country in Europe to do so, did not lead to an increase in coronavirus infections, according to official data, confirming similar findings from Finland on Thursday. As nations around the world seek to end the restrictive lockdowns designed to curb the spread of COVID-19, many expressed worry that reopening schools could result in a surge of coronavirus cases. That did not happen in Denmark.
Similar findings were reported out of Finland.
The results would seem to support emerging evidence that suggests closing schools is an ineffective way to tame the spread of COVID-19, and may actually increase deaths.
As was pointed out last week, the left-leaning magazine Mother Jones came to the defense of Sen. Rand Paul, who came under fire for questioning Dr. Anthony Fauci over the national policy of encouraging schools to close to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Writer Kevin Drum pointed out that an abundance of research supports Paul’s assertion position that closing schools is a poor way to contain the spread of COVID-19.
“[The] best evidence we have seems to suggest that school closures have a fairly minimal effect taken on their own, and a zero or maybe even negative effect when you net out the increase in COVID-19 deaths that they cause indirectly,” wrote Drum, a longtime blogger at The Washington Monthly, who cited five academic studies.
The findings, which emerged as new evidence suggests the coronavirus may be weakening, dovetails with what other world-leading epidemiologists have observed.
“We feel more and more confident about [not] closing schools,” Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s top infectious disease expert, told TV host Trevor Noah in May. “It’s not something that really is going to be effective for this kind of disease. Schools don’t seem to be very much of a motor of this epidemic.”
To be clear, schools have many problems. During this pandemic, many parents have discovered a newfound appreciation of homeschooling and other schooling alternatives. Tens of millions of children who had never experienced homeschooling before are now doing so for the first time, and quite possibly learning more as a result.
The broader implication of the research is not that compulsory schooling is good, truancy laws are just, or even that public schools should reopen, but that children should be allowed to gather—whether in schools, homeschooling groups, summer camps, parks, libraries, or museums.
Whatever the pros and cons of the schooling model of education, healthy child development requires social learning, which is much harder under social distancing.
– – –
Jonathan Miltimore is the Managing Editor of FEE.org. His writing/reporting has been the subject of articles in TIME magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, and the Star Tribune.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-07--Supreme Court Urged to Rethink Legal Immunity for Police Officers Amid Floyd Protests

The Supreme Court is weighing petitions to reexamine legal immunity that protects officers from being sued in instances of brutal arrests , use of excessive force and the shooting of innocent people in their homes .
The call for reassessment comes during nationwide protests of police brutality , the most recent instance being the death of George Floyd .
Floyd died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes , video of the incident shows .
Supreme Court decisions over the past ten years have made it relatively impractical for victims to sue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death , both Democrats and Republicans have chastised the judgement , the Los Angeles Times reported .
The court doctrine created “ qualified immunity ” for police officers facing civil lawsuits , which has led to officers rarely held accountable for abusing authority or being charged for crimes , the LA Times reported .
Democratic Sens .
Cory Booker of New Jersey , Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts , Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Bernie Sanders of Vermont introduced a resolution recognizing legal and racial inequalities in application to law enforcement officers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ qualified immunity is a “ mistaken judicial interpretation ” of the statute , and that to correct the misinterpretation Congress needs to make an amendment which eliminates the qualified immunity defense for law officers .
The “ qualified immunity ” doctrine has led to no compensation for victims of crimes committed by police , the LA Times reported .
Appeals have been filed by many victims imploring the justices to allow their claims to go before a jury , and the courts are considering their cases .
Kaylee Greenlee is a reporter for @ @ @ @ @ @

by Kaylee Greenlee
The Supreme Court is weighing petitions to reexamine legal immunity that protects officers from being sued in instances of brutal arrests, use of excessive force and the shooting of innocent people in their homes.
The call for reassessment comes during nationwide protests of police brutality, the most recent instance being the death of George Floyd. Floyd died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, video of the incident shows.
Over the past 50 years, SCOTUS has developed a doctrine that makes government officials, including police officers, immune from being sued in court when they violate people’s rights. I am proud to support this bill by @justinamash & @RepPressley to end qualified immunity. https://t.co/5eI2tkQDHw — Congressman Chuy García (@RepChuyGarcia) June 4, 2020
Supreme Court decisions over the past ten years have made it relatively impractical for victims to sue police officers for cruel treatment or wrongful death, both Democrats and Republicans have chastised the judgement, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The court doctrine created “qualified immunity” for police officers facing civil lawsuits, which has led to officers rarely held accountable for abusing authority or being charged for crimes, the LA Times reported.
Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Bernie Sanders of Vermont introduced a resolution recognizing legal and racial inequalities in application to law enforcement officers.
The resolution states that the statute of qualified immunity is a “mistaken judicial interpretation” of the statute, and that to correct the misinterpretation Congress needs to make an amendment which eliminates the qualified immunity defense for law officers.
The “qualified immunity” doctrine has led to no compensation for victims of crimes committed by police, the LA Times reported. Appeals have been filed by many victims imploring the justices to allow their claims to go before a jury, and the courts are considering their cases.
– – –
Kaylee Greenlee is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-07--California Governor Ends Police Training in ‘Sleeper Hold’

SACRAMENTO , California ( AP ) — California Gov .
Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered the state ’ s police training program to stop teaching officers how to use a neck hold that blocks the flow of blood to the brain and endorsed legislation that would ban the practice statewide .
It marked his first action on police use of force following more than a week of protests across the country over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
Floyd died on Memorial Day after a police officer put his knee on Floyd ’ s neck for nearly nine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the ground .
Police experts have condemned the Minneapolis officer for using an unacceptable method .
However , many departments still employ the carotid method , also known as the sleeper hold , that critics say is overly dangerous .
It involves applying pressure to the sides of the neck with an arm , which can almost immediately block blood flow in the carotid arteries and render someone unconscious .
If the blood flow is restricted too long it can cause serious injury or even death .
Floyd ’ s death has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Friday , city leaders in Minneapolis agreed to ban choke holds by police and require officers to immediately report to their superiors when they see use of any neck restraint .
In California , the San Diego Police Department and San Diego County Sheriff ’ s Department are among the agencies that announced this week they would stop using the carotid hold .
Newsom said Friday he has ordered the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to stop teaching the hold .
The commission provides curriculum for training more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to its website .
But the decision on whether to allow officers to use the hold is up to each law enforcement agency .
“ We train techniques on strangleholds that put people ’ s lives at risk , ” Newsom said .
“ That has no place any longer in 21st-century practices and policing.
” Assemblyman Mike Gipson , a Democrat from Carson , has authored a bill in the state Legislature that would make carotid holds illegal .
Newsom said he would sign it into law if lawmakers pass it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said his department still allows the carotid hold as a last option before lethal force .
He said officers are taught to apply pressure to the sides , rather than the front , of someone ’ s neck so it wouldn ’ t block their breathing .
“ If you take some of these control holds away , then you eliminate steps before you get to deadly force , ” he said .
Garcia said he understands Newsom is trying to instill greater public trust in police but chafed at the governor ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stranglehold .
“ I ’ ll guarantee you that you will not find ‘ stranglehold ’ in any police department ’ s duty manual , ” he said .
Ronald Tyler , director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at Stanford University , said stopping the training will impact new recruits .
“ But I think the real pressure is going to be how quickly can the Legislature actually ban it outright , ” he said .
“ that ’ s what will lead to a sense among police officers that this increases your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California have been peaceful , but some erupted into violence that damaged businesses and injured police officers and protesters alike .
Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds .
That prompted Newsom to say he wants the Legislature to set standards for crowd control and police use of force in protests .
“ Protesters have the right to protest peacefully .
Protesters have the right to do so without being arrested , gassed , shot at by projectiles , ” Newsom said .
“ We need to standardize those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a law that limits police use of lethal force to defending against an imminent threat of death or serious injury to officers or bystanders .
The old standard allowed officers to use lethal force if they had a “ reasonable fear , ” which made it rare for an officer to be charged or convicted .
That law was prompted by the 2018 fatal police shooting in Sacramento of Stephon Clark , who was black .
Newsom spent Wednesday cleaning up graffiti in downtown Sacramento with Clark ’ s brother .
Adam Beam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AP ’ s Stefanie Dazio contributed from Los Angeles .
About the Headline Photo : Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced that he has ordered the state police training program to stop teaching a neck hold that blocks the flow of blood to the brain , during a news conference in Sacramento , Calif. , Friday , June 5 , 2020 .
Speaking from the Unity Center at the California Museum , Newsom said he ordered the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to stop teaching officers how to use the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks of protests across the country after the death of George Floyd .
( AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli , Pool )

SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered the state’s police training program to stop teaching officers how to use a neck hold that blocks the flow of blood to the brain and endorsed legislation that would ban the practice statewide.
It marked his first action on police use of force following more than a week of protests across the country over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd died on Memorial Day after a police officer put his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while he was handcuffed and lying on the ground.
Police experts have condemned the Minneapolis officer for using an unacceptable method. However, many departments still employ the carotid method, also known as the sleeper hold, that critics say is overly dangerous.
It involves applying pressure to the sides of the neck with an arm, which can almost immediately block blood flow in the carotid arteries and render someone unconscious. If the blood flow is restricted too long it can cause serious injury or even death.
Floyd’s death has prompted police departments to review their methods. Friday, city leaders in Minneapolis agreed to ban choke holds by police and require officers to immediately report to their superiors when they see use of any neck restraint.
In California, the San Diego Police Department and San Diego County Sheriff’s Department are among the agencies that announced this week they would stop using the carotid hold.
Newsom said Friday he has ordered the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to stop teaching the hold. The commission provides curriculum for training more than 600 agencies and departments throughout California, according to its website. But the decision on whether to allow officers to use the hold is up to each law enforcement agency.
“We train techniques on strangleholds that put people’s lives at risk,” Newsom said. “That has no place any longer in 21st-century practices and policing.”
Assemblyman Mike Gipson, a Democrat from Carson, has authored a bill in the state Legislature that would make carotid holds illegal. Newsom said he would sign it into law if lawmakers pass it.
San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia said his department still allows the carotid hold as a last option before lethal force. He said officers are taught to apply pressure to the sides, rather than the front, of someone’s neck so it wouldn’t block their breathing.
“If you take some of these control holds away, then you eliminate steps before you get to deadly force,” he said.
Garcia said he understands Newsom is trying to instill greater public trust in police but chafed at the governor’s description of the technique as a stranglehold.
“I’ll guarantee you that you will not find ‘stranglehold’ in any police department’s duty manual,” he said.
Ronald Tyler, director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at Stanford University, said stopping the training will impact new recruits.
“But I think the real pressure is going to be how quickly can the Legislature actually ban it outright,” he said. “that’s what will lead to a sense among police officers that this increases your liability.”
Most of the protests in California have been peaceful, but some erupted into violence that damaged businesses and injured police officers and protesters alike. Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds. That prompted Newsom to say he wants the Legislature to set standards for crowd control and police use of force in protests.
“Protesters have the right to protest peacefully. Protesters have the right to do so without being arrested, gassed, shot at by projectiles,” Newsom said. “We need to standardize those approaches.”
Last year, Newsom signed a law that limits police use of lethal force to defending against an imminent threat of death or serious injury to officers or bystanders. The old standard allowed officers to use lethal force if they had a “reasonable fear,” which made it rare for an officer to be charged or convicted.
That law was prompted by the 2018 fatal police shooting in Sacramento of Stephon Clark, who was black. Newsom spent Wednesday cleaning up graffiti in downtown Sacramento with Clark’s brother.
– – –
Adam Beam reports for The Associated Press. The AP’s Stefanie Dazio contributed from Los Angeles.
About the Headline Photo: Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he has ordered the state police training program to stop teaching a neck hold that blocks the flow of blood to the brain, during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, June 5, 2020. Speaking from the Unity Center at the California Museum, Newsom said he ordered the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to stop teaching officers how to use the “carotid holds,” following nearly two weeks of protests across the country after the death of George Floyd. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool)


thetennesseestar--2020-06-07--House Sends Bill to Allow Surveillance Cameras on Tennessee Highways Back to Committee

Legislation that would allow police to use surveillance cameras on Tennessee interstate highways was sent to the House Judiciary Committee after lawmakers raised privacy concerns during Thursday ’ s House session .
House Bill 2110 would end the prohibition on most cameras on interstate highways .
The bill , sponsored by Rep. Mark White , R-Memphis , would let the police use the camera for only surveillance purposes , and not for enforcing speed limits or other traffic laws .
White told lawmakers these cameras are used in localities to track criminals and detect the movement of vehicles operated by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a helpful tool on interstate highways and lawmakers should do everything they can to prevent evil in this world .
Rep. Susan Lynn , R-Mount Juliet , said these kinds of surveillance cameras have been effective at stopping crime in her district .
However , the idea of surveillance cameras being utilized throughout the state bothered some lawmakers , including Rep. Andy Holt , R-Dresden , who said the legislation reminded him of the dystopian novel , “ 1984 , ” in which the government closely monitors its citizens to keep control of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sponsor had good intentions , he cautioned these cameras could be used in the future for purposes the legislation does not intend .
For example , he said private companies could try to use these cameras for profit .
“ I will not be a party to unnecessary surveillance to the people of Tennessee , the people of the United States , ” Holt said .
“ … Please let ’ s not tread down this path.
” The legislation will be reviewed Monday by the House Judiciary Committee .
Tyler Arnold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center Square .
He previously worked for the Cause of Action Institute and has been published in Business Insider , USA TODAY College , National Review Online and the Washington Free Beacon .
Background Photo “ Speed Cameras ” by davepaku .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .

by Tyler Arnold
Legislation that would allow police to use surveillance cameras on Tennessee interstate highways was sent to the House Judiciary Committee after lawmakers raised privacy concerns during Thursday’s House session.
House Bill 2110 would end the prohibition on most cameras on interstate highways. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, would let the police use the camera for only surveillance purposes, and not for enforcing speed limits or other traffic laws.
White told lawmakers these cameras are used in localities to track criminals and detect the movement of vehicles operated by suspects. He said this would be a helpful tool on interstate highways and lawmakers should do everything they can to prevent evil in this world.
Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mount Juliet, said these kinds of surveillance cameras have been effective at stopping crime in her district.
However, the idea of surveillance cameras being utilized throughout the state bothered some lawmakers, including Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, who said the legislation reminded him of the dystopian novel, “1984,” in which the government closely monitors its citizens to keep control of them.
Although Holt said he believed the sponsor had good intentions, he cautioned these cameras could be used in the future for purposes the legislation does not intend. For example, he said private companies could try to use these cameras for profit.
“I will not be a party to unnecessary surveillance to the people of Tennessee, the people of the United States,” Holt said. “… Please let’s not tread down this path.”
The legislation will be reviewed Monday by the House Judiciary Committee.
– – –
Tyler Arnold reports on Virginia and Tennessee for The Center Square. He previously worked for the Cause of Action Institute and has been published in Business Insider, USA TODAY College, National Review Online and the Washington Free Beacon.
Background Photo “Speed Cameras” by davepaku. CC BY-SA 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-07--Tennessee Attorney General Says He’s Working to Expose Illegal Robocallers

Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III , along with the State Attorneys General Robocall Working Group , wants the FCC to continue to collaborate with state attorneys general and telecom companies to trace illegal robocalls to their source .
Slatery announced this in a press release this week .
Under the TRACED Act , which became law in December 2019 , the FCC will select a single registered association to manage the tracing of illegal robocalls .
Traceback investigations are necessary for law enforcement to efficiently identify and investigate illegal robocallers and expose voice service providers that assist them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations are particularly important right now because of robocall scams related to COVID-19 , ” Slatery said in the press release .
Tennessee , since 2018 , is a member of a coalition of 45 states working with the telecom industry .
According to the National Association of Attorneys General , state attorneys general have long led in the fight against illegal robocallers “ and their assault on the American people ’ s privacy.
” “ As a result of the rise of caller ID spoofing , there is limited visibility of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and unlawful calls .
State Attorneys General have prioritized tracking down these bad actors and bringing their illegal activity to light , ” the NAAG said .
As The Tennessee Star reported , more than 48 billion robocalls were made in 2018 , making them the number one source of consumer complaints to the FTC and the FCC and resulting in millions in consumer losses , according to information Slatery put out at the time .
In 2017 , consumers reported losses in excess of $ 290 million as a result of frauds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that telemarketing scams have been a $ 9.5 billion cost to the U.S. economy , Slatery said that year .
Slatery is joined in submitting these comments by the Attorneys General of Alaska , Arizona , Arkansas , Colorado , Connecticut , Delaware , Florida , Hawaii , Idaho , Illinois , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Louisiana , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , Montana , Nebraska , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New Mexico , New York , North Carolina , North Dakota @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rhode Island , South Carolina , South Dakota , Texas , Vermont , Virginia , Washington , West Virginia , and Wisconsin .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ]

Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, along with the State Attorneys General Robocall Working Group, wants the FCC to continue to collaborate with state attorneys general and telecom companies to trace illegal robocalls to their source.
Slatery announced this in a press release this week.
Under the TRACED Act, which became law in December 2019, the FCC will select a single registered association to manage the tracing of illegal robocalls. Traceback investigations are necessary for law enforcement to efficiently identify and investigate illegal robocallers and expose voice service providers that assist them, the press release said.
“These investigations are particularly important right now because of robocall scams related to COVID-19,” Slatery said in the press release.
Tennessee, since 2018, is a member of a coalition of 45 states working with the telecom industry.
According to the National Association of Attorneys General, state attorneys general have long led in the fight against illegal robocallers “and their assault on the American people’s privacy.”
“As a result of the rise of caller ID spoofing, there is limited visibility of the entities and individuals that perpetrate these harassing and unlawful calls. State Attorneys General have prioritized tracking down these bad actors and bringing their illegal activity to light,” the NAAG said.
As The Tennessee Star reported, more than 48 billion robocalls were made in 2018, making them the number one source of consumer complaints to the FTC and the FCC and resulting in millions in consumer losses, according to information Slatery put out at the time.
In 2017, consumers reported losses in excess of $290 million as a result of frauds perpetrated by telemarketers. Consumers Union reported that telemarketing scams have been a $9.5 billion cost to the U.S. economy, Slatery said that year.
Slatery is joined in submitting these comments by the Attorneys General of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]


thetennesseestar--2020-06-07--Government Job Losses Are Piling Up, and It Could Get Worse

Jobs with state and city governments are usually a source of stability in the U.S. economy , but the financial devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic has forced cuts that will reduce public services — from schools to trash pickup .
Even as the U.S. added some jobs in May , the number of people employed by federal , state and local governments dropped by 585,000 .
The overall job losses among public workers have reached more than 1.5 million since March , according to seasonally adjusted federal jobs data released Friday .
The number of government employees is now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2001 , and most of the cuts are at the local level .
“ With that comes a decline in essential public services , ” Lee Saunders , president of the American Federation of State , County and Municipal Employees , said on a conference call with reporters this week .
For instance , “ 911 calls are taking a long time to be answered.
” Clean drinking water and trash pickups also are being affected in some places , he said .
Tax revenue from businesses walloped by coronavirus restrictions has plummeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that rely on that money .
It ’ s likely to get worse in the coming months unless Congress delivers additional aid to states and cities .
Several states are projecting tax revenue will be down 20 % or more for the fiscal year starting next month , and governments are facing rising costs resulting from the virus and the police and National Guard response to protests over racial injustice and police brutality .
The layoffs and furloughs are coming amid calls for governments and school districts to do more to respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find those who had contact with people infected with the coronavirus to additional janitors needed to sanitize schools and make them safe for students and teachers to return .
“ It ’ s going to make it very , very difficult to reopen schools in the fall because you need more money , not less money to reopen , ” said Randi Weingarten , president of the American Federation of Teachers .
In the Chicago suburbs , Lyons School District No .
103 laid off health aides at its six schools .
One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was told the workers , who give students medicine and first aid for minor injuries , were being laid off in anticipation of a new requirement that each school has a nurse .
A district official did not return a call Friday .
So at 58 , Jacobsen is working on her resume for the first time in 21 years .
She said the students at Robinson Elementary will be affected by not having her there to help them when school resumes next fall .
“ When they go back , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Jacobsen said .
“ I could tell you that I had 280 kids in my building , and I knew their names.
” She may be on the leading edge of permanent layoffs for government employees .
The federal numbers do not provide precise breakdowns , but many of those out of government jobs so far have been temporarily furloughed .
And some of the first to go were those whose absence would not be felt deeply when stay-at-home orders were in effect .
For instance , the Pittsburgh Parking Authority furloughed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technicians .
In Michigan , nearly two-thirds of state government workers have been furloughed through July .
And in North Carolina , more than 9,000 state Department of Transportation employees have been told to take unpaid time off by June 26 .
But union officials warn that the cuts could become deeper and permanent as budgets are ironed out .
New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy said his state alone could lose 200,000 government jobs .
Some permanent cuts already have been made or proposed .
Last week , the Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as part of a move to make the road system cashless .
And California Gov .
Gavin Newsom is calling for 10 % salary cuts for many state government employees .
Lily Eskelsen Garcia , president of the National Education Association , said the impact will be biggest in lower-income areas .
“ A 30 % cut in a poor school district ’ s budget means you just lost your arts program , you just lost your sports program , ” she said .
“ We are going to have to lay off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first workers to be cut also could be the most vulnerable .
“ Very often the first people who will go will be all the administrative staff , the public works department and custodial staff and many , many people who are low paid , who are women , who are black and brown , ” said Hetty Rosenstein , New Jersey director of Communications Workers of America , the largest union of state government employees there .
Unions and bipartisan groups are pushing Congress to send state and local governments more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trillion coronavirus aid package in March , the Democratic-led House last month approved an additional $ 3 trillion bill , which includes $ 1 trillion for governments .
But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said his chamber will not agree to such as large amount — or anything quickly — as the economy reopens .
For Ashley Sims , a library assistant in Louisville , Kentucky , being furloughed when libraries were closed did not cause a financial strain .
With a $ 600 weekly boost in unemployment benefits as part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said her pay has been higher than when she was working .
But there are worries about permanent layoffs .
Sims , who ’ s president of the library workers union , said she may consider a voluntary layoff to save the jobs of some of her coworkers .
She said many who rely most on libraries are lower-income people and immigrants who can ’ t afford computers and use them to search for work , among other tasks .
“ It would be an incredible loss , ” Sims said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Associated Press reporters Gary Robertson in Raleigh , North Carolina , and David Eggert in Lansing , Michigan , contributed to this article .
Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill , New Jersey .
Follow him on Twitter at http : //www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill .
About the Headline Photo : In this March 15 , 2018 , file photo , a dispatcher works at a desk station with a variety of screens used by those who take 911 emergency calls .
Jobs with state and city governments are usually a source of stability in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrought by the coronavirus pandemic has forced cuts that will reduce public services , from schools to trash pickup .
In some areas , 911 calls are taking a longer time to be answered .
( AP Photo/Lisa Marie Pane , File )

Jobs with state and city governments are usually a source of stability in the U.S. economy, but the financial devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic has forced cuts that will reduce public services — from schools to trash pickup.
Even as the U.S. added some jobs in May, the number of people employed by federal, state and local governments dropped by 585,000. The overall job losses among public workers have reached more than 1.5 million since March, according to seasonally adjusted federal jobs data released Friday. The number of government employees is now the lowest it’s been since 2001, and most of the cuts are at the local level.
“With that comes a decline in essential public services,” Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said on a conference call with reporters this week. For instance, “911 calls are taking a long time to be answered.”
Clean drinking water and trash pickups also are being affected in some places, he said.
Tax revenue from businesses walloped by coronavirus restrictions has plummeted, forcing cuts by cities and states that rely on that money. It’s likely to get worse in the coming months unless Congress delivers additional aid to states and cities.
Several states are projecting tax revenue will be down 20% or more for the fiscal year starting next month, and governments are facing rising costs resulting from the virus and the police and National Guard response to protests over racial injustice and police brutality.
The layoffs and furloughs are coming amid calls for governments and school districts to do more to respond to the outbreak — from hiring workers to find those who had contact with people infected with the coronavirus to additional janitors needed to sanitize schools and make them safe for students and teachers to return.
“It’s going to make it very, very difficult to reopen schools in the fall because you need more money, not less money to reopen,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
In the Chicago suburbs, Lyons School District No. 103 laid off health aides at its six schools. One of them, Maureen Jacobsen, said she was told the workers, who give students medicine and first aid for minor injuries, were being laid off in anticipation of a new requirement that each school has a nurse. A district official did not return a call Friday.
So at 58, Jacobsen is working on her resume for the first time in 21 years. She said the students at Robinson Elementary will be affected by not having her there to help them when school resumes next fall.
“When they go back, they’re looking for the familiar,” Jacobsen said. “I could tell you that I had 280 kids in my building, and I knew their names.”
She may be on the leading edge of permanent layoffs for government employees.
The federal numbers do not provide precise breakdowns, but many of those out of government jobs so far have been temporarily furloughed. And some of the first to go were those whose absence would not be felt deeply when stay-at-home orders were in effect.
For instance, the Pittsburgh Parking Authority furloughed its three dozen enforcement officers and meter technicians. In Michigan, nearly two-thirds of state government workers have been furloughed through July. And in North Carolina, more than 9,000 state Department of Transportation employees have been told to take unpaid time off by June 26.
But union officials warn that the cuts could become deeper and permanent as budgets are ironed out. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said his state alone could lose 200,000 government jobs.
Some permanent cuts already have been made or proposed. Last week, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority voted to lay off 500 toll collectors as part of a move to make the road system cashless. And California Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling for 10% salary cuts for many state government employees.
Lily Eskelsen Garcia, president of the National Education Association, said the impact will be biggest in lower-income areas.
“A 30% cut in a poor school district’s budget means you just lost your arts program, you just lost your sports program,” she said. “We are going to have to lay off one teacher in each grade.”
And the first workers to be cut also could be the most vulnerable.
“Very often the first people who will go will be all the administrative staff, the public works department and custodial staff and many, many people who are low paid, who are women, who are black and brown,” said Hetty Rosenstein, New Jersey director of Communications Workers of America, the largest union of state government employees there.
Unions and bipartisan groups are pushing Congress to send state and local governments more help quickly. Following a $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package in March, the Democratic-led House last month approved an additional $3 trillion bill, which includes $1 trillion for governments. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said his chamber will not agree to such as large amount — or anything quickly — as the economy reopens.
For Ashley Sims, a library assistant in Louisville, Kentucky, being furloughed when libraries were closed did not cause a financial strain. With a $600 weekly boost in unemployment benefits as part of a federal response to the crisis, she said her pay has been higher than when she was working.
But there are worries about permanent layoffs. Sims, who’s president of the library workers union, said she may consider a voluntary layoff to save the jobs of some of her coworkers.
She said many who rely most on libraries are lower-income people and immigrants who can’t afford computers and use them to search for work, among other tasks.
“It would be an incredible loss,” Sims said. “Libraries are the lifeblood of communities.”
– – –
Associated Press reporters Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, and David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this article. Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill.
About the Headline Photo: In this March 15, 2018, file photo, a dispatcher works at a desk station with a variety of screens used by those who take 911 emergency calls. Jobs with state and city governments are usually a source of stability in the U.S. economy, but the financial devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic has forced cuts that will reduce public services, from schools to trash pickup. In some areas, 911 calls are taking a longer time to be answered. (AP Photo/Lisa Marie Pane, File)


thetennesseestar--2020-06-07--Idaho Offers $1,500 Bonus for People to Return to Work

BOISE , Idaho ( AP ) — Idaho residents on unemployment could receive a one-time bonus of up to $ 1,500 to return to work under a plan Gov .
Brad Little announced Friday .
The Republican governor said the incentive is intended to help get the state ’ s economy going again .
Part-time workers would receive $ 750 .
“ Now is the time for us to provide Idahoans with the financial incentive to return to work and ensure our economic rebound is swift and robust , ” Little said .
The state ’ s unemployment rate has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100,000 unemployed .
But Idaho is in the third stage of Little ’ s four-stage plan to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic , and there are signs the economy is turning around .
Nearly all businesses can now open under the guidelines .
Little said he ’ s concerned that enhanced unemployment benefits could add up to more than a potential worker could make going back to work .
Through May 30 , Idaho residents have received about $ 312 million in unemployment insurance benefits through federal and state programs .
Little said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first-come , first-served basis could help persuade workers to return to the job .
“ I think people are ready to go back to work , ” Little said , but added that people need to feel safe returning .
The virus “ is not going to be eliminated until there is either a great treatment or most likely a vaccine .
We have got to manage this.
” The money for the payments is coming from $ 100 million of the $ 1.25 billion Idaho received in federal rescue money .
Alex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said the $ 100 million will likely only last long enough to cover incentive payments for about 70,000 workers .
But Adams said the program could be supplemented with leftover money from a $ 300 million program to help Idaho small businesses .
Little has taken criticism from fellow Republicans following his March 25 stay-at-home order for Idaho ’ s 1.75 million residents as virus cases accelerated .
Idaho ’ s economy began shutting down in mid-March as the coronavirus pandemic appeared suddenly in the state and spread .
But state health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the moment based on various criteria having to do with infection rates and the availability of health care facilities to respond to a sudden outbreak .
If all goes well , stage 4 will start on June 13 , with gatherings of more than 50 people allowed .
But even in stage 4 , precautions are included that limit occupancy in bars and require social distancing in theaters and other large venues .
Keith Ridler reports for The Associated Press .

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho residents on unemployment could receive a one-time bonus of up to $1,500 to return to work under a plan Gov. Brad Little announced Friday.
The Republican governor said the incentive is intended to help get the state’s economy going again. Part-time workers would receive $750.
“Now is the time for us to provide Idahoans with the financial incentive to return to work and ensure our economic rebound is swift and robust,” Little said.
The state’s unemployment rate has rocketed to 11.5% with more than 100,000 unemployed. But Idaho is in the third stage of Little’s four-stage plan to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic, and there are signs the economy is turning around. Nearly all businesses can now open under the guidelines.
Little said he’s concerned that enhanced unemployment benefits could add up to more than a potential worker could make going back to work. Through May 30, Idaho residents have received about $312 million in unemployment insurance benefits through federal and state programs.
Little said the incentive bonus payments made on a first-come, first-served basis could help persuade workers to return to the job.
“I think people are ready to go back to work,” Little said, but added that people need to feel safe returning. The virus “is not going to be eliminated until there is either a great treatment or most likely a vaccine. We have got to manage this.”
The money for the payments is coming from $100 million of the $1.25 billion Idaho received in federal rescue money.
Alex Adams, Little’s budget chief, said the $100 million will likely only last long enough to cover incentive payments for about 70,000 workers. But Adams said the program could be supplemented with leftover money from a $300 million program to help Idaho small businesses.
Little has taken criticism from fellow Republicans following his March 25 stay-at-home order for Idaho’s 1.75 million residents as virus cases accelerated. Idaho’s economy began shutting down in mid-March as the coronavirus pandemic appeared suddenly in the state and spread.
But state health officials say the virus is manageable at the moment based on various criteria having to do with infection rates and the availability of health care facilities to respond to a sudden outbreak.
If all goes well, stage 4 will start on June 13, with gatherings of more than 50 people allowed. But even in stage 4, precautions are included that limit occupancy in bars and require social distancing in theaters and other large venues.
– – –
Keith Ridler reports for The Associated Press.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-07--Growing Support to ‘Abolish Police’ Among Minneapolis Progressives

George Floyd ’ s death has given new life to a leftist movement to abolish the police , an idea with broad support among the Minneapolis City Council and the progressive wing of the DFL Party .
Just a day after Floyd ’ s death , state Rep. Aisha Gomez ( DFL-Minneapolis ) released a nearly 500-word statement on “ why we talk about police abolition.
” “ There is no reform that can fix this system .
No training or body camera or coaching or diversification effort or outside investigation or toothless oversight body that can fix this , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with those who believe police departments are in need of reform , but not abolition .
The issue , according to Gomez , is that the “ current policing system ” is designed to “ protect private property , uphold white supremacy , and terrorize black and brown people.
” “ The rot in police departments is the rot in our political and social systems , crystallized and heavily armed .
It is a reflection of our country , built on the enslavement of African people and the genocide and dispossession of Native @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to enforce the racialized social order and help the powerful accumulate wealth , ” she continued .
She concluded her remarks by calling on her constituents to “ intentionally walk away from a system of state violence that murders and terrorizes black and brown men.
” Again , all of this is done to “ uphold white supremacy and capitalism.
” Gomez ’ s statement was posted on the website of TakeAction Minnesota , a self-described “ hub ” for the state ’ s “ progressive movement.
” Like many left-wing grassroots groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Minneapolis City Council to “ defund ” the police force .
TakeAction claims that the Minneapolis Police Department ( MPD ) is an “ unaccountable , violent institution that ’ s led by Bob Kroll , a white supremacist.
” Although Kroll serves as the president of the city ’ s police union , the head of the police force is actually Chief Medaria Arradondo , the MPD ’ s first black chief .
Gomez ’ s fellow Minneapolis representatives have made similar statements , including Rep. Raymond Dehn ( DFL-Minneapolis ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death was the “ result of structures of white supremacy that perpetuate that black and brown people don ’ t matter.
” “ It ’ s long past time to dismantle the systems that allow this type of behavior to persist , ” said Dehn .
Others who are in a position to actually do something about the issue agree with the likes of Gomez and TakeAction , and have vowed to “ dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department.
” “ We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department .
And when we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not simply gon na glue it back together .
We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response , ” said Minneapolis City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison , the son of Attorney General Keith Ellison and an open supporter of the extremist group Antifa .
“ Yes .
We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a transformative new model of public safety , ” replied Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender .
When asked if she would “ work with the mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bender said it “ doesn ’ t matter anymore.
” “ I think we have the help we need no matter what happens , ” she said .
Mayor Jacob Frey was booed out of a protest Saturday night organized by the Black Visions Collective after saying he favors reforms to the police department over full abolition .
“ I do not support the full abolition of the police department , ” Frey told the crowd of protesters , who were demanding that Frey commit to defunding the MPD .
“ Go home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protesters shouted as the mayor left the demonstration .
The council has seemingly turned against the mayor on the issue and will work on abolishing the police with or without his support .
Minneapolis Council Member Steve Fletcher recently disclosed that he ’ s working with his colleagues on looking into “ what it would take to disband ” the MPD and “ start fresh.
” Fletcher called the department “ irredeemably beyond reform , ” The Minnesota Sun reported .
Fletcher then published an op-ed in Time Friday to expound on his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Minneapolis City Council has now expressed the need for dramatic structural change.
” “ I am one of many on the council , including the Council President and the Chair of Public Safety , who are publicly supporting the call to disband our police department and start fresh with a community-oriented , non-violent public safety and outreach capacity , ” he said .
Several of his colleagues on the council made similar comments Friday after they agreed to ban chokeholds and neck restraints from being used by Minneapolis officers .
TakeAction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which wants to “ transition to a police-free Minneapolis.
” “ We will achieve this by presenting a practical pathway for the dismantling of the Minneapolis Police Department ; the transference of its social service functions to community-based agencies and organizations ; the replacement of its emergency intervention functions with models not based on military methods ; and the redirection of resources to support community resilience and people-directed development , ” the group states on its website .
A similar organization called Reclaim the Block , which has been around since 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s death calling on the Minneapolis City Council to commit to defunding the police “ by Saturday , May 30 at 8 a.m. ” “ We have called on the Minneapolis City Council to become these visionary leaders by pledging to defund the Minneapolis Police Department and invest in the resources that really keep us safe and healthy , especially in Black communities , Indigenous communities and communities of color , ” said the petition .
The proposal to abolish the MPD now has the support of some of Minneapolis ’ s highest-ranking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-MN-05 ) , who represents the city in Congress .
“ The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform .
It ’ s time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis , ” the congresswoman wrote on Twitter Friday .
Even Lizzo , who got her start in Minneapolis , has signed her name to a petition in support of “ divesting ” from the police .
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police Poster ” by Lorie Shaull .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .

George Floyd’s death has given new life to a leftist movement to abolish the police, an idea with broad support among the Minneapolis City Council and the progressive wing of the DFL Party.
Just a day after Floyd’s death, state Rep. Aisha Gomez (DFL-Minneapolis) released a nearly 500-word statement on “why we talk about police abolition.”
“There is no reform that can fix this system. No training or body camera or coaching or diversification effort or outside investigation or toothless oversight body that can fix this,” said Gomez, communicating her disagreement with those who believe police departments are in need of reform, but not abolition.
The issue, according to Gomez, is that the “current policing system” is designed to “protect private property, uphold white supremacy, and terrorize black and brown people.”
“The rot in police departments is the rot in our political and social systems, crystallized and heavily armed. It is a reflection of our country, built on the enslavement of African people and the genocide and dispossession of Native people, reliant on exploited immigrant labor to enforce the racialized social order and help the powerful accumulate wealth,” she continued.
She concluded her remarks by calling on her constituents to “intentionally walk away from a system of state violence that murders and terrorizes black and brown men.” Again, all of this is done to “uphold white supremacy and capitalism.”
Gomez’s statement was posted on the website of TakeAction Minnesota, a self-described “hub” for the state’s “progressive movement.” Like many left-wing grassroots groups in Minnesota, TakeAction is calling on the Minneapolis City Council to “defund” the police force.
TakeAction claims that the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is an “unaccountable, violent institution that’s led by Bob Kroll, a white supremacist.” Although Kroll serves as the president of the city’s police union, the head of the police force is actually Chief Medaria Arradondo, the MPD’s first black chief.
Gomez’s fellow Minneapolis representatives have made similar statements, including Rep. Raymond Dehn (DFL-Minneapolis), who said that Floyd’s death was the “result of structures of white supremacy that perpetuate that black and brown people don’t matter.”
“It’s long past time to dismantle the systems that allow this type of behavior to persist,” said Dehn.
Others who are in a position to actually do something about the issue agree with the likes of Gomez and TakeAction, and have vowed to “dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department.”
“We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together. We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response,” said Minneapolis City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, the son of Attorney General Keith Ellison and an open supporter of the extremist group Antifa.
“Yes. We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a transformative new model of public safety,” replied Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender.
Yes. We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a transformative new model of public safety. https://t.co/FCfjoPy64k — Lisa Bender (@lisabendermpls) June 4, 2020
When asked if she would “work with the mayor’s office on this,” Bender said it “doesn’t matter anymore.”
“I think we have the help we need no matter what happens,” she said.
Minneapolis City Council aligning around “We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department” and working with the mayor “doesn’t matter anymore.” pic.twitter.com/36jEMPxzgy — Tony Webster (@webster) June 4, 2020
Mayor Jacob Frey was booed out of a protest Saturday night organized by the Black Visions Collective after saying he favors reforms to the police department over full abolition.
“I do not support the full abolition of the police department,” Frey told the crowd of protesters, who were demanding that Frey commit to defunding the MPD.
“Go home, Jacob, go home,” protesters shouted as the mayor left the demonstration.
We got @MayorFrey to come out of his house and asked him one simple question. “Will you commit to defunding the Minneapolis Police Department?” He said no…Now we prepare for tomorrow… pic.twitter.com/d71WdCqAjO — Black Visions Collective (@BlackVisionsMN) June 7, 2020
The council has seemingly turned against the mayor on the issue and will work on abolishing the police with or without his support. Minneapolis Council Member Steve Fletcher recently disclosed that he’s working with his colleagues on looking into “what it would take to disband” the MPD and “start fresh.” Fletcher called the department “irredeemably beyond reform,” The Minnesota Sun reported.
Fletcher then published an op-ed in Time Friday to expound on his views and said that “every member of the Minneapolis City Council has now expressed the need for dramatic structural change.”
“I am one of many on the council, including the Council President and the Chair of Public Safety, who are publicly supporting the call to disband our police department and start fresh with a community-oriented, non-violent public safety and outreach capacity,” he said. Several of his colleagues on the council made similar comments Friday after they agreed to ban chokeholds and neck restraints from being used by Minneapolis officers.
TakeAction is working with another group called MPD150, which wants to “transition to a police-free Minneapolis.”
“We will achieve this by presenting a practical pathway for the dismantling of the Minneapolis Police Department; the transference of its social service functions to community-based agencies and organizations; the replacement of its emergency intervention functions with models not based on military methods; and the redirection of resources to support community resilience and people-directed development,” the group states on its website.
A similar organization called Reclaim the Block, which has been around since 2018, circulated a petition after Floyd’s death calling on the Minneapolis City Council to commit to defunding the police “by Saturday, May 30 at 8 a.m.”
“We have called on the Minneapolis City Council to become these visionary leaders by pledging to defund the Minneapolis Police Department and invest in the resources that really keep us safe and healthy, especially in Black communities, Indigenous communities and communities of color,” said the petition.
The proposal to abolish the MPD now has the support of some of Minneapolis’s highest-ranking officials, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), who represents the city in Congress.
“The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform. It’s time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis,” the congresswoman wrote on Twitter Friday.
The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform. It’s time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis. Thank you to @MplsWard3 for your leadership on this! https://t.co/AQfHM5M6eR — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) June 5, 2020
Even Lizzo, who got her start in Minneapolis, has signed her name to a petition in support of “divesting” from the police.
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Abolish Police Poster” by Lorie Shaull. CC BY-SA 2.0.