npr--2020-07-28--Minneapolis Police Reportedly Identify Viral 'Umbrella Man' As White Supremacist

Police say the masked , umbrella-wielding man who smashed windows at a Minneapolis auto parts store two days after George Floyd 's death has ties to a white supremacist group and specifically sought to inflame racial tensions .
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune , Minneapolis police arson investigator Erika Christensen wrote in a search warrant affidavit filed this week that the man 's actions created a hostile atmosphere and sparked a series of events that turned previously peaceful protests chaotic .
She said she believed his `` sole aim was to incite violence . ''
Minneapolis police spokesperson John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment on the investigation , which is `` open and active . ''
NPR has not seen the affidavit and is not naming the man because he has not been charged with a crime .
Video of the individual breaking the windows of an AutoZone with a sledgehammer went viral this spring , prompting speculation about the identity of the so-called `` Umbrella Man . ''
The Star Tribune reported that the man had also spray painted `` free ( expletive ) for everyone zone '' on the doors of the store , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul , roughly 500 businesses were damaged or looted , with nearly 70 of them burned to the ground .
`` This was the first fire that set off a string of fires and looting throughout the precinct and the rest of the city , '' Christensen wrote in the affidavit , according to reports .
`` Until the actions of the person your affiant has been calling 'Umbrella Man , ' the protests had been relatively peaceful . ''
She also wrote that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of social media videos in her search for the suspect , which was unsuccessful until a tip arrived in the police department 's inbox last week .
The tipster identified the man as a Hell 's Angels member , and said he `` wanted to sow discord and racial unrest by breaking out the windows and writing what he did on the double red doors , '' reported the Star Tribune .
According to Minnesota Public Radio , community members have long suspected that outside extremists were trying to inflame tensions at demonstrations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wake of Floyd 's death , with some Twin Cities residents reporting seeing `` white supremacist and other far-right imagery on vehicles that came into their neighborhoods during the protests . ''
While the man 's face was obscured by a gas mask in the video , Christensen reportedly wrote in the affidavit that his height lines up with the video , and noted a `` striking resemblance in the eye , nose bridge and brow area . ''
Multiple news outlets report that police also linked the man to an incident that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in June , when a group of men wearing white supremacist garb allegedly harassed a Muslim woman who was at a malt shop with her 4-year-old daughter .
The reports also say police link `` Umbrella Man '' and the Stillwater incident with the Aryan Cowboy Brotherhood , a small white supremacist prison and street gang primarily based in Minnesota and Kentucky .

Minneapolis Police Reportedly Identify Viral 'Umbrella Man' As White Supremacist
Enlarge this image toggle caption Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Police say the masked, umbrella-wielding man who smashed windows at a Minneapolis auto parts store two days after George Floyd's death has ties to a white supremacist group and specifically sought to inflame racial tensions.
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minneapolis police arson investigator Erika Christensen wrote in a search warrant affidavit filed this week that the man's actions created a hostile atmosphere and sparked a series of events that turned previously peaceful protests chaotic. She said she believed his "sole aim was to incite violence."
Minneapolis police spokesperson John Elder told NPR he is unable to comment on the investigation, which is "open and active." NPR has not seen the affidavit and is not naming the man because he has not been charged with a crime.
Video of the individual breaking the windows of an AutoZone with a sledgehammer went viral this spring, prompting speculation about the identity of the so-called "Umbrella Man."
The Star Tribune reported that the man had also spray painted "free (expletive) for everyone zone" on the doors of the store, which was later burned to the ground.
In the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, roughly 500 businesses were damaged or looted, with nearly 70 of them burned to the ground.
"This was the first fire that set off a string of fires and looting throughout the precinct and the rest of the city," Christensen wrote in the affidavit, according to reports. "Until the actions of the person your affiant has been calling 'Umbrella Man,' the protests had been relatively peaceful."
She also wrote that she had watched "innumerable hours" of social media videos in her search for the suspect, which was unsuccessful until a tip arrived in the police department's inbox last week.
The tipster identified the man as a Hell's Angels member, and said he "wanted to sow discord and racial unrest by breaking out the windows and writing what he did on the double red doors," reported the Star Tribune.
According to Minnesota Public Radio, community members have long suspected that outside extremists were trying to inflame tensions at demonstrations against racism and police brutality in the wake of Floyd's death, with some Twin Cities residents reporting seeing "white supremacist and other far-right imagery on vehicles that came into their neighborhoods during the protests."
While the man's face was obscured by a gas mask in the video, Christensen reportedly wrote in the affidavit that his height lines up with the video, and noted a "striking resemblance in the eye, nose bridge and brow area."
Multiple news outlets report that police also linked the man to an incident that took place in Stillwater, Minn., in June, when a group of men wearing white supremacist garb allegedly harassed a Muslim woman who was at a malt shop with her 4-year-old daughter.
The reports also say police link "Umbrella Man" and the Stillwater incident with the Aryan Cowboy Brotherhood, a small white supremacist prison and street gang primarily based in Minnesota and Kentucky.


npr--2020-07-29--Irregularities in COVID Reporting Contract Award Process Raises New Questions

An NPR investigation has found irregularities in the process by which the Trump administration awarded a multi-million dollar contract to a Pittsburgh company to collect key data about Covid-19 from the country 's hospitals .
The contract is at the center of a controversy over the Administration 's decision to move that data reporting function from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — which has tracked infection information for a range of illnesses for years — to the Department of Health and Human Services .
TeleTracking Technologies , the company that won the contract , has traditionally focused on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ status .
And there are questions about how it came to be responsible for gathering data in the midst of a pandemic .
Among the findings of the NPR investigation : • The Department of Health and Human Services initially characterized the contract with TeleTracking as a no-bid contract .
When asked about that , HHS said there was a `` coding error '' and that the contract was actually competitively bid .
• The process by which HHS awarded the contract is normally used for innovative scientific research , not the building @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly phoned the company about the contract , according to a company spokesperson .
• TeleTracking CEO Michael Zamagias had links to the New York real estate world — and in particular , a firm that financed billions of dollars in projects with the Trump Organization .
An abrupt change during the pandemic When the Department of Health and Human Services , which oversees the CDC , sent out a directive to the nation 's hospitals in April announcing it would be using TeleTracking as an option to collect COVID data , Carrie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought .
It just seemed like one more form hospitals might need to fill out .
Kroll is with the Texas Hospital Association , and balked only after the HHS suddenly announced in July that hospitals could no longer report COVID data through the CDC , but would instead be required to do so through the HHS-TeleTracking system or their state health departments .
This is the sort of data that has been closely watched since the outbreak of the pandemic : from beds , to personal protective equipment ( PPE ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed COVID patients .
`` Up until the switch , we were reporting about 70 elements and we 're now at 129 , '' Kroll said , scrolling through a five-page list of the information now required .
`` I mean , clearly we 're in the middle of a pandemic , right ?
I mean this is n't the type of stuff you try to do in the middle of a pandemic . ''
Hospitals were only given days to start sending all this information to TeleTracking .
The HHS explained the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would streamline information gathering and help in the allocation of therapeutic pharmaceuticals like remdesivir .
But thousands of hospitals had used the CDC system for years to report infection control data .
So it raised questions : Why the change ?
Why now ?
The CDC has been tracking these numbers for some 15 years .
And while its system is n't perfect — it requires all the information to be entered manually , for example — it is unclear why the government , already underwater with the spread of COVID , did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ existing system .
Robert R. Redfield , the CDC 's director , said the reason HHS chose TeleTracking was because it provided `` rapid ways to update the type of data that we 're collecting '' and that it `` reduces the reporting burden , '' none of which , given the duplication of Kroll 's experience around the country , seems to be happening .
The TeleTracking software , for example , requires all the data to be keyed in manually , just like the CDC once did .
An HHS spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they move quickly to implement a new system , `` even when more time might be desired .
We acknowledge that hospitals were not given significant lead time to prepare for these changes . ''
The CEO of the company , Michael Zamagias , came from the real estate sector .
He founded Zamagias Properties , a real estate investment and development company , in Pittsburgh , PA in 1987 .
The company went on to develop iconic office buildings , shopping centers , and malls in Pittsburgh and Virginia , and its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pittsburgh and , in particular , in the New York real estate scene .
Zamagias is a longtime Republican donor and community philanthropist , giving generously to Pittsburgh schools and youth programs .
One of the young people who came to Zamagias for advice and counsel was a New Yorker named Neal Cooper , though he was hardly new to business or real estate .
Zamagias became the young Cooper 's mentor .
He gave Cooper an internship .
Neal 's father , Howard , was the named partner in a Manhattan company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privately-held real estate debt and equity firms in the country .
`` Cooper did business with Michael in the late 1980s , '' Neal Cooper told NPR , referring to his dad 's company .
`` I do n't know if we ever did big deals with him , but we ran in the same circles .
I learned a lot from Michael .
He was always one or two steps ahead of the next guy . ''
Cooper-Horowitz handles debt and equity in all classes of real estate and specializes in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it did billions of dollars of work with the Trump Organization on projects like the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago .
`` I did n't handle Trump 's account , but I 've been in meetings with Trump , '' Cooper said .
`` We did tons of business with him , billions of dollars of business . ''
And there are other suggestions of a close relationship between Cooper-Horowitz and the Trumps .
Ivanka Trump has attended a rather famous holiday party the company holds in New York every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump Foundation .
And Richard Horowitz , one of the company 's principals , is credited with helping connect the Trump Organization with Deutsche Bank , the German bank that has financed over $ 2 billion in Trump projects over the past two decades .
There 's no evidence that these professional relationships are why Zamagias and TeleTracking received the multi-million dollar contract .
Through a spokesperson Zamagias said that he had n't talked to anyone at Cooper-Horowitz in years , and all his company 's contact with the administration came through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eager to find out if that relationship somehow played a role .
The White House did not respond to questions about whether it was involved in the awarding of the TeleTracking contract , or whether White House staff had any relationship with Zamagias .
Initially , there was confusion about the way HHS awarded the contract to TeleTracking .
Public records originally displayed it as a sole-source contract — essentially a no-bid deal .
But after a Senate inquiry and controversy over the mandatory shift to the TeleTracking system , HHS said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' and that it had in fact been awarded after a competitive process .
`` The TeleTracking contract was part of a competitive solicitation process and was not sole source , '' an HHS spokesperson said .
`` One of the websites that tracks federal spending contained an error that incorrectly categorized the award as sole source .
That coding error is being corrected . ''
That competitive process , HHS said , is known as a Broad Agency Announcement .
BAAs are essentially call-outs to private industry to provide innovative solutions to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solution may not be available — it is n't meant for something like a government database that replaces an existing CDC function .
A standard government contract would usually lay out a series of specific requirements or specifications .
Not so with BAAs .
By their very nature , they are less competitive than other types of government contracting processes because they may generate an array of solutions that may not necessarily be comparable .
In a statement , an HHS spokesperson said that the BAA is a `` common mechanism ... for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asserted that the healthcare system capacity tracking system previously used by the CDC was `` fraught with challenges . ''
HHS has said that six companies bid for the contract but declines to say who they were or release the evaluations that the department would have done before awarding the contract to TeleTracking .
`` Federal acquisition regulations and statutes prohibit us from providing information about other submissions , '' an HHS spokesperson said .
The spokesperson added that the BAA was released in August 2019 , and that the agency promoted it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in emails .
But NPR reached out to more than 20 of TeleTracking 's competitors in the fields of hospital workflow management and infection control data and was unable to find a single company that said it had bid on this contract .
One major company told NPR that it had n't even heard about the HHS announcement .
There is another wrinkle here .
A spokesperson for Zamagias told NPR that HHS reached out to the company directly — by phone — because it knew the company from its hurricane and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when that phone call was made .
The whole process by which TeleTracking got the contract strikes Virginia Canter , Chief Ethics Counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington , as out of the ordinary .
It is n't just the use of the BAA .
It is that HHS `` now requires 6,000 hospitals to enter this data '' in what looks like proprietary software , which the federal government may need to pay for in the future , Canter said the current contract ends in September .
The Zamagias @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a contract extension — and that potentially means millions of dollars more in the future .
`` We do anticipate needing to continue this contract , '' an HHS spokesperson said .
Congress is also looking into irregularities in the contract process and the decision to shift the data gathering from CDC to HHS .
Sen. Patty Murray , a prominent Democrat on health care , first raised questions about the HHS contract in early June .
And Rep. James Clyburn , who chairs a Congressional subcommittee overseeing the coronavirus crisis , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both demanding answers about what happened .
While the inquiries were originally focused on HHS , Clyburn sent a letter to Zamagias Tuesday asking for information on the contracts , emails and communication exchanged with HHS in a bid to understand how TeleTracking came to land the $ 10.2 million six-month contract in the middle of a pandemic .
`` Your company has previously been awarded a handful of small contracts with the Department of Veteran 's Affairs , but your contract with HHS is nearly twenty times larger than all of your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote in his letter to Zamagias .

Irregularities In COVID Reporting Contract Award Process Raise New Questions
Enlarge this image toggle caption smartboy10/Digital Vision Vectors/Getty Images smartboy10/Digital Vision Vectors/Getty Images
An NPR investigation has found irregularities in the process by which the Trump administration awarded a multi-million dollar contract to a Pittsburgh company to collect key data about COVID-19 from the country's hospitals.
The contract is at the center of a controversy over the administration's decision to move that data reporting function from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — which has tracked infection information for a range of illnesses for years — to the Department of Health and Human Services.
TeleTracking Technologies, the company that won the contract, has traditionally focused on creating software for hospitals to track patient status. And there are questions about how it came to be responsible for gathering data in the midst of a pandemic.
Among the findings of the NPR investigation:
The Department of Health and Human Services initially characterized the contract with TeleTracking as a no-bid contract. When asked about that, HHS said there was a "coding error" and that the contract was actually competitively bid.
The process by which HHS awarded the contract is normally used for innovative scientific research, not the building of government databases.
HHS had directly phoned the company about the contract, according to a company spokesperson.
TeleTracking CEO Michael Zamagias had links to the New York real estate world — and in particular, a firm that financed billions of dollars in projects with the Trump Organization.
An abrupt change during the pandemic
When the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, sent out a directive to the nation's hospitals in April announcing it would be using TeleTracking as an option to collect COVID data, Carrie Kroll didn't give it a second thought.
It just seemed like one more form hospitals might need to fill out.
Kroll is with the Texas Hospital Association, and balked only after the HHS suddenly announced in July that hospitals could no longer report COVID data through the CDC, but would instead be required to do so through the HHS-TeleTracking system or their state health departments.
This is the sort of data that has been closely watched since the outbreak of the pandemic: from beds, to personal protective equipment (PPE), to detailed demographic information on suspected and confirmed COVID patients.
"Up until the switch, we were reporting about 70 elements and we're now at 129," Kroll said, scrolling through a five-page list of the information now required. "I mean, clearly we're in the middle of a pandemic, right? I mean this isn't the type of stuff you try to do in the middle of a pandemic."
Hospitals were only given days to start sending all this information to TeleTracking. The HHS explained the sudden change by claiming the new database would streamline information gathering and help in the allocation of therapeutic pharmaceuticals like remdesivir.
But thousands of hospitals had used the CDC system for years to report infection control data. So it raised questions: Why the change? Why now?
The CDC has been tracking these numbers for some 15 years. And while its system isn't perfect — it requires all the information to be entered manually, for example — it is unclear why the government, already underwater with the spread of COVID, didn't decide instead to tinker with the existing system.
Robert Redfield, the CDC's director, said the reason HHS chose TeleTracking was because it provided "rapid ways to update the type of data that we're collecting" and that it "reduces the reporting burden," none of which, given the duplication of Kroll's experience around the country, seems to be happening.
The TeleTracking software, for example, requires all the data to be keyed in manually, just like the CDC once did.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
An HHS spokesperson said that the COVID response required that they move quickly to implement a new system, "even when more time might be desired. We acknowledge that hospitals were not given significant lead time to prepare for these changes."
TeleTracking's ties to Trump Organization financiers
The CEO of the company, Michael Zamagias, came from the real estate sector. He founded Zamagias Properties, a real estate investment and development company, in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1987.
The company went on to develop iconic office buildings, shopping centers and malls in Pittsburgh and Virginia, and its success helped Zamagias become a fixture outside Pittsburgh and, in particular, in the New York real estate scene.
Zamagias is a longtime Republican donor and community philanthropist, giving generously to Pittsburgh schools and youth programs.
One of the young people who came to Zamagias for advice and counsel was a New Yorker named Neal Cooper, though he was hardly new to business or real estate. Zamagias became the young Cooper's mentor. He gave Cooper an internship.
Neal's father, Howard, was the named partner in a Manhattan company called Cooper-Horowitz, one of the largest privately held real estate debt and equity firms in the country.
"Cooper did business with Michael in the late 1980s," Neal Cooper told NPR, referring to his dad's company. "I don't know if we ever did big deals with him, but we ran in the same circles. I learned a lot from Michael. He was always one or two steps ahead of the next guy."
Cooper-Horowitz handles debt and equity in all classes of real estate and specializes in the hospitality industry.
And in that vein, it did billions of dollars of work with the Trump Organization on projects like the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago.
"I didn't handle Trump's account, but I've been in meetings with Trump," Cooper said. "We did tons of business with him, billions of dollars of business."
And there are other suggestions of a close relationship between Cooper-Horowitz and the Trumps.
Ivanka Trump has attended a rather famous holiday party the company holds in New York every year. The firm has given to the Trump Foundation. And Richard Horowitz, one of the company's principals, is credited with helping connect the Trump Organization with Deutsche Bank, the German bank that has financed over $2 billion in Trump projects over the past two decades.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Oliver Contreras-Pool/Getty Images Oliver Contreras-Pool/Getty Images
There's no evidence that these professional relationships are why Zamagias and TeleTracking received the multi-million dollar contract. Through a spokesperson Zamagias said that he hadn't talked to anyone at Cooper-Horowitz in years, and all his company's contact with the administration came through HHS.
But congressional investigators are now eager to find out if that relationship somehow played a role.
The White House did not respond to questions about whether it was involved in the awarding of the TeleTracking contract, or whether White House staff had any relationship with Zamagias.
An unusual contracting process leads to multi-million dollar TeleTracking deal
Initially, there was confusion about the way HHS awarded the contract to TeleTracking. Public records originally displayed it as a sole-source contract — essentially a no-bid deal.
But after a Senate inquiry and controversy over the mandatory shift to the TeleTracking system, HHS said that there had been a "coding error" and that it had in fact been awarded after a competitive process.
"The TeleTracking contract was part of a competitive solicitation process and was not sole source," an HHS spokesperson said. "One of the websites that tracks federal spending contained an error that incorrectly categorized the award as sole source. That coding error is being corrected."
That competitive process, HHS said, is known as a Broad Agency Announcement.
BAAs are essentially call-outs to private industry to provide innovative solutions to general problems in which a simple straightforward solution may not be available — it isn't meant for something like a government database that replaces an existing CDC function.
A standard government contract would usually lay out a series of specific requirements or specifications. Not so with BAAs. By their very nature, they are less competitive than other types of government contracting processes because they may generate an array of solutions that may not necessarily be comparable.
In a statement, an HHS spokesperson said that the BAA is a "common mechanism... for areas of research interest," and asserted that the healthcare system capacity tracking system previously used by the CDC was "fraught with challenges."
HHS has said that six companies bid for the contract but declines to say who they were or release the evaluations that the department would have done before awarding the contract to TeleTracking.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
"Federal acquisition regulations and statutes prohibit us from providing information about other submissions," an HHS spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that the BAA was released in August 2019, and that the agency promoted it on social media, in newsletters, and in emails.
But NPR reached out to more than 20 of TeleTracking's competitors in the fields of hospital workflow management and infection control data and was unable to find a single company that said it had bid on this contract.
One major company told NPR that it hadn't even heard about the HHS announcement.
There is another wrinkle here. A spokesperson for Zamagias told NPR that HHS reached out to the company directly — by phone — because it knew the company from its hurricane and disaster preparedness work.
It is unclear when that phone call was made.
Congressional investigators probe HHS and TeleTracking
The whole process by which TeleTracking got the contract strikes Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, as out of the ordinary.
It isn't just the use of the BAA. It is that HHS "now requires 6,000 hospitals to enter this data" in what looks like proprietary software, which the federal government may need to pay for in the future, Canter said the current contract ends in September. The Zamagias spokesperson told NPR that TeleTracking hopes for a contract extension — and that potentially means millions of dollars more in the future.
"We do anticipate needing to continue this contract," an HHS spokesperson said.
Congress is also looking into irregularities in the contract process and the decision to shift the data gathering from CDC to HHS. Sen. Patty Murray, a prominent Democrat on health care, first raised questions about the HHS contract in early June.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty Images Drew Angerer/Getty Images
And Rep. James Clyburn, who chairs a congressional subcommittee overseeing the coronavirus crisis, and House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney are both demanding answers about what happened.
While the inquiries were originally focused on HHS, Clyburn sent a letter to Zamagias Tuesday asking for information on the contracts, emails and communication exchanged with HHS in a bid to understand how TeleTracking came to land the $10.2 million six-month contract in the middle of a pandemic.
"Your company has previously been awarded a handful of small contracts with the Department of Veteran's Affairs, but your contract with HHS is nearly twenty times larger than all of your previous federal contracts combined," Clyburn wrote in his letter to Zamagias.
NPR’s Barbara Van Woerkom contributed reporting to this story.


npr--2020-07-29--'Silent Epidemic': Nearly 1 In 3 Kids Exposed To Damaging Levels Of Lead

'Silent Epidemic ' : Nearly 1 In 3 Kids Exposed To Damaging Levels Of Lead How many children in the world have been exposed to dangerous levels of lead ?
That 's a pressing question that has had no definitive answer until now .
About 1 in 3 children have been exposed to lead at levels shown to damage their health and cognitive development , according to a groundbreaking report that is the first to document the problem globally .
The report , produced by UNICEF in partnership with Pure Earth , a global nonprofit that tackles toxic pollution in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report of its kind and it 's important , '' says Katarzyna Kordas , an environmental epidemiologist at the University of Buffalo who studies the effects of toxic metal exposures in children and was not involved in the study .
Prior to this , she says , `` there have actually been no studies to systematically and comprehensively estimate the extent of children 's exposure to lead globally . ''
The new report finds that some 800 million children worldwide have blood lead levels at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter – a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
( There is no safe level of lead exposure in children . )
Among other harms , lead exposure at that level has been linked to lasting decreases in cognition , including a 3-to-5 point drop in scores on intelligence tests , notes study co-author Nicholas Rees , a policy specialist at UNICEF working on climate , energy and the environment .
He says it 's `` incredibly alarming '' to realize that up to a third of the world 's children could be facing such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're talking about a massive problem that has ripple effects , obviously , for the kids , but for society at large , '' Rees says .
`` It 's effectively limiting the potential of a third of the world 's children . ''
It could also limit the creative and economic output of whole societies , he says .
Indeed , Kordas says one of the strengths of the new report is that it highlights not only the health consequences of lead exposure but also the economic ones .
The report cites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lifetime of affected people , childhood lead exposure could result in a loss of nearly $ 1 trillion in earnings in lower and middle-income countries in Africa , Asia , Latin America and the Caribbean .
That kind of economic argument may help to add a sense of urgency in countries where combating childhood lead exposure has not been prioritized .
`` I really hope that with the weight of support by UNICEF and Pure Earth , the problem of lead exposure and poisoning among children will receive the attention it deserves , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particularly dangerous to children under 5 , whose bodies absorb lead much more efficiently than adults and are at greatest risk of suffering lifelong physical and cognitive damage , the report notes .
Childhood lead exposure has also been linked to aggression , hyperactivity and other behavioral problems , notes Joseph Graziano , a professor of environmental health sciences and pharmacology at Columbia University and an expert on lead poisoning in children .
`` This has been a decades ' long silent epidemic that has really deprived generations of children of their full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Graziano says .
While exposure to elevated levels of lead continues to be a problem in parts of the U.S. like Flint , Mich. , Graziano says `` the Western world has taken it on head on . ''
As the new report notes , blood lead levels in high-income countries have decreased dramatically since lead in gasoline and paint was phased out , but they remain `` dangerously high '' in lower and middle-income countries .
Most of the children affected by lead exposure live in Africa and Asia , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Eastern Europe , according to the report .
Globally , sources of lead exposure can often include ceramic serving dishes made with a lead-based glaze , which can lead to lead chips making their way into food .
In some countries , including Georgia , India and Bangladesh , researchers have found that lead chromate is being added to some spices , particularly turmeric , to increase its weight and enhance its color .
Lead mining and lead water pipes are also major sources of exposure , as is the informal recycling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the biggest sources worldwide is the recycling of lead acid batteries from cars , trucks and other vehicles , which account for about 85 % of the world 's lead use , Rees says .
While battery recycling can be done safely in countries with proper regulations and monitoring , an untold number of informal , unregulated and sometimes illegal recycling facilities have cropped up where workers extract lead and other metals from used batteries for resale .
`` Sometimes [ this happens ] in people 's backyards , sometimes in open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burned , and the lead can enter fumes , it can enter the soil and can enter surrounding water sources .
That 's where the risk becomes really , really high , '' Rees says .
Sometimes , workers might unwittingly carry lead dust back home on their clothes , he says .
In many cases , he says , the people engaged in these activities – and the communities around them — are not aware of the risks .
That was the case in Kathgora , Bangladesh , a village of about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dhaka , the capital city .
In 2016 , informal battery recycling operations opened in a bamboo jungle by the village .
Residents started asking questions when they saw their livestock die after grazing on grasses contaminated by lead dust from the recycling operations .
But they did n't realize their children were also affected , because symptoms of lead exposure in kids can be subtle at first , says Luftul Kabir , a researcher with Pure Earth who investigated the Kathgora site .
`` They had no idea why children were not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressive and things like that , '' says Maya Vandenant , chief of health for UNICEF Bangladesh .
`` The awareness among the community members is very , very low . ''
Kabir says the villagers eventually forced the recyclers to shut down .
In 2017 , a team from Pure Earth and the Bangladesh Department of Environment came in to carry out remediation , clearing out used battery parts and removing contaminated top soil .
At the start of the project , testing of blood lead levels in 75 village children found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; 18 months later , those blood lead levels had dropped by 42 % on average , according to Pure Earth .
But while improvements in blood lead levels is possible , reversing the damage already done by lead exposure is n't .
That 's why prevention is absolutely key , Kordas , Vandenant and Rees emphasize .
`` I think the bottom line is we need to focus on reducing exposure in the first place because unfortunately , you ca n't undo the damage that lead causes to the brain and the @ @ @ @ @ @

'Silent Epidemic': Nearly 1 In 3 Kids Exposed To Damaging Levels Of Lead
Enlarge this image toggle caption Shawn Baldwin/Bloomberg via Getty Images Shawn Baldwin/Bloomberg via Getty Images
How many children in the world have been exposed to dangerous levels of lead?
That's a pressing question that has had no definitive answer until now. About 1 in 3 children have been exposed to lead at levels shown to damage their health and cognitive development, according to a groundbreaking report that is the first to document the problem globally.
The report, produced by UNICEF in partnership with Pure Earth, a global nonprofit that tackles toxic pollution in poor communities, "is the first report of its kind and it's important," says Katarzyna Kordas, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of Buffalo who studies the effects of toxic metal exposures in children and was not involved in the study. Prior to this, she says, "there have actually been no studies to systematically and comprehensively estimate the extent of children's exposure to lead globally."
The new report finds that some 800 million children worldwide have blood lead levels at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter – a level considered cause for intervention by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (There is no safe level of lead exposure in children.) Among other harms, lead exposure at that level has been linked to lasting decreases in cognition, including a 3-to-5 point drop in scores on intelligence tests, notes study co-author Nicholas Rees, a policy specialist at UNICEF working on climate, energy and the environment. He says it's "incredibly alarming" to realize that up to a third of the world's children could be facing such potential hits to IQ.
"We're talking about a massive problem that has ripple effects, obviously, for the kids, but for society at large," Rees says. "It's effectively limiting the potential of a third of the world's children." It could also limit the creative and economic output of whole societies, he says.
Indeed, Kordas says one of the strengths of the new report is that it highlights not only the health consequences of lead exposure but also the economic ones. The report cites one analysis that found that over the lifetime of affected people, childhood lead exposure could result in a loss of nearly $1 trillion in earnings in lower and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. That kind of economic argument may help to add a sense of urgency in countries where combating childhood lead exposure has not been prioritized.
"I really hope that with the weight of support by UNICEF and Pure Earth, the problem of lead exposure and poisoning among children will receive the attention it deserves," Kordas says.
Lead exposure is particularly dangerous to children under 5, whose bodies absorb lead much more efficiently than adults and are at greatest risk of suffering lifelong physical and cognitive damage, the report notes. Childhood lead exposure has also been linked to aggression, hyperactivity and other behavioral problems, notes Joseph Graziano, a professor of environmental health sciences and pharmacology at Columbia University and an expert on lead poisoning in children.
"This has been a decades' long silent epidemic that has really deprived generations of children of their full capabilities and their full economic potential," Graziano says.
While exposure to elevated levels of lead continues to be a problem in parts of the U.S. like Flint, Mich., Graziano says "the Western world has taken it on head on." As the new report notes, blood lead levels in high-income countries have decreased dramatically since lead in gasoline and paint was phased out, but they remain "dangerously high" in lower and middle-income countries. Most of the children affected by lead exposure live in Africa and Asia, though many live in Central and South America and Eastern Europe, according to the report.
Globally, sources of lead exposure can often include ceramic serving dishes made with a lead-based glaze, which can lead to lead chips making their way into food. In some countries, including Georgia, India and Bangladesh, researchers have found that lead chromate is being added to some spices, particularly turmeric, to increase its weight and enhance its color.
Lead mining and lead water pipes are also major sources of exposure, as is the informal recycling and burning of e-waste.
But one of the biggest sources worldwide is the recycling of lead acid batteries from cars, trucks and other vehicles, which account for about 85% of the world's lead use, Rees says. While battery recycling can be done safely in countries with proper regulations and monitoring, an untold number of informal, unregulated and sometimes illegal recycling facilities have cropped up where workers extract lead and other metals from used batteries for resale.
"Sometimes [this happens] in people's backyards, sometimes in open areas where parts of the batteries are burned, and the lead can enter fumes, it can enter the soil and can enter surrounding water sources. That's where the risk becomes really, really high," Rees says. Sometimes, workers might unwittingly carry lead dust back home on their clothes, he says.
In many cases, he says, the people engaged in these activities – and the communities around them — are not aware of the risks.
That was the case in Kathgora, Bangladesh, a village of about 300 people about 9 miles outside of Dhaka, the capital city. In 2016, informal battery recycling operations opened in a bamboo jungle by the village. Residents started asking questions when they saw their livestock die after grazing on grasses contaminated by lead dust from the recycling operations. But they didn't realize their children were also affected, because symptoms of lead exposure in kids can be subtle at first, says Luftul Kabir, a researcher with Pure Earth who investigated the Kathgora site.
"They had no idea why children were not learning anymore and why they were so aggressive and things like that," says Maya Vandenant, chief of health for UNICEF Bangladesh. "The awareness among the community members is very, very low."
Kabir says the villagers eventually forced the recyclers to shut down. In 2017, a team from Pure Earth and the Bangladesh Department of Environment came in to carry out remediation, clearing out used battery parts and removing contaminated top soil. At the start of the project, testing of blood lead levels in 75 village children found an average of 21.3 micrograms per deciliter; 18 months later, those blood lead levels had dropped by 42% on average, according to Pure Earth.
But while improvements in blood lead levels is possible, reversing the damage already done by lead exposure isn't. That's why prevention is absolutely key, Kordas, Vandenant and Rees emphasize.
"I think the bottom line is we need to focus on reducing exposure in the first place because unfortunately, you can't undo the damage that lead causes to the brain and the body," Rees says.


npr--2020-07-29--Florida Will Pause Coronavirus Testing Due To Impending Storm

Florida will stop testing for the coronavirus for several days due to concerns about the potential impact from a looming tropical weather system .
After the state 's testing sites close Thursday evening , they wo n't reopen until at least Tuesday morning , Candy Sims of the Florida Department of Health in Broward County told NPR .
Some locations could be closed for longer , she added , depending on the weather .
The Florida Division of Emergency Management first announced the change in an email to test site managers on Wednesday , according to Tallahassee TV news station @ @ @ @ @ @ @ named Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine .
The National Hurricane Center said it is almost certain to develop into a tropical storm – likely by early Thursday .
If it does so , it will be dubbed Tropical Storm Isaias .
As of Wednesday afternoon , Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine was steaming among the Leeward Islands , roughly 105 miles south-southwest of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands .
The system has triggered storm watches and warnings for at least a dozen islands as its predicted path takes it toward Florida 's southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the center of the system 's forecast cone ; it could begin to affect Florida by late Friday , the hurricane center said .
The storm is expected to bring heavy rains and wind gusts .
And unlike Tropical Storm Gonzalo , the small storm that recently passed through the Caribbean , this system is large : `` Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 275 miles , '' the hurricane center said .
The Miami-Dade Office of Emergency Management is advising residents to be in a `` ready '' mode as the storm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disaster kits and emergency plans .
As of Wednesday afternoon , all county services continued their normal operations .
Florida has reported more than 451,000 coronavirus cases , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
Florida 's tally is second only to California ( 475,305 cases ) among U.S. states .

Florida Will Pause Coronavirus Testing Due To Impending Storm
Enlarge this image toggle caption National Weather Service National Weather Service
Updated at 11:11 p.m. ET
Florida will stop testing for the coronavirus for several days due to concerns about the potential impact from Tropical Storm Isaias.
After the state's testing sites close Thursday evening, they won't reopen until at least Tuesday morning, Candy Sims of the Florida Department of Health in Broward County told NPR. Some locations could be closed for longer, she added, depending on the weather.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management first announced the change in an email to test site managers on Wednesday, according to Tallahassee TV news station WCTV.
As of Wednesday evening, Tropical Storm Isaiah was steaming among the Leeward Islands, roughly 155 miles south of Ponce, Puerto Rico, with sustained winds of 50 mph, and moving west-northwest at 20 mph.
The system has triggered storm watches and warnings for at least a dozen islands as its predicted path takes it toward Florida's southern tip. The state sits squarely in the center of the system's forecast cone; it could begin to affect Florida by late Friday, the hurricane center said.
The storm is expected to bring heavy rains and wind gusts. And unlike Tropical Storm Gonzalo, the small storm that recently passed through the Caribbean, this system is large: "Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 275 miles," the hurricane center said.
The Miami-Dade Office of Emergency Management is advising residents to be in a "ready" mode as the storm approaches, urging them to review their disaster kits and emergency plans. As of Wednesday afternoon, all county services continued their normal operations.
Florida has reported more than 451,000 coronavirus cases, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Florida's tally is second only to California (475,305 cases) among U.S. states.


npr--2020-07-29--Defense Secretary Esper Says U.S. Plans To Cut Troops In Germany By A Third

Defense Secretary Esper Says U.S. Plans To Cut Troops In Germany By A Third In a slap at a longtime ally frequently reviled by President Trump , Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced Wednesday that the U.S. plans to withdraw roughly a third of the 36,000 American forces stationed in Germany .
Nearly 5,600 of the 11,800 troops to be removed from Germany would be sent to other NATO allies in Europe , including Poland .
Another 6,400 would return to the U.S. , although they or similar units would be redeployed to other European countries on what Esper described as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our aim is to implement these moves as expeditiously as possible , '' Esper told reporters at the Pentagon .
`` We could see some moves begin within weeks ; others will take longer . ''
The Pentagon chief cast the decision to cut U.S. forces in Germany as the result of a months-long review of American deployments in Europe aimed at bolstering defense .
`` These changes will achieve the core principles of enhancing U.S. and NATO deterrence of Russia , strengthening NATO , reassuring allies and improving U.S. strategic flexibility , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made clear that the repositioning of U.S. forces remains tentative .
`` I want to note that this plan is subject to and likely will change to some degree as it evolves over time . ''
Trump , for his part , has characterized the troop drawdown as a reprisal for what the American president considers to be a refusal by Germany to spend a greater share of its gross domestic product on defense .
In 2014 , members of NATO agreed to increase their defense spending to at least 2 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year spent $ 49.3 billion on defense , or 1.38 % of its GDP , according to German state broadcaster DW .
`` Germany 's delinquent .
They have n't paid their fees , they have n't paid their NATO fees , '' Trump told Wednesday reporters outside the White House , even though no such `` fees '' exist for members of NATO .
`` Germany owes billions and billions of dollars to NATO .
And why would we keep all of those troops there ? ''
Asked at the Pentagon whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sticking it to Germany , '' Esper said the president had simply `` accelerated '' the decision to draw down forces there .
`` Let 's be clear .
I think Germany is the wealthiest country in Europe .
Germany can and should pay more to its defense , '' Esper said .
`` It should certainly meet the 2 % standard , and I would argue go above and beyond that . ''
Reaction to the move has been decidedly mixed .
After a briefing last week by Pentagon officials on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate Armed Services Committee praised the decision .
`` I believe the concept for realigning U.S. military posture in Europe , as the President has approved , is sound , '' said Sen. James Inhofe , R-Okla. , despite noting that any changes may be slow in coming .
`` It is clear to me that this concept will take months to plan , and years to execute . ''
But another Senate Republican slammed the decision to cut troops in Germany as `` weak . ''
`` U.S. troops are n't stationed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ welfare caseworkers – they 're restraining the expansionary aims of the world 's worst regimes , chiefly China and Russia , '' Sen. Ben Sasse , R-Neb.
, a member of the upper chamber 's intelligence committee , said in a statement .
`` The President 's lack of strategic understanding of this issue increases our response time and hinders the important deterrent work our servicemen and women are doing .
Maintaining forward presence is cheaper for our taxpayers and safer for our troops . ''
In an interview Wednesday on NPR 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hollen , D-Md.
, called the move to cut U.S. forces in Germany `` terrible . ''
`` It undermines the credibility of the NATO alliance , it calls into question our commitment to our NATO allies , '' Van Hollen said .
`` This is exactly the kind of thing that will cause Vladimir Putin to pop his champagne or vodka bottles in Moscow . ''
Twenty-two of the of the House Armed Services Committee 's 26 Republican members wrote Trump in June warning against the proposed troop cuts .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of World War II has helped to prevent another world war and , most importantly , has helped make America safer , '' the GOP lawmakers wrote in a letter signed by the panel 's ranking member , Rep. Mac Thornberry , R-Texas .
`` In Europe , the threats posed by Russia have not lessened , and we believe that signs of a weakened U.S. commitment to NATO will encourage further Russian aggression and opportunism . ''
Among the moves Esper said are being planned : • Relocating the U.S. European @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Belgium .
• Canceling plans to relocate 2,500 U.S. refueling crew airmen currently based in the United Kingdom to Germany .
• Moving an F-16 jet fighter squadron and elements of a jet fighter wing from Germany to Italy .
• Moving lead elements of the U.S. Army 's 5th Corps headquarters at Fort Knox to Poland .
A former commander of the U.S. European Command blasted those moves in a series of tweets Wednesday .
`` What is obvious to me — having served 12 years in Germany and having participated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2004-2011 , this is not a 'strategic ' move , '' retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling wrote on Twitter .
`` It is specifically a directed personal insult from Trump to our great & very supportive ally Germany . ''
Hanging over Wednesday 's announcement is the presidential election in November and the time it would take to implement the changes .
Given the extended timeline for troop repositioning in Europe that Esper estimates would cost several billion dollars , it 's not clear whether any of it will happen before Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Defense Secretary Esper Says U.S. Plans To Cut Troops In Germany By A Third
Enlarge this image toggle caption Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
In a slap at a longtime ally frequently reviled by President Trump, Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced Wednesday that the U.S. plans to withdraw roughly a third of the 36,000 American forces stationed in Germany.
Nearly 5,600 of the 11,800 troops to be removed from Germany would be sent to other NATO allies in Europe, including Poland. Another 6,400 would return to the U.S., although they or similar units would be redeployed to other European countries on what Esper described as a "rotational" basis.
"Our aim is to implement these moves as expeditiously as possible," Esper told reporters at the Pentagon. "We could see some moves begin within weeks; others will take longer."
The Pentagon chief cast the decision to cut U.S. forces in Germany as the result of a months-long review of American deployments in Europe aimed at bolstering defense.
"These changes will achieve the core principles of enhancing U.S. and NATO deterrence of Russia, strengthening NATO, reassuring allies and improving U.S. strategic flexibility," Esper said, even as he made clear that the repositioning of U.S. forces remains tentative. "I want to note that this plan is subject to and likely will change to some degree as it evolves over time."
Trump, for his part, has characterized the troop drawdown as a reprisal for what the American president considers to be a refusal by Germany to spend a greater share of its gross domestic product on defense.
In 2014, members of NATO agreed to increase their defense spending to at least 2% of their GDP by 2024. Germany last year spent $49.3 billion on defense, or 1.38% of its GDP, according to German state broadcaster DW.
"Germany's delinquent. They haven't paid their fees, they haven't paid their NATO fees," Trump told Wednesday reporters outside the White House, even though no such "fees" exist for members of NATO. "Germany owes billions and billions of dollars to NATO. And why would we keep all of those troops there?"
Asked at the Pentagon whether the troop reduction was Trump "basically sticking it to Germany," Esper said the president had simply "accelerated" the decision to draw down forces there.
"Let's be clear. I think Germany is the wealthiest country in Europe. Germany can and should pay more to its defense," Esper said. "It should certainly meet the 2% standard, and I would argue go above and beyond that."
Reaction to the move has been decidedly mixed.
After a briefing last week by Pentagon officials on the force drawdown, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee praised the decision.
"I believe the concept for realigning U.S. military posture in Europe, as the President has approved, is sound," said Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., despite noting that any changes may be slow in coming. "It is clear to me that this concept will take months to plan, and years to execute."
But another Senate Republican slammed the decision to cut troops in Germany as "weak."
"U.S. troops aren't stationed around the world as traffic cops or welfare caseworkers – they're restraining the expansionary aims of the world's worst regimes, chiefly China and Russia," Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., a member of the upper chamber's intelligence committee, said in a statement. "The President's lack of strategic understanding of this issue increases our response time and hinders the important deterrent work our servicemen and women are doing. Maintaining forward presence is cheaper for our taxpayers and safer for our troops."
In an interview Wednesday on NPR's Here & Now, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., called the move to cut U.S. forces in Germany "terrible."
"It undermines the credibility of the NATO alliance, it calls into question our commitment to our NATO allies," Van Hollen said. "This is exactly the kind of thing that will cause Vladimir Putin to pop his champagne or vodka bottles in Moscow."
Twenty-two of the of the House Armed Services Committee's 26 Republican members wrote Trump in June warning against the proposed troop cuts.
"The forward stationing of American troops since the end of World War II has helped to prevent another world war and, most importantly, has helped make America safer," the GOP lawmakers wrote in a letter signed by the panel's ranking member, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas. "In Europe, the threats posed by Russia have not lessened, and we believe that signs of a weakened U.S. commitment to NATO will encourage further Russian aggression and opportunism."
Among the moves Esper said are being planned:
Relocating the U.S. European Command headquarters from Stuttgart, Germany, to Belgium.
Canceling plans to relocate 2,500 U.S. refueling crew airmen currently based in the United Kingdom to Germany.
Moving an F-16 jet fighter squadron and elements of a jet fighter wing from Germany to Italy.
Moving lead elements of the U.S. Army's 5th Corps headquarters at Fort Knox to Poland.
A former commander of the U.S. European Command blasted those moves in a series of tweets Wednesday.
"What is obvious to me — having served 12 years in Germany and having participated in the last force structure change from 2004-2011, this is not a 'strategic' move," retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling wrote on Twitter. "It is specifically a directed personal insult from Trump to our great & very supportive ally Germany."
Hanging over Wednesday's announcement is the presidential election in November and the time it would take to implement the changes.
Given the extended timeline for troop repositioning in Europe that Esper estimates would cost several billion dollars, it's not clear whether any of it will happen before Trump's first term as president ends in January.


npr--2020-07-29--New York Police Draw Anger After Plainclothes Officers Throw Woman Into Unmarked Van

New York Police Draw Anger After Plainclothes Officers Throw Woman Into Unmarked Van The New York City Police Department has come under rising criticism after plainclothes officers aggressively detained a woman at a protest and hauled her away in an unmarked vehicle .
Video posted to social media shows men forcefully grabbing Nikki Stone , 18 , off the street Tuesday during a demonstration against police brutality and shoving her into an unmarked police van .
Uniformed bicycle officers then appear and form a perimeter around the vehicle as bystanders shout in protest .
People sharing the video online compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by federal agents in Portland , Ore. , who have in recent weeks used unmarked vans to snatch protesters quickly and covertly off the streets .
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized the style of detainment , though not the arrest , suggesting the officers should have chosen a less high-octane moment to detain the woman .
`` A lot of us have watched in pain what 's been going on in Portland , Ore .
So anything that even slightly suggests that is , to me , troubling , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't want to see in this city , '' de Blasio said .
`` That was not the time and place to effectuate that arrest .
It made sense to do it in a situation that was clearly not in the middle of an ongoing protest . ''
New York police said in a statement late Tuesday that a warrant squad took Stone into custody on suspicion of damaging police cameras in five incidents .
Surveillance video posted to Twitter by Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison appeared to show Stone using paint to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broom in an attempt to tear down a third .
That evening , the hashtags # WheresNikki and # WhereIsNikki trended online as activists demanded to know why and where Stone had been taken .
The statement tweeted by police said the warrant squad `` uses unmarked vehicles to effectively locate wanted suspects . ''
Police said Stone had been charged with criminal mischief and making graffiti over five such suspected incidents over two months .
Critics on Wednesday decried the manner in which police apprehended and detained Stone .
`` I do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most professional police conduct .
I see an officer at one point with his hand on his gun .
I think that 's in and of itself inappropriate , '' said Frank Straub , a former police chief in Spokane , Wash. , who now works for the National Police Foundation .
`` You see an unmarked van pull up , you see people that are not identified as police officers grab someone and throw them in a van ... when we know that is a point of challenge across the country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troubling optics '' of the situation .

New York Police Draw Anger After Plainclothes Officers Throw Woman Into Unmarked Van
The New York City Police Department has come under rising criticism after plainclothes officers aggressively detained a woman at a protest and hauled her away in an unmarked vehicle.
Video posted to social media shows men forcefully grabbing Nikki Stone, 18, off the street Tuesday during a demonstration against police brutality and shoving her into an unmarked police van. Uniformed bicycle officers then appear and form a perimeter around the vehicle as bystanders shout in protest.
People sharing the video online compared the incident to the controversial tactics deployed by federal agents in Portland, Ore., who have in recent weeks used unmarked vans to snatch protesters quickly and covertly off the streets.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized the style of detainment, though not the arrest, suggesting the officers should have chosen a less high-octane moment to detain the woman.
"A lot of us have watched in pain what's been going on in Portland, Ore. So anything that even slightly suggests that is, to me, troubling, and it's the kind of thing we don't want to see in this city," de Blasio said.
"That was not the time and place to effectuate that arrest. It made sense to do it in a situation that was clearly not in the middle of an ongoing protest."
New York police said in a statement late Tuesday that a warrant squad took Stone into custody on suspicion of damaging police cameras in five incidents. Surveillance video posted to Twitter by Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison appeared to show Stone using paint to obscure two different cameras and using a broom in an attempt to tear down a third.
That evening, the hashtags #WheresNikki and #WhereIsNikki trended online as activists demanded to know why and where Stone had been taken.
The statement tweeted by police said the warrant squad "uses unmarked vehicles to effectively locate wanted suspects."
Police said Stone had been charged with criminal mischief and making graffiti over five such suspected incidents over two months.
Critics on Wednesday decried the manner in which police apprehended and detained Stone.
"I don't know that this was really the most professional police conduct. I see an officer at one point with his hand on his gun. I think that's in and of itself inappropriate," said Frank Straub, a former police chief in Spokane, Wash., who now works for the National Police Foundation.
"You see an unmarked van pull up, you see people that are not identified as police officers grab someone and throw them in a van ... when we know that is a point of challenge across the country," Straub said, describing the "troubling optics" of the situation.