truthout--2020-06-05--Amazon Says Black Lives Matter, But It’s Helping Fund Police Foundations

Right now , Amazon has a prominent banner on its homepage that reads : “ Black lives matter : Amazon stands in solidarity with the Black community.
” The company has also tweeted about its “ solidarity with the Black community ” in “ the fight against systemic racism and injustice.
” But as thousands take to the streets in a historic wave of action to defend Black lives against rampant and systemic police violence , Amazon has been using one of its charitable arms to help fund police foundations that purchase surveillance equipment and weaponry for police forces and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that help prop up police power .
AmazonSmile is an Amazon website through which shoppers can purchase products , and the AmazonSmile Foundation then donates “ 0.5 % of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization ” of the shopper ’ s choice .
Through AmazonSmile , Amazon helps to fund police foundations across the U.S. — an arrangement actively promoted by these police foundations .
• The Los Angeles Police Foundation tweeted in December 2019 : “ Planning on shopping tomorrow for Cyber Monday ?
When you shop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Los Angeles Police Foundation , ” with the hashtag # SupportLAPD Planning on shopping tomorrow for Cyber Monday ?
When you shop @ AmazonSmile , Amazon will make a donation to Los Angeles Police Foundation .
# CyberMonday # SupportLAPD # amazonsmile https : //t.co/kYvdaYiJoR • The Chicago Police Foundation ’ s homepage currently promotes an AmazonSmile banner to accept donations .
It reads : “ Support Chicago Police Foundation .
When you shop at amazon.smile.com , Amazon donates.
” • The Seattle Police Foundation grants funds for the Seattle Police Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Enhancements – Cutting-edge and specialized equipment and technology.
” The Seattle Police Foundation ’ s website also includes a link to donate through AmazonSmile .
• The San Diego Police Officers Association tweeted in July 2019 : “ Attention members , friends , families , and followers !
Now , when you shop @ amazonsmile , Amazon will make a donation to the San Diego Police Officers Association Foundation .
Click the link to donate today !
” The SDPOA says it “ represents the more than 1,850 dedicated and professional sworn members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cleveland Police Foundation posted a call for donations through AmazonSmile on its website in November 2019 .
• The National Police Foundation tweeted in November 2018 : “ If you are still finishing up your # BlackFriday shopping , or getting ready for # CyberMonday , you can help support the mission of the National Police Foundation to advance policing through innovation and science by shopping through # AmazonSmile.
“ Amazon ’ s funding of police foundations comes amidst mounting calls from protesters to defund the police and spend municipal resources on community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several years , Amazon has been exposed for myriad anti-worker and anti-BIPOC activities .
These include firing their own workers for speaking out against hazardous working conditions in their warehouses which are disproportionately staffed by Black , Lantinx , and Asian workers , patenting invasive surveillance technologies to track their warehouse workforce ’ s every move , and selling white supremacist literature and propoganda , including The Turner Diaries , a foundational white supremacist text , on their popular retail website .
Amazon also has a long history of partnering with the police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to data from their Ring cameras and marketing their Rekognition facial recognition software as a law enforcement surveillance tool .
They also provide technical services to ICE and have been called ICE ’ s “ invisible backbone ” as the agency enforced Trump ’ s “ no-tolerance ” immigration policy .
But Amazon is doing more than just partnering with police : they are helping to fundraise for them as well .
Amazon can not have it both ways : it can not proclaim that Black Lives Matter while it continues to fund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weaponry , and other products that are used against Black lives and which help sustain police power and a lack of police accountability through civic and corporate backing .
Amazon must break with police foundations and stop donating to them .

Right now, Amazon has a prominent banner on its homepage that reads: “Black lives matter: Amazon stands in solidarity with the Black community.” The company has also tweeted about its “solidarity with the Black community” in “the fight against systemic racism and injustice.”
But as thousands take to the streets in a historic wave of action to defend Black lives against rampant and systemic police violence, Amazon has been using one of its charitable arms to help fund police foundations that purchase surveillance equipment and weaponry for police forces and offer networks of corporate and civic support that help prop up police power.
AmazonSmile is an Amazon website through which shoppers can purchase products, and the AmazonSmile Foundation then donates “0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization” of the shopper’s choice. Through AmazonSmile, Amazon helps to fund police foundations across the U.S. — an arrangement actively promoted by these police foundations.
For example:
The Los Angeles Police Foundation tweeted in December 2019: “Planning on shopping tomorrow for Cyber Monday? When you shop @AmazonSmile, Amazon will make a donation to Los Angeles Police Foundation,” with the hashtag #SupportLAPD
Planning on shopping tomorrow for Cyber Monday? When you shop @AmazonSmile, Amazon will make a donation to Los Angeles Police Foundation. #CyberMonday #SupportLAPD #amazonsmile https://t.co/kYvdaYiJoR — LA Police Foundation (@LAPoliceFdtn) December 1, 2019
The Chicago Police Foundation’s homepage currently promotes an AmazonSmile banner to accept donations. It reads: “Support Chicago Police Foundation. When you shop at amazon.smile.com, Amazon donates.”
The Seattle Police Foundation grants funds for the Seattle Police Department in the area of “Police Service Enhancements – Cutting-edge and specialized equipment and technology.” The Seattle Police Foundation’s website also includes a link to donate through AmazonSmile.
The San Diego Police Officers Association tweeted in July 2019: “Attention members, friends, families, and followers! Now, when you shop @amazonsmile, Amazon will make a donation to the San Diego Police Officers Association Foundation. Click the link to donate today!” The SDPOA says it “represents the more than 1,850 dedicated and professional sworn members of the #SDPD.”
The Cleveland Police Foundation posted a call for donations through AmazonSmile on its website in November 2019.
The National Police Foundation tweeted in November 2018: “If you are still finishing up your #BlackFriday shopping, or getting ready for #CyberMonday, you can help support the mission of the National Police Foundation to advance policing through innovation and science by shopping through #AmazonSmile.“
Amazon’s funding of police foundations comes amidst mounting calls from protesters to defund the police and spend municipal resources on community needs.
Moreover, over the last several years, Amazon has been exposed for myriad anti-worker and anti-BIPOC activities. These include firing their own workers for speaking out against hazardous working conditions in their warehouses which are disproportionately staffed by Black, Lantinx, and Asian workers, patenting invasive surveillance technologies to track their warehouse workforce’s every move, and selling white supremacist literature and propoganda, including The Turner Diaries, a foundational white supremacist text, on their popular retail website.
Amazon also has a long history of partnering with the police, including giving over 1300 departments access to data from their Ring cameras and marketing their Rekognition facial recognition software as a law enforcement surveillance tool. They also provide technical services to ICE and have been called ICE’s “invisible backbone” as the agency enforced Trump’s “no-tolerance” immigration policy.
But Amazon is doing more than just partnering with police: they are helping to fundraise for them as well.
Amazon cannot have it both ways: it cannot proclaim that Black Lives Matter while it continues to fund police foundations that purchase surveillance technology, weaponry, and other products that are used against Black lives and which help sustain police power and a lack of police accountability through civic and corporate backing. Amazon must break with police foundations and stop donating to them.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.


truthout--2020-06-05--Bill Barr Thinks He’s in Command and Can Wage War in Our Cities

Since becoming Donald Trump ’ s attorney general , Bill Barr has given several speeches to police organizations .
This is not unusual for someone in his position , but Barr ’ s comments have often been controversial .
Last December he made the outrageous comment that “ communities ” have to “ start showing more than they do the respect and support that law enforcement deserves and if communities don ’ t give that respect , they might find themselves without the protection they need.
” It was bad enough that it hit the evening news : Barr ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been well documented .
He is the president ’ s No .
1 henchman , and the most openly political AG in American history .
His far-right views on religion and morality are also well-known .
But despite his speeches like the one above , until this week I don ’ t think it was well understood just how fully authoritarian Barr ’ s worldview really is .
He appears to believe that the title “ attorney general ” is an actual military designation that gives him the authority to command troops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It isn ’ t .
( It ’ s actually a very old term in common law , reflecting the idea that someone may hold a “ general power of attorney ” to represent the state . )
In a call with state governors on Monday , when Trump demanded they “ dominate ” their citizens and put protesters in jail for 10 years , one of his many threats was that he would unleash Barr and Gen. Mark Milley , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff .
Later that day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House in battle fatigues as if he were about to launch an attack on Fallujah , but he and the rest of the military brass have since balked at Trump ’ s stated desire to send in active-duty troops to “ dominate ” American cities .
Barr has no such reticence .
The Daily Beast reported that on May 26 he immediately convened a task force to determine how the Department of Justice could find legal ways to quell the protests that were breaking out around the country .
He immediately concluded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were responsible for the unrest , and determined that the feds could use the Joint Terrorist Task Forces , in partnership with state and local government , to institute a crackdown .
Trump soon made a Twitter announcement that antifa would be designated a terrorist organization , despite the fact that it ’ s not an organization at all ( and no such designation exists for domestic groups ) .
Barr also set about immediately assembling federal troops to man the barricades in Washington .
Indeed , he seems to believe he is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Force , whose mission is to beat back the invasion of TrumpLand .
He ’ s the one who ordered the Robocops with “ Military Police ” and “ Secret Service ” emblazoned on their chests to tear-gas and drive back the protesters in Lafayette Square ahead of the president ’ s feckless photo-op on Monday evening .
Since then the streets of Washington have been full of National Guard and strange-looking quasi-military riot police without insignia or identification , producing bizarre , disturbing images such as this one : Barr explained on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any reason for troops to wear any insignia because they might not want to identify themselves .
That ’ s not how it works in a democracy .
According to Bloomberg , a document prepared for the Joint Chiefs shows that Generalissimo Barr has 2,950 civilian troops from various agencies on the streets of D.C .
This is on top of an equal number of National Guard troops and 1,700 active duty troops who are stationed outside the capital ( and have been the source of a confused tug-of-war between Trump and Defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directing all of it .
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday : It does indeed On Thursday morning , Barr appeared for another press conference to update the nation on the Battle of Antifa , making this claim : The “ different political persuasions ” he mentioned appear to be the far right .
In fact , three members of the “ boogaloo ” movement were arrested this week on terrorism charges in Las Vegas , a fact that apparently didn ’ t merit specific mention .
Nor did he express any concern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrators in small towns .
But then Bill Barr has a history of using these events to pursue whatever political hobbyhorse he happens to be riding at the time .
It ’ s never an opposition to police brutality , I think we can say that .
Remember , this is his second go-round as attorney general .
He held the same post under George H.W .
Bush during the Los Angeles riots in 1992 and he handled that situation almost exactly the same way .
He immediately put together a plan to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies out to Los Angeles to quell the riots , actually commandeering an airplane and having it fly all over the country to pick up members of the Border Patrol and FBI agents and various others to “ get them on the ground ” in L.A .
This oral history of that event has Barr explaining what was going through his mind : Q : Was President Bush shocked by this dramatic event in Los Angeles ?
Did it have an effect on him ?
Did he see it as an indicator of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in America ?
Barr : I can ’ t tell the extent to which he was shocked .
He seemed surprised and wondered what was going on , what was this all about , and why the violence , that ugly violence .
He asked me .
Some people would probably disagree with what I told him , but I did lay a lot of it on gang activity .
Q : And you had a program to try and deal with that kind of thing .
Barr : Well , no one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of progress against gangs .
But he wasn ’ t as comfortable in that policy area , I guess .
My basic take was that this was not civil unrest or the product of some festering injustice .
This was gang activity , basically opportunistic .
I don ’ t know why he wasn ’ t more interested in these issues .
That passage illustrates the largest single difference between then and now : the president .
The senior Bush wasn ’ t a fool , and throughout that episode he clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He let him put his little battalion of desk jockeys and federal cops on the ground but he didn ’ t indulge his military commander fantasies or allow him to declare war on street gangs and make the problem even worse .
Today we have a petulant reality TV star in the White House , who is deeply ignorant and has no patience for details .
Barr is back as attorney general , and he ’ s been given free rein .
It couldn ’ t be a worse combination .

Barr now has “federal troops” on the street in D.C. with no badges or insignia.
Since becoming Donald Trump’s attorney general, Bill Barr has given several speeches to police organizations. This is not unusual for someone in his position, but Barr’s comments have often been controversial. Last December he made the outrageous comment that “communities” have to “start showing more than they do the respect and support that law enforcement deserves and if communities don’t give that respect, they might find themselves without the protection they need.” It was bad enough that it hit the evening news:
Barr’s overtly partisan behavior as attorney general has been well documented. He is the president’s No. 1 henchman, and the most openly political AG in American history. His far-right views on religion and morality are also well-known. But despite his speeches like the one above, until this week I don’t think it was well understood just how fully authoritarian Barr’s worldview really is.
He appears to believe that the title “attorney general” is an actual military designation that gives him the authority to command troops on the streets of the United States. It isn’t. (It’s actually a very old term in common law, reflecting the idea that someone may hold a “general power of attorney” to represent the state.)
In a call with state governors on Monday, when Trump demanded they “dominate” their citizens and put protesters in jail for 10 years, one of his many threats was that he would unleash Barr and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Later that day Milley was seen wandering around outside the White House in battle fatigues as if he were about to launch an attack on Fallujah, but he and the rest of the military brass have since balked at Trump’s stated desire to send in active-duty troops to “dominate” American cities.
Barr has no such reticence. The Daily Beast reported that on May 26 he immediately convened a task force to determine how the Department of Justice could find legal ways to quell the protests that were breaking out around the country. He immediately concluded that antifa and “left-wing terrorists” were responsible for the unrest, and determined that the feds could use the Joint Terrorist Task Forces, in partnership with state and local government, to institute a crackdown. Trump soon made a Twitter announcement that antifa would be designated a terrorist organization, despite the fact that it’s not an organization at all (and no such designation exists for domestic groups).
Barr also set about immediately assembling federal troops to man the barricades in Washington. Indeed, he seems to believe he is the commander of the White House Defense Force, whose mission is to beat back the invasion of TrumpLand. He’s the one who ordered the Robocops with “Military Police” and “Secret Service” emblazoned on their chests to tear-gas and drive back the protesters in Lafayette Square ahead of the president’s feckless photo-op on Monday evening.
Since then the streets of Washington have been full of National Guard and strange-looking quasi-military riot police without insignia or identification, producing bizarre, disturbing images such as this one:
Barr explained on Thursday that he didn’t see any reason for troops to wear any insignia because they might not want to identify themselves. That’s not how it works in a democracy.
According to Bloomberg, a document prepared for the Joint Chiefs shows that Generalissimo Barr has 2,950 civilian troops from various agencies on the streets of D.C. This is on top of an equal number of National Guard troops and 1,700 active duty troops who are stationed outside the capital (and have been the source of a confused tug-of-war between Trump and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. )
Barr is directing all of it. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday:
From an FBI command center in Washington’s Chinatown neighborhood, Attorney General William P. Barr has orchestrated a stunning show of force on the streets of the nation’s capital — a battalion of federal agents, troops and police designed to restore order, but one that critics say carries grim parallels to heavy-handed foreign regimes.
It does indeed
On Thursday morning, Barr appeared for another press conference to update the nation on the Battle of Antifa, making this claim:
We have evidence that antifa and other similar extremist groups, as well as actors of a variety of different political persuasions, have been involved in instigating and participating in the violent activity.
The “different political persuasions” he mentioned appear to be the far right. In fact, three members of the “boogaloo” movement were arrested this week on terrorism charges in Las Vegas, a fact that apparently didn’t merit specific mention. Nor did he express any concern about the reports of armed counterprotesters menacing demonstrators in small towns.
But then Bill Barr has a history of using these events to pursue whatever political hobbyhorse he happens to be riding at the time. It’s never an opposition to police brutality, I think we can say that. Remember, this is his second go-round as attorney general. He held the same post under George H.W. Bush during the Los Angeles riots in 1992 and he handled that situation almost exactly the same way. He immediately put together a plan to get hundreds of federal troops from various agencies out to Los Angeles to quell the riots, actually commandeering an airplane and having it fly all over the country to pick up members of the Border Patrol and FBI agents and various others to “get them on the ground” in L.A.
This oral history of that event has Barr explaining what was going through his mind:
Q: Was President Bush shocked by this dramatic event in Los Angeles? Did it have an effect on him? Did he see it as an indicator of something wrong that had to be fixed in America? Barr: I can’t tell the extent to which he was shocked. He seemed surprised and wondered what was going on, what was this all about, and why the violence, that ugly violence. He asked me. Some people would probably disagree with what I told him, but I did lay a lot of it on gang activity. Q: And you had a program to try and deal with that kind of thing. Barr: Yes. Q: But that didn’t galvanize. Barr: Well, no one stopped me. We did make a lot of progress against gangs. But he wasn’t as comfortable in that policy area, I guess. My basic take was that this was not civil unrest or the product of some festering injustice. This was gang activity, basically opportunistic. I don’t know why he wasn’t more interested in these issues.
That passage illustrates the largest single difference between then and now: the president. The senior Bush wasn’t a fool, and throughout that episode he clearly kept Barr on a tight leash. He let him put his little battalion of desk jockeys and federal cops on the ground but he didn’t indulge his military commander fantasies or allow him to declare war on street gangs and make the problem even worse.
Today we have a petulant reality TV star in the White House, who is deeply ignorant and has no patience for details. Barr is back as attorney general, and he’s been given free rein. It couldn’t be a worse combination.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.


truthout--2020-06-05--Move to Defund Police Gains Support Nationwide

As law enforcement officers across the country continue to brutalize peaceful demonstrators in the nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week , support for defunding the police is rising as Americans become increasingly fed up with the institution ’ s racism and violence .
“ In moments of crisis , people want services and resources that go directly to help people rather than police that surveil , brutalize , and kill us , ” Black Lives Matter LA co-founder Melina Abdullah told the Guardian .
The murder of Floyd by four Minneapolis police officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the uprising that has filled city streets around the nation with unprecedented numbers of protesters .
As Common Dreams reported Wednesday , polling this week shows a majority of Americans believe both the anger and the actions of the protesters are at least partially justified — including the burning of the Minneapolis Police Department Third Precinct building last week .
Activists have long called for defunding the police as part of the solution to the institution ’ s myriad problems .
Long seen as a fringe position by more mainstream liberals and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now seeing widespread support among the public and politicians alike .
“ We need to defund the police and make sure that money goes back into the communities that need it , ” said Cori Bush , a progressive candidate running for Missouri ’ s 1st District House seat , in a statement .
“ We have to end the militarization of police , stop the racial profiling , ” Bush added .
“ Throwing money at the problem will not solve it.
” As the protests continue around the country , activists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department ’ s budget is poised to swell to nearly $ 6 billion in 2021 , and Los Angeles , where LAPD ’ s funding was increased this year to $ 1.8 billion , are mounting their own defunding campaigns .
The first step for anyone interested in pushing for a re-thinking of their city ’ s priorities is to get involved in the budgeting process by attending city council meetings and speaking .
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human rights had a toolkit , praised earlier this week by former President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information on how to get involved .
The increasing support comes as images and videos of police attacking peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders continue to spread across social media as demonstrations entered their tenth consecutive day Thursday .
Alex Vitale , writer of the book “ The End of Policing , ” said in an interview with The Nation Thursday that he believes the funding for police departments should instead be put toward community service jobs .
“ The police department and the corrections department are always hiring and community centers aren ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And when they do hire , it ’ s at half the salary and half the benefits .
So this budget battle is about getting cities to reprioritize how they deal with the very real needs of the most disadvantaged communities that are subjected to the most intensive policing.
” The speed with which public opinion has turned on the issue didn ’ t surprise Tony Williams , a member of Minneapolis-based abolitionist group MPD150 , who noted the increasing nationwide anger over the high number of police killings of unarmed black men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in our movement , ” Williams told the Guardian , “ but it is a natural consequence of where we ’ ve been over the last five years .
”

The increasing support comes as images and videos of police attacking peaceful protesters continue to spread.
Part of the Series The Road to Abolition
As law enforcement officers across the country continue to brutalize peaceful demonstrators in the nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week, support for defunding the police is rising as Americans become increasingly fed up with the institution’s racism and violence.
“In moments of crisis, people want services and resources that go directly to help people rather than police that surveil, brutalize, and kill us,” Black Lives Matter LA co-founder Melina Abdullah told the Guardian.
The murder of Floyd by four Minneapolis police officers on May 25 served as the catalyst for the uprising that has filled city streets around the nation with unprecedented numbers of protesters.
As Common Dreams reported Wednesday, polling this week shows a majority of Americans believe both the anger and the actions of the protesters are at least partially justified — including the burning of the Minneapolis Police Department Third Precinct building last week.
Activists have long called for defunding the police as part of the solution to the institution’s myriad problems. Long seen as a fringe position by more mainstream liberals and conservatives, the call to defund is now seeing widespread support among the public and politicians alike.
Some folks are genuinely trying to understand what we mean when we say “Defund Police”. Examples below 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 https://t.co/0ryDrHximN — Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) June 4, 2020
“We need to defund the police and make sure that money goes back into the communities that need it,” said Cori Bush, a progressive candidate running for Missouri’s 1st District House seat, in a statement.
“We have to end the militarization of police, stop the racial profiling,” Bush added. “Throwing money at the problem will not solve it.”
According to Rolling Stone:
As the protests continue around the country, activists in New York, where the police department’s budget is poised to swell to nearly $6 billion in 2021, and Los Angeles, where LAPD’s funding was increased this year to $1.8 billion, are mounting their own defunding campaigns. The first step for anyone interested in pushing for a re-thinking of their city’s priorities is to get involved in the budgeting process by attending city council meetings and speaking. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human rights had a toolkit, praised earlier this week by former President Barack Obama, with more resources and information on how to get involved.
The increasing support comes as images and videos of police attacking peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders continue to spread across social media as demonstrations entered their tenth consecutive day Thursday.
#LAPD chase teenagers while shooting rubber bullets from inside a police cruiser 🤦🏾♂ pic.twitter.com/1xcwZJFlp1 — NICK HAMILTON (@NickHamiltonLA) June 3, 2020
The moment NYPD struck against peaceful protesters in downtown Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/YOERVnNsnh — Zach Williams (@ZachReports) June 4, 2020
You pay the NYPD $6 billion a year for this. Defund the police.https://t.co/IiWRYFk2W8 https://t.co/0Qcdu4wWMr — Andy Campbell (@AndyBCampbell) June 4, 2020
This is huge. @NYWFP’s Director is saying if you’re not fighting with us to defund the NYPD as a candidate who wants support, you’re a ghost to us. https://t.co/cRkWcmKwgq — rafael shimunov (@rafaelshimunov) June 4, 2020
Alex Vitale, writer of the book “The End of Policing,” said in an interview with The Nation Thursday that he believes the funding for police departments should instead be put toward community service jobs.
“The police department and the corrections department are always hiring and community centers aren’t,” said Vitale. “And when they do hire, it’s at half the salary and half the benefits. So this budget battle is about getting cities to reprioritize how they deal with the very real needs of the most disadvantaged communities that are subjected to the most intensive policing.”
The speed with which public opinion has turned on the issue didn’t surprise Tony Williams, a member of Minneapolis-based abolitionist group MPD150, who noted the increasing nationwide anger over the high number of police killings of unarmed black men since 2015.
“This is unprecedented in our movement,” Williams told the Guardian, “but it is a natural consequence of where we’ve been over the last five years.”
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.


truthout--2020-06-05--Noam Chomsky: Trump Has Adopted a “Viva Death!” Approach to the Presidency

As protests against racist police violence rock the country , fascism ascends in the Trump White House and the COVID-19 pandemic persists , this country is at a pivotal moment .
I spoke about this flash point in history with Noam Chomsky , known as the father of modern linguistics , who is one of the world ’ s most prominent public intellectuals and the author of over 100 books , including Hegemony or Survival , Failed States , Optimism Over Despair , Hopes and Prospects , Masters of Mankind and Who Rules the World ?
In the following interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can best grapple with the current moment – and prepare for the sobering future .
George Yancy : Before I ask you about COVID-19 , I ’ d like to start by asking your thoughts on the horrible murder of George Floyd and how you understand the protests that have occurred throughout the U.S. and the world .
I am especially interested in your response to Trump ’ s rhetoric to deploy the military to suppress a so-called insurrection .
Noam Chomsky : “ Horrible murder ” is right .
But let us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans going on right now .
The brutality of a few racist policemen in Minneapolis constitutes a small part of the crime .
It has been widely noted that death rates from the pandemic are far higher among Black people .
A current study found that “ Americans living in counties with above-average black populations are three times as likely to die of the coronavirus as those in above-average white counties .
This slaughter of Black people is partly a result of how resources were devoted to dealing with the crisis , mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whiter and more affluent.
” But it is rooted more deeply in a hideous record of 400 years of malevolent racism .
The plague has been taking different forms since the establishment of the most vicious system of slavery in human history — a prime foundation of the country ’ s industry , finance , commerce and general prosperity — but has at most been mitigated , never brought close to a cure .
American slavery was unique not only in terms of its viciousness , but also in that it was linked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , every Black face was marked with the emblem , “ Your nature is to be a slave.
” Other sectors have been harshly treated .
Jews and Italians were so feared and despised a century ago that the 1924 racist immigration law was designed to bar them from the country , sending many Jews to crematoria .
In support , racists of the day could plead that we had to protect ourselves from the Jews and Italians running the major criminal syndicates , from creatures like Meyer Lansky and Al Capone and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assimilated .
The same happened with the Irish .
With Black people , however , it is different .
They are deemed permanently unassimilable in a society cursed by racism and white supremacy .
For the victims , the effects are compounded by the lasting socioeconomic gaps engendered by the curse , intensified by the neoliberal assault of the past 40 years , a great boon to extreme wealth , a disaster for the more vulnerable .
The slaughter of Black Americans proceeds under the radar .
The president , whose malice knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focus on the pandemic to pursue his service to his prime constituency , great wealth and corporate power .
One method is eliminating regulations that protect the public but harm profits .
In the midst of an unprecedented respiratory pandemic , Trump has moved to increase air pollution , which makes COVID-19 far more deadly , so much so that tens of thousands of Americans may die as a result , the business press reports .
As usual , deaths are not randomly distributed : “ Hardest hit are low-income communities and people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to live in the most dangerous areas .
It is all too easy to continue .
The protesters know all of this very well .
They need no studies .
For many it is their lived experience .
The protests are not just calling for an end to police brutality in Black communities , but for much more fundamental restructuring of social and economic institutions .
And they are receiving remarkable support , as we see not only from actions all over the country but also from polls .
An early June poll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were ‘ sympathetic to people who are out protesting right now , ’ while 27 percent said they were not and 9 percent were unsure.
” We may compare this reaction to another occasion when similar protests occurred : 1992 , after the acquittal of the Los Angeles police officers who beat Rodney King almost to death .
A week of riots followed , with over 60 deaths , finally quelled by the National Guard backed by federal troops sent by President Bush .
The protests were mostly limited to Los Angeles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump has one overriding concern , his own welfare : How can I use this tragedy to enhance my electoral prospects by firing up the most racist and violent components of my voting base ?
His natural instincts call for violence : “ the most vicious dogs , and most ominous weapons , I have ever seen.
” And send in the military to teach the “ scum ” a lesson they ’ ll never forget .
Trump ’ s plan to “ dominate ” the errant population by violence elicited widespread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff along with expressions of sympathy for the protestors .
Former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Mike Mullen wrote : “ As a white man , I can not claim perfect understanding of the fear and anger that African Americans feel today… .
But as someone who has been around for a while , I know enough — and I ’ ve seen enough — to understand that those feelings are real and that they are all too painfully founded.
” The changes in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large parts of the population are coming to recognize long-concealed truths about our society , a ray of light in dark times .
We are often told that the United States is the most powerful country in the world .
We are fed on a diet of “ American exceptionalism.
” Yet , globally , we have the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 .
We were systemically unprepared .
How do you explain this incongruity , and what role does Trump play in all of this ?
The lack of preparedness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , neoliberal doctrine , and the character of the political leadership .
Let ’ s run through them briefly in turn .
After the 2003 SARS epidemic was contained , scientists were well aware that a pandemic was likely and that it might be caused by another coronavirus .
They also knew how to take measures to prepare .
But knowledge is not enough .
Someone must use it .
The obvious candidate is the drug companies , which have all the resources needed and huge profits , thanks in no small measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mislabeled “ free trade ” agreements .
But they were blocked by capitalist logic .
There ’ s no profit in preparing for a possible catastrophe down the road — and as economist Milton Friedman intoned at the dawn of the neoliberal age 40 years ago , the sole responsibility of the corporation is to maximize shareholder value ( and management wealth ) .
As recently as 2017 , the major drug companies rejected a European Union proposal to fast-track research on pathogens , including coronavirus .
The other candidate is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resources and has played a significant role in developing most vaccines and drugs .
But that path is blocked by the neoliberal doctrine that has prevailed since Reagan , who informed us that government is the problem — meaning that decisions must be removed from the government , which is to some extent influenced by citizens , to the unaccountable private tyrannies that were the primary agents ( and beneficiaries ) of the neoliberal triumph .
So , government is barred as well .
The third factor is individual governments .
Keeping to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bush had established a [ President ’ s ] Council of Advisors on Science and Technology ( PCAST ) to keep the president abreast of important scientific issues .
One of President Obama ’ s first acts on taking office in 2009 was to commission a PCAST study on how to deal with a pandemic .
It was provided to the White House a few weeks later .
The science-oriented Obama administration proceeded to put in place a pandemic infrastructure which planned early response to infectious disease threats .
That was in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Trump took office , and within days began to dismantle the entire executive branch science infrastructure , including the preparations for pandemic , and indeed moved on to reject science generally from a role in informing policy , reversing the bipartisan initiatives since World War II that have been critical for developing the modern high-tech economy .
To drive further nails into the coffin , Trump disbanded programs in which scientists worked with Chinese colleagues to investigate coronaviruses .
Each year , he defunded the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ budget proposal of February 2020 while the pandemic was raging , calling for further CDC cuts ( while raising subsidies to fossil fuel industries ) .
Scientists were systematically replaced by industry officials who would ensure that private profit is maximized whatever the impact on the irrelevant public .
Trump ’ s decisions accord with the judgment of his favorite pundit , Rush Limbaugh , to whom he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom .
He instructs us that science is one of the “ four corners of deceit , ” along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of which “ exist by virtue of deceit.
” The guiding maxim of the administration was articulated more eloquently by Franco ’ s leading general in 1936 : “ Down with intelligence !
Viva death !
” As a result , the U.S. was “ systematically unprepared ” when the pandemic hit .
In February , Trump said that COVID-19 would just disappear , that “ one day , it ’ s like a miracle , it will disappear.
” He was profoundly mistaken and then blamed China , even “ racializing ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has blood on his hands because of his gross mishandling of COVID-19 .
What are your thoughts about this ?
Tens of thousands of Americans died as a result of Trump ’ s dedicated service to his primary constituency : extreme wealth and corporate power .
His malevolence persisted after the disease struck .
A few weeks after discovery of the first symptoms last December , Chinese scientists identified the virus , sequenced the genome , and provided the information to the WHO and the world .
Countries in Asia and Oceania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation largely under control .
Others varied .
Trump brought up the rear .
For two crucial months , U.S. intelligence and health officials tried to capture the attention of the White House , in vain .
Finally , Trump noticed — possibly when the stock market crashed , it has been reported .
Since then it has been chaos .
Not surprisingly , Trump and his minions have been thrashing around desperately to find some scapegoat to blame for his crimes against Americans , oblivious to how many more people he slaughters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the WHO [ World Health Organization ] is a sadistic blow against Africans , Yemenis , and many other poor and desperate people who had been protected from rampant diseases by WHO medical aid even before the coronavirus struck , and are now facing new catastrophes in addition .
They are dispensable if it will improve his electoral prospects .
Trump ’ s charge against the WHO , which is too ludicrous to discuss , is that it was being controlled by China .
By pulling out , he increases Chinese influence .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for foolishness .
The outcome only underscores the fact that he never cared about this in the first place .
Speaking of responsibility and blood on one ’ s hands , a certain interpretation of individual rights seems to override a collective social responsibility for many in the U.S. who are not observing the recommendations of the WHO and the CDC , including a blatant rejection of wearing masks .
What would you say is fueling this anger and lack of responsibility toward the health and safety of others ?
Republicans overwhelmingly have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how much his actions harm them .
His god-like image is amplified by those who surround him , thanks to his successful campaign to get rid of everyone but fawning sycophants , like the second-in-command , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , who muses that God may have sent Trump to earth to save Israel from Iran .
Pompeo ’ s fellow evangelicals , the largest base of Trump supporters , likely agree .
And they hear much the same generally from the Republican Party , which has virtually abandoned any shred of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does .
Much the same is true of his media echo chamber .
Studies have shown that the primary source of information for Republicans is Fox News , Limbaugh and Breitbart .
In fact , an interesting dyad has developed : Trump issues some random pronouncement , it is hailed by Sean Hannity as a path-breaking discovery , and the next morning Trump turns to Fox News to find out what to think .
Surveys of public opinion reveal the consequences .
A Pew poll in April , when Trump ’ s responsibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate , found that 83 percent of Republicans and Republican leaners rated Trump ’ s response to the outbreak as either excellent or good ( as compared with 18 percent of Democrats and Democratic leaners ) .
They are listening to a president who had been comparing the virus to “ regular flu , ” and who in mid-April tweeted instructions to his supporters to “ LIBERATE VIRGINIA , and save your great 2nd Amendment .
It is under siege !
” The 2nd Amendment has not the slightest relevance , but Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was , transparently , urging his troops to take up arms , part of his more general attempts to encourage armed protestors to violate orders in states with Democratic governors ( like Virginia ) , at a time when there were almost 50,000 recorded deaths .
Let ’ s kill more Americans , not just Yemenis and Africans , if it will improve my electoral prospects .
“ Down with intelligence !
Viva death !
” When we exclude the Astroturf operations and the fervent loyalty of the voting base , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an appeal to “ individual rights ” in any meaningful sense .
Nor is it clear that the protestors are overriding social responsibility .
They evidently don ’ t see it that way .
They would be appalled at the idea that what they are doing is similar to people with assault rifles running around the streets shooting randomly , though the comparison is apt .
They do not think they are endangering anyone .
Rather , they are following their revered leader in protesting an effort by the radical left , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destroy their elementary rights and even to take away their guns .
All further signs that the country is in deep trouble — and in the light of U.S. power , the world with it .
Apart from Trump ’ s incompetence , what needs to be done globally so that we might both prevent another pandemic and what must we do to be better prepared in the future ?
I don ’ t feel that “ incompetence ” is quite the right word .
He ’ s quite competent in pursuing his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , enhancing corporate power and profit , keeping his base in line while he stabs them in the back , and concentrating power in his hands by dismantling the executive branch , and so intimidating congressional Republicans that they timidly accept almost anything .
I didn ’ t hear a peep from them when Trump fired the scientist in charge of vaccine development for daring to question one of the quack cures he is promoting .
There is dead silence from these ranks as he carries out his purge of inspector generals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has created in Washington , also insulting one of the most respected Republican senators , 86-year-old Chuck Grassley , who devoted his long career to establishing this system .
It is an impressive achievement .
What has to be done globally is to follow the advice that scientists are providing .
A new pandemic is likely , probably worse than this one because of global warming , which may become climate roasting with another four years of the Trump plague .
Steps have to be taken to prepare for it , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were in small part pursued until Trump wielded his wrecking ball .
There should be international cooperation in seeking coronaviruses and other potential hazards , developing the scientific understanding needed for rapid development of vaccines and drugs to alleviate symptoms , and implementing contingency plans to be put in place if a pandemic strikes again .
For the U.S. in particular , that means extricating the society from neoliberal dogma , which has had bitter consequences in the domain of health ( and many others ) .
The business model for hospitals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an invitation to disaster .
More generally , the highly inefficient privatized health care system is a terrible burden on the society , with double the costs of other developed countries and some of the poorest outcomes .
A recent Lancet study estimates its annual cost at almost $ 500 billion and 68,000 extra deaths .
It is outrageous that the U.S. can not rise to the level of other societies and instead relies on the most cruel and costly system of universal health care : emergency rooms .
If you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care — followed perhaps by a healthy bill .
The same neoliberal dogma prevents the National Institutes of Health from proceeding beyond essential research and development for drugs to testing and distribution , bypassing the private companies and implementing the provisions of U.S. law , constantly ignored , which require that drugs produced with government assistance ( virtually all ) be available to the public at reasonable cost .
The most careful studies of these matters that I know of are by Dean Baker , who estimates enormous savings with no loss of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see his book Rigged , available free ) .
This is only a bare beginning .
There are deep social , cultural and institutional problems that should be addressed .
Assuming that the November election is close , do you see Trump deploying the ruse of voting fraud to remain in power ?
If that happens , what do you foresee in terms of this playing out politically ?
Trump and associates are already pushing that scam energetically , not for the first time .
They know that they head a minority party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to maintain political power .
And for them , a lot is at stake .
Another four years would enable them to guarantee that their far-right policies will prevail for a generation no matter what the population wants .
That ’ s been the goal of the McConnell strategy of placing the judiciary , top to bottom , in the hands of young far-right jurists who can block programs that are in the public interest .
Loss of the current opportunity might doom their project .
For Trump personally , the prospects of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is psychologically capable of accepting it like a normal human being .
He may be vulnerable to serious legal charges if his immunity is lost .
And with the Republican Party having surrendered to his authority , North Korean-style , he faces few impediments .
We can leave the rest to the imagination .
I realize that this sounds dystopian , but who is to say that Trump , out of sheer lust for power , will not galvanize a militia to back his desire to stay in power ?
Any thoughts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As widely recognized , the country is facing a longer-term constitutional crisis .
The Senate is a radically undemocratic institution , to a lesser extent the electoral college .
For demographic and structural reasons , a small minority of white , Christian , rural , traditional , often white supremacist voters can maintain control to an extent even beyond what racist Southern Democrats exercised before Nixon ’ s “ southern strategy ” brought them into the Republican fold .
And this is virtually unchangeable by constitutional amendment .
It ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s hands , the impending crisis may come about very soon .
Noam , I know that you prefer not to talk much about yourself , but at 91 how are you personally dealing with our surreal historical moment living under COVID-19 ?
In narrow personal terms , it ’ s not a severe difficulty for my wife and me .
For many others , it ’ s a radically different story .
The moment is indeed surreal .
The future will be shaped by how we emerge from the crisis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and for the neoliberal assault on the population that has , demonstrably , intensified it sharply , are not sitting back quietly .
They are working relentlessly to ensure that what emerges is a harsher and more authoritarian version of what they had created in their own interest .
There are popular forces seeking to grasp the current opportunities to reverse the disasters of the recent past and to move forward to a far more humane and decent world .
And , crucially , to confront the far more severe crises that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic , at a terrible cost .
We will not recover from the ongoing melting of the polar ice sheets and the other consequences of the roasting of the earth that will make many of the areas of human habitation unlivable before too long if we continue on our current course .
Another four years of the Trump malignancy will sharply increase the difficulties of dealing with this impending catastrophe — even if we escape the threat of terminal nuclear war that Trump is escalating by dismantling the arms control regime that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new and more dangerous means of destruction that undermine our diminishing security .

Part of the Series Despair and Disparity: The Uneven Burdens of COVID-19
As protests against racist police violence rock the country, fascism ascends in the Trump White House and the COVID-19 pandemic persists, this country is at a pivotal moment. I spoke about this flash point in history with Noam Chomsky, known as the father of modern linguistics, who is one of the world’s most prominent public intellectuals and the author of over 100 books, including Hegemony or Survival, Failed States, Optimism Over Despair, Hopes and Prospects, Masters of Mankind and Who Rules the World?
In the following interview, Chomsky provides insight on how we can best grapple with the current moment – and prepare for the sobering future.
George Yancy: Before I ask you about COVID-19, I’d like to start by asking your thoughts on the horrible murder of George Floyd and how you understand the protests that have occurred throughout the U.S. and the world. I am especially interested in your response to Trump’s rhetoric to deploy the military to suppress a so-called insurrection.
Noam Chomsky: “Horrible murder” is right. But let us be clear about the murders of Black Americans going on right now. The brutality of a few racist policemen in Minneapolis constitutes a small part of the crime.
It has been widely noted that death rates from the pandemic are far higher among Black people. A current study found that “Americans living in counties with above-average black populations are three times as likely to die of the coronavirus as those in above-average white counties. This slaughter of Black people is partly a result of how resources were devoted to dealing with the crisis, mostly “in areas that happened to be whiter and more affluent.” But it is rooted more deeply in a hideous record of 400 years of malevolent racism. The plague has been taking different forms since the establishment of the most vicious system of slavery in human history — a prime foundation of the country’s industry, finance, commerce and general prosperity — but has at most been mitigated, never brought close to a cure.
American slavery was unique not only in terms of its viciousness, but also in that it was linked to skin color. Within this system, every Black face was marked with the emblem, “Your nature is to be a slave.”
Other sectors have been harshly treated. Jews and Italians were so feared and despised a century ago that the 1924 racist immigration law was designed to bar them from the country, sending many Jews to crematoria. In support, racists of the day could plead that we had to protect ourselves from the Jews and Italians running the major criminal syndicates, from creatures like Meyer Lansky and Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel. But they were finally assimilated. The same happened with the Irish.
With Black people, however, it is different. They are deemed permanently unassimilable in a society cursed by racism and white supremacy. For the victims, the effects are compounded by the lasting socioeconomic gaps engendered by the curse, intensified by the neoliberal assault of the past 40 years, a great boon to extreme wealth, a disaster for the more vulnerable.
The protests are not just calling for an end to police brutality in Black communities, but for much more fundamental restructuring of social and economic institutions.
The slaughter of Black Americans proceeds under the radar. The president, whose malice knows no bound, has been exploiting the focus on the pandemic to pursue his service to his prime constituency, great wealth and corporate power. One method is eliminating regulations that protect the public but harm profits. In the midst of an unprecedented respiratory pandemic, Trump has moved to increase air pollution, which makes COVID-19 far more deadly, so much so that tens of thousands of Americans may die as a result, the business press reports. As usual, deaths are not randomly distributed: “Hardest hit are low-income communities and people of color,” who are forced to live in the most dangerous areas.
It is all too easy to continue. The protesters know all of this very well. They need no studies. For many it is their lived experience. The protests are not just calling for an end to police brutality in Black communities, but for much more fundamental restructuring of social and economic institutions.
And they are receiving remarkable support, as we see not only from actions all over the country but also from polls. An early June poll “found 64 percent of American adults were ‘sympathetic to people who are out protesting right now,’ while 27 percent said they were not and 9 percent were unsure.”
We may compare this reaction to another occasion when similar protests occurred: 1992, after the acquittal of the Los Angeles police officers who beat Rodney King almost to death. A week of riots followed, with over 60 deaths, finally quelled by the National Guard backed by federal troops sent by President Bush. The protests were mostly limited to Los Angeles, nothing like what we are seeing today.
Trump has one overriding concern, his own welfare: How can I use this tragedy to enhance my electoral prospects by firing up the most racist and violent components of my voting base? His natural instincts call for violence: “the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen.” And send in the military to teach the “scum” a lesson they’ll never forget.
Trump’s plan to “dominate” the errant population by violence elicited widespread anger, including bitter condemnation by former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff along with expressions of sympathy for the protestors. Former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Mike Mullen wrote: “As a white man, I cannot claim perfect understanding of the fear and anger that African Americans feel today…. But as someone who has been around for a while, I know enough — and I’ve seen enough — to understand that those feelings are real and that they are all too painfully founded.”
The changes in the past two decades are perhaps a sign that large parts of the population are coming to recognize long-concealed truths about our society, a ray of light in dark times.
We are often told that the United States is the most powerful country in the world. We are fed on a diet of “American exceptionalism.” Yet, globally, we have the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19. We were systemically unprepared. How do you explain this incongruity, and what role does Trump play in all of this?
The lack of preparedness has three basic causes: capitalist logic, neoliberal doctrine, and the character of the political leadership. Let’s run through them briefly in turn.
Large parts of the population are coming to recognize long-concealed truths about our society.
After the 2003 SARS epidemic was contained, scientists were well aware that a pandemic was likely and that it might be caused by another coronavirus. They also knew how to take measures to prepare. But knowledge is not enough. Someone must use it. The obvious candidate is the drug companies, which have all the resources needed and huge profits, thanks in no small measure to the exorbitant patents granted them in the mislabeled “free trade” agreements. But they were blocked by capitalist logic. There’s no profit in preparing for a possible catastrophe down the road — and as economist Milton Friedman intoned at the dawn of the neoliberal age 40 years ago, the sole responsibility of the corporation is to maximize shareholder value (and management wealth). As recently as 2017, the major drug companies rejected a European Union proposal to fast-track research on pathogens, including coronavirus.
The other candidate is the government, which also has the necessary resources and has played a significant role in developing most vaccines and drugs. But that path is blocked by the neoliberal doctrine that has prevailed since Reagan, who informed us that government is the problem — meaning that decisions must be removed from the government, which is to some extent influenced by citizens, to the unaccountable private tyrannies that were the primary agents (and beneficiaries) of the neoliberal triumph. So, government is barred as well.
The third factor is individual governments. Keeping to the U.S., President George H.W. Bush had established a [President’s] Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) to keep the president abreast of important scientific issues. One of President Obama’s first acts on taking office in 2009 was to commission a PCAST study on how to deal with a pandemic. It was provided to the White House a few weeks later. The science-oriented Obama administration proceeded to put in place a pandemic infrastructure which planned early response to infectious disease threats. That was in place until Jan. 20, 2017, when President Trump took office, and within days began to dismantle the entire executive branch science infrastructure, including the preparations for pandemic, and indeed moved on to reject science generally from a role in informing policy, reversing the bipartisan initiatives since World War II that have been critical for developing the modern high-tech economy.
To drive further nails into the coffin, Trump disbanded programs in which scientists worked with Chinese colleagues to investigate coronaviruses. Each year, he defunded the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That continued with his budget proposal of February 2020 while the pandemic was raging, calling for further CDC cuts (while raising subsidies to fossil fuel industries). Scientists were systematically replaced by industry officials who would ensure that private profit is maximized whatever the impact on the irrelevant public.
Trump’s decisions accord with the judgment of his favorite pundit, Rush Limbaugh, to whom he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He instructs us that science is one of the “four corners of deceit,” along with academia, media and government, all of which “exist by virtue of deceit.” The guiding maxim of the administration was articulated more eloquently by Franco’s leading general in 1936: “Down with intelligence! Viva death!”
As a result, the U.S. was “systematically unprepared” when the pandemic hit.
In February, Trump said that COVID-19 would just disappear, that “one day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” He was profoundly mistaken and then blamed China, even “racializing” the disease. Some would claim that Trump has blood on his hands because of his gross mishandling of COVID-19. What are your thoughts about this?
Tens of thousands of Americans died as a result of Trump’s dedicated service to his primary constituency: extreme wealth and corporate power. His malevolence persisted after the disease struck. A few weeks after discovery of the first symptoms last December, Chinese scientists identified the virus, sequenced the genome, and provided the information to the WHO and the world. Countries in Asia and Oceania reacted at once, and have the situation largely under control. Others varied. Trump brought up the rear. For two crucial months, U.S. intelligence and health officials tried to capture the attention of the White House, in vain. Finally, Trump noticed — possibly when the stock market crashed, it has been reported. Since then it has been chaos.
Not surprisingly, Trump and his minions have been thrashing around desperately to find some scapegoat to blame for his crimes against Americans, oblivious to how many more people he slaughters. Defunding and then pulling out of the WHO [World Health Organization] is a sadistic blow against Africans, Yemenis, and many other poor and desperate people who had been protected from rampant diseases by WHO medical aid even before the coronavirus struck, and are now facing new catastrophes in addition. They are dispensable if it will improve his electoral prospects.
Trump’s charge against the WHO, which is too ludicrous to discuss, is that it was being controlled by China. By pulling out, he increases Chinese influence. But it is unfair to criticize him for foolishness. The outcome only underscores the fact that he never cared about this in the first place.
Speaking of responsibility and blood on one’s hands, a certain interpretation of individual rights seems to override a collective social responsibility for many in the U.S. who are not observing the recommendations of the WHO and the CDC, including a blatant rejection of wearing masks. What would you say is fueling this anger and lack of responsibility toward the health and safety of others?
Republicans overwhelmingly have faith in the president, no matter how much his actions harm them. His god-like image is amplified by those who surround him, thanks to his successful campaign to get rid of everyone but fawning sycophants, like the second-in-command, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who muses that God may have sent Trump to earth to save Israel from Iran. Pompeo’s fellow evangelicals, the largest base of Trump supporters, likely agree. And they hear much the same generally from the Republican Party, which has virtually abandoned any shred of integrity and abjectly worship him whatever he does. Much the same is true of his media echo chamber. Studies have shown that the primary source of information for Republicans is Fox News, Limbaugh and Breitbart. In fact, an interesting dyad has developed: Trump issues some random pronouncement, it is hailed by Sean Hannity as a path-breaking discovery, and the next morning Trump turns to Fox News to find out what to think.
Surveys of public opinion reveal the consequences. A Pew poll in April, when Trump’s responsibility for the growing disaster was beyond serious debate, found that 83 percent of Republicans and Republican leaners rated Trump’s response to the outbreak as either excellent or good (as compared with 18 percent of Democrats and Democratic leaners). They are listening to a president who had been comparing the virus to “regular flu,” and who in mid-April tweeted instructions to his supporters to “LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!” The 2nd Amendment has not the slightest relevance, but Trump knows what buttons to push. He was, transparently, urging his troops to take up arms, part of his more general attempts to encourage armed protestors to violate orders in states with Democratic governors (like Virginia), at a time when there were almost 50,000 recorded deaths.
Let’s kill more Americans, not just Yemenis and Africans, if it will improve my electoral prospects. “Down with intelligence! Viva death!”
When we exclude the Astroturf operations and the fervent loyalty of the voting base, it’s not clear that much is left of an appeal to “individual rights” in any meaningful sense.
Nor is it clear that the protestors are overriding social responsibility. They evidently don’t see it that way. They would be appalled at the idea that what they are doing is similar to people with assault rifles running around the streets shooting randomly, though the comparison is apt. They do not think they are endangering anyone. Rather, they are following their revered leader in protesting an effort by the radical left, maybe on instructions from China, to destroy their elementary rights and even to take away their guns.
All further signs that the country is in deep trouble — and in the light of U.S. power, the world with it.
Apart from Trump’s incompetence, what needs to be done globally so that we might both prevent another pandemic and what must we do to be better prepared in the future?
I don’t feel that “incompetence” is quite the right word. He’s quite competent in pursuing his primary goals: enriching the very wealthy, enhancing corporate power and profit, keeping his base in line while he stabs them in the back, and concentrating power in his hands by dismantling the executive branch, and so intimidating congressional Republicans that they timidly accept almost anything. I didn’t hear a peep from them when Trump fired the scientist in charge of vaccine development for daring to question one of the quack cures he is promoting. There is dead silence from these ranks as he carries out his purge of inspector generals, who impose some controls on the swamp he has created in Washington, also insulting one of the most respected Republican senators, 86-year-old Chuck Grassley, who devoted his long career to establishing this system.
It is an impressive achievement.
What has to be done globally is to follow the advice that scientists are providing. A new pandemic is likely, probably worse than this one because of global warming, which may become climate roasting with another four years of the Trump plague. Steps have to be taken to prepare for it, the kind that were recommended in 2003 and were in small part pursued until Trump wielded his wrecking ball. There should be international cooperation in seeking coronaviruses and other potential hazards, developing the scientific understanding needed for rapid development of vaccines and drugs to alleviate symptoms, and implementing contingency plans to be put in place if a pandemic strikes again.
For the U.S. in particular, that means extricating the society from neoliberal dogma, which has had bitter consequences in the domain of health (and many others). The business model for hospitals, with no waste or spare capacity, is an invitation to disaster. More generally, the highly inefficient privatized health care system is a terrible burden on the society, with double the costs of other developed countries and some of the poorest outcomes. A recent Lancet study estimates its annual cost at almost $500 billion and 68,000 extra deaths. It is outrageous that the U.S. cannot rise to the level of other societies and instead relies on the most cruel and costly system of universal health care: emergency rooms. If you can drag yourself to one you can get care — followed perhaps by a healthy bill.
The same neoliberal dogma prevents the National Institutes of Health from proceeding beyond essential research and development for drugs to testing and distribution, bypassing the private companies and implementing the provisions of U.S. law, constantly ignored, which require that drugs produced with government assistance (virtually all) be available to the public at reasonable cost. The most careful studies of these matters that I know of are by Dean Baker, who estimates enormous savings with no loss of innovation if such measures are introduced (see his book Rigged, available free).
This is only a bare beginning. There are deep social, cultural and institutional problems that should be addressed.
Assuming that the November election is close, do you see Trump deploying the ruse of voting fraud to remain in power? If that happens, what do you foresee in terms of this playing out politically?
Trump and associates are already pushing that scam energetically, not for the first time. They know that they head a minority party and must resort to deceit and fraud to maintain political power. And for them, a lot is at stake. Another four years would enable them to guarantee that their far-right policies will prevail for a generation no matter what the population wants. That’s been the goal of the McConnell strategy of placing the judiciary, top to bottom, in the hands of young far-right jurists who can block programs that are in the public interest. Loss of the current opportunity might doom their project. For Trump personally, the prospects of loss may be severe, even if he is psychologically capable of accepting it like a normal human being. He may be vulnerable to serious legal charges if his immunity is lost. And with the Republican Party having surrendered to his authority, North Korean-style, he faces few impediments. We can leave the rest to the imagination.
I realize that this sounds dystopian, but who is to say that Trump, out of sheer lust for power, will not galvanize a militia to back his desire to stay in power? Any thoughts?
Can’t be ruled out. As widely recognized, the country is facing a longer-term constitutional crisis. The Senate is a radically undemocratic institution, to a lesser extent the electoral college. For demographic and structural reasons, a small minority of white, Christian, rural, traditional, often white supremacist voters can maintain control to an extent even beyond what racist Southern Democrats exercised before Nixon’s “southern strategy” brought them into the Republican fold. And this is virtually unchangeable by constitutional amendment. It’s not out of the question that in Trump’s hands, the impending crisis may come about very soon.
Noam, I know that you prefer not to talk much about yourself, but at 91 how are you personally dealing with our surreal historical moment living under COVID-19?
In narrow personal terms, it’s not a severe difficulty for my wife and me. For many others, it’s a radically different story. The moment is indeed surreal. The future will be shaped by how we emerge from the crisis. The forces that are responsible for it, and for the neoliberal assault on the population that has, demonstrably, intensified it sharply, are not sitting back quietly. They are working relentlessly to ensure that what emerges is a harsher and more authoritarian version of what they had created in their own interest. There are popular forces seeking to grasp the current opportunities to reverse the disasters of the recent past and to move forward to a far more humane and decent world. And, crucially, to confront the far more severe crises that are looming.
We will recover from the pandemic, at a terrible cost. We will not recover from the ongoing melting of the polar ice sheets and the other consequences of the roasting of the earth that will make many of the areas of human habitation unlivable before too long if we continue on our current course. Another four years of the Trump malignancy will sharply increase the difficulties of dealing with this impending catastrophe — even if we escape the threat of terminal nuclear war that Trump is escalating by dismantling the arms control regime that offered some protection and racing to develop new and more dangerous means of destruction that undermine our diminishing security.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-06-05--Trump’s Antifa Conspiracy Theory Attempts to Erase Powerful Black-Led Organizing

The George Floyd protests have swept the country in a spontaneous explosion of rage .
Their scope and intensity have equaled the 1992 Los Angeles uprising , which inspired nationwide actions .
But some widespread theories on the right are circulating about the protests that are attempting to undermine the work of Black-led organizing efforts .
The right widely claims that anti-fascists ( antifa ) or “ anarchists ” are behind the violence , while some liberal officials initially claimed white supremacists were acting widely as agent provocateurs , bearing primary responsibility for certain aspects of the protests , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extremely chaotic and all the facts can ’ t be known in their full detail , but both theories tell us something important : Neither the conservative commentators nor the liberal politicians will admit this is a decentralized and spontaneous rebellion .
Conspiracy theories work by falsely claiming that a secretive group is behind a real social problem .
They distract people from understanding the real social problems facing a society — and thereby prevent them from addressing the underlying issues .
In this case , people from a range of different positions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avoid the question of racist police brutality and murder , especially as it targets Black folks .
The uprisings also illustrate the failure of more moderate political channels to address this .
In several tweets and in his speech Monday night , President Trump blamed “ professional anarchists ” for the protests and claimed he would declare antifa a “ terrorist organization.
” ( Antifa is not a single organization , and there is no such designation for domestic groups . )
Attorney General William Barr released a statement saying , “ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly.
” Meanwhile , some activists arrested at the demonstrations say they ’ ve been questioned about their relationship to antifa groups .
A vast wash of right-wing voices are also proclaiming that George Soros is masterminding the uprising : this includes 34,000 tweets linking the billionaire to the protests , as of June 1 .
Soros is commonly accused by the right of all of the traditional things that in the past anti-Semites accused “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allows the right to harness the emotional power of the old anti-Semitic framework while avoiding moral responsibility for their actions .
Reality is quite different though .
First , anarchists and antifa , while overlapping movements , are not the same .
Anarchism is an ideologically based movement , primarily positioned on the radical left , while antifa is a smaller movement which seeks specifically to confront fascists and the far right .
Many anarchists support the antifa movement , but only some of them are involved in it ; and many antifa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other political views in the movement , too .
“ Antifa ” has become a kind of boogeyman for the U.S. right since 2017 , and we are now in the fourth wave of what I call “ antifa panic.
” As cities burn and police brutally enforce curfews , it ’ s bizarre to see progressives regurgitating their old talking points about whether or not they support the anti-fascist movement .
This is just a distraction from the protests over racist police murder .
In fact , for Trump and his sycophants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ updated version of the old claims that Communists are hiding under every bed , which Sen. Joe McCarthy spouted in the 1950s .
This accusation was leveled in particular at Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement .
These conspiracy theories , in turn , were largely adopted from earlier anti-Semitic conspiracies about a “ Judeo-Bolshevik ” plot .
There is also a racist element underlying these conspiracy theories of past decades .
They assume that Black folks are not sophisticated enough to form and lead movements for their own liberation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be white Communists — or Jews — behind them .
Today , we see the same propaganda recycled , only with antifa and anarchists replacing the Communist boogeyman .
The game is the same ; only the names have changed .
Anarchists and anti-fascists themselves openly scoff at the administration ’ s accusations .
The antifa website It ’ s Going Down tweeted , “ Neither ‘ ANTIFA , ’ anarchists , or any activist group for that matter – are behind or ‘ directing ’ the uprising that is taking place across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GeorgeFloyd .
Young people of color are the driving force – and this is exactly who the State fears the most.
” The New York City anarchist organization Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council ( MACC ) supports the protests but tweeted , “ It ’ s a popular uprising – beyond us.
” Compounding the confusion is the fact that prominent Democratic politicians in Minnesota initially claimed that white supremacists were behind the protest .
Like most conspiracy theories , this one has a grain of truth .
Different factions of the far right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the protests is complicated .
It is a very chaotic situation , and no one has all the information .
However , Democratic officials , including Minnesota Gov .
Tim Walz , identified white supremacist “ outside agitators ” as the primary culprits behind property destruction in the area .
This rumor was promoted by the Minneapolis officials claiming that , on Saturday , May 30 , arrested looters were linked to “ white supremacists ” and “ organized crime.
” But they have not produced any evidence of these assertions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they made about the arrests .
In contrast , there have been a noticeable number of the more “ moderate ” far right groups , including the Proud Boys , militias and — especially — the Boogaloo movement present at the protests , but usually as counterprotesters .
Sometimes they are also there claiming that they are guarding stores from damage , and sometimes the Boogaloo activists specifically are joining the protests .
Part of what has allowed large-scale unevidenced theories about white supremacists to blossom is confusion about the Boogaloo movement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ conflict in the form of a civil war , and generally , adherents back a libertarian-style vision of unlimited gun ownership and property rights .
Many members wear Hawaiian shirts ( a reference to “ the big luau ” — itself a pun on “ boogaloo ” ) .
A minority of the movement has a crossover with white supremacists , but most of it does not .
At the beginning of the protests , Boogaloo-linked social media accounts talked about intervening to stoke conflict .
It is apparently the assumption that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( part of the “ accelerationist ” tendency , which seeks total social breakdown ) are participating in the violent protests that have become the basis of the unevidenced theory that white supremacists are widely behind property destruction at the protests .
Since these rumors arose and spread , there have been at least two confirmed instances of far right violence .
In one case , a man with links to neo-Confederate politics shot a gun near a protest , and there are other reports that counterprotests have assaulted progressive activists .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apprehended heading to a protest with Molotov cocktails .
According to a report released June 1 by the Center on Terrorism , Extremism , and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies , some of the Boogaloo activists who are participating see themselves as anti-racists who are siding with the protesters .
The report ’ s authors , Alex Newhouse and Nate Gunesch , also found that , at this time , there was no evidence of property destruction specifically being instigated by those participating .
“ While Boogaloo Facebook pages were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police , few members attended the protest and none seem to have attacked law enforcement officers , ” Newhouse and Gunesch said ( emphasis added ) .
Furthermore , the idea that Boogaloo activists are behind the uprisings is , of course , baseless .
While the conspiracy theories about white supremacists are more confusing than harmful , the ones about the left are a justification for repression .
As of Sunday night , the counterrevolution arrived .
Curfews descended on the country , protesters were being murdered by both police and civilians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighborhood , and police and the National Guard are brutally cracking down on protesters .
All of this has been justified with Trump invoking his dual boogeyman of anarchists and antifa .
But it is unlikely brute force can quell this rebellion easily .
The civil rights movement was an unfinished revolution , and morphed into the more radical Black Power movement in the 1960s and ‘ 70s .
More recently , in 2014 and beyond , the Black Lives Matter movement further pursued the goal of smashing white supremacy in the U.S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these movements ’ basic demands is , in part , leading to more forceful forms of protest emerging .
Trump will blame radical left social movements for this outpouring of anger over the police murder of Black people , and try to suppress its manifestations , but in doing so , he does nothing more than ignore the root problems of structural anti-Blackness and oppression .
Just as his segregationist forbearers did in the 1950s and ‘ 60s when they blamed Jews and Communists for the civil rights movement , Trump and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Demonizing antifa will not stop the movement that George Floyd ’ s murder has sparked .
While anarchists and antifa activists are supporting the protests , they are not running them , and their absence would not collapse the uprisings .
In fact , the protests would look fundamentally the same if they were removed .
Martin Luther King Jr. said that a riot was the “ language of the unheard , ” and Trump and other officials refuse to listen to the voices of those who are actually leading these protests : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of white supremacy .

The George Floyd protests have swept the country in a spontaneous explosion of rage. Their scope and intensity have equaled the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, which inspired nationwide actions.
But some widespread theories on the right are circulating about the protests that are attempting to undermine the work of Black-led organizing efforts. The right widely claims that anti-fascists (antifa) or “anarchists” are behind the violence, while some liberal officials initially claimed white supremacists were acting widely as agent provocateurs, bearing primary responsibility for certain aspects of the protests, such as property destruction. The situation is extremely chaotic and all the facts can’t be known in their full detail, but both theories tell us something important: Neither the conservative commentators nor the liberal politicians will admit this is a decentralized and spontaneous rebellion.
Conspiracy theories work by falsely claiming that a secretive group is behind a real social problem. They distract people from understanding the real social problems facing a society — and thereby prevent them from addressing the underlying issues. In this case, people from a range of different positions on the political spectrum are desperate to avoid the question of racist police brutality and murder, especially as it targets Black folks. The uprisings also illustrate the failure of more moderate political channels to address this.
In several tweets and in his speech Monday night, President Trump blamed “professional anarchists” for the protests and claimed he would declare antifa a “terrorist organization.” (Antifa is not a single organization, and there is no such designation for domestic groups.) Attorney General William Barr released a statement saying, “The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly.” Meanwhile, some activists arrested at the demonstrations say they’ve been questioned about their relationship to antifa groups.
A vast wash of right-wing voices are also proclaiming that George Soros is masterminding the uprising: this includes 34,000 tweets linking the billionaire to the protests, as of June 1. Soros is commonly accused by the right of all of the traditional things that in the past anti-Semites accused “the Jews” of. Scapegoating individual Jews allows the right to harness the emotional power of the old anti-Semitic framework while avoiding moral responsibility for their actions.
Reality is quite different though. First, anarchists and antifa, while overlapping movements, are not the same. Anarchism is an ideologically based movement, primarily positioned on the radical left, while antifa is a smaller movement which seeks specifically to confront fascists and the far right. Many anarchists support the antifa movement, but only some of them are involved in it; and many antifa activists are anarchists, but there are other political views in the movement, too.
Neither the conservative commentators nor the liberal politicians will admit this is a decentralized and spontaneous rebellion.
“Antifa” has become a kind of boogeyman for the U.S. right since 2017, and we are now in the fourth wave of what I call “antifa panic.” As cities burn and police brutally enforce curfews, it’s bizarre to see progressives regurgitating their old talking points about whether or not they support the anti-fascist movement. This is just a distraction from the protests over racist police murder.
In fact, for Trump and his sycophants, “antifa” is just an updated version of the old claims that Communists are hiding under every bed, which Sen. Joe McCarthy spouted in the 1950s. This accusation was leveled in particular at Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. These conspiracy theories, in turn, were largely adopted from earlier anti-Semitic conspiracies about a “Judeo-Bolshevik” plot.
There is also a racist element underlying these conspiracy theories of past decades. They assume that Black folks are not sophisticated enough to form and lead movements for their own liberation, and so, there had to be white Communists — or Jews — behind them. Today, we see the same propaganda recycled, only with antifa and anarchists replacing the Communist boogeyman. The game is the same; only the names have changed.
Anarchists and anti-fascists themselves openly scoff at the administration’s accusations. The anarchist website It’s Going Down tweeted, “Neither ‘ANTIFA,’ anarchists, or any activist group for that matter – are behind or ‘directing’ the uprising that is taking place across the US following the murder of #GeorgeFloyd. Young people of color are the driving force – and this is exactly who the State fears the most.” The New York City anarchist organization Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council (MACC) supports the protests but tweeted, “It’s a popular uprising – beyond us.”
The failure of leaders to heed these movements’ basic demands is, in part, leading to more forceful forms of protest emerging.
Compounding the confusion is the fact that prominent Democratic politicians in Minnesota initially claimed that white supremacists were behind the protest. Like most conspiracy theories, this one has a grain of truth. Different factions of the far right have shown up, though their relationship to the protests is complicated. It is a very chaotic situation, and no one has all the information.
However, Democratic officials, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, identified white supremacist “outside agitators” as the primary culprits behind property destruction in the area. This rumor was promoted by the Minneapolis officials claiming that, on Saturday, May 30, arrested looters were linked to “white supremacists” and “organized crime.” But they have not produced any evidence of these assertions, and officials have already retracted other statements they made about the arrests.
In contrast, there have been a noticeable number of the more “moderate” far right groups, including the Proud Boys, militias and — especially — the Boogaloo movement present at the protests, but usually as counterprotesters. Sometimes they are also there claiming that they are guarding stores from damage, and sometimes the Boogaloo activists specifically are joining the protests.
Part of what has allowed large-scale unevidenced theories about white supremacists to blossom is confusion about the Boogaloo movement. This movement seeks to start an armed conflict in the form of a civil war, and generally, adherents back a libertarian-style vision of unlimited gun ownership and property rights. Many members wear Hawaiian shirts (a reference to “the big luau” — itself a pun on “boogaloo”). A minority of the movement has a crossover with white supremacists, but most of it does not.
Demonizing antifa will not stop the movement that George Floyd’s murder has sparked.
At the beginning of the protests, Boogaloo-linked social media accounts talked about intervening to stoke conflict. It is apparently the assumption that the white supremacist elements of the Boogaloo movement (part of the “accelerationist” tendency, which seeks total social breakdown) are participating in the violent protests that have become the basis of the unevidenced theory that white supremacists are widely behind property destruction at the protests.
Since these rumors arose and spread, there have been at least two confirmed instances of far right violence. In one case, a man with links to neo-Confederate politics shot a gun near a protest, and there are other reports that counterprotests have assaulted progressive activists. In another case, three Boogaloo activists were apprehended heading to a protest with Molotov cocktails.
According to a report released June 1 by the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, some of the Boogaloo activists who are participating see themselves as anti-racists who are siding with the protesters. The report’s authors, Alex Newhouse and Nate Gunesch, also found that, at this time, there was no evidence of property destruction specifically being instigated by those participating. “While Boogaloo Facebook pages were active in their discussion of violence against police, few members attended the protest and none seem to have attacked law enforcement officers,” Newhouse and Gunesch said (emphasis added). Furthermore, the idea that Boogaloo activists are behind the uprisings is, of course, baseless.
Trump and other officials refuse to listen to the voices of those who are actually leading these protests: Black organizers making clear demands for the end of white supremacy.
While the conspiracy theories about white supremacists are more confusing than harmful, the ones about the left are a justification for repression. As of Sunday night, the counterrevolution arrived. Curfews descended on the country, protesters were being murdered by both police and civilians, a right-wing mob patrolled a Philadelphia neighborhood, and police and the National Guard are brutally cracking down on protesters. All of this has been justified with Trump invoking his dual boogeyman of anarchists and antifa.
But it is unlikely brute force can quell this rebellion easily. The civil rights movement was an unfinished revolution, and morphed into the more radical Black Power movement in the 1960s and ‘70s. More recently, in 2014 and beyond, the Black Lives Matter movement further pursued the goal of smashing white supremacy in the U.S. The failure of leaders to heed these movements’ basic demands is, in part, leading to more forceful forms of protest emerging.
Trump will blame radical left social movements for this outpouring of anger over the police murder of Black people, and try to suppress its manifestations, but in doing so, he does nothing more than ignore the root problems of structural anti-Blackness and oppression. Just as his segregationist forbearers did in the 1950s and ‘60s when they blamed Jews and Communists for the civil rights movement, Trump and his conservative followers misrepresent their actual opponent.
Demonizing antifa will not stop the movement that George Floyd’s murder has sparked. While anarchists and antifa activists are supporting the protests, they are not running them, and their absence would not collapse the uprisings. In fact, the protests would look fundamentally the same if they were removed. Martin Luther King Jr. said that a riot was the “language of the unheard,” and Trump and other officials refuse to listen to the voices of those who are actually leading these protests: Black organizers making clear demands for the end of white supremacy.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.