truthout--2020-06-04--Uprisings Are Driving a Surge in Mutual Aid in Minneapolis and Beyond

Mutual aid is flourishing in south Minneapolis , where the police killing of an unarmed Black man and a revolt against state violence has left a community hungry for connection and racial justice .
The alleged murder of George Floyd and the ensuing powerful uprisings have made the need to forge material support networks among neighbors all the more apparent , say activists – and they are up to the challenge .
A hotel along the Lake Street corridor that saw clashes and fires after four police officers arrested and killed Floyd is now occupied by houseless residents and activists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for those displaced by conflict between protesters and the police .
From the vigil set up to honor Floyd at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue to the parking lot of the Target store that was famously looted about two miles way , neighbors and volunteers gather on a daily basis to distribute food and household supplies from pop-up free shops while many stores remain closed .
Neighbors are also coming together to build strategies for keeping each other safe without the police , according to interviews with residents and local activists .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police officer while three others stood and watched — and the fiery rebellion that followed – could have torn this community apart .
For days , neighborhoods south of downtown were featured on the national news as police attacked protesters and buildings were set ablaze .
The uprising spread to dozens of cities across the country , where police repression of protests has further demonstrated the anti-Blackness and oppressive nature of U.S. policing .
In Minneapolis , tragedy and revolt are bringing people together in a multiracial community that prides itself on progressiveness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racist policing and gentrification .
In communities nationwide , mutual aid efforts are providing a sense of relief and solidarity in weary neighborhoods where protesters confronted state violence and the police escalated that violence .
In Minneapolis , this work is done by local community groups , families , neighbors and the young people who are a driving force behind the rebellion .
“ The next steps for organizers is honestly just rebuilding … rebuilding the community , even just rebuilding our strength , ” said C ’ Monie Scott , a 22-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other people to rally at the vigil Monday night , one week after Floyd ’ s death .
“ We ’ ve been shut down , even though we ’ re getting stronger and stronger , it ’ s still the fact that [ the police ] have done so much to us .
Yes , they are breaking us down … but all I know is to just keep going.
” Scott spoke to Truthout just before midnight , when dozens of protesters were defying a 10 p.m. curfew to hold a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , barricades had been erected to keep out the police , who forcefully cleared the area on Saturday night as National Guard troops moved into the city .
People ran to the barricades when police passed by after curfew went into effect , but for once the cops did not escalate , and a space declared sacred was left in peace .
Hundreds of people fill the intersection during the day , paying their respects at the vigil and sharing meals .
Barbecues are set up in the street ; friends and neighbors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Families and volunteers hand out groceries , diapers , first aid supplies and fresh produce from folding tables and the trunks of their cars .
The shell of a nearby corner store was converted into a free food shelf by Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha ( CTUL ) , a local workers center that organizes for better wages and working conditions .
Neighbors file in and out with groceries .
The organization sprang into action as soon as the protests started last week , handing out masks and personal protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food and water .
“ We are getting so many donations and so many people coming to pick up groceries and other items .
My role has been to sort the different donations that come through , ” said Sanethea , a CTUL member .
“ It makes me feel great to see our community come together after this tragedy.
” Isabela Escalona , CTUL ’ s communications director , said her group is both providing food for pickup and delivering groceries to homes .
It ’ s just one of many examples @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Truthout spoke to a number of people distributing food on the street who were not part of a specific organization , including families and former residents who had moved away and come back to help .
Other mutual aid groups have been delivering food since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic , when Minnesota issued a shelter-in-place order to prevent the virus from spreading .
“ Transit had been suspended and it ’ s hard to get around , and if all the grocery stores are only open in the suburbs , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation where we need food , ” Escalona said .
Escalona said there is also “ radical potential ” for “ creating systems of safety ” outside of traditional policing in Minneapolis .
The fires and property destruction alarmed some residents , but Escalona said the “ rightful rage ” did not appear from thin air .
Activists have pushed the city to defund and even abolish the police force for years , and their frustration was punctuated by the fatal police shootings of Jamar Clark and Philando Castile in 2015 and 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The rebellion has raised difficult questions for people living in south Minneapolis , especially those who own property or benefit from white privilege .
But from the ashes of destruction comes the opportunity to build something new .
Over the weekend , hundreds of people met in a nearby park and began sketching out neighborhood-level initiatives to keep each other safe from the police and suspected groups of white supremacists rumored to be threatening homes , according to Escalona and other residents .
After the meeting in the park , a letter distributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategies for preventing fires without calling the police .
Another letter questioned the idea that “ outside agitators ” could be blamed for the destructive protests .
That letter , distributed by “ white long-term residents of South Minneapolis , ” called on other white residents to acknowledge their role in gentrification and creating the conditions for unrest , particularly among youth of color , who are disproportionately targeted by police when white people demand “ safer ” neighborhoods .
“ We have been out every day to join our Black neighbors in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mostly the youth out in the streets : an intelligent youth , a caring youth , but an infinitely enraged youth , ” the letter reads .
“ And who are they mad at ?
Us .
All of us who have said time and again that our property , our city , our stuff is more important than their lives .
All of us who have no doubts that the police are there to protect us.
” “ We are starting to figure out how we can keep ourselves safe and protected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community safety beyond policing , ” Escalona said .
“ We ’ ve known for a long time that police are not protecting people , they are escalating situations , they are making more violence , and if their goal was community safety , it ’ s not working.
” A mile up the street from the food shelf and vigil , the Sheraton Midtown Hotel has been repurposed as a shelter for residents who were camping in tents or living outside before buildings were burned and the National Guard was called in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ houseless , wear coronavirus masks and staff the front desk ; the lobby and bar are now meeting spaces where free meals are served .
A cardboard sign by the concierge ’ s desk announces the schedule for daily general meetings for residents .
Like many cities , in Minneapolis , infrastructure for mutual aid efforts such as free food delivery and distribution already existed before the rebellion and had grown during the outbreak of COVID-19 .
The shelter-in-place order issued for the COVID-19 outbreak also prevented police from evicting houseless people living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and before the uprising , several encampments were established in public areas .
The extent of homelessness in Minneapolis was suddenly visible , according to Sarah Jane Keaveny , a public health nurse at the Sheraton Hotel .
“ It was really poorly managed , and that caused this big wave of mutual aid , ” Keaveny said during an interview in the hotel lobby on Monday .
“ Because , I think , encampments and street homelessness is kept really invisible in this city .
Then , for the last few months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be so visible was like this weird juxtaposition where everybody was supposed to be quarantining , and then this huge tent city pops up.
” Keaveny said the city was reluctant to make life “ too comfortable ” for the campers and rejected permits for water delivery and portable toilets .
For weeks , advocates pushed local authorities to open hotels for people living on the streets with little success .
Then came the rebellion , which brought a heavy police presence and saw a number of large buildings burned , sending ashes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You come out , you wake up , and all you smell is smoke , ” said Brookie Flying Hawk , who was camping outside before moving into the hotel .
Keaveny said the hotel project came about quickly over the weekend .
On Thursday , two houseless people and an advocate were on their way to a suburban hotel to escape the smoke and chaos but missed the bus .
They booked rooms in the Sheraton , and then decided not to leave .
Dozens of people showed up to support them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and heavy policing on Lake Street .
Soon the group was negotiating with the hotel owners , and more people from the encampment moved in .
It all came together quickly , even as unrest filled the streets .
“ We built a system for checking in , worked with the hotelier … building a system that can house 90 people in a matter of hours is unheard of , when you are thinking about the [ existing social services ] system and how it works , ” Keaveny said .
“ And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just like , well , I guess you can just bring people into rooms that exist , and it ’ s fine.
” Keaveny said the hotel has not received much media attention , but word spread quickly through social and mutual aid networks , and soon food and monetary donations were pouring in .
Brookie Flying Hawk ’ s friend , Marti Mar , joined her for dinner in the hotel lobby on Monday and signed up for a room .
Mar said staying in the hotel could provide opportunities for getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like to do whatever I can to help my fellow Native Americans , ” Marti Mar said .
This article is just a small snapshot of the mutual aid and organizing in south Minneapolis .
In two days , this reporter learned about a number of groups organizing political initiatives and mutual aid , including the Black Visions Collective , Reclaim the Block , the Little Earth Residents Association , the American Indian Movement , the Black Immigrant Collective , Ten Thousand Things Theater , and many others .
Such efforts are underway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by years of organizing and mutual aid infrastructure established during the COVID-19 outbreak .
In Chicago , where cops cracked down on anti-police brutality protests this week and the city imposed a curfew and briefly shut down public transit , the Chicago Freedom School opened its downtown office to provide resources and shelter to protesters .
The Chicago Community Bond Fund received so many donations to bail people out of jail that its website crashed , according to the Chicago Reader .
Activists in New Orleans have provided material support to a group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizers are promoting the strike at ongoing Black Lives Matter protests .
These are just a few examples .
In interviews , Minneapolis activists and residents also described friends and neighbors coming together spontaneously during the rebellion to put out fires , distribute food and water , pull violent outsiders from protests , protect community infrastructure and work toward neighborhood safety without police .
All of this was done despite curfews and a brutal law enforcement crackdown .
Dan Raskin , a local renter and community member , said police shot rubber bullets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friends as they attempted to put out a fire with hoses and buckets of water .
“ We realized , ‘ Okay , the cops are out here clearing shit violently , ’ ” Raskin said during an interview in the local park .
For days , there were rumors fueled by politicians and social media that “ outside agitators ” had ignited the uprising in Minneapolis that captured the nation ’ s attention .
Raskin had at one point suspected white supremacist infiltrators .
However , reviews of police records show that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if not Minneapolis proper .
While outsiders of varying motivations were likely present , Raskin , like others who witnessed the rebellion , have concluded that the rebellious energy of the protests was the result of decades of anti-Black police attacks and escalation that pushed crowds largely composed of local youth , thirsty for justice and clamoring for a better world , to the edge .
The nightly demonstrations demanding justice for George Floyd in Minneapolis have made an impact , and there have been some victories .
The local school district terminated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minneapolis Police Department , putting a plug in the school-to-prison pipeline .
On Wednesday , the three cops who watched as Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd ’ s neck for nearly nine minutes were charged with aiding and abetting murder .
Protesters had demanded charges against the former officers for a week .
Significantly , members of the city council are now listening to police abolitionist groups and considering whether to disband the police department and replace officers with a “ non-violent ” public safety office .
Meanwhile , young people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward rebuilding , organizing and mutual aid .
CiCi Battle is the director of Young People For , a group that supports Black , Brown , disabled and LGBTQ youth who are organizing around a radical ethos .
Young People For is currently supporting a number of young activists working in Minneapolis .
In an interview , Battle said the rebellion in Minneapolis should not be misunderstood as young people simply expressing anger or looking for an opportunity to lash out .
They have specific demands and want systemic change .
“ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ folks who are organizing , and even white folks who are saying , ‘ enough is enough , the murder of George Floyd is horrible , and incremental change isn ’ t enough , ’ ” Battle said .
“ And what the push and the energy that you see and feel from this kind of evolution into mutual aid are people coming together and understanding that the current system does not work for all.
” In Minneapolis and across the country , Battle said , young people are standing up to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better world .
“ This is a hard reset , and young people are not going to allow us to go back to the way things were , because they understand that it ’ s not working , ” Battle said .
For C ’ Monie Scott , the future has immediate tasks at hand .
Along with a crew of other young activists who attended the speak-out at George Floyd ’ s vigil Monday night , Scott started a new organization called We Can ’ t Breathe and is raising funds for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s just rebuilding… .
All we can do is move up , ” Scott said .

Mutual aid is flourishing in south Minneapolis, where the police killing of an unarmed Black man and a revolt against state violence has left a community hungry for connection and racial justice. The alleged murder of George Floyd and the ensuing powerful uprisings have made the need to forge material support networks among neighbors all the more apparent, say activists – and they are up to the challenge.
A hotel along the Lake Street corridor that saw clashes and fires after four police officers arrested and killed Floyd is now occupied by houseless residents and activists who converted the building into a shelter for those displaced by conflict between protesters and the police. From the vigil set up to honor Floyd at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue to the parking lot of the Target store that was famously looted about two miles way, neighbors and volunteers gather on a daily basis to distribute food and household supplies from pop-up free shops while many stores remain closed.
Neighbors are also coming together to build strategies for keeping each other safe without the police, according to interviews with residents and local activists.
The alleged murder of Floyd by a white police officer while three others stood and watched — and the fiery rebellion that followed – could have torn this community apart. For days, neighborhoods south of downtown were featured on the national news as police attacked protesters and buildings were set ablaze. The uprising spread to dozens of cities across the country, where police repression of protests has further demonstrated the anti-Blackness and oppressive nature of U.S. policing.
In Minneapolis, tragedy and revolt are bringing people together in a multiracial community that prides itself on progressiveness but is also shaped by redlining, racist policing and gentrification. In communities nationwide, mutual aid efforts are providing a sense of relief and solidarity in weary neighborhoods where protesters confronted state violence and the police escalated that violence. In Minneapolis, this work is done by local community groups, families, neighbors and the young people who are a driving force behind the rebellion.
“The next steps for organizers is honestly just rebuilding … rebuilding the community, even just rebuilding our strength,” said C’Monie Scott, a 22-year-old Black activist who gathered with hundreds of other people to rally at the vigil Monday night, one week after Floyd’s death. “We’ve been shut down, even though we’re getting stronger and stronger, it’s still the fact that [the police] have done so much to us. Yes, they are breaking us down … but all I know is to just keep going.”
Neighbors and volunteers gather on a daily basis to distribute food and household supplies from pop-up free shops while many stores remain closed.
Scott spoke to Truthout just before midnight, when dozens of protesters were defying a 10 p.m. curfew to hold a speak-out at the vigil. By then, barricades had been erected to keep out the police, who forcefully cleared the area on Saturday night as National Guard troops moved into the city. People ran to the barricades when police passed by after curfew went into effect, but for once the cops did not escalate, and a space declared sacred was left in peace.
Mike Ludwig
Organizing Food and Safety Without Police
Hundreds of people fill the intersection during the day, paying their respects at the vigil and sharing meals. Barbecues are set up in the street; friends and neighbors line up for free tacos and chicken. Families and volunteers hand out groceries, diapers, first aid supplies and fresh produce from folding tables and the trunks of their cars.
The shell of a nearby corner store was converted into a free food shelf by Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL), a local workers center that organizes for better wages and working conditions. Neighbors file in and out with groceries. The organization sprang into action as soon as the protests started last week, handing out masks and personal protection equipment to protesters and gathering donations of food and water.
“We are getting so many donations and so many people coming to pick up groceries and other items. My role has been to sort the different donations that come through,” said Sanethea, a CTUL member. “It makes me feel great to see our community come together after this tragedy.”
Isabela Escalona, CTUL’s communications director, said her group is both providing food for pickup and delivering groceries to homes. It’s just one of many examples of food distribution in south Minneapolis. Truthout spoke to a number of people distributing food on the street who were not part of a specific organization, including families and former residents who had moved away and come back to help. Other mutual aid groups have been delivering food since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Minnesota issued a shelter-in-place order to prevent the virus from spreading.
“Transit had been suspended and it’s hard to get around, and if all the grocery stores are only open in the suburbs, a lot of people are in a real situation where we need food,” Escalona said.
Hundreds of people met in a nearby park and began sketching out neighborhood-level initiatives to keep each other safe from the police and white supremacists.
Escalona said there is also “radical potential” for “creating systems of safety” outside of traditional policing in Minneapolis. The fires and property destruction alarmed some residents, but Escalona said the “rightful rage” did not appear from thin air. Activists have pushed the city to defund and even abolish the police force for years, and their frustration was punctuated by the fatal police shootings of Jamar Clark and Philando Castile in 2015 and 2016 — and now, George Floyd.
The rebellion has raised difficult questions for people living in south Minneapolis, especially those who own property or benefit from white privilege. But from the ashes of destruction comes the opportunity to build something new.
Over the weekend, hundreds of people met in a nearby park and began sketching out neighborhood-level initiatives to keep each other safe from the police and suspected groups of white supremacists rumored to be threatening homes, according to Escalona and other residents.
After the meeting in the park, a letter distributed by a group of anonymous neighbors suggested strategies for preventing fires without calling the police. Another letter questioned the idea that “outside agitators” could be blamed for the destructive protests. That letter, distributed by “white long-term residents of South Minneapolis,” called on other white residents to acknowledge their role in gentrification and creating the conditions for unrest, particularly among youth of color, who are disproportionately targeted by police when white people demand “safer” neighborhoods.
“We have been out every day to join our Black neighbors in protest and we know that it is mostly the youth out in the streets: an intelligent youth, a caring youth, but an infinitely enraged youth,” the letter reads. “And who are they mad at? Us. All of us who have said time and again that our property, our city, our stuff is more important than their lives. All of us who have no doubts that the police are there to protect us.”
“We are starting to figure out how we can keep ourselves safe and protected, we are seeing the potentials for community safety beyond policing,” Escalona said. “We’ve known for a long time that police are not protecting people, they are escalating situations, they are making more violence, and if their goal was community safety, it’s not working.”
A Hotel Repurposed for the Houseless
A mile up the street from the food shelf and vigil, the Sheraton Midtown Hotel has been repurposed as a shelter for residents who were camping in tents or living outside before buildings were burned and the National Guard was called in. Young volunteers, both housed and houseless, wear coronavirus masks and staff the front desk; the lobby and bar are now meeting spaces where free meals are served. A cardboard sign by the concierge’s desk announces the schedule for daily general meetings for residents.
Like many cities, in Minneapolis, infrastructure for mutual aid efforts such as free food delivery and distribution already existed before the rebellion and had grown during the outbreak of COVID-19. The shelter-in-place order issued for the COVID-19 outbreak also prevented police from evicting houseless people living in tents or on the street, and before the uprising, several encampments were established in public areas. The extent of homelessness in Minneapolis was suddenly visible, according to Sarah Jane Keaveny, a public health nurse at the Sheraton Hotel.
The Midtown Sheraton Hotel has been repurposed as a shelter for residents who were camping in tents or living outside before buildings were burned and the National Guard was called in.
“It was really poorly managed, and that caused this big wave of mutual aid,” Keaveny said during an interview in the hotel lobby on Monday. “Because, I think, encampments and street homelessness is kept really invisible in this city. Then, for the last few months in the time of COVID, to be so visible was like this weird juxtaposition where everybody was supposed to be quarantining, and then this huge tent city pops up.”
Keaveny said the city was reluctant to make life “too comfortable” for the campers and rejected permits for water delivery and portable toilets. For weeks, advocates pushed local authorities to open hotels for people living on the streets with little success. Then came the rebellion, which brought a heavy police presence and saw a number of large buildings burned, sending ashes and smoke into the air.
“You come out, you wake up, and all you smell is smoke,” said Brookie Flying Hawk, who was camping outside before moving into the hotel.
Keaveny said the hotel project came about quickly over the weekend. On Thursday, two houseless people and an advocate were on their way to a suburban hotel to escape the smoke and chaos but missed the bus. They booked rooms in the Sheraton, and then decided not to leave. Dozens of people showed up to support them and guard the hotel from the rage and heavy policing on Lake Street. Soon the group was negotiating with the hotel owners, and more people from the encampment moved in. It all came together quickly, even as unrest filled the streets.
“We built a system for checking in, worked with the hotelier … building a system that can house 90 people in a matter of hours is unheard of, when you are thinking about the [existing social services] system and how it works,” Keaveny said. “And then to just watch it happen was just like, well, I guess you can just bring people into rooms that exist, and it’s fine.”
Mike Ludwig
Keaveny said the hotel has not received much media attention, but word spread quickly through social and mutual aid networks, and soon food and monetary donations were pouring in. Brookie Flying Hawk’s friend, Marti Mar, joined her for dinner in the hotel lobby on Monday and signed up for a room. Mar said staying in the hotel could provide opportunities for getting involved in activism.
“I would like to do whatever I can to help my fellow Native Americans,” Marti Mar said.
“This Is a Hard Reset”
This article is just a small snapshot of the mutual aid and organizing in south Minneapolis. In two days, this reporter learned about a number of groups organizing political initiatives and mutual aid, including the Black Visions Collective, Reclaim the Block, the Little Earth Residents Association, the American Indian Movement, the Black Immigrant Collective, Ten Thousand Things Theater, and many others.
Such efforts are underway in other cities as well, bolstered by years of organizing and mutual aid infrastructure established during the COVID-19 outbreak. In Chicago, where cops cracked down on anti-police brutality protests this week and the city imposed a curfew and briefly shut down public transit, the Chicago Freedom School opened its downtown office to provide resources and shelter to protesters. The Chicago Community Bond Fund received so many donations to bail people out of jail that its website crashed, according to the Chicago Reader. Activists in New Orleans have provided material support to a group of striking Black sanitary workers, and organizers are promoting the strike at ongoing Black Lives Matter protests. These are just a few examples.
In interviews, Minneapolis activists and residents also described friends and neighbors coming together spontaneously during the rebellion to put out fires, distribute food and water, pull violent outsiders from protests, protect community infrastructure and work toward neighborhood safety without police. All of this was done despite curfews and a brutal law enforcement crackdown. Dan Raskin, a local renter and community member, said police shot rubber bullets and marker rounds at him and several friends as they attempted to put out a fire with hoses and buckets of water.
“We realized, ‘Okay, the cops are out here clearing shit violently,’” Raskin said during an interview in the local park.
For days, there were rumors fueled by politicians and social media that “outside agitators” had ignited the uprising in Minneapolis that captured the nation’s attention. Raskin had at one point suspected white supremacist infiltrators. However, reviews of police records show that most people arrested were from Minnesota, if not Minneapolis proper. While outsiders of varying motivations were likely present, Raskin, like others who witnessed the rebellion, have concluded that the rebellious energy of the protests was the result of decades of anti-Black police attacks and escalation that pushed crowds largely composed of local youth, thirsty for justice and clamoring for a better world, to the edge.
“This is militant rage energy,” Raskin said.
The nightly demonstrations demanding justice for George Floyd in Minneapolis have made an impact, and there have been some victories. The local school district terminated its $1.1 million contract with the Minneapolis Police Department, putting a plug in the school-to-prison pipeline. On Wednesday, the three cops who watched as Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes were charged with aiding and abetting murder. Protesters had demanded charges against the former officers for a week. Significantly, members of the city council are now listening to police abolitionist groups and considering whether to disband the police department and replace officers with a “non-violent” public safety office.
Mike Ludwig
Meanwhile, young people in Minneapolis are now putting their energy toward rebuilding, organizing and mutual aid.
“This is a hard reset, and young people are not going to allow us to go back to the way things were, because they understand that it’s not working.”
CiCi Battle is the director of Young People For, a group that supports Black, Brown, disabled and LGBTQ youth who are organizing around a radical ethos. Young People For is currently supporting a number of young activists working in Minneapolis. In an interview, Battle said the rebellion in Minneapolis should not be misunderstood as young people simply expressing anger or looking for an opportunity to lash out. They have specific demands and want systemic change.
“You have Black folks and you have Brown folks who are organizing, and even white folks who are saying, ‘enough is enough, the murder of George Floyd is horrible, and incremental change isn’t enough,’” Battle said. “And what the push and the energy that you see and feel from this kind of evolution into mutual aid are people coming together and understanding that the current system does not work for all.”
In Minneapolis and across the country, Battle said, young people are standing up to say they want a different future and a better world.
“This is a hard reset, and young people are not going to allow us to go back to the way things were, because they understand that it’s not working,” Battle said.
For C’Monie Scott, the future has immediate tasks at hand. Along with a crew of other young activists who attended the speak-out at George Floyd’s vigil Monday night, Scott started a new organization called We Can’t Breathe and is raising funds for community rebuilding efforts.
“After this, it’s just rebuilding…. All we can do is move up,” Scott said.
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truthout--2020-06-04--With Hydroxychloroquine Out of the News, Ingraham Pivots to Tear Gas Trutherism

The Trump campaign on Tuesday sought to defend the president ’ s Bible-toting photo-op — which was made possible after police backed by the National Guard dispersed peaceful protesters with tear gas — by claiming that tear gas had not actually been used on the protesters .
Trump mounted the photo-op , in which officials also launched flash-bang shells and rubber bullets , because he was “ annoyed ” by reports that he had hidden in the White House bunker .
Ivanka Trump “ urged ” her dad to come up with a “ more personal way of demonstrating toughness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times .
One day after Trump ’ s team launched a truther campaign about the tear gas , which was captured on camera , the president went full on truther about the origins of the photo-op itself , claiming that he had actually visited the bunker for an “ inspection.
” Amid what appears to be a new outbreak of “ photo-op ” trutherism , the revisionist claims went unchallenged by some of the president ’ s biggest supporters at Fox News .
Fox News host Laura Ingraham claimed on Tuesday that law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear away protesters gathered near the White House .
That claim came in response to a tweet from David Axelrod , the campaign manager for former President Barack Obama .
“ Tear gas & rubber bullets , horses & batons to break up a peaceful crowd across from the WH apparently to clear them out all so the @ POTUS could stage a photo op , holding up a bible , ” Axelrod tweeted Monday .
Ingraham , who along with other Fox News primetime personalities has repeatedly devoted airtime to defending Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” hydroxychloroquine , retorted : “ False .
Where ’ s the Twitter fact check .
No tear gas .
Horses are used for safe crowd control .
Mayor set 7p curfew .
No coordination with Park Police .
FALSE.
” Live broadcast of the scene clearly showed heavily-armed officials storming Lafayette Square to clear a peaceful protest before Trump walked across the street to get his picture taken in front of a vandalized church .
In addition to the tear gas and rubber bullets , one police officer was also filmed punching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sourced her claim from tweets posted by a local WTOP correspondent , who cited an anonymous U.S. Park Police source as saying officers had used smoke canisters .
The same source also said the square had not been cleared because Trump wanted to stand in front of the church .
“ We now know through the U.S. Park Police that neither they , nor any of their law enforcement partners , used tear gas to quell rising violence , ” Trump ’ s re-election campaign later claimed in a statement demanding that news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all reporting about the use of tear gas .
CNN national security correspondent Alex Marquardt , who was an eye-witness in the crowd , fact-checked Ingraham ’ s claim as “ ridiculous ” in a series of replies .
“ This ‘ no tear gas ’ angle is ridiculous .
I was in the middle of a crowd coughing up a lung .
All sort of projectiles were being fired at a peaceful crowd , ” he wrote .
“ I just watched our raw video from 6:35-7pm .
Protesters had taken a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ when the advance started.
” “ I can ’ t shake this scene of a middle-aged man , clutching his chest and clearly in distress as he was fired on .
Protesters rushed forward to help as the firing continued , ” Marquardt added , including a photo of the man .
Hunter Walker , White House correspondent for Yahoo News , was also on the ground and linked to a video of the crowd being gassed .
“ To describe the sensation to you , my eyes are just filling with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ This is like doubly Orwellian because I was gassed , ” he added , in reference to the denialists .
“ These people are literally asking me not to believe what my eyes saw and felt .
It ’ s actual teargaslighting.
” U.S. Park Police on Tuesday released a statement saying they used “ smoke canisters.
” A reporter at the scene pocketed a canister — a 40mm Skat Shell® OC Round , which according to its manufacturer ’ s website is “ a crowd management tool for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” that is “ designed to deliver multiple chemical canisters from a 40mm launcher down range to the intended target zone.
” “ Do NOT fire directly at personnel , as serious injury or death may result , ” the page warns .
The Park Police statement is correct as long as “ tear gas ” is strictly defined as “ CS ” or “ CN ” agents .
However , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition includes a number of chemical agents , such as pepper spray .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one distinction between CS tear gas and the OC round deployed Monday evening is that the OC round has a “ more immediate respiratory effect.
” Ingraham later asked Media-Ite to correct its fact-check of her “ fact-check.
” “ I was in Lafayette Park on Sunday night when the facilities building was being burned and trashed–the same pepper spray was fired , ” she tweeted Tuesday .
“ Not pleasant to inhale but not tear gas .
There ’ s a big difference .
Correct your article please.
” In a Fox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump contradicted multiple reports that he had been rushed to a bunker Friday amid raucous protests outside the White House gates by claiming that he just stopped by for an “ inspection.
” Multiple outlets , including the Associated Press and The New York Times reported that Trump had been rushed to the “ Presidential Emergency Operations Center , ” a bunker which sheltered both former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney during the 9/11 terrorist attacks .
“ It was a false report , ” Trump told the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radio show .
“ I went down during the day , and I was there for a tiny , little , short period of time and it was much more for inspection , ” the president added to Kilmeade .
“ These problems are during the night — not during the day.
” Trump said it was not the first time during his term that the bunker had merited a once-over .
“ I ’ ve gone two or three times , all for inspection , ” he added .
Kilmeade did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the interview posted to Fox News .
He could be seen nodding his head affirmatively .
But “ the facts are simply not under dispute , ” according to CNN ’ s Chris Cillizza .
“ So , why would Trump describe it falsely to Fox ?
.
.
.
Simple .
There is nothing Trump hates more than weakness , ” he wrote .
“ And the image of him cowering in an underground bunker while protesters stood outside the gates of the White House is simply not something he can @ @ @ @

The Trump campaign on Tuesday sought to defend the president’s Bible-toting photo-op — which was made possible after police backed by the National Guard dispersed peaceful protesters with tear gas — by claiming that tear gas had not actually been used on the protesters.
Trump mounted the photo-op, in which officials also launched flash-bang shells and rubber bullets, because he was “annoyed” by reports that he had hidden in the White House bunker. Ivanka Trump “urged” her dad to come up with a “more personal way of demonstrating toughness,” according to The New York Times.
One day after Trump’s team launched a truther campaign about the tear gas, which was captured on camera, the president went full on truther about the origins of the photo-op itself, claiming that he had actually visited the bunker for an “inspection.”
Amid what appears to be a new outbreak of “photo-op” trutherism, the revisionist claims went unchallenged by some of the president’s biggest supporters at Fox News.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham claimed on Tuesday that law enforcement had not used tear gas to clear away protesters gathered near the White House. That claim came in response to a tweet from David Axelrod, the campaign manager for former President Barack Obama.
“Tear gas & rubber bullets, horses & batons to break up a peaceful crowd across from the WH apparently to clear them out all so the @POTUS could stage a photo op, holding up a bible,” Axelrod tweeted Monday.
Ingraham, who along with other Fox News primetime personalities has repeatedly devoted airtime to defending Trump’s discredited coronavirus “miracle cure” hydroxychloroquine, retorted: “False. Where’s the Twitter fact check. No tear gas. Horses are used for safe crowd control. Mayor set 7p curfew. No coordination with Park Police. FALSE.”
False. Where’s the Twitter fact check. No tear gas. Horses are used for safe crowd control. Mayor set 7p curfew. No coordination with Park Police. FALSE. https://t.co/sMRKEdiRQe — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) June 2, 2020
Live broadcast of the scene clearly showed heavily-armed officials storming Lafayette Square to clear a peaceful protest before Trump walked across the street to get his picture taken in front of a vandalized church. In addition to the tear gas and rubber bullets, one police officer was also filmed punching an Australian journalist.
Ingraham may have sourced her claim from tweets posted by a local WTOP correspondent, who cited an anonymous U.S. Park Police source as saying officers had used smoke canisters. The same source also said the square had not been cleared because Trump wanted to stand in front of the church.
“We now know through the U.S. Park Police that neither they, nor any of their law enforcement partners, used tear gas to quell rising violence,” Trump’s re-election campaign later claimed in a statement demanding that news organizations “immediately correct or retract” all reporting about the use of tear gas.
CNN national security correspondent Alex Marquardt, who was an eye-witness in the crowd, fact-checked Ingraham’s claim as “ridiculous” in a series of replies.
“This ‘no tear gas’ angle is ridiculous. I was in the middle of a crowd coughing up a lung. All sort of projectiles were being fired at a peaceful crowd,” he wrote. “I just watched our raw video from 6:35-7pm. Protesters had taken a knee, chanting ‘Black Lives Matter’ when the advance started.”
“I can’t shake this scene of a middle-aged man, clutching his chest and clearly in distress as he was fired on. Protesters rushed forward to help as the firing continued,” Marquardt added, including a photo of the man.
This “no tear gas” angle is ridiculous. I was in the middle of a crowd coughing up a lung. All sort of projectiles were being fired at a peaceful crowd. I just watched our raw video from 6:35-7pm. Protesters had taken a knee, chanting “Black Lives Matter” when the advance started https://t.co/t0piOrEdJd — Alexander Marquardt (@MarquardtA) June 2, 2020
Hunter Walker, White House correspondent for Yahoo News, was also on the ground and linked to a video of the crowd being gassed.
“To describe the sensation to you, my eyes are just filling with tears and absolutely stinging,” Walker said.
“This is like doubly Orwellian because I was gassed,” he added, in reference to the denialists. “These people are literally asking me not to believe what my eyes saw and felt. It’s actual teargaslighting.”
U.S. Park Police on Tuesday released a statement saying they used “smoke canisters.” A reporter at the scene pocketed a canister — a 40mm Skat Shell® OC Round, which according to its manufacturer’s website is “a crowd management tool for the rapid and broad deployment of chemical agent” that is “designed to deliver multiple chemical canisters from a 40mm launcher down range to the intended target zone.”
“Do NOT fire directly at personnel, as serious injury or death may result,” the page warns.
The Park Police statement is correct as long as “tear gas” is strictly defined as “CS” or “CN” agents. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition includes a number of chemical agents, such as pepper spray.
According to sales materials on the SkatShell website, one distinction between CS tear gas and the OC round deployed Monday evening is that the OC round has a “more immediate respiratory effect.”
Ingraham later asked Media-Ite to correct its fact-check of her “fact-check.”
“I was in Lafayette Park on Sunday night when the facilities building was being burned and trashed–the same pepper spray was fired,” she tweeted Tuesday. “Not pleasant to inhale but not tear gas. There’s a big difference. Correct your article please.”
In a Fox News Radio interview the next day, Trump contradicted multiple reports that he had been rushed to a bunker Friday amid raucous protests outside the White House gates by claiming that he just stopped by for an “inspection.”
Multiple outlets, including the Associated Press and The New York Times reported that Trump had been rushed to the “Presidential Emergency Operations Center,” a bunker which sheltered both former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“It was a false report,” Trump told the “Fox & Friends” on his radio show.
“I went down during the day, and I was there for a tiny, little, short period of time and it was much more for inspection,” the president added to Kilmeade. “These problems are during the night — not during the day.”
Trump said it was not the first time during his term that the bunker had merited a once-over.
“I’ve gone two or three times, all for inspection,” he added.
Kilmeade did not challenge the president in a video clip of the interview posted to Fox News. He could be seen nodding his head affirmatively.
But “the facts are simply not under dispute,” according to CNN’s Chris Cillizza.
“So, why would Trump describe it falsely to Fox? . . . Simple. There is nothing Trump hates more than weakness,” he wrote. “And the image of him cowering in an underground bunker while protesters stood outside the gates of the White House is simply not something he cannot accept.”
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--2020-06-04--As Trump Wages War on DC Residents, It’s Clear He Must Resign Immediately

There is an iconic scene in the film The Dead Zone where a thoroughly unglued President Stilson , played by Martin Sheen , bulldozes one of his generals into co-authorizing a nuclear strike .
“ You are not the voice of the people , I am the voice of the people !
” Stilson rages .
“ The people speak through me , not you !
” After the launch is effected , upon being told an attack is not necessary , Stilson says with a smile , “ The missiles are flying , hallelujah , hallelujah.
” Folks have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social media since before Donald Trump was elected president , partly because Sheen ’ s hair and demeanor are eerily similar to Trump ’ s , but mostly because they were afraid such a scene could actually unfold in real life .
It was an early , semi-ironic warning of a doomsday scenario that could potentially come to pass if a human wrecking ball like Trump were to be elevated to a position of such astonishing power .
We are not quite there yet ; the missiles still sleep in their silos for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of usually silent U.S. military circles are any indication at all , however , we are at this moment teetering on the verge of a domestic military conflagration unseen in all of U.S. history .
The nation ’ s capital is an occupied space .
Federal agents from the FBI , ATF , the Defense Department , Customs and Border Protection , Homeland Security , the Bureau of Prisons and other agencies , all in riot gear and some without identification , have swarmed around the White House , as well as around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ By late Wednesday afternoon , ” reports The New York Times , “ many of the streets around the White House were closed off to traffic and , in some cases , secured with newly installed black fencing that gave the area a feel of a caged outcry .
Sirens blared from every direction , and helicopters loomed and zigzagged overhead in a signal of the obvious : These are not normal times.
” Today , upon the anniversary of the authoritarian Chinese government crackdown in Tiananmen Square , Washington D.C. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weapons , its residents the only enemy in sight .
It stands as an unmistakable advertisement for what Trump would like to do in cities all across the country , especially the ones in states with Democratic governors : Invest them with soldiers , smash the protests that inconvenience his reelection campaign , and strike fear into the hearts of the citizenry .
Trump ’ s nigh-unprecedented belligerence toward the nation he purportedly leads has not gone unremarked upon by present and former military leaders , many of whom would be the sharp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decide to go to war with Main Street .
Defense Secretary Mark Esper , who participated in Trump ’ s shameless display of violent showmanship outside St. John ’ s Church across from the White House on Monday , gave one of the more remarkable press conferences in recent memory two days later .
Esper claimed he wasn ’ t aware that peaceful protesters were smashed to make way for the photo op , which is difficult to believe given all the screaming and flash-banging that preceded Trump ’ s little stroll .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ buy Esper ’ s denials .
James Miller Jr. , a senior Defense Department adviser , resigned in protest after the events outside the church .
“ I hope this letter of resignation will encourage you to again contemplate the obligations you undertook in your oath of office , as well as your obligations to the men and women in our military and other Americans whose lives may be at stake , ” Miller wrote in a public letter to Esper .
“ The sanctity of the U.S. Constitution , and the lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choices.
” Miller ’ s resignation and letter may explain why Esper put a whole summer Sunday ’ s worth of daylight between himself and the president he serves ( for now ) on Wednesday .
Esper pointedly told the assembled press he did not support invoking the Insurrection Act , and said matters in the country had not risen to a crisis point that required the intervention of the military .
Coming from a man in his position , this was a remarkable public rebuke .
According to reports , Esper was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as soon as he walked back into the building , which apparently explains why he abruptly reversed an earlier order to remove active duty troops from the 82nd Airborne Division from their position just outside the city .
Still , this vivid public break from the president by the defense secretary at this moment of crisis is noteworthy , and Esper soon discovered he had company .
After the order to remove those Airborne troops was reversed , Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy joined Esper in saying the situation has not risen to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population .
“ It is our intent at this point not to bring in active forces , ” McCarthy told the Associated Press .
“ We don ’ t think we need them at this point.
” By Wednesday afternoon , the grim news cycle was stampeded by a written statement from former Defense Secretary James Mattis , who resigned from Trump ’ s Cabinet in 2018 to protest the president ’ s harebrained Syria policies .
You won ’ t ever find me calling Mattis a hero on these pages , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while in command there .
That being said , his words on Wednesday rang with a hard truth this nation , and the world , needed to hear : When I joined the military , some 50 years ago , I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution .
Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens — much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief , with military leadership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try .
Instead he tries to divide us .
We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort .
We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership .
We can unite without him , drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society .
This will not be easy , as the past few days have shown , but we owe it to our fellow citizens ; to past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; and to our children .
Less reported , but far more ominous , was a letter dispatched on Tuesday by Army General Mark Milley , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , to the leaders of all branches of the U.S. military .
“ Every member of the U.S. military swears an oath to support and defend the Constitution and the values embedded within it , ” wrote Milley .
“ Please remind all of our troops and leaders that we will uphold the values of our nation , and operate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own high standards of conduct at all times.
” The only reason I can think of why a military leader of Milley ’ s high rank would dispatch a public letter to the leadership of all branches of the U.S. military , a letter asking them to remember their oath to the Constitution , is because he expects Trump to order them to break that oath .
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs , with this letter , appears to have thrown down a marker at the president ’ s feet : Such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If it comes to that , if Trump gives that order and the military refuses to comply , we will have a civil war between the civilian leadership and the armed forces , which could in turn lead to a civil war within the ranks of those forces .
In the midst of a pandemic and with police continuing to actively attack peaceful protesters , such a turn of events would splinter and shatter an already fractured nation .
For the good of the country , for the good of the people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans , who are the only ones at this point able to exert any effective pressure upon him , must rise from their docile slumber and convince the man that his time is over .
Richard Nixon only resigned after Barry Goldwater informed him he had lost all meaningful support in Congress .
Mitch McConnell must do likewise , right now , today , before there is more blood running in the streets .
Don ’ t get me wrong : I don ’ t expect this turn of events to transpire , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for it , it ’ s now .
President Mike Pence ?
It ’ s an utterly gruesome alternative , given his far-right Christian Dominionist beliefs .
However , a President Pence would be significantly immobilized politically , much as Gerald Ford was after Nixon split town , while one of the main impediments to properly addressing the COVID pandemic would be removed .
We are on the brink .
If Trump does not depart the office he has so thoroughly despoiled , I fear 2021 will make the horrors of 2020 seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of all the bad choices arrayed before us , this is one of the better ones , which tells you all you need to know about where we stand .

There is an iconic scene in the film The Dead Zone where a thoroughly unglued President Stilson, played by Martin Sheen, bulldozes one of his generals into co-authorizing a nuclear strike. “You are not the voice of the people, I am the voice of the people!” Stilson rages. “The people speak through me, not you!” After the launch is effected, upon being told an attack is not necessary, Stilson says with a smile, “The missiles are flying, hallelujah, hallelujah.”
Folks have been batting that disturbing clip around on social media since before Donald Trump was elected president, partly because Sheen’s hair and demeanor are eerily similar to Trump’s, but mostly because they were afraid such a scene could actually unfold in real life. It was an early, semi-ironic warning of a doomsday scenario that could potentially come to pass if a human wrecking ball like Trump were to be elevated to a position of such astonishing power.
We are not quite there yet; the missiles still sleep in their silos for now. If the noises coming out of usually silent U.S. military circles are any indication at all, however, we are at this moment teetering on the verge of a domestic military conflagration unseen in all of U.S. history.
The nation’s capital is an occupied space. Federal agents from the FBI, ATF, the Defense Department, Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security, the Bureau of Prisons and other agencies, all in riot gear and some without identification, have swarmed around the White House, as well as around popular monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial.
“By late Wednesday afternoon,” reports The New York Times, “many of the streets around the White House were closed off to traffic and, in some cases, secured with newly installed black fencing that gave the area a feel of a caged outcry. Sirens blared from every direction, and helicopters loomed and zigzagged overhead in a signal of the obvious: These are not normal times.”
Today, upon the anniversary of the authoritarian Chinese government crackdown in Tiananmen Square, Washington D.C. is an armed camp bristling with war weapons, its residents the only enemy in sight. It stands as an unmistakable advertisement for what Trump would like to do in cities all across the country, especially the ones in states with Democratic governors: Invest them with soldiers, smash the protests that inconvenience his reelection campaign, and strike fear into the hearts of the citizenry.
Trump’s nigh-unprecedented belligerence toward the nation he purportedly leads has not gone unremarked upon by present and former military leaders, many of whom would be the sharp end of the spear should the president decide to go to war with Main Street.
Today, upon the anniversary of the authoritarian Chinese government crackdown in Tiananmen Square, Washington D.C. is an armed camp bristling with war weapons, its residents the only enemy in sight.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who participated in Trump’s shameless display of violent showmanship outside St. John’s Church across from the White House on Monday, gave one of the more remarkable press conferences in recent memory two days later. Esper claimed he wasn’t aware that peaceful protesters were smashed to make way for the photo op, which is difficult to believe given all the screaming and flash-banging that preceded Trump’s little stroll.
At least one person didn’t buy Esper’s denials. James Miller Jr., a senior Defense Department adviser, resigned in protest after the events outside the church. “I hope this letter of resignation will encourage you to again contemplate the obligations you undertook in your oath of office, as well as your obligations to the men and women in our military and other Americans whose lives may be at stake,” Miller wrote in a public letter to Esper. “The sanctity of the U.S. Constitution, and the lives of Americans, may depend on your choices.”
Miller’s resignation and letter may explain why Esper put a whole summer Sunday’s worth of daylight between himself and the president he serves (for now) on Wednesday. Esper pointedly told the assembled press he did not support invoking the Insurrection Act, and said matters in the country had not risen to a crisis point that required the intervention of the military. Coming from a man in his position, this was a remarkable public rebuke.
According to reports, Esper was metaphorically walloped with a White House candelabra as soon as he walked back into the building, which apparently explains why he abruptly reversed an earlier order to remove active duty troops from the 82nd Airborne Division from their position just outside the city.
Still, this vivid public break from the president by the defense secretary at this moment of crisis is noteworthy, and Esper soon discovered he had company. After the order to remove those Airborne troops was reversed, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy joined Esper in saying the situation has not risen to the dire necessity of using soldiers against the population. “It is our intent at this point not to bring in active forces,” McCarthy told the Associated Press. “We don’t think we need them at this point.”
By Wednesday afternoon, the grim news cycle was stampeded by a written statement from former Defense Secretary James Mattis, who resigned from Trump’s Cabinet in 2018 to protest the president’s harebrained Syria policies. You won’t ever find me calling Mattis a hero on these pages, not after the carnage he unleashed on Fallujah while in command there. That being said, his words on Wednesday rang with a hard truth this nation, and the world, needed to hear:
When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens — much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside. Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.
Less reported, but far more ominous, was a letter dispatched on Tuesday by Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to the leaders of all branches of the U.S. military. “Every member of the U.S. military swears an oath to support and defend the Constitution and the values embedded within it,” wrote Milley. “Please remind all of our troops and leaders that we will uphold the values of our nation, and operate consistent with the national laws and our own high standards of conduct at all times.”
The only reason I can think of why a military leader of Milley’s high rank would dispatch a public letter to the leadership of all branches of the U.S. military, a letter asking them to remember their oath to the Constitution, is because he expects Trump to order them to break that oath. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs, with this letter, appears to have thrown down a marker at the president’s feet: Such an order will not be obeyed.
If Trump does not depart the office he has so thoroughly despoiled, I fear 2021 will make the horrors of 2020 seem like a garden party by comparison.
If it comes to that, if Trump gives that order and the military refuses to comply, we will have a civil war between the civilian leadership and the armed forces, which could in turn lead to a civil war within the ranks of those forces. In the midst of a pandemic and with police continuing to actively attack peaceful protesters, such a turn of events would splinter and shatter an already fractured nation.
For the good of the country, for the good of the people, Donald Trump must resign. His fellow Republicans, who are the only ones at this point able to exert any effective pressure upon him, must rise from their docile slumber and convince the man that his time is over. Richard Nixon only resigned after Barry Goldwater informed him he had lost all meaningful support in Congress. Mitch McConnell must do likewise, right now, today, before there is more blood running in the streets. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t expect this turn of events to transpire, but if there ever was a time for it, it’s now.
President Mike Pence? It’s an utterly gruesome alternative, given his far-right Christian Dominionist beliefs. However, a President Pence would be significantly immobilized politically, much as Gerald Ford was after Nixon split town, while one of the main impediments to properly addressing the COVID pandemic would be removed.
We are on the brink. If Trump does not depart the office he has so thoroughly despoiled, I fear 2021 will make the horrors of 2020 seem like a garden party by comparison. Of all the bad choices arrayed before us, this is one of the better ones, which tells you all you need to know about where we stand.
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--Buffalo Officers Suspended After Shoving 75-Year-Old Demonstrator to the Ground

Two police officers in Buffalo , New York , who shoved a 75-year-old man to the ground during a demonstration in response to the killing of George Floyd have been suspended following the release of video of the attack , which has been viewed tens of millions of times on social media .
The man who was pushed down , identified as Martin Gugino , is a longtime peace activist from nearby Amherst , New York .
Terrence Bisson , a friend of Gugino , described the activist as a “ gentle person who really believes that he must stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ He would never resist physically any kind of orders , ” Bisson added .
The police violence against Gugino was captured on video and shared to social media on Thursday night .
As of 9 a.m. on Friday morning , the original video had been viewed close to 60 million times .
Gugino addressed Buffalo police officers in a non-threatening way during a demonstration that took place just after the city ’ s 8 p.m. curfew went into effect on Thursday .
According to the video , it appears as though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with officers before the physical confrontation started .
Yelling ensues , with demands for Gugino to back away .
Before he can react , one of the officers reaches toward him , pushing Gugino backward .
The video shows Gugino falling to the ground due to the push , hitting the back of his head on the sidewalk hard .
Blood is visible on the ground underneath his wound .
Around 10 p.m. on Thursday night , the Buffalo Police Department opened an investigation into the attack , according to Mayor Byron Brown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evening .
“ I was deeply disturbed by the video , as was Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood , ” Brown said in a statement .
“ He directed an immediate investigation into the matter , and the two officers have been suspended without pay.
” Some local officials say the suspensions aren ’ t good enough , however .
“ Simply put , the officers must be held responsible for their actions , not just fired , ” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz wrote on Twitter .
Although the police department did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , their initial reaction to the incident was to downplay what had actually happened .
In a statement about the matter , the department wrote , “ During [ a ] skirmish involving protestors , one person was injured when he tripped & fell , ” failing to mention the officers ’ roles in the fall .
Gugino suffered a concussion and lacerations as a result of his fall , but is reportedly in stable condition at the moment .

The department’s initial statement on the protester’s fall failed to acknowledge officers’ involvement in pushing him.
Warning: The following article contains a link to a graphic video and details on police violence toward a peaceful protester.
Two police officers in Buffalo, New York, who shoved a 75-year-old man to the ground during a demonstration in response to the killing of George Floyd have been suspended following the release of video of the attack, which has been viewed tens of millions of times on social media.
The man who was pushed down, identified as Martin Gugino, is a longtime peace activist from nearby Amherst, New York. Terrence Bisson, a friend of Gugino, described the activist as a “gentle person who really believes that he must stand up for what he thinks is right.”
“He would never resist physically any kind of orders,” Bisson added.
The police violence against Gugino was captured on video and shared to social media on Thursday night. As of 9 a.m. on Friday morning, the original video had been viewed close to 60 million times.
Gugino addressed Buffalo police officers in a non-threatening way during a demonstration that took place just after the city’s 8 p.m. curfew went into effect on Thursday. According to the video, it appears as though Gugino was attempting to have a conversation with officers before the physical confrontation started. Yelling ensues, with demands for Gugino to back away. Before he can react, one of the officers reaches toward him, pushing Gugino backward.
The video shows Gugino falling to the ground due to the push, hitting the back of his head on the sidewalk hard. Blood is visible on the ground underneath his wound.
Around 10 p.m. on Thursday night, the Buffalo Police Department opened an investigation into the attack, according to Mayor Byron Brown, who also viewed the video that evening.
“I was deeply disturbed by the video, as was Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood,” Brown said in a statement. “He directed an immediate investigation into the matter, and the two officers have been suspended without pay.”
Some local officials say the suspensions aren’t good enough, however.
“Simply put, the officers must be held responsible for their actions, not just fired,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz wrote on Twitter.
Although the police department did suspend two officers involved in pushing Gugino, their initial reaction to the incident was to downplay what had actually happened. In a statement about the matter, the department wrote, “During [a] skirmish involving protestors, one person was injured when he tripped & fell,” failing to mention the officers’ roles in the fall.
Gugino suffered a concussion and lacerations as a result of his fall, but is reportedly in stable condition at the moment.
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--Employment Jumps 2.5 Million in May, as Unemployment Falls to 13.3 Percent

The May jobs numbers were considerably better than most analysts had expected with the economy reportedly adding 2,509,000 jobs , while the unemployment rate fell by 1.4 percentage points to 13.3 percent .
This improved labor market picture should not have been surprising since many businesses across the country had reopened by the survey week in mid-April .
The high number of unemployment insurance claims , continuing through May , likely gave a wrong picture , as delays in processing caused claims to appear much later than they had been filed .
The job growth was widespread across sectors but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier losses .
Restaurants accounted for more than half of the job growth , adding 1,370,600 jobs , but employment in the sector is still down by 36.6 percent from year-ago levels .
Health care added 312,400 jobs in May , but employment is still down by 6.0 percent from year-ago levels .
This is the result of people deferring nonessential procedures .
Employment in dentists ’ offices is down by 29.8 percent from year-ago levels .
Both construction and manufacturing showed huge job growth in May , adding 464,000 and 225,000 jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is down 5.8 percent and 8.7 percent , respectively over the last year .
The relatively strong construction employment data is consistent with data on April construction levels , which showed a limited falloff in most categories of construction .
An encouraging note on manufacturing is the one-month diffusion index , which shows the percentage of industries planning to increase employment , was 70.4 in May .
( It was 60.4 for the overall economy . )
Retail added 367,800 jobs in May , but employment was still 12.5 percent below year-ago levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit with employment down by 21.2 percent over the last year .
By contrast , employment at online retailers is down by just 6.9 percent since May 2019 .
Some industries continued to be big job losers .
Airlines laid off 50,300 workers in May , employment is now 23.4 percent below year-ago levels .
The motion picture industry shed another 10,700 jobs , leaving employment 51.1 percent lower than May 2019 .
Hotels lost 148,200 jobs , with employment down 50.4 percent from last May .
City transit employment rose by 10,100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels .
State and local government employment fell by another 571,000 .
It is now 1,571,000 below February levels .
With these governments facing massive budget shortfalls due to the shutdowns , another large round of layoffs is a virtual certainty if Congress does not appropriate a large rescue package .
This will be a huge drag on the recovery , especially since these governments will need to be hiring large numbers of testers and trackers if businesses are to be able to operate safely .
One encouraging sign was a drop in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent from year-ago levels .
This indicates employers are cutting hours rather than laying off workers .
This drop translates into hundreds of thousands of additional jobs in the sector .
The wage data show a sharp year-over-year rise , but this is due to composition effects ( lower-paid workers have lost their jobs ) , so it is best ignored .
As noted , the data in the household survey was somewhat better than had generally been expected .
It is important to note that the Bureau of Labor Statistics warns that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay were wrongly counted as employed .
If these people had been counted correctly , the unemployment rate would have been roughly 16.3 percent .
In April , this error had lowered the reported unemployment rate by roughly 5.0 percentage points .
The rise in unemployment has differed sharply among demographic groups .
The unemployment rate for women over 20 is up by 10.8 percentage points from February , compared to an increase of 8.3 percentage points among men .
This reflects the large contraction in employment in sectors that disproportionately employ women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The unemployment rate for Blacks and Hispanics of all ages rose by 11.0 and 13.2 percentage points , respectively .
This compares to an increase of 9.3 percentage points in the unemployment rate for Whites .
The gaps almost certainly would have been larger if so many Black and Hispanic workers had not been classified as essential .
While the 12.4 percent May unemployment rate for Whites is far above any prior peak ( except April ) , the 16.8 percent rate for Blacks is far below the peak of 21.2 percent hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive sign is that the vast majority of unemployed workers , 73.0 percent , report being on temporary layoffs .
This group typically accounts for around 10.0-14.0 percent of the unemployed .
Obviously , many of these layoffs will turn out to be permanent , but it seems likely that a large share of the unemployed will be able to go back to their jobs .
It is hard to see a 13.3 percent unemployment rate as positive , but it does support the view of the economy facing a severe recession , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is consistent with data showing that construction and home buying remain healthy and new orders for capital equipment have not fallen through the floor .
The improvement from April really should not have been surprising , since we should have expected more people to be working when it was legal to work than when it was not , due to the shutdown .
However , we are still looking at unemployment that is far worse than the Great Recession and the recovery will be seriously impaired by more layoffs in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a large rescue package .

The May jobs numbers were considerably better than most analysts had expected with the economy reportedly adding 2,509,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate fell by 1.4 percentage points to 13.3 percent. This improved labor market picture should not have been surprising since many businesses across the country had reopened by the survey week in mid-April. The high number of unemployment insurance claims, continuing through May, likely gave a wrong picture, as delays in processing caused claims to appear much later than they had been filed.
The job growth was widespread across sectors but was nowhere close to being proportionate to earlier losses. Restaurants accounted for more than half of the job growth, adding 1,370,600 jobs, but employment in the sector is still down by 36.6 percent from year-ago levels. Health care added 312,400 jobs in May, but employment is still down by 6.0 percent from year-ago levels. This is the result of people deferring nonessential procedures. Employment in dentists’ offices is down by 29.8 percent from year-ago levels.
Both construction and manufacturing showed huge job growth in May, adding 464,000 and 225,000 jobs, respectively. Employment in these sectors is down 5.8 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively over the last year. The relatively strong construction employment data is consistent with data on April construction levels, which showed a limited falloff in most categories of construction. An encouraging note on manufacturing is the one-month diffusion index, which shows the percentage of industries planning to increase employment, was 70.4 in May. (It was 60.4 for the overall economy.)
Retail added 367,800 jobs in May, but employment was still 12.5 percent below year-ago levels. Department stores have been especially hard hit with employment down by 21.2 percent over the last year. By contrast, employment at online retailers is down by just 6.9 percent since May 2019.
Some industries continued to be big job losers. Airlines laid off 50,300 workers in May, employment is now 23.4 percent below year-ago levels. The motion picture industry shed another 10,700 jobs, leaving employment 51.1 percent lower than May 2019. Hotels lost 148,200 jobs, with employment down 50.4 percent from last May. City transit employment rose by 10,100 but is still 34.1 percent below year-ago levels.
State and local government employment fell by another 571,000. It is now 1,571,000 below February levels. With these governments facing massive budget shortfalls due to the shutdowns, another large round of layoffs is a virtual certainty if Congress does not appropriate a large rescue package. This will be a huge drag on the recovery, especially since these governments will need to be hiring large numbers of testers and trackers if businesses are to be able to operate safely.
One encouraging sign was a drop in average weekly hours in manufacturing of 4.2 percent from year-ago levels. This indicates employers are cutting hours rather than laying off workers. This drop translates into hundreds of thousands of additional jobs in the sector.
The wage data show a sharp year-over-year rise, but this is due to composition effects (lower-paid workers have lost their jobs), so it is best ignored.
As noted, the data in the household survey was somewhat better than had generally been expected. It is important to note that the Bureau of Labor Statistics warns that many people who were laid off without pay were wrongly counted as employed. If these people had been counted correctly, the unemployment rate would have been roughly 16.3 percent. In April, this error had lowered the reported unemployment rate by roughly 5.0 percentage points.
The rise in unemployment has differed sharply among demographic groups. The unemployment rate for women over 20 is up by 10.8 percentage points from February, compared to an increase of 8.3 percentage points among men. This reflects the large contraction in employment in sectors that disproportionately employ women, such as restaurants and hotels. The unemployment rate for Blacks and Hispanics of all ages rose by 11.0 and 13.2 percentage points, respectively. This compares to an increase of 9.3 percentage points in the unemployment rate for Whites. The gaps almost certainly would have been larger if so many Black and Hispanic workers had not been classified as essential. While the 12.4 percent May unemployment rate for Whites is far above any prior peak (except April), the 16.8 percent rate for Blacks is far below the peak of 21.2 percent hit in January of 1983.
One very positive sign is that the vast majority of unemployed workers, 73.0 percent, report being on temporary layoffs. This group typically accounts for around 10.0-14.0 percent of the unemployed. Obviously, many of these layoffs will turn out to be permanent, but it seems likely that a large share of the unemployed will be able to go back to their jobs.
It is hard to see a 13.3 percent unemployment rate as positive, but it does support the view of the economy facing a severe recession, as opposed to a complete collapse. This is consistent with data showing that construction and home buying remain healthy and new orders for capital equipment have not fallen through the floor.
The improvement from April really should not have been surprising, since we should have expected more people to be working when it was legal to work than when it was not, due to the shutdown. However, we are still looking at unemployment that is far worse than the Great Recession and the recovery will be seriously impaired by more layoffs in the state and local government sectors unless there is a large rescue package.
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.
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truthout--2020-06-05--Law Enforcement Seizes Thousands of Masks Sent to Protect Protesters From COVID

In an effort to help protect protesters from Covid-19 and prevent the spread of the virus , an advocacy organization sent thousands of cloth masks that read “ Defund Police ” and “ Stop Killing Black People ” to major cities across the U.S. as demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd continue to grow nationwide .
But as HuffPost ’ s Ryan Reilly reported late Thursday , law enforcement officials have seized shipments of the masks that were destined for New York City , Minneapolis , St. Louis , and Washington , D.C. without providing any explanation .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law enforcement entity seized the masks , ” Reilly reported .
“ But the Justice Department , led by Attorney General William Barr , has taken an aggressive posture against demonstrations and on Thursday expressed concern about ‘ extremist agitators ’ who are ‘ hijacking the protests to pursue their own separate and violent agenda . '
” In a tweet late Thursday , President Donald Trump touted a letter from his former attorney John Dowd describing protesters as “ terrorists.
” Movement for Black Lives ( M4BL ) —which spent tens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S .
Postal Service tracking alert that says the shipment was “ seized by law enforcement.
” In a statement to HuffPost , M4BL spokesperson Chelsea Fuller said that “ police have rioted coast to coast , beating , and gassing protesters who have called for an end to police violence , with the explicit approval of President Trump.
” “ Now , it appears they want to ensure that people who protest are susceptible to the same deadly pandemic that they have failed miserably at stopping , ” said Fuller .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movements under this administration is as chilling as it is dangerous .
It should be roundly condemned.
” The seizure of the masks sparked widespread outrage on social media , with activists calling the move unlawful and morally unconscionable .
“ This is criminal , ” said NARAL Pro-Choice America president Ilyse Hogue .
“ One of the first things M4BL organizers discussed last week was getting masks to protesters , ” tweeted activist Leslie Mac .
“ Today they were seized by law enforcement .
Imagine .
Seizing face masks during a @ @ @

Law enforcement seized shipments of masks destined for major cities across the U.S. without any explanation. Movement-Ink via Instagram
In an effort to help protect protesters from Covid-19 and prevent the spread of the virus, an advocacy organization sent thousands of cloth masks that read “Defund Police” and “Stop Killing Black People” to major cities across the U.S. as demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd continue to grow nationwide.
But as HuffPost’s Ryan Reilly reported late Thursday, law enforcement officials have seized shipments of the masks that were destined for New York City, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. without providing any explanation.
“It’s not entirely clear what law enforcement entity seized the masks,” Reilly reported. “But the Justice Department, led by Attorney General William Barr, has taken an aggressive posture against demonstrations and on Thursday expressed concern about ‘extremist agitators’ who are ‘hijacking the protests to pursue their own separate and violent agenda.'”
In a tweet late Thursday, President Donald Trump touted a letter from his former attorney John Dowd describing protesters as “terrorists.”
Movement for Black Lives (M4BL)—which spent tens of thousands of dollars on the masks—shared a U.S. Postal Service tracking alert that says the shipment was “seized by law enforcement.”
In a statement to HuffPost, M4BL spokesperson Chelsea Fuller said that “police have rioted coast to coast, beating, and gassing protesters who have called for an end to police violence, with the explicit approval of President Trump.”
“Now, it appears they want to ensure that people who protest are susceptible to the same deadly pandemic that they have failed miserably at stopping,” said Fuller. “The continued surveillance and disruption of social movements under this administration is as chilling as it is dangerous. It should be roundly condemned.”
The seizure of the masks sparked widespread outrage on social media, with activists calling the move unlawful and morally unconscionable. “This is criminal,” said NARAL Pro-Choice America president Ilyse Hogue.
“One of the first things M4BL organizers discussed last week was getting masks to protesters,” tweeted activist Leslie Mac. “Today they were seized by law enforcement. Imagine. Seizing face masks during a pandemic.”
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--Poll: 74 Percent Agree George Floyd’s Death Reflects Systemic Racism in Policing

A new poll demonstrates that a majority of Americans view the killing of George Floyd last week as indicative of systemic racism in policing toward Black Americans .
Floyd was killed when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes , after having already handcuffed Floyd and placed him on the ground .
The release of video of the killing has been followed by numerous demonstrations across the country for over a week .
According to an ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted on June 3 and 4 , only 26 percent of respondents viewed Floyd ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 74 percent of Americans believe Floyd ’ s death is indicative of broader problems involving policing of Black people .
The sentiment is shared across a broad spectrum of the U.S. populace , the poll found .
Among Black Americans , 94 percent see Floyd ’ s death as a sign of a systemic problem in policing .
Seventy percent of white respondents agreed .
Both sides of the political divide also appeared to understand that racial disparities in policing practices across the country are a problem .
Fifty-five percent of Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s killing indicated such problems are apparent , while 92 percent of Democrats agreed .
The numbers from this poll are a dramatic shift from how much of the country viewed similar killings just six years ago .
In 2014 , when an ABC News/Washington Post poll asked the same question , only 43 percent said the deaths of Michael Brown , Eric Garner , and others were signs of a larger problem in policing toward Black people , while a majority , 51 percent , said those incidents were isolated .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are receptive to changes and reforms in policing .
When it comes to how most in the country view the uprisings in several cities across the U.S. , for example , 54 percent say they strongly support or at least somewhat support them , while only 22 percent indicated they opposed the demonstrations .
The more recent ABC News/Ipsos poll from this week also found that Americans were not happy with how President Donald Trump has handled himself in the wake of Floyd ’ s death and nationwide protests , with 66 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s reacted , and only 32 percent saying they approve of his actions .
Trump has been criticized for his militaristic response to demonstrators , including the tear-gassing of participants earlier this week at a peaceful protest outside the White House to clear a path for him to walk to a nearby church for a photo-op .
The Trump administration denied that chemical agents were used , but local news agencies found empty tear gas canisters in the park where demonstrators had gathered .

Two-thirds of Americans are also upset with how President Donald Trump has acted since Floyd was killed.
A new poll demonstrates that a majority of Americans view the killing of George Floyd last week as indicative of systemic racism in policing toward Black Americans.
Floyd was killed when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes, after having already handcuffed Floyd and placed him on the ground. The release of video of the killing has been followed by numerous demonstrations across the country for over a week.
According to an ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted on June 3 and 4, only 26 percent of respondents viewed Floyd’s killing as an isolated incident. Conversely, 74 percent of Americans believe Floyd’s death is indicative of broader problems involving policing of Black people.
The sentiment is shared across a broad spectrum of the U.S. populace, the poll found. Among Black Americans, 94 percent see Floyd’s death as a sign of a systemic problem in policing. Seventy percent of white respondents agreed.
Both sides of the political divide also appeared to understand that racial disparities in policing practices across the country are a problem. Fifty-five percent of Republican respondents in the poll said that Floyd’s killing indicated such problems are apparent, while 92 percent of Democrats agreed.
The numbers from this poll are a dramatic shift from how much of the country viewed similar killings just six years ago. In 2014, when an ABC News/Washington Post poll asked the same question, only 43 percent said the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and others were signs of a larger problem in policing toward Black people, while a majority, 51 percent, said those incidents were isolated.
Other recent polling demonstrates that most Americans are receptive to changes and reforms in policing. When it comes to how most in the country view the uprisings in several cities across the U.S., for example, 54 percent say they strongly support or at least somewhat support them, while only 22 percent indicated they opposed the demonstrations.
The more recent ABC News/Ipsos poll from this week also found that Americans were not happy with how President Donald Trump has handled himself in the wake of Floyd’s death and nationwide protests, with 66 percent saying they disapproved of how he’s reacted, and only 32 percent saying they approve of his actions.
Trump has been criticized for his militaristic response to demonstrators, including the tear-gassing of participants earlier this week at a peaceful protest outside the White House to clear a path for him to walk to a nearby church for a photo-op.
The Trump administration denied that chemical agents were used, but local news agencies found empty tear gas canisters in the park where demonstrators had gathered.
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.
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