vdare--2020-01-13--Contrary To Reports, Trump Has NOT Stopped Mentioning The Wall In Rallies, Crowd Still Cheers

I heard someone saying on Facebook that Trump has given up on the wall , and is n't even talking about it anymore .
Wrong !
This is from a Trump Rally in Toledo , January 9 , four days ago : Here 's the big thing , ready ?
You read it today in the newspapers .
In the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals , we won the big , big , beautiful lawsuit , where they were all suing us .
The wall is being built .
We built , we built already a tremendous amount , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military construction funds to build the biggest section of the wall .
It 's literally being signed now .
It 'll be under construction very shortly , in a couple of weeks , and we 've already built over 100 miles of wall .
How about that hundred miles ?
And by the end of next year , we 're going to have a lot of the wall built , and it 's already having a big impact .
How about the Democrats ?
Walls do n't work , we want technology .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ do ?
They want drones .
Oh good , when people are rushing the caravans , when they 're rushing , having a drone flying around that 's not going to help you too much , OK ?
Let me explain about the `` drones '' thing—Trump is right that for years , people have been talking about various kinds of high-tech `` virtual wall '' ( including camera drones ) which will alert the authorities to crossers .
The concept is the same as a burglar alarm or closed circuit camera , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ useless unless it 's backed by police who will arrest the burglars .
In a post titled The Virtual Fence And The Air Assault , I said that this might work if it were backed up by US Army helicopter-borne troops , including a military police contingent with pistols , batons , and handcuffs ( rather than infantry ) to round the border crossers up .
That was ten years ago .
If that 's not going to happen , then build a real wall .
Trump agrees—see Trump plans to divert $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ construction : report , from the Hill , only three hours ago .

I heard someone saying on Facebook that Trump has given up on the wall, and isn't even talking about it anymore. Wrong!
This is from a Trump Rally in Toledo, January 9, four days ago:
Here's the big thing, ready? You read it today in the newspapers. In the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, we won the big, big, beautiful lawsuit, where they were all suing us. The wall is being built. We built, we built already a tremendous amount, but we're releasing $4 billion of military construction funds to build the biggest section of the wall. It's literally being signed now. It'll be under construction very shortly, in a couple of weeks, and we've already built over 100 miles of wall. How about that hundred miles? And by the end of next year, we're going to have a lot of the wall built, and it's already having a big impact. How about the Democrats? Walls don't work, we want technology. So, what are you going to do? They want drones. Oh good, when people are rushing the caravans, when they're rushing, having a drone flying around that's not going to help you too much, OK?
Let me explain about the "drones" thing—Trump is right that for years, people have been talking about various kinds of high-tech "virtual wall"(including camera drones) which will alert the authorities to crossers.
The concept is the same as a burglar alarm or closed circuit camera, but like those, it's absolutely useless unless it's backed by police who will arrest the burglars. In a post titled The Virtual Fence And The Air Assault, I said that this might work if it were backed up by US Army helicopter-borne troops, including a military police contingent with pistols, batons, and handcuffs (rather than infantry) to round the border crossers up. That was ten years ago.
If that's not going to happen, then build a real wall.
Trump agrees—see Trump plans to divert $7.2 billion from Pentagon for border wall construction: report, from the Hill, only three hours ago.
Watch the rally below:


vdare--2020-01-08--Asian Romance Writer Courtney Milan Wants White Romance Writer Cancelled For Writing About Asians

Toy Story 4 is n't the only popular fiction that retails a subtle racist message , it turns out .
Another is Somewhere Lies The Moon , a romance novel with this plotline : `` Confronted by a marriage proposal from the man she loves and tormented by the turmoil of her past , Eva Crawford seeks refuge at Glen Affric , her family 's sanctuary in the Scottish Highlands , where she struggles to come to terms with her feelings and the challenges of the future . ''
The book is n't just racist , it 's a `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Milan [ Tweet her ] a romance novelist you 've never heard of .
That 's the pen name of Heidi Bond , a lawyer who told The Washington Post about the sexual depredations of federal judge Alex Kozinski .
She clerked for Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy , her Wikipedia page says .
Why is it racist ?
Reported the Post : Milan , who is Chinese American , highlighted a plot line featuring Asian characters with “ slightly yellow ” skin and “ slanted almond eyes , ” and noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as demure , quiet and compliant .
“ The notion of the submissive Chinese woman is a racist stereotype which fuels higher rates of violence against Asian women , ” she wrote .
“ It is hard not to be upset about something that has done me and my loved ones real harm.
” [ A romance writer called a novel racist .
Now the industry is in chaos and its top awards have been canceled , by Antonia Noori Farzan , January 8 , 2020 ] Many of the Asian women I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quiet and compliant , '' and I never took that as a bad thing .
Nor is it an off-the-wall observation .
Milan unleashed a farrago of tweets with other `` racist '' passages that proved precisely nothing , except that she did n't care for the way the author of Somewhere described things and persons Chinese .
This kowtowing to troublemakers like Milan has to stop .
Her opinion that the passages are racist is just that : an opinion .
Opinions , to clean up an old quote , are like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say those passages are n't racist .
And someone at the Romance Writers of America should say so , too .

Toy Story 4 isn't the only popular fiction that retails a subtle racist message, it turns out. Another is Somewhere Lies The Moon, a romance novel with this plotline: "Confronted by a marriage proposal from the man she loves and tormented by the turmoil of her past, Eva Crawford seeks refuge at Glen Affric, her family's sanctuary in the Scottish Highlands, where she struggles to come to terms with her feelings and the challenges of the future."
The book isn't just racist, it's a "f***ing racist mess," says Courtney Milan [Tweet her] a romance novelist you've never heard of. That's the pen name of Heidi Bond, a lawyer who told The Washington Post about the sexual depredations of federal judge Alex Kozinski. She clerked for Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy, her Wikipedia page says.
Why is it racist? Reported the Post:
Milan, who is Chinese American, highlighted a plot line featuring Asian characters with “slightly yellow” skin and “slanted almond eyes,” and noted that the book depicted 19th-century Chinese women as demure, quiet and compliant. “The notion of the submissive Chinese woman is a racist stereotype which fuels higher rates of violence against Asian women,” she wrote. “It is hard not to be upset about something that has done me and my loved ones real harm.” [A romance writer called a novel racist. Now the industry is in chaos and its top awards have been canceled, by Antonia Noori Farzan, January 8, 2020]
BS.
Many of the Asian women I've run across have been "demure quiet and compliant," and I never took that as a bad thing. Nor is it an off-the-wall observation.
Milan unleashed a farrago of tweets with other "racist" passages that proved precisely nothing, except that she didn't care for the way the author of Somewhere described things and persons Chinese.
Can't load tweet https://twitter.com/courtneymilan/status/1165781040364867584: Sorry, that page does not exist
This kowtowing to troublemakers like Milan has to stop. Her opinion that the passages are racist is just that: an opinion. Opinions, to clean up an old quote, are like noses. Everybody has one.
I say those passages aren't racist. And someone at the Romance Writers of America should say so, too.


vdare--2020-01-15--Michelle Malkin: Cancel Culture Strikes Again—Banned in Maine

Earlier : Thanks To Michelle Malkin For Refusing To Disavow Us , And A Host Of Beleaguered Patriots ( Does Colorado Need A New Senator ? )
In November , I was banned in Boston after speech-squelchers on the left and right forced the cancellation of my lecture at Bentley University , a small private institution .
The grassroots activists who had invited me were rejected by every major event venue in the nation 's purported Cradle of Liberty .
The tail-tuckers cited security concerns or jacked up their rental fees to make it prohibitively expensive to gather peacefully to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bostonians Against Sanctuary Cities and Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies heroically persisted , pulling together a great event at a private home attended by 100 patriots who risked their privacy , friendships and even their jobs to listen to—gasp !
—ideas .
Soon after , a group of conservative students at the University of Maine , a publicly funded school , invited me to bring my nationalist message about who 's funding the destruction of America to their campus .
This prompted the College Republicans ' faculty adviser , political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] to resign in protest .
That led to the de-chartering of the CR group .
Why ?
Because I refused to disavow other young students who have asked trenchant , pesky questions at Young America 's Foundation and Turning Point USA lectures about the GOP elites ' support of wage-suppressing , job-outsourcing , Democrat voter-importing policies that put American students , workers and families last .
Many of those students follow a 21-year-old nationalist named Nick Fuentes [ Tweet him ] who hosts a program ( for now ) on YouTube and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First . ''
Because I refused to play the gatekeepers ' game of condemning every last joke or chatroom comment or tweet of someone followed by students whose questions I support , Fried believes that no students at her campus under her watch should be allowed to hear what I have to say about , well , anything .
How strongly do University of Maine officials oppose the free association of college students who want to know more about my work ?
Yesterday , I learned from Portland Sheraton at Sable Oaks general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least one University of Maine official—along with dozens of others cancel culture jihadists galvanized on social media by an anonymous Twitter account called `` Support Maine 's Future '' —had called to complain about the students and me after they posted an event notice last Friday .
I reached out to top administrators , who did not respond by my filing deadline .
I also wrote to Fried , who responded late Tuesday evening : `` I never did that .
Did n't happen .
Whoever told you I did is incorrect .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ received a false report regarding me . ''
I responded : `` Too bad you did n't pay me the same courtesy . ''
Adrienne Bennett , a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress ( Maine , District 2 ) , challenged the school 's bullying tactics : `` Free speech is the cornerstone of a free democracy .
We are hearing reports that administrators from the University of Maine pressured a private Maine hotel to cancel an appearance by conservative speaker Michelle Malkin .
If true , this is a disturbing development from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' she blasted .
`` All universities—but especially those that receive public funds—have an obligation to foster free speech and free inquiry .
I support President Trump 's recent executive order on campus free speech .
...
I am disturbed that academic elites would interfere to block this speech .
For those who disagree with Malkin 's views , the answer is debate and discourse , not censorship . ''
My upcoming speaking schedule ( for now ) includes the New York Young Republican Club ( Jan. 16 ) ; somewhere , hopefully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; Liberty Forum of Silicon Valley ( Feb. 11 ) ; Michigan Conservative Coalition 's Battle Cry 2020 , Troy , Michigan ( Feb. 14 ) ; Arizona State University ( Feb. 26 ) ; and San Diego State University ( April TBD ) .
A total of six organizations have now deemed me such a public menace that I 've been barred from speaking at their venues or events : Mar-a-Lago ( canceled by the Trump Organization after complaints by the Southern Poverty Law Center spread by left-wingers at the Miami Herald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Minnesota ( canceled at the behest of national leaders of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow ) ; the New Jersey Right to Life Committee ; an Indiana conservative group ; and Young America 's Foundation .
Why is this censorship campaign from both sides of the political spectrum happening ?
University of Maine College Republican Jeremiah Childs astutely observed : `` They 're doing this to delegitimize us because we 're popular . ''
Popular , peacefully expressed ideas that threaten establishment empires in both parties must be stopped .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be propped up by the tolerance hypocrites on the left and the culture warrior poseurs on the right .
The illusion of `` free speech '' must be maintained by the keepers of the gate .
Lying is lucrative .
Telling the truth , controlled by no one , only gets you grief .
Michelle Malkin [ Email her ] is the author of Invasion : How America Still Welcomes Terrorists , Criminals , and Other Foreign Menaces to Our Shores .
Click here for Peter Brimelow ’ s review .
Click here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Malkin is also the author of Unhinged : Exposing Liberals Gone Wild , Culture of Corruption : Obama and his Team of Tax Cheats , Crooks & Cronies , , Who Built That : Awe-Inspiring Stories of American Tinkerpreneurs , and Sold Out : How High-Tech Billionaires & Bipartisan Beltway Crapweasels Are Screwing America 's Best & Brightest Workers .
Malkin is author of the book , `` Open Borders , Inc. : Who 's Funding America 's Destruction , '' available directly from VDARE.com in hardcover .
To find out more about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists , visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com .

Earlier: Thanks To Michelle Malkin For Refusing To Disavow Us, And A Host Of Beleaguered Patriots (Does Colorado Need A New Senator?)
In November, I was banned in Boston after speech-squelchers on the left and right forced the cancellation of my lecture at Bentley University, a small private institution. The grassroots activists who had invited me were rejected by every major event venue in the nation's purported Cradle of Liberty. The tail-tuckers cited security concerns or jacked up their rental fees to make it prohibitively expensive to gather peacefully to discuss—gasp!—ideas.
Lou Murray of Bostonians Against Sanctuary Cities and Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies heroically persisted, pulling together a great event at a private home attended by 100 patriots who risked their privacy, friendships and even their jobs to listen to—gasp!—ideas.
Soon after, a group of conservative students at the University of Maine, a publicly funded school, invited me to bring my nationalist message about who's funding the destruction of America to their campus. This prompted the College Republicans' faculty adviser, political science professor Amy Fried, [Email her], to resign in protest. That led to the de-chartering of the CR group. Why? Because I refused to disavow other young students who have asked trenchant, pesky questions at Young America's Foundation and Turning Point USA lectures about the GOP elites' support of wage-suppressing, job-outsourcing, Democrat voter-importing policies that put American students, workers and families last.
Many of those students follow a 21-year-old nationalist named Nick Fuentes, [Tweet him], who hosts a program (for now) on YouTube and DLive in his basement called "America First." Because I refused to play the gatekeepers' game of condemning every last joke or chatroom comment or tweet of someone followed by students whose questions I support, Fried believes that no students at her campus under her watch should be allowed to hear what I have to say about, well, anything.
How strongly do University of Maine officials oppose the free association of college students who want to know more about my work? Yesterday, I learned from Portland Sheraton at Sable Oaks general manager Ed Palmer and others that at least one University of Maine official—along with dozens of other cancel culture jihadists galvanized on social media by an anonymous Twitter account called "Support Maine's Future"—had called to complain about the students and me after they posted an event notice last Friday. I reached out to top administrators, who did not respond by my filing deadline.
I also wrote to Fried, who responded late Tuesday evening: "I never did that. Didn't happen. Whoever told you I did is incorrect. Thank you for checking, as you received a false report regarding me."
I responded: "Too bad you didn't pay me the same courtesy."
Adrienne Bennett, a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress (Maine, District 2), challenged the school's bullying tactics: "Free speech is the cornerstone of a free democracy. We are hearing reports that administrators from the University of Maine pressured a private Maine hotel to cancel an appearance by conservative speaker Michelle Malkin. If true, this is a disturbing development from Maine's public, land-grant university," she blasted. "All universities—but especially those that receive public funds—have an obligation to foster free speech and free inquiry. I support President Trump's recent executive order on campus free speech. ... I am disturbed that academic elites would interfere to block this speech. For those who disagree with Malkin's views, the answer is debate and discourse, not censorship."
My upcoming speaking schedule (for now) includes the New York Young Republican Club (Jan. 16); somewhere, hopefully, in Maine (Jan. 17); Liberty Forum of Silicon Valley (Feb. 11); Michigan Conservative Coalition's Battle Cry 2020, Troy, Michigan (Feb. 14); Arizona State University (Feb. 26); and San Diego State University (April TBD).
A total of six organizations have now deemed me such a public menace that I've been barred from speaking at their venues or events: Mar-a-Lago (canceled by the Trump Organization after complaints by the Southern Poverty Law Center spread by left-wingers at the Miami Herald); Bentley University; the University of Minnesota (canceled at the behest of national leaders of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow); the New Jersey Right to Life Committee; an Indiana conservative group; and Young America's Foundation.
Why is this censorship campaign from both sides of the political spectrum happening? University of Maine College Republican Jeremiah Childs astutely observed: "They're doing this to delegitimize us because we're popular." Popular, peacefully expressed ideas that threaten establishment empires in both parties must be stopped. The pretense of free inquiry and association must be propped up by the tolerance hypocrites on the left and the culture warrior poseurs on the right. The illusion of "free speech" must be maintained by the keepers of the gate. Lying is lucrative. Telling the truth, controlled by no one, only gets you grief.
COPYRIGHT 2019 CREATORS.COM
Michelle Malkin [Email her] is the author of Invasion: How America Still Welcomes Terrorists, Criminals, and Other Foreign Menaces to Our Shores. Click here for Peter Brimelow’s review. Click here for Michelle Malkin's website. Michelle Malkin is also the author of Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild, Culture of Corruption: Obama and his Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks & Cronies, ,Who Built That: Awe-Inspiring Stories of American Tinkerpreneurs, and Sold Out: How High-Tech Billionaires & Bipartisan Beltway Crapweasels Are Screwing America's Best & Brightest Workers.
Malkin is author of the book, "Open Borders, Inc.: Who's Funding America's Destruction,"available directly from VDARE.com in hardcover. To find out more about Michelle Malkin and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2019 CREATORS.COM


vdare--2020-01-14--Cultural Appropriation: Leftist Tropes Can Be Mind-Bogglingly Stupid

In mid-2016 , I wrote a VDARE.com blog entry , `` White Privilege '' : One Of The Stupidest Ideas Of Our Time , pointing out the logical disconnect between routine complaints about `` white privilege '' amid the ceaseless nattering about `` diversity . ''
I had n't previously seen this disconnect pointed out .
`` Cultural appropriation '' is another turd from the stinking swamp of Leftist `` thought , '' and recently Matthew Stewart , an associate professor of humanities [ egads ! ]
and rhetoric at Boston University , made a parallel point about its built-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cultural-appropriation focus is that it seems clearly to clash with another progressive imperative : the need to nurture multicultural appreciation .
Multiculturalism has been a prominent cause among progressives for more than a generation , but today , admiration for other cultures apparently comes with a warning sign : look , but don ’ t adopt , lest you face accusations of “ theft ” or insensitivity .
I collect pithy statements along these lines , and I might as well share some of the wealth .
Here are a couple such items @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are told `` cultural appropriation refers to 'taking intellectual property , traditional knowledge , cultural expressions , or artifacts from someone else ’ s culture without permission . '
'' So , uh , whom do I go to for `` permission '' to eat a burrito or play a sitar ?
Can anyone who 's Mexican or Indian grant the appropriate permission ?
Or do I need signoff from everyone in the given ethnicity ?

In mid-2016, I wrote a VDARE.com blog entry, "White Privilege": One Of The Stupidest Ideas Of Our Time, pointing out the logical disconnect between routine complaints about "white privilege" amid the ceaseless nattering about "diversity." I hadn't previously seen this disconnect pointed out.
"Cultural appropriation" is another turd from the stinking swamp of Leftist "thought," and recently Matthew Stewart, an associate professor of humanities [egads!] and rhetoric at Boston University, made a parallel point about its built-in contradiction:
Another puzzling aspect of the cultural-appropriation focus is that it seems clearly to clash with another progressive imperative: the need to nurture multicultural appreciation. Multiculturalism has been a prominent cause among progressives for more than a generation, but today, admiration for other cultures apparently comes with a warning sign: look, but don’t adopt, lest you face accusations of “theft” or insensitivity. [Multiculturalism, or Cultural Appropriation?, City Journal, January 3, 2020]
I collect pithy statements along these lines, and I might as well share some of the wealth. Here are a couple such items from commenters elsewhere on the Internet:
A white person eating a taco is guilty of “cultural appropriation” while the Mexican complaining about it on a computer is not.
And:


vdare--2020-01-14--A Talk Radio Listener On "Disparate " Fare-Beating Enforcement—"I Have Never Observed A White Fare B

A Talk Radio Listener On "Disparate " Fare-Beating Enforcement—"I Have Never Observed A White Fare Beater"

The New York Post reports that New York State ’ s black , female , AG ( Letitia James , @ @ @ @ @ enforcing the law on fare beating because of “ disparate impact.
” I 've been @ @ @ @ @ many years , and I have never observed a white fare beater , but you @ @ @ @ @ the turnstiles and entering through exit door at any time at any station unless there @ @ @ @ @

Re: John Derbyshire's blog post Jaywalking And Race: Disparate Enforcement Or Disparate Lawbreaking?
From: A Talk Radio Listener [Email him]
The New York Post reports that New York State’s black, female, AG (Letitia James, right) wants to stop enforcing the law on fare beating because of “disparate impact.”
People of color accounted for almost 70 percent of summonses for fare evasion between October 2017 and June 2019—and nearly 90 percent of arrests over the same time, NYPD data shows. [State AG probing NYPD for ‘racial biases’ in fare-evasion crackdown, by Priscilla DeGregory and Craig McCarthy, January 13, 2020, ]
I've been using NY public transit for many years, and I have never observed a white fare beater, but you can see blacks jumping over the turnstiles and entering through exit doors at any time at any station unless there are uniformed cops present.


vdare--2020-01-14--MEMO FROM MEXICO: Another American Family Massacred But No War Against Christmas. And A Bullfight

My family and I recently returned from a Christmas [ Navidad ] trip to Mexico , where I lived for many years .
While all went well , I can ’ t head south of the border without thinking about the National Question and others matters of interest to VDARE and its readers : tops among them border security , and , of course , culture—the difference between us and them .
At the end of our trip , we had a tough time recrossing the border ourselves on January 4—nine hours to travel five miles , not because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mexican car permit , but because of heavy Christmas traffic .
But that same day , just inside of Mexico due west of Falcon Heights , Texas , a mother and her uncle , Mexicans legally residing in the United States , and the woman ’ s two U.S. citizen children , were traveling in a two-car convoy when the Cártel del Noreste attacked : The murderers proudly scrawled CDN , the cartel ’ s Spanish acronym , on one of the target vehicles .
They wanted everybody to know who had done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a Christmas trip to San Luis Potosi .
CBS continued : Were they lost ?
Were they heading for a shortcut ?
Was the uncle involved in the cartel business somehow ?
Whatever the answer , the U.S. State Department didn ’ t advise travelers to Mexico to “ use toll roads when possible and avoid driving alone or at night ” for nothing [ Mexico Travel Advisory , U.S. Department of State , Last Updated December 17 , 2019 ] .
As border security goes , particularly travel .
And let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ murdered in November .
Message : The border is dangerous , and a big reason we need a wall—to keep these cartel savages and assorted other criminals on their side of the border .
My advice : Don ’ t travel to Mexico unless you know where you ’ re going , and stay far away from any area connected to cartel drug trafficking .
The murders invite an observation about President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ( AMLO ) , inaugurated December 1 , 2018 : as the cartels go , the security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his administration .
The stats for 2019 aren ’ t complete , but a projection from early December predicted a murder tally of 35,000 , a 5.7 percent increase over 2018 ’ s 33,000 [ AMLO 's first year : Concern over security and economy looms by Jihan Abdalla , Al Jazeera , Dec. 1 , 2019 ] .
And that number itself was a record : 91 deaths daily , and a 15 percent boost over 2017 [ Mexico Reports Highest Ever Homicide Rate In 2018 , Tops 33,000 Investigations , by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2019 ] .
Bad as that is , at least AMLO has an unexpectedly good relationship with the U.S. government and goes out of his way not to attack President Trump .
And he has helped to some degree with border security vis-à-vis illegal immigration .
When Trump threatened tariffs , recall , AMLO agreed to block Central Americans “ caravanning ” through Mexico to get to the U.S. border .
And since May , when the deal was announced , arrivals to the border have significantly decreased .
The deal might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s greatest policy successes .
That said , plenty of Central Americans are in Mexico and in the Central Mexican metro area where we stayed .
I spoke to a couple of black Hondurans on street corners .
Maybe they were looking for work to do the jobs Mexicans won ’ t do !
And so a word here about wages .
We had a flat tire on our car and landed in a repair shop .
The mechanic removed a screw for 80 pesos .
That ’ s less than $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peso bill and told him to keep the change .
Wages in Mexico , that exchange reminded me , are dramatically lower than in the U.S .
Unscrupulous American employers can pay illegal aliens in the U.S. much less than Americans , yet still more than what the illegals would get in Mexico .
Central American wages are even lower .
We visited my wife ’ s parents and also saw other relatives to celebrate Christmas and New Year ’ s .
Mexico is majority Catholic , of course , and while anti-clerical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strongly influenced the country , the War on Christmas , as I ’ ve written before , is simply not waged there .
While Mexicans have been spared that noxious cultural import , they do watch a lot of American movies that are subtitled in films for grownups and overdubbed in those for kids .
Thus , whatever Hollywood promotes is promoted in Mexico .
We took in The Rise of Skywalker , which was entertaining and better than I expected but had some problems and didn ’ t really capture that old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I went to a bullfight , a traditional spectacle in Spain , Mexico , and other Hispanic countries .
Some object to it , and while I don ’ t recommend importing it , I do enjoy it .
The bulls are specially bred for the ring .
It ’ s what they live for .
Bullfighting is an art that is not just about killing the bull , but the way and style in which it ’ s done .
“ I am not going to apologize for bullfighting .
It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roman Colosseum , ” Ernest Hemingway wrote : Beyond bullfighting , something else good about Mexico is the ease of getting pain medication .
Wouldn ’ t you know it , I came down with a painful toothache just as our sojourn began .
But my wife , degreed in pharmaceutical biochemistry , found a pharmacy with an on-site doctor who wrote a prescription .
Pain gone .
But at least after that inauspicious start , we arrived back home safely .
So , again , be careful if you go south of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump to build a wall and stop the cartels .
American citizen Allan Wall ( email him ) moved back to the U.S.A. in 2008 after many years residing in Mexico .
Allan 's wife is Mexican , and their two sons are bilingual .
In 2005 , Allan served a tour of duty in Iraq with the Texas Army National Guard .
His VDARE.COM articles are archived here ; his Mexidata.info articles are archived here ; his News With Views columns are archived here ; and his website is here .

My family and I recently returned from a Christmas [Navidad] trip to Mexico, where I lived for many years. While all went well, I can’t head south of the border without thinking about the National Question and others matters of interest to VDARE and its readers: tops among them border security, and, of course, culture—the difference between us and them.
At the end of our trip, we had a tough time recrossing the border ourselves on January 4—nine hours to travel five miles, not because of the legal process and turning in our Mexican car permit, but because of heavy Christmas traffic.
But that same day, just inside of Mexico due west of Falcon Heights, Texas, a mother and her uncle, Mexicans legally residing in the United States, and the woman’s two U.S. citizen children, were traveling in a two-car convoy when the Cártel del Noreste attacked:
One SUV of attackers passed the family and then cut them off, causing them to collide and come to a halt. Gunmen then opened fire, according to a statement from the state of Tamaulipas security coordinating group. [American family attacked in Mexico just south of Texas; 13-year-old killed, CBS News, January 6, 2020]
The murderers proudly scrawled CDN, the cartel’s Spanish acronym, on one of the target vehicles. They wanted everybody to know who had done it.
The family was returning from a Christmas trip to San Luis Potosi. CBS continued:
What remained unclear was why the family was on such a dangerous stretch of highway after dark. The highway on which they were shot is considered high risk. It runs through an area that's disputed by criminal groups, including the Gulf Cartel and Zetas.
Were they lost? Were they heading for a shortcut? Was the uncle involved in the cartel business somehow?
Whatever the answer, the U.S. State Department didn’t advise travelers to Mexico to “use toll roads when possible and avoid driving alone or at night” for nothing [Mexico Travel Advisory, U.S. Department of State, Last Updated December 17, 2019]. As border security goes, particularly travel.
Message: The border is dangerous, and a big reason we need a wall—to keep these cartel savages and assorted other criminals on their side of the border.
My advice: Don’t travel to Mexico unless you know where you’re going, and stay far away from any area connected to cartel drug trafficking.
The murders invite an observation about President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), inaugurated December 1, 2018: As the cartels go, the security situation obviously isn’t improving under his administration.
The stats for 2019 aren’t complete, but a projection from early December predicted a murder tally of 35,000, a 5.7 percent increase over 2018’s 33,000 [AMLO's first year: Concern over security and economy looms , by Jihan Abdalla, Al Jazeera, Dec. 1, 2019]. And that number itself was a record: 91 deaths daily, and a 15 percent boost over 2017 [Mexico Reports Highest Ever Homicide Rate In 2018, Tops 33,000 Investigations, by Vanessa Romo, NPR, January 23, 2019].
Bad as that is, at least AMLO has an unexpectedly good relationship with the U.S. government and goes out of his way not to attack President Trump. And he has helped to some degree with border security vis-à-vis illegal immigration.
When Trump threatened tariffs, recall, AMLO agreed to block Central Americans “caravanning” through Mexico to get to the U.S. border. And since May, when the deal was announced, arrivals to the border have significantly decreased.
The deal might turn out to be one of Trump’s greatest policy successes.
That said, plenty of Central Americans are in Mexico and in the Mexican metro area where we stayed. I spoke to a couple of black Hondurans on street corners. Maybe they were looking for work to do the jobs Mexicans won’t do!
And so a word here about wages.
We had a flat tire on our car and landed in a repair shop. The mechanic removed a screw for 80 pesos. That’s less than $5. I gave him a 100 peso bill and told him to keep the change.
Wages in Mexico, that exchange reminded me, are dramatically lower than in the U.S. Unscrupulous American employers can pay illegal aliens in the U.S. much less than Americans, yet still more than what the illegals would get in Mexico. Central American wages are even lower.
We visited my wife’s parents and also saw other relatives to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s.
Mexico is majority Catholic, of course, and while anti-clerical secularism and sometimes vicious anti-Catholic persecution have strongly influenced the country, the War on Christmas, as I’ve written before, is for the most part not waged there.
While Mexicans have been spared that noxious cultural import, they do watch a lot of American movies that are subtitled in films for grownups and overdubbed in those for kids. Thus, whatever Hollywood promotes is promoted in Mexico.
We took in The Rise of Skywalker, which was entertaining and better than I expected but had some problems and didn’t really capture that old Star Wars magic.
The boys and I went to a bullfight, a traditional spectacle in Spain, Mexico, and other Hispanic countries.
Some object to it, and while I don’t recommend importing it, I do enjoy it.
The bulls are specially bred for the ring. It’s what they live for. Bullfighting is an art that is not just about killing the bull, but the way and style in which it’s done.
“I am not going to apologize for bullfighting. It is a survival of the days of the Roman Colosseum,” Ernest Hemingway wrote:
But it does need some explanation. Bullfighting is not a sport. It was never supposed to be. It is a tragedy. A very great tragedy. The tragedy is the death of the bull. It is played in three definite acts. … At any rate bullfighting is not a sport. It is a tragedy, and it symbolizes the struggle between man and the beasts. [Bullfighting is Not a Sport—It is a Tragedy, Toronto Star Weekly, October 20, 1923]
Beyond bullfighting, something else good about Mexico is the ease of getting pain medication.
Wouldn’t you know it, I came down with a painful toothache just as our sojourn began. But my wife, degreed in pharmaceutical biochemistry, found a pharmacy with an on-site doctor who wrote a prescription. Pain gone.
But at least after that inauspicious start, we arrived back home safely.
So, again, be careful if you go south of the border. And keep pushing President Trump to build a wall and stop the cartels.
American citizen Allan Wall (email him) moved back to the U.S.A. in 2008 after many years residing in Mexico. Allan's wife is Mexican, and their two sons are bilingual. In 2005, Allan served a tour of duty in Iraq with the Texas Army National Guard. His VDARE.COM articles are archived here; his Mexidata.info articles are archived here; his News With Views columns are archived here; and his website is here.


vdare--2020-01-14--New San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin Promises to Stop Gang Enhancements to Protect "Criminals of Color"

“ What I ’ m saying is that man had rights !
” Well I ’ m all broken up about that man ’ s rights .
The new District Attorney of San Francisco has declared war on the criminal justice system .
Why ?
All because the concept of law and order is , in his eyes , deemed to perpetuate “ structural inequalities and white supremacy.
” Translation : too many people of color in jail and an insufficient amount of whites behind bars .
More to the point , don ’ t all white people know they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they don ’ t know the secret handshakes ?
That ’ s the genius of the concept of white privilege , where the only gang color necessary for identification is white skin .
SF DA-elect Chesa Boudin sets new course in gang cases , citing charges ‘ infused with racism ’ , by Evan Sernoffsky , San Francisco Chronicle , December 15 , 2019 One of Chesa Boudin ’ s first planned policy changes when he takes over as San Francisco ’ s district attorney next month seeks to answer a question that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Should people accused of crimes face harsher punishments if their actions allegedly benefited a street gang ?
The former public defender , who takes office Jan. 8 , promises to put an end to filing what are known as gang enhancements against defendants — charges that can add years to felony sentences .
Gang enhancements have drawn increased opposition in California , driven by statistics showing that they are disproportionately applied to people of color in poor neighborhoods .
Many law enforcement leaders say the charges are an important tool that allows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fear they create in communities when they protect turf , intimidate witnesses , recruit new associates and commit violent crimes .
But critics say gang enhancements yield arbitrary and excessive sentences , sending black and brown people to jail and prison at higher rates than white people who commit the same crimes , like assault or robbery .
State prison records show that of 11,484 inmates who were serving sentences with a gang enhancement as of Aug. 31 , 68 % were Hispanic and 24 % were black .
Just 3 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focus on holding people accountable for what they ’ ve done — not who they are , ” Boudin told The Chronicle .
“ People are seeing their families impacted by overzealous uses of these gang allegations.
” Boudin said gang enhancements are “ infused with racism.
” The punishments , he said , increase tensions between minority communities and law enforcement , ultimately making the city less safe .
“ There are violent crimes that are going unsolved , ” he said , “ and we need cooperation from these communities where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of gang enhancements , however , said the charges have been a valuable tool in protecting residents of neighborhoods plagued by organized criminals .
They argue that going after gangs and the power they wield have prompted steep declines in homicides in San Francisco and around the state over the past decade .
Victims of gang crimes , proponents said , are also disproportionately people of color .
“ Getting rid of the gang enhancement assumes that there ’ s no gang problem , ” said Eric Siddall , a Los Angeles County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys .
“ The law was created for a very specific purpose with a very specific target and for very specific violence.
” To be convicted of a gang enhancement , a defendant must participate in a “ criminal street gang ” while knowing its members have committed “ a pattern of criminal gang activity , ” and while promoting or assisting in that activity .
The sentencing enhancement can add two , three or four years to an underlying felony .
If the felony is defined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can face an additional five or 10 years , respectively .
Boudin ’ s planned policy change is the latest flash point over whether San Francisco gang crackdowns are effective and equitable .
More than a decade ago , the city began obtaining civil court injunctions against gangs that barred alleged members from engaging in certain activities in neighborhood “ safety zones , ” under threat of arrest .
Those named in the injunctions could not associate with each other in public , wear certain colors or seek to recruit new members , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who filed those lawsuits , said they worked to cut crime .
But opponents said the injunctions created a new set of potential crimes for a specific group of people , all of whom were African American or Latino .
The city recently scaled back the program after criticism that it violated the defendants ’ civil rights .
The law allowing gang enhancements came decades earlier .
California ’ s Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act of 1988 , known as the STEP Act , was designed to go after street gangs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in California .
At its zenith , California had more than 4,000 homicides in 1993 .
That number has steadily fallen , and just over 1,700 killings occurred last year , according to the state Department of Justice .
Experts debate the reason for the drop , but many credit interventions by police and anti-violence groups in stemming retribution killings between gangs .
George Gascón , who was considered to be one of the country ’ s most progressive top prosecutors when he stepped down in October as San Francisco ’ s district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did so , however , “ only in the most serious instances , ” said Max Szabo , his former spokesman .
Gascón , now running for district attorney in Los Angeles County , appears to have changed his position .
At a debate Wednesday night at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles , he said he would stop charging gang enhancements and support statewide efforts to repeal the law .
But even as Gascón spoke , a gang enhancement case that his administration pursued before he left office was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The murder trial opened last month , and it may not be finished when Boudin replaces interim District Attorney Suzy Loftus .
Closing arguments begin Monday .
The case involves the March 2017 killing of a 44-year-old father who was celebrating his birthday with his adult son in the Mission District .
Defendants Jose Mejia-Carrillo , 24 , and Alexis Cruz-Zepeda , 25 , are accused of being members of the 20th Street clique of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang , known as MS-13 .
Family members of the victim , George Martinez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month as prosecutors played video of the deadly ambush .
The district attorney ’ s office said the defendants accused Martinez of being a member of the Norteños , a rival gang of MS-13 , before Mejia-Carrillo shot him in the back and finished him off with a point-blank shot to the head outside the Beauty Bar at 19th and Mission streets .
Prosecutors said Cruz-Zepeda distracted Martinez while Mejia-Carrillo came from behind and pulled the trigger .
Mejia-Carrillo faces one count of murder , along with a gang enhancement , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a firearm .
Cruz-Zepeda was charged with a single count of participating in a gang conspiracy , a charge that refers to the gang enhancement statute ’ s provisions that a defendant promoted or assisted a gang .
If convicted , he faces up to 25 years to life in prison .
Mejia-Carrillo faces a maximum of 25 years to life , plus 25 years for the gun charge and an additional 10 years for the gang enhancement .
The defendants have pleaded not guilty .
Deputy Public Defender Steve Olmo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrested the wrong person .
The video doesn ’ t show the killer ’ s face , he said , adding that DNA from three people was found on the gun , which police found in a nearby trash can .
George Borges , the attorney for Cruz-Zepeda , said his client was simply standing on the sidewalk that night , and that Martinez asked him for a cigarette before he was shot .
Cruz-Zepeda has gotten several tattoos while in San Francisco Jail , including “ MS-13 ” on his hand and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gang on his biceps , prosecutors said .
“ These guys are remorseless , ” said Sasha Martinez , George Martinez ’ s ex-wife , who remained close with him .
“ They were planning on killing people and are earning their extra tattoos .
This is what they think is OK. ” If the men are convicted , their sentencing may not happen until after Boudin takes office .
Martinez ’ s family is worried the punishment may become more lenient .
“ It ’ s horrible that they would take away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ These guys are running around on the streets and they ’ re killing innocent people who are just trying to live normal lives.
” Boudin said he couldn ’ t comment on cases that are in trial .
But he said MS-13 “ is a real issue in the United States and California and San Francisco.
” Boudin said the policy shift would not significantly affect murder prosecutions .
“ In a case where there ’ s a homicide , those kind of cases , I ’ ve said I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ And in any homicide case , the defendant is facing life without parole.
” Joshua Mason , a frequent expert witness in Bay Area gang cases , said gang enhancements have raised the biggest questions about racial disparities in more ordinary cases .
“ It ’ s not the insane cases that gang enhancements are applied to that are a problem , it ’ s the lesser ones , ” Mason said .
“ It ’ s the kid who gets in a fight at a bus stop and gets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the consequence is going to be extreme.
” The gang label is rarely applied to white defendants , said Mason , 42 , who spent his 20s in state prison and was labeled a gang member after pleading guilty to an attempted murder charge .
He was paroled in 2005 , got involved in community outreach and enrolled at UC Berkeley .
Since then , he ’ s been retained as an expert witness in more than 100 cases — including at least one of Boudin ’ s cases at the public defender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member “ is a racially applied label , ” Mason said .
“ There ’ s no consistent application of that term , except that it ’ s to lower-income black and brown folks .
That ’ s about the only consistent thread.
” Siddall , the Los Angeles prosecutor , pushed back on the allegation that gang enhancements are racially unjust , saying , “ It just happens to be that most gangs are Hispanic or black.
” Most victims of gang crimes , he said , “ are minorities from socially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charged with defending people who were vulnerable on the street and giving them justice in the courtroom , ” he said .
“ Unilaterally doing away with the gang enhancement is not fair to those people who have to deal with gangs on a daily basis .
”

The new District Attorney of San Francisco has declared war on the criminal justice system. Why? All because the concept of law and order is, in his eyes, deemed to perpetuate “structural inequalities and white supremacy.”
Translation: Too many people of color in jail and an insufficient amount of whites behind bars.
More to the point, don’t all white people know they are automatically in a gang even if they don’t know the secret handshakes? That’s the genius of the concept of white privilege, where the only gang color necessary for identification is white skin.
SF DA-elect Chesa Boudin sets new course in gang cases, citing charges ‘infused with racism,’ by Evan Sernoffsky, San Francisco Chronicle, December 15, 2019
One of Chesa Boudin’s first planned policy changes when he takes over as San Francisco’s district attorney next month seeks to answer a question that has long ignited debates in the city: Should people accused of crimes face harsher punishments if their actions allegedly benefited a street gang?
The former public defender, who takes office Jan. 8, promises to put an end to filing what are known as gang enhancements against defendants — charges that can add years to felony sentences. Gang enhancements have drawn increased opposition in California, driven by statistics showing that they are disproportionately applied to people of color in poor neighborhoods.
Many law enforcement leaders say the charges are an important tool that allows them to hold gang members accountable for the fear they create in communities when they protect turf, intimidate witnesses, recruit new associates and commit violent crimes. But critics say gang enhancements yield arbitrary and excessive sentences, sending black and brown people to jail and prison at higher rates than white people who commit the same crimes, like assault or robbery.
State prison records show that of 11,484 inmates who were serving sentences with a gang enhancement as of Aug. 31, 68% were Hispanic and 24% were black. Just 3% were white.
“I want to focus on holding people accountable for what they’ve done — not who they are,” Boudin told The Chronicle. “People are seeing their families impacted by overzealous uses of these gang allegations.”
Boudin said gang enhancements are “infused with racism.” The punishments, he said, increase tensions between minority communities and law enforcement, ultimately making the city less safe. “There are violent crimes that are going unsolved,” he said, “and we need cooperation from these communities where these crimes are being committed.”
Proponents of gang enhancements, however, said the charges have been a valuable tool in protecting residents of neighborhoods plagued by organized criminals. They argue that going after gangs and the power they wield have prompted steep declines in homicides in San Francisco and around the state over the past decade.
Victims of gang crimes, proponents said, are also disproportionately people of color.
“Getting rid of the gang enhancement assumes that there’s no gang problem,” said Eric Siddall, a Los Angeles County gang prosecutor and vice president of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys. “The law was created for a very specific purpose with a very specific target and for very specific violence.”
To be convicted of a gang enhancement, a defendant must participate in a “criminal street gang” while knowing its members have committed “a pattern of criminal gang activity,” and while promoting or assisting in that activity. The sentencing enhancement can add two, three or four years to an underlying felony. If the felony is defined as serious or violent, the defendant can face an additional five or 10 years, respectively.
Boudin’s planned policy change is the latest flash point over whether San Francisco gang crackdowns are effective and equitable.
More than a decade ago, the city began obtaining civil court injunctions against gangs that barred alleged members from engaging in certain activities in neighborhood “safety zones,” under threat of arrest. Those named in the injunctions could not associate with each other in public, wear certain colors or seek to recruit new members, for example.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who filed those lawsuits, said they worked to cut crime. But opponents said the injunctions created a new set of potential crimes for a specific group of people, all of whom were African American or Latino. The city recently scaled back the program after criticism that it violated the defendants’ civil rights.
The law allowing gang enhancements came decades earlier. California’s Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act of 1988, known as the STEP Act, was designed to go after street gangs during an era of high violent crime in California.
At its zenith, California had more than 4,000 homicides in 1993. That number has steadily fallen, and just over 1,700 killings occurred last year, according to the state Department of Justice. Experts debate the reason for the drop, but many credit interventions by police and anti-violence groups in stemming retribution killings between gangs.
George Gascón, who was considered to be one of the country’s most progressive top prosecutors when he stepped down in October as San Francisco’s district attorney, charged gang enhancements. He did so, however, “only in the most serious instances,” said Max Szabo, his former spokesman.
Gascón, now running for district attorney in Los Angeles County, appears to have changed his position. At a debate Wednesday night at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles, he said he would stop charging gang enhancements and support statewide efforts to repeal the law.
But even as Gascón spoke, a gang enhancement case that his administration pursued before he left office was in trial in San Francisco Superior Court.
The murder trial opened last month, and it may not be finished when Boudin replaces interim District Attorney Suzy Loftus. Closing arguments begin Monday.
The case involves the March 2017 killing of a 44-year-old father who was celebrating his birthday with his adult son in the Mission District. Defendants Jose Mejia-Carrillo, 24, and Alexis Cruz-Zepeda, 25, are accused of being members of the 20th Street clique of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang, known as MS-13.
Family members of the victim, George Martinez, watched from the courtroom gallery last month as prosecutors played video of the deadly ambush. The district attorney’s office said the defendants accused Martinez of being a member of the Norteños, a rival gang of MS-13, before Mejia-Carrillo shot him in the back and finished him off with a point-blank shot to the head outside the Beauty Bar at 19th and Mission streets.
Prosecutors said Cruz-Zepeda distracted Martinez while Mejia-Carrillo came from behind and pulled the trigger. Mejia-Carrillo faces one count of murder, along with a gang enhancement, and a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Cruz-Zepeda was charged with a single count of participating in a gang conspiracy, a charge that refers to the gang enhancement statute’s provisions that a defendant promoted or assisted a gang.
If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison. Mejia-Carrillo faces a maximum of 25 years to life, plus 25 years for the gun charge and an additional 10 years for the gang enhancement. The defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Deputy Public Defender Steve Olmo, Mejia-Carrillo’s attorney, said authorities arrested the wrong person. The video doesn’t show the killer’s face, he said, adding that DNA from three people was found on the gun, which police found in a nearby trash can.
George Borges, the attorney for Cruz-Zepeda, said his client was simply standing on the sidewalk that night, and that Martinez asked him for a cigarette before he was shot.
Cruz-Zepeda has gotten several tattoos while in San Francisco Jail, including “MS-13” on his hand and devil horns that are associated with the gang on his biceps, prosecutors said.
“These guys are remorseless,” said Sasha Martinez, George Martinez’s ex-wife, who remained close with him. “They were planning on killing people and are earning their extra tattoos. This is what they think is OK.”
If the men are convicted, their sentencing may not happen until after Boudin takes office. Martinez’s family is worried the punishment may become more lenient.
“It’s horrible that they would take away gang enhancements,” Sasha Martinez said. “These guys are running around on the streets and they’re killing innocent people who are just trying to live normal lives.”
Boudin said he couldn’t comment on cases that are in trial. But he said MS-13 “is a real issue in the United States and California and San Francisco.” Boudin said the policy shift would not significantly affect murder prosecutions.
“In a case where there’s a homicide, those kind of cases, I’ve said I’m committed to prosecuting,” he said. “And in any homicide case, the defendant is facing life without parole.”
Joshua Mason, a frequent expert witness in Bay Area gang cases, said gang enhancements have raised the biggest questions about racial disparities in more ordinary cases.
“It’s not the insane cases that gang enhancements are applied to that are a problem, it’s the lesser ones,” Mason said. “It’s the kid who gets in a fight at a bus stop and gets labeled a gang member. For him the consequence is going to be extreme.”
The gang label is rarely applied to white defendants, said Mason, 42, who spent his 20s in state prison and was labeled a gang member after pleading guilty to an attempted murder charge. He was paroled in 2005, got involved in community outreach and enrolled at UC Berkeley.
Since then, he’s been retained as an expert witness in more than 100 cases — including at least one of Boudin’s cases at the public defender’s office.
Being a gang member “is a racially applied label,” Mason said. “There’s no consistent application of that term, except that it’s to lower-income black and brown folks. That’s about the only consistent thread.”
Siddall, the Los Angeles prosecutor, pushed back on the allegation that gang enhancements are racially unjust, saying, “It just happens to be that most gangs are Hispanic or black.” Most victims of gang crimes, he said, “are minorities from socially vulnerable communities.”
“District attorneys are charged with defending people who were vulnerable on the street and giving them justice in the courtroom,” he said. “Unilaterally doing away with the gang enhancement is not fair to those people who have to deal with gangs on a daily basis.”


vdare--2020-01-14--Christina A. Samuels In EDUCATION WEEK: "Who's to Blame for the Black-White Achievement Gap?"

In Education Week , a black lady reporter ponders a perennial question with less bigotry and hate than is the norm these days : Who ’ s to Blame for the Black-White Achievement Gap ?
My SAT scores might have remained a bit of trivia had I not become an education reporter .
But my career has given me a reason to think a lot about testing , and what seems to be an intractable test-score gap between black students ( as well as Hispanic and American Indian and Alaska Native students ) and white and Asian students .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of my career as an education reporter , I really wondered : Why is there such a big black-white test gap ?
I mean , I ’ m no genius , but I did OK. Why does this gulf never seem to close ?
It ’ s becoming easier to look at the SATs , specifically , and say those scores don ’ t matter any more .
Some of the nation ’ s most exclusive colleges and universities—Bowdoin , Wake Forest , the University of Chicago , and other well-respected liberal arts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an ironic dismissal of a test that was originally created to bring equity to the college admissions process .
But the same ethnic and racial gaps exist across all kinds of tests , not just assessments for college admissions .
One could argue that the SAT is too easily influenced by outside factors , such as test-prep classes .
But students don ’ t prep for the National Assessment for Educational Progress , and the so-called “ Nation ’ s Report Card ” shows similar gaps .
Teachers have one of the closest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Week recently asked them what they believe are the factors that explain why white students , overall , perform better academically than black students .
( The survey respondents were predominantly white , like the teaching population as a whole , with 20 to 30 years in the classroom . )
Due to education reforms in the 1990s to give students better teachers , the public school teaching profession at present has surprisingly little affirmative action ( public school administration , in contrast , has a lot ) .
The teachers were given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : genetics , discrimination , school quality , student motivation , parenting , income levels , home environments , and neighborhood environments .
The explanation of student performance , those teachers said , rests primarily with the students and their parents .
Three-quarters or more of respondents said that motivation , parenting , income , home environments , and neighborhood environments explained student academic gaps “ somewhat , ” “ quite a lot , ” or “ extremely.
” Seventy-two percent said “ school quality ” was a major factor .
A little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a major role .
A notable minority , about 29 percent , said that genetics are somewhat to extremely significant in explaining academic gaps between black students and white students .
( An even higher percentage of respondents , 38 percent , said genetics are a significant reason why Asian students in the aggregate have better academic outcomes than their white peers . )
I bet the ~25 % of teachers who said yes on both the white-black and Asian-white gaps having a genetic component are likely to give better practical advice on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ True Believers .
Of course , any study that searched out courageous realist teachers to find out their advice would likely turn into a Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom ( and then chop them off ) situation .
But “ black ” is as much a social construct as it is a matter of genetic heritage : I have two black parents and call myself black .
So does Barack Obama , who has one white parent .
So does Kamala Harris , a U.S. senator from California , who has one parent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black ” is fluid , as are other racial and ethnic categories—and geneticists agree that we are more different from each other as individuals , than we are as populations grouped by “ race.
” Okay , but that actually works in the opposite direction .
A lot of people who use this argument don ’ t realize that the fact that self-identified blacks include lots of people with substantial white ancestry , some of them high scorers like Barack Obama would tend to narrow the test score gap .
I was defensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this survey .
“ It ’ s not our fault !
” seemed to be the takeaway from teachers , but kids spend up to 13 years of their lives in school .
Of course what happens there is relevant .
But I have to acknowledge some truth in what these teachers are saying .
Yes , it mattered that my parents were middle-class , college-educated folks who filled my childhood home with books .
She ends up focusing on wealth as an explanation , which doesn ’ t really do it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the article , which is much more civil and sensible than is common in 2020 .

In Education Week, a black lady reporter ponders a perennial question with less bigotry and hate than is the norm these days:
Who’s to Blame for the Black-White Achievement Gap? By Christina A. Samuels
January 7, 2020 My SAT scores might have remained a bit of trivia had I not become an education reporter. But my career has given me a reason to think a lot about testing, and what seems to be an intractable test-score gap between black students (as well as Hispanic and American Indian and Alaska Native students) and white and Asian students. It sounds naive, but at the start of my career as an education reporter, I really wondered: Why is there such a big black-white test gap? I mean, I’m no genius, but I did OK. Why does this gulf never seem to close? It’s becoming easier to look at the SATs, specifically, and say those scores don’t matter any more. Some of the nation’s most exclusive colleges and universities—Bowdoin, Wake Forest, the University of Chicago, and other well-respected liberal arts institutions—have become test-optional. It’s an ironic dismissal of a test that was originally created to bring equity to the college admissions process. But the same ethnic and racial gaps exist across all kinds of tests, not just assessments for college admissions. One could argue that the SAT is too easily influenced by outside factors, such as test-prep classes. But students don’t prep for the National Assessment for Educational Progress, and the so-called “Nation’s Report Card” shows similar gaps. Teachers have one of the closest views of student performance, and Education Week recently asked them what they believe are the factors that explain why white students, overall, perform better academically than black students. (The survey respondents were predominantly white, like the teaching population as a whole, with 20 to 30 years in the classroom.)
Due to education reforms in the 1990s to give students better teachers, the public school teaching profession at present has surprisingly little affirmative action (public school administration, in contrast, has a lot).
The teachers were given a number of factors to choose from: genetics, discrimination, school quality, student motivation, parenting, income levels, home environments, and neighborhood environments. The explanation of student performance, those teachers said, rests primarily with the students and their parents. Three-quarters or more of respondents said that motivation, parenting, income, home environments, and neighborhood environments explained student academic gaps “somewhat,” “quite a lot,” or “extremely.” Seventy-two percent said “school quality” was a major factor. A little less than half said that discrimination played a major role. A notable minority, about 29 percent, said that genetics are somewhat to extremely significant in explaining academic gaps between black students and white students. (An even higher percentage of respondents, 38 percent, said genetics are a significant reason why Asian students in the aggregate have better academic outcomes than their white peers.)
I bet the ~25% of teachers who said yes on both the white-black and Asian-white gaps having a genetic component are likely to give better practical advice on how to improve schooling than are the True Believers. Of course, any study that searched out courageous realist teachers to find out their advice would likely turn into a Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom (and then chop them off) situation.
But “black” is as much a social construct as it is a matter of genetic heritage: I have two black parents and call myself black. So does Barack Obama, who has one white parent. So does Kamala Harris, a U.S. senator from California, who has one parent from India. The category of “black” is fluid, as are other racial and ethnic categories—and geneticists agree that we are more different from each other as individuals, than we are as populations grouped by “race.”
Okay, but that actually works in the opposite direction. A lot of people who use this argument don’t realize that the fact that self-identified blacks include lots of people with substantial white ancestry, some of them high scorers like Barack Obama, would tend to narrow the test score gap.
I was defensive and annoyed when I analyzed the results of this survey. “It’s not our fault!” seemed to be the takeaway from teachers, but kids spend up to 13 years of their lives in school. Of course what happens there is relevant. But I have to acknowledge some truth in what these teachers are saying. Yes, it mattered that my parents were middle-class, college-educated folks who filled my childhood home with books.
She ends up focusing on wealth as an explanation, which doesn’t really do it. But I appreciate the general tone of the article, which is much more civil and sensible than is common in 2020.
[Comment at Unz.com]


vdare--2020-01-14--Monocultural Japan Continues To Enjoy Low Crime

Earlier by Federale : Japan Fighting Back Against Attempts To Make It `` Nation Of Immigrants '' The Abe Shogunate is all good news these days : a nation and leaders who care about their people and the national well being , but most importantly love their Japaneseness .
And it shows in the economy and society .
That 's not to say that Japan does not have problems ( population decline is one ) but can be addressed with a Hungarian solution .
But for today we will address two issues , closely related .
The first is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gods crime rate and the second is a politician who is not afraid to be Japanese .
These two issues are intimately related , in fact , you can not have one without the other .
First , the full analysis of the 2018 crime rate is in .
Japan ’ s crime rate declined 11 % .
In Japan , diversity is not strength , homogeneity is strength and a safe society .
Crime is at a historic low in Japan .
A 2019 white paper by the Japanese Ministry of Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 817,000 crimes to police in 2018 , an 11 % decline from the previous year and the lowest amount in the postwar period .
Theft accounted for the majority of cases at 582,000 .
Crime statistics have steadily dropped over the last 16 years from a peak of 2,854,000 cases in 2002 .
The number of arrests fell from 215,000 in 2017 to 206,000 in 2018 .
Of these , just over 105,000 were first-time offenders , down from 110,000 in 2017 .
The number of repeat offenders also declined , dropping from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan : Arrests Hit an All-Time Low in 2018 , unattributed , Nippon.com , January 7 , 2020 ] While some may claim there has been a decline in crime in the United States , but much crime goes unreported these days , but more importantly , the declines here are from a much higher level .
You still can ’ t leave your bicycle unlocked in the United States , unlike Japan where a locked bike is more unusual than an unlocked one .
This leads us to why is Japan so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and society united by race , culture , and language , but more importantly the ruling class , Japan ’ s aristocracy , aristocracy in the Aristotelian sense , a ruling class that is good and loves their nation and people .
One of those in the ruling class is the Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister , after the Prime Minister , really the new Shogun , the second most powerful member of the bakufu .
Taro Aso , Japan ’ s Steve King , recently stated the obvious , Japan ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rulers , and culture .
Of course , Globohomo had a conniption fit .
Japan ’ s deputy prime minister described the country as the only one in the world with a single race , language and 2,000-year-old monarchy , sparking criticism that he was ignoring an indigenous ethnic group and Japanese racial diversity .
Taro Aso , who is also finance minister and one of most influential lawmakers in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ’ s government , has made a series of remarks in the past deemed insensitive and discriminatory .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has lasted for as long as 2,000 years with one language , one ethnic group and one dynasty , ” Aso said in a speech Monday .
Imagine this : Steve King as Vice-President , not a back bencher among 435 members , telling the truth about race , immigration , crime , and society .
That is what we have in the second most powerful Japanese politician .
Sadly though , he was forced to give a less than sincere apology for telling the truth .
The main claim by globalists that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on race is the Ainu , one group of people who lived in the main islands of Japan , northeastern Honshu and Hokkaido , before the major migration of the predecessors of the modern Japanese population who migrated mostly from through the Korean peninsula long before the development of the Korean language and culture .
The Ainu are officially at a population of 25,000 ( with liberal estimates go up to 200,000 ) but even that is suspect , as the estimate is for those who do not know they are Ainu , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into Japanese society , who see themselves as Japanese .
The Ainu did have an important part in Japanese history though , as the title Shogun means Barbarian Subduing Generalissimo , a sort of Falangist strongman similar to Francisco Franco or any number of caudillos from South America .
The Shogun was originally appointed to conquer the northern parts of Honshu and later all of Hokkaido in the name of the Imperial House .
The Ainu were the chief victims of this manifest destiny .
On a side note , the Ainu are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long hair and beards , more hirsute than most Japanese , but one can see the admixture in the Japanese who cultivated beards and mustaches during the Meiji Period .
Other than the Ainu , there is no indigenous population of non-Japanese .
The rest are immigrants , or descendants of immigrants and their anchor babies , though legally many are descendants of foreign subjects of the Japanese Imperium , but those , mostly Koreans , Zainichi , consider themselves Korean , and act that way , most maintaining passports from one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are making much of the minuscule number of foreigners .
It is sad to see Deputy Prime Minister Aso apologize , but this was one of the apologies merely for consumption of foreigners outside of Japan .
The apology was insincere and most of those with knowledge of Japanese culture see this .
A sincere apology would have been accompanied by resignation .
But Aso did not resign , nor did he grovel .
In fact , the wording of his apology and accompanying statement were not really much of an apology and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is the latest in a long line of ethno-nationalist statements , called gaffes by the press .
Instead of getting the Steve King treatment , Aso remains in power .
Just think if the cucks in the Republican Party could achieve if they just ignored the globalist press .
Low crime is a consequence of racial and cultural unity .
Without one , you can not have the other .

Earlier by Federale: Japan Fighting Back Against Attempts To Make It "Nation Of Immigrants"
The Abe Shogunate is all good news these days: a nation and leaders who care about their people and the national wellbeing, but most importantly love their Japaneseness. And it shows in the economy and society. That's not to say that Japan does not have problems (population decline is one) but these can be addressed with a Hungarian solution. But for today we will address two issues, closely related. The first is a massive decline in the Land of the Gods crime rate and the second is a politician who is not afraid to be Japanese. These two issues are intimately related, in fact, you cannot have one without the other.
First, the full analysis of the 2018 crime rate is in. Japan’s crime rate declined 11%. In Japan, diversity is not strength, homogeneity is strength and a safe society.
Crime is at a historic low in Japan. A 2019 white paper by the Japanese Ministry of Justice shows that Japanese reported a little over 817,000 crimes to police in 2018, an 11% decline from the previous year and the lowest amount in the postwar period. Theft accounted for the majority of cases at 582,000. Crime statistics have steadily dropped over the last 16 years from a peak of 2,854,000 cases in 2002. The number of arrests fell from 215,000 in 2017 to 206,000 in 2018. Of these, just over 105,000 were first-time offenders, down from 110,000 in 2017. The number of repeat offenders also declined, dropping from 104,700 to 100,600. [Crime in Japan: Arrests Hit an All-Time Low in 2018, unattributed, Nippon.com, January 7, 2020]
While some may claim there has been a decline in crime in the United States, but much crime goes unreported these days, but more importantly, the declines here are from a much higher level. You still can’t leave your bicycle unlocked in the United States, unlike Japan where a locked bike is more unusual than an unlocked one.
This leads us to "Why is Japan so safe?" Because they are a people and society united by race, culture, and language, but more importantly the ruling class, Japan’s aristocracy, aristocracy in the Aristotelian sense, a ruling class that is good and loves their nation and people.
One of those in the ruling class is the Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, after the Prime Minister, really the new Shogun, the second most powerful member of the bakufu. Taro Aso, Japan’s Steve King, recently stated the obvious, Japan’s strength is a unity of people, rulers, and culture. Of course, Globohomo had a conniption fit.
Daimyo Taro Aso
Japan’s deputy prime minister described the country as the only one in the world with a single race, language and 2,000-year-old monarchy, sparking criticism that he was ignoring an indigenous ethnic group and Japanese racial diversity. Taro Aso, who is also finance minister and one of most influential lawmakers in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government, has made a series of remarks in the past deemed insensitive and discriminatory. “No other country but this one has lasted for as long as 2,000 years with one language, one ethnic group and one dynasty,” Aso said in a speech Monday. [Deputy Prime Minister Calls Japan A Nation With Single Race, Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press/Yahoo News, January 14, 2020]
Imagine this: Steve King as Vice-President, not a back bencher among 435 members, telling the truth about race, immigration, crime, and society. That is what we have in the second most powerful Japanese politician.
Sadly though, he was forced to give a less than sincere apology for telling the truth.
Aso, 79, apologized on Tuesday, saying he meant to say Japan has survived a long time without experiencing any major migrations or occupation by other ethnic groups.
The main claim by globalists that Japan is not a unified nation based on race is the Ainu, one group of people who lived in the main islands of Japan, northeastern Honshu and Hokkaido, before the major migration of the predecessors of the modern Japanese population, who migrated mostly from through the Korean peninsula long before the development of the Korean language and culture. The Ainu are officially at a population of 25,000 (with liberal estimates go up to 200,000) but even that is suspect, as the estimate is for those who do not know they are Ainu, i.e., people who are fully acculturated into Japanese society, who see themselves as Japanese.
Indigenous Ainu people have lived in what is now northern Japan for thousands of years and were officially recognized by a law enacted last year to protect and promote their culture.
The Ainu did have an important part in Japanese history though, as the title Shogun means Barbarian Subduing Generalissimo, a sort of Falangist strongman similar to Francisco Franco or any number of caudillos from South America. The Shogun was originally appointed to conquer the northern parts of Honshu and later all of Hokkaido in the name of the Imperial House.
The Ainu were the chief victims of this manifest destiny. On a side note, the Ainu are distinguished mainly from the Japanese by their long hair and beards, more hirsute than most Japanese, but one can see the admixture in the Japanese who cultivated beards and mustaches during the Meiji Period.
Bearded Baron Ito Hirobumi
Other than the Ainu, there is no indigenous population of non-Japanese. The rest are immigrants, or descendants of immigrants and their anchor babies, though legally many are descendants of foreign subjects of the Japanese Imperium, but those, mostly Koreans, Zainichi, consider themselves Korean, and act that way, most maintaining passports from one of the two Koreas. However, globalists are making much of the minuscule number of foreigners.
Japan also has 2.7 million foreign residents, more than 2% of its total population of 126 million, according to government statistics. That includes more than 400,000 ethnic Koreans, many of whom came voluntarily or forcibly to Japan during its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, and about 360,000 Koreans who have been naturalized.
It is sad to see Deputy Prime Minister Aso apologize, but this was one of the apologies merely for consumption of foreigners outside of Japan. The apology was insincere and most of those with knowledge of Japanese culture see this. A sincere apology would have been accompanied by resignation. But Aso did not resign, nor did he grovel. In fact, the wording of his apology and accompanying statement were not really much of an apology and was also noted by the MSM that this is the latest in a long line of ethno-nationalist statements, called gaffes by the press.
Asked about the contradiction between the legislation and his remarks, Aso replied, “I have no intention of denying the government’s position.” On Monday, the former prime minister hailed Japan’s success in the Rugby World Cup last fall with a team featuring players from diverse backgrounds, before going on to make the remarks about Japan as a linguistically and ethnically homogenous [sic] nation. An ally of Abe, the outspoken Aso has repeatedly come under fire for gaffes and controversial statements. [Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso Again Courts Controversy With Remarks About Japan’s Ethnic Identity, Japan Times, January 14, 2020]
Instead of getting the Steve King treatment, Aso remains in power. Just think if the cucks in the Republican Party could achieve if they just ignored the globalist press. Low crime is a consequence of racial and cultural unity. Without one, you cannot have the other.
Sonno jo I! Revere the Emperor, Expel The Barbarian!


vdare--2020-01-14--How Deadly Were Rifles and Shotguns in Baltimore in 2019?

Do you remember the distant past when it appeared that there might be grounds for compromise on gun control : urban gun control advocates wanted to reduce the availability of handguns to urban criminals while the National Rifle Association advocated for rifles and shotguns to be available to hunters and target shooters ?
But nowadays urban liberals are most worked up over white men with their rifles .
And yet , the statistical logic of the old position remains valid .
For example , the police department of Baltimore has just released a preliminary analysis of 2019 ’ s 348 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the moment of the Black Lives Matter riot over Freddie Gray on April 25 , 2015 has contended five years in a row for the worst murder problem in America : The Baltimore cops have only closed 35 % of 2019 ’ s homicide cases so far , but they do know the type of weapon used in all of them ( with the exception of the currently Missing who will turn up in shallow graves and the like over coming years , which is why annual homicide counts are disconcertingly unstable for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over time ) .
So , in Baltimore , which has had America ’ s worst murder problem during the half decade of Black Lives Matter and the End Mass Incarceration campaign among American elites , the demonized long guns accounted for only 2.6 % of all homicides , while handguns were responsible for 87.1 % .
But because long guns are seen as white guns and handguns as black guns , most of the energy is aimed at banning long guns .

Do you remember the distant past when it appeared that there might be grounds for compromise on gun control: Urban gun control advocates wanted to reduce the availability of handguns to urban criminals while the National Rifle Association advocated for rifles and shotguns to be available to hunters and target shooters?
But nowadays urban liberals are most worked up over white men with their rifles.
And yet, the statistical logic of the old position remains valid. For example, the police department of Baltimore has just released a preliminary analysis of 2019’s 348 known homicides in Baltimore, which since the moment of the Black Lives Matter riot over Freddie Gray on April 25, 2015 has contended five years in a row for the worst murder problem in America:
The Baltimore cops have only closed 35% of 2019’s homicide cases so far, but they do know the type of weapon used in all of them (with the exception of the currently Missing who will turn up in shallow graves and the like over coming years, which is why annual homicide counts are disconcertingly unstable for analysts: They tend to rise slightly over time).
So, in Baltimore, which has had America’s worst murder problem during the half decade of Black Lives Matter and the End Mass Incarceration campaign among American elites, the demonized long guns accounted for only 2.6% of all homicides, while handguns were responsible for 87.1%.
But because long guns are seen as white guns and handguns as black guns, most of the energy is aimed at banning long guns.
[Comment at Unz.com]


vdare--2020-01-14--Another Rotherham-Style Report, This One from Manchester, on Muslim Pimps Abusing English Girls with

Another Rotherham-Style Report, This One from Manchester, on Muslim Pimps Abusing English Girls with Impunity

As I ’ ve been pointing out for years , the main feature distinguishing Rotherham from many other cities in England where Muslim pimps abuse underage English girls , is that Rotherham commissioned an Official Report , published in 2014 , that journalists could quote from without being accused of Trafficking in Racist Stereotypes .
I ’ d been hearing about this pattern for years and had published a Taki ’ s column documenting the problem in 2013 .
But I ’ m the kind of journalist who Trafficks in Racist Stereotypes ( i.e.
, I don ’ t censor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considerations ) .
Now , a half dozen years after the Rotherham Report , there ’ s another official report out , this one on Manchester .
Investigation identified 57 potential victims and 97 suspects in Manchester – but almost no action taken amid fears of inciting racial hatred Dozens of teenage girls suspected of being groomed and abused in Manchester by gangs of men from Asian backgrounds were failed because police feared upsetting race relations , a new probe has suggested .
Victims repeatedly alerted officers about sexual assaults , giving names @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in almost all cases , no action was taken .
Now , a bombshell report suggests Greater Manchester Police and the city council shelved an investigation into what was happening at least partially because of the “ many sensitive community issues ” they felt faced with .
“ Concerns were expressed about the risk of proactive tactics or the incitement of racial hatred , ” the 145-page independent review states .
And it adds : “ The authorities knew that many [ victims ] were being subjected to the most profound abuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the perpetrators .
This is a depressingly familiar picture and has been seen in many other towns and cities across the country.
” The verdict forms part of the probe – carried out by childcare expert Malcolm Newsam and former Cambridgeshire Police detective Gary Ridgway – into how sexual child exploitation was dealt with in the city in the early and mid-2000s .
It centres on Operation Augusta , which was set up in 2004 after the death of Victoria Agoglia , 15 , a girl who reported being raped but who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she alerted authorities to the abuse .
Augusta subsequently identified at least 57 victims – mainly white girls aged from 12 to 16 – and some 97 potential suspects involved in grooming across the region .
But senior officers at GMP under-resourced the investigation before closing it down completely with the backing of Manchester City Council .
Only three people were convicted of related crimes at court .
The force had , at that time , just finished dealing with unrelated cases involving the Kurdish community that had created severe tensions and officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another minority group , it is suggested .
Question : The British newspapers all have the report , but is the reported posted online yet for the public to read ?

As I’ve been pointing out for years, the main feature distinguishing Rotherham from many other cities in England where Muslim pimps abuse underage English girls, is that Rotherham commissioned an Official Report, published in 2014, that journalists could quote from without being accused of Trafficking in Racist Stereotypes.
I’d been hearing about this pattern for years and had published a Taki’s column documenting the problem in 2013. But I’m the kind of journalist who Trafficks in Racist Stereotypes (i.e., I don’t censor what I write based on Intersectional Who-Whom considerations).
Now, a half dozen years after the Rotherham Report, there’s another official report out, this one on Manchester.
From The Independent (UK):
Fears over race relations affected police probe into child sex grooming gang, report suggests Investigation identified 57 potential victims and 97 suspects in Manchester – but almost no action taken amid fears of inciting racial hatred Colin Drury @colin__drury
5 hours ago Dozens of teenage girls suspected of being groomed and abused in Manchester by gangs of men from Asian backgrounds were failed because police feared upsetting race relations, a new probe has suggested. Victims repeatedly alerted officers about sexual assaults, giving names and addresses of those involved, but, in almost all cases, no action was taken. Now, a bombshell report suggests Greater Manchester Police and the city council shelved an investigation into what was happening at least partially because of the “many sensitive community issues” they felt faced with. “Concerns were expressed about the risk of proactive tactics or the incitement of racial hatred,” the 145-page independent review states. And it adds: “The authorities knew that many [victims] were being subjected to the most profound abuse and exploitation but did not protect them from the perpetrators. This is a depressingly familiar picture and has been seen in many other towns and cities across the country.” The verdict forms part of the probe – carried out by childcare expert Malcolm Newsam and former Cambridgeshire Police detective Gary Ridgway – into how sexual child exploitation was dealt with in the city in the early and mid-2000s. It centres on Operation Augusta, which was set up in 2004 after the death of Victoria Agoglia, 15, a girl who reported being raped but who died from a suspected overdose soon after she alerted authorities to the abuse. Augusta subsequently identified at least 57 victims – mainly white girls aged from 12 to 16 – and some 97 potential suspects involved in grooming across the region. But senior officers at GMP under-resourced the investigation before closing it down completely with the backing of Manchester City Council. Only three people were convicted of related crimes at court. The force had, at that time, just finished dealing with unrelated cases involving the Kurdish community that had created severe tensions and officers were keen not to be seen targeting another minority group, it is suggested.
But in closing the investigation, the report states, “very few of the relevant perpetrators were brought to justice and neither were their activities disrupted”.
Diversity is our strength.
Question: The British newspapers all have the report, but is the reported posted online yet for the public to read?
[Comment at Unz.com]