buzzfeed--2020-06-18--DACA Recipients Are Shocked And Relieved After The Supreme Court Ruled Against Trump

`` The rush of relief I felt in that moment is indescribable and all I could do was cry to my parents .
We didn ’ t expect this decision at all . ''
For weeks , Juan Plascencia has kept a routine : He wakes up and checks the Supreme Court ’ s website to see if a decision has been made on whether he will continue to receive protection from deportation .
In those moments , Plascencia , a 29-year-old history teacher in Las Vegas , was anxious and nervous , but more than anything he just wanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision finally came , and Plascencia scrolled through the entire opinion before realizing the Supreme Court had found that the Trump administration violated federal law when it rescinded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) , an Obama-era program that shields immigrants brought to the US as children from deportation .
A flurry of emotions followed , including shock and amazement .
“ As a history teacher , I teach about days like this .
DACA is here to stay and our humanity is validated , '' Plascencia told BuzzFeed News .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't owe people a sob story to validate our humanity . ''
There were 649,070 active DACA recipients as of Dec. 31 , 2019 , the most recent data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services .
At the time , there were 25,980 people with pending DACA renewals .
Angel Fajardo , 25 , was caught off guard when the Supreme Court issued its opinion .
She had been bracing for a ruling against DACA .
However , the limbo she and other DACA recipients have been in is n't quite over .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ manner in which Trump tried to rescind DACA was incorrect , meaning he can still end the program if he follows the proper steps in the future .
`` It 's a relief that we know , '' Fajardo told BuzzFeed News .
`` But I 'm still not in an absolute happy state because I know that no matter what , if the administration wants to continue with their agenda , they 're going to move ahead no matter what and we need to be prepared for that . ''
Fajardo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Immigrant Youth Collective , has two young children and is worried about her family 's future in the US .
Still , she said this time around is n't as bad as 2017 when she was pregnant with her son and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the administration 's plans to end DACA .
`` I was having nightmares thinking about my baby .
I was scared about the possibility of being removed , '' Fajardo said .
`` Having been through that first moment , I was able to recollect myself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vanessa Meraz , 23 , of Washington , DC , said that while the anxiety of a potential DACA decision was constant over the past few months , the first-generation college graduate had a feeling today would be the day .
She hit refresh on the Supreme Court 's website at 10 a.m. and moments later released all the feelings she had been bottling up .
`` The rush of relief I felt in that moment is indescribable and all I could do was cry to my parents .
We didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
Marez immigrated to the US from Mexico with her parents when she was 3 years old .
`` The decision today was an enormous win for nearly 700,000 DACA recipients like me and our families , '' Marez said .
`` But there is still much work to do to ensure permanent protections for all undocumented folks in this country .
Cinthia Padilla , a DACA recipient who is preparing to take the bar exam this summer in Louisiana , also woke up on Thursday and kept refreshing the Supreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been a ruling on the future of a program that has protected thousands like her and given them work permits .
The 29-year-old who was brought to the US from Mexico when she was 1 , graduated from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in May , and said she felt revived , thankful , and optimistic when she read the ruling .
`` It 's a beautiful moment , '' Padilla told BuzzFeed News .
`` We beat Trump and I get to study for the bar in peace without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision had been made . ''
Padilla said she does n't know what Trump 's next plans are for DACA , but hopes that undocumented people like her will own the moment and tell their representatives how important the program is .
`` Trump is just one person in his party , '' Padilla said .
`` Hopefully this decision has signaled to him , yet again , that he will not be able to wield executive power without it being challenged . ''
Ivon Cardoza , a 24-year-old dental assistant in Dallas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when she first heard about DACA .
In the next few weeks , she expects to open her own boutique and graduate with a business degree in the fall .
“ My DACA was set to expire this year , and without this , I would have lost it all by September , ” Cardoza said .
“ I teared up hearing the news today .
”

On Thursday, the decision finally came, and Plascencia scrolled through the entire opinion before realizing the Supreme Court had found that the Trump administration violated federal law when it rescinded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama-era program that shields immigrants brought to the US as children from deportation. A flurry of emotions followed, including shock and amazement.
“As a history teacher, I teach about days like this. DACA is here to stay and our humanity is validated," Plascencia told BuzzFeed News. "We are humans. We don't owe people a sob story to validate our humanity."
There were 649,070 active DACA recipients as of Dec. 31, 2019, the most recent data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services. At the time, there were 25,980 people with pending DACA renewals.
Angel Fajardo, 25, was caught off guard when the Supreme Court issued its opinion. She had been bracing for a ruling against DACA. However, the limbo she and other DACA recipients have been in isn't quite over. Thursday's ruling only found that the manner in which Trump tried to rescind DACA was incorrect, meaning he can still end the program if he follows the proper steps in the future.
"It's a relief that we know," Fajardo told BuzzFeed News. "But I'm still not in an absolute happy state because I know that no matter what, if the administration wants to continue with their agenda, they're going to move ahead no matter what and we need to be prepared for that."
Fajardo, who is director of the Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective, has two young children and is worried about her family's future in the US. Still, she said this time around isn't as bad as 2017 when she was pregnant with her son and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the administration's plans to end DACA.
"I was having nightmares thinking about my baby. I was scared about the possibility of being removed," Fajardo said. "Having been through that first moment, I was able to recollect myself a bit more this time."


buzzfeed--2020-06-18--People In Brooklyn Were Setting Off Fireworks. Then Police Showed Up In Riot Gear.

Monday ’ s incident is a sign of the tension between police and the community after officers violently broke up peaceful protests around the city weeks before — and tension around gentrification in the community itself .
Just over two weeks after the NYPD violently suppressed peaceful protests around New York City , police early Monday morning responded to reports of illegal fireworks in a Brooklyn neighborhood with dozens of officers in riot gear — who blocked off a street , threatened anyone who was outside with arrest , and stormed inside an apartment building .
Fireworks aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though even lifelong residents say there have been a lot more this year .
What was alarming , those residents told BuzzFeed News , were the police helicopters circling overhead as officers — wearing helmets , shields , batons , body armor , and holding Tasers — pointed flashlights into apartment windows .
As residents watched nervously from their porches , some livestreamed the event from their phones .
Police took at least one person into custody , as captured by a cellphone video .
Monday ’ s response came as three dynamics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , seemed to converge : the genuine increase in the amount of fireworks , possibly out of solidarity with Black Lives Matter demonstrations ; police frequently rolling through the streets in riot gear after this month ’ s protests ; and people on Facebook , primarily white gentrifiers , complaining about the level of noise and demanding that the city responds .
“ The deployment of riot gear is a sign of a police department in total crisis that has no idea what they 're doing , and has completely lost any connection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a professor of sociology at Brooklyn College who wrote The End of Policing , told BuzzFeed News .
“ And this is going to just make tensions between the police and the public worse.
” The NYPD ’ s “ response , beyond just these fireworks is escalating so that someone 's gon na die over here this summer , ” Flatbush resident Brandice Taylor-Davis told BuzzFeed News .
There were 1,680 complaints about illegal fireworks in New York City between June 8 and June 15 , according to open data from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the equivalent period last year .
“ I 'm not denying that the fireworks are excessive and can be a nuisance , but they are nothing new , ” one lifelong Flatbush resident told BuzzFeed News .
“ I have lived in southern Brooklyn all my life , and it 's just a feature of summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day .
I would n't consider calling the cops , and I especially would n't given the current political climate.
” Some nights , fireworks are a part of everyday neighborhood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the police response , people on Ocean Avenue sang “ Happy Birthday ” to their friend after a few hours of setting them off .
But other times , fireworks have accompanied larger attitudes of resistance .
Imani Henry , an organizer at the community aid and anti-gentrification activist group Equality for Flatbush , told BuzzFeed News that he sees the increased amount of fireworks as a show of solidarity with Black Lives Matter protests that have been sweeping the city and the nation .
“ I was hit several times on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , referring to a protest on May 30 .
“ But then the fireworks went off right on Church and Bedford , and it really was this moment of power and resistance , because people have been beaten up and fighting the cops all day .
It lifted our spirits .
This was 10 or 11 at night , and it was beautiful.
” The fireworks on Ocean Avenue on Sunday evening started like most of the previous nights that weekend , soon after the sun went down .
But then , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , started to close off the street between Church Avenue and Caton Avenue at around 11:40 p.m. An off-duty police officer had called the police , the NYPD said .
Neighbors stood on their porches and fire escapes and watched , until about 12:30 a.m. , as officers twirled their batons and shone their flashlights at people .
Police huddled around a van , discussing whether they should approach a group of Black men standing outside their apartment building .
They seemed to suspect that these men were the people setting off illegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m not going in , ” he said .
“ One firework , and this whole thing is on fire .
[ We ’ d be ] sitting ducks.
” At 12:40 a.m. , about a dozen officers entered an apartment building .
As I captured it on video , one officer shone a flashlight at my camera , obscuring the footage .
Another officer walked up to me , holding a Taser , and said , “ You ’ re gon na end up getting hurt .
Back up.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson for the NYPD , said the officer in the video told BuzzFeed News to stay back because people were throwing fireworks at police .
BuzzFeed News , which was on the scene the whole night , never saw anyone throw fireworks at police .
When asked if the NYPD had any evidence to support the claim that people were throwing fireworks at police — like body camera footage , social media posts — the spokesperson did not respond .
At about 1 a.m. , police drove a van down Ocean Avenue , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the street has to disperse .
There have been illegal fireworks .
If you don ’ t disperse , you will be subject to arrest.
” McRorie told BuzzFeed News there were “ no arrests and the investigation is ongoing . ''
But in a video shared with Equality for Flatbush , which was taken at the corner of Church Avenue and Ocean Avenue that same night , one man in handcuffs can be seen entering a police car .
McRorie did not respond to BuzzFeed News ’ s request for clarification @ @ @ @ @ @ @ de Blasio enacted a curfew on June 2 , police officers around the city used it to violently attack and arrest people who were peacefully demonstrating .
Protesters were struck and pushed with batons , shoved to the ground , and handcuffed with force .
Even essential workers delivering food , whom de Blasio promised would be exempt , were arrested .
After the curfew ended on June 7 , police have continued to roughly handle and sometimes arrest protesters .
And to some Flatbush residents , like Soraya Palmer , an organizer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s response to the fireworks on June 15 was just the latest excuse to arrest Black and brown people .
She believes they are “ definitely retaliating the protests.
” “ I was at the protest the first Saturday where they had kettled people on Bedford and Tilden — they blocked off the protests and just started beating people with batons , pepper-spraying people , and terrorizing people who were peacefully protesting , ” she said .
“ I think that definitely , they are responding to the fact that they know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is up .
There 's less people that are publicly supporting them and defending them .
And I think that there have been extra-violent responses.
” Vitale also argued that the police are retaliating against protesters .
“ I think this is partially driven by that fact that there have been so many protests in Flatbush in the past two and a half weeks , ” he said .
“ This show of force can be understood as a counterprotest by the police.
” For some Flatbush residents , the show of police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t a surprise and was emblematic of growing tension in the community .
For years , they say , white gentrifiers have discussed their issues in the community , like noise complaints , in private Facebook Groups .
Palmer said gentrifiers have gathered on social media instead of engaging with their new community .
Two years ago , she said , she and several other activists of color raised concerns about posts in a Prospect Lefferts Garden Facebook Group , where people were complaining about local residents `` playing music , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” adding they wanted to call the police .
After these concerns were raised , she said , they were kicked out of the group .
“ You 're framing your neighbors as a problem — that 's not peaceful , and I think that 's still what the folks who created the page are not understanding , ” Palmer said .
“ A lot of them will say you do n't want people to get beaten by the cops .
And you might not consciously want that .
But you 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're going about it , that is what likely could happen.
” During the weekend leading up to Monday night , these posts reached a fever pitch .
On Thursday , Flatbush resident Irina Manta — a white woman who described herself as “ a law professor that moved to the neighborhood due to a serious noise nuisance in Manhattan '' — posted in the Facebook Group “ Ditmas Park , Brooklyn.
” She announced her intention to create a new group on the platform called “ Peaceful Ditmas Park , ” which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` working group '' to deal with the issue of fireworks in the area .
Dozens of people commented on the post , telling her that the neighborhood has `` always had fireworks.
” They said even so-called peaceful solutions like getting the city government involved would inevitably result in a police response that would put Black residents at risk .
`` YOU DO NOT OWN THE SIDEWALK .
YOU DO NOT OWN THE STREETS , '' one person commented .
`` People have a right to express themselves in different ways .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ group was based on agreeing both to follow the law and support others in that effort , '' Manta said in a comment posted to the new group .
`` The firework noise complaint is against the law and is an important reason this group was started . ''
In this new group , Manta posted a draft of a Change.org petition in which she encouraged de Blasio and several New York City council members to respond to the increase in fireworks in the area .
`` Essential workers , young children , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 or cancer often can not sleep until 4am , '' Manta wrote .
`` Not only is there a serious noise problem , but the fireworks have already caused fires and other risks to life and limb , and this will continue if left unchecked .
That is unacceptable . ''
The draft says the cosigners are `` vocal opponents of police brutality '' and `` urge that no harm come to the firework launchers . ''
Manta declined an interview , but told BuzzFeed News in a Facebook message that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the draft petition was never sent to any official , and any suggestion that I am responsible for the police coming is untrue.
” Brandice Taylor-Davis , who commented on Manta ’ s original post in the “ Ditmas Park , Brooklyn ” group , said she saw the petition and viewed it as gentrifiers rallying each other to call the police .
“ Calling 311 , writing letters , calling your assembly person — all of these things that you 're suggesting is just gon na get someone else to call the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you did n't directly call the police , but they 're gon na actually call them anyway , ” she said .
Taylor-Davis said she urged Manta to consider other solutions before petitioning the city or calling the police — like doing vigorous exercise before bed , using earplugs , speaking to her neighbors , or putting up flyers .
“ When she did n't accept my first round , she was like , ‘ Do you have any other suggestions ?
’ ” Taylor-Davis said .
“ She 's asking for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it seemed to me like she was asking just to be asking and not because she was actually interested in taking any of the suggestions.
” One woman commented on Manta ’ s post with the draft of the petition , and said she ( the person commenting ) had been calling the police regularly , and that she had ridden her bike to her local police precinct and urged them to act .
Another woman in the “ Ditmas Park , Brooklyn ” Facebook Group called the people using fireworks `` assholes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleging that they caused property damage to a concrete wall .
`` So no , I wo n't 'enjoy the show ' nor stop calling 911 , '' the woman wrote .
`` What 's next , something blasts through my nursery window and lands in my 1-year-old 's crib ?
My house catches fire ? ''
On Sunday night , Equality for Flatbush called out Manta on its Instagram page .
And after police swarmed on Flatbush on Sunday night , Manta deleted the new “ Peaceful Ditmas Park ” Facebook page @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hypothetically , white gentrifiers rallying one another to call the police counts as inciting violence .
The company declined to comment on the record , but pointed BuzzFeed News to its Violence and Incitement policy , which says the platform will take down posts that represent `` genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety . ''
When BuzzFeed News showed extracts from “ Ditmas Park , Brooklyn ” Facebook Group , Facebook declined to comment on the record .

McRorie told BuzzFeed News there were “no arrests and the investigation is ongoing." But in a video shared with Equality for Flatbush, which was taken in the same location that same night, one man in handcuffs can be seen entering a police car. McRorie did not respond to BuzzFeed News’s request for clarification.
When New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio enacted a curfew on June 2, police officers around the city used it to violently attack and arrest people who were peacefully demonstrating. Protesters were struck and pushed with batons, shoved to the ground, and handcuffed with force. Even essential workers delivering food, whom de Blasio promised would be exempt, were arrested.
After the curfew ended on June 7, police have continued to roughly handle and sometimes arrest protesters. And to some Flatbush residents, like Soraya Palmer, an organizer with Equality for Flatbush, the police’s response to the fireworks on June 15 was just the latest excuse to arrest Black and brown people. She believes they are “definitely retaliating the protests.”
“I was at the protest the first Saturday where they had kettled people on Bedford and Tilden — they blocked off the protests and just started beating people with batons, pepper-spraying people, and terrorizing people who were peacefully protesting,” she said. “I think that definitely, they are responding to the fact that they know, in some ways, the jig is up. There's less people that are publicly supporting them and defending them. And I think that there have been extra-violent responses.”
Vitale also argued that the police are retaliating against protesters. “I think this is partially driven by that fact that there have been so many protests in Flatbush in the past two and a half weeks,” he said. “This show of force can be understood as a counterprotest by the police.”
For some Flatbush residents, the show of police force on Sunday night and Monday morning wasn’t a surprise and was emblematic of growing tension in the community. For years, they say, white gentrifiers have discussed their issues in the community, like noise complaints, in private Facebook Groups.
Palmer said gentrifiers have gathered on social media instead of engaging with their new community. Two years ago, she said, she and several other activists of color raised concerns about posts in a Prospect Lefferts Garden Facebook Group, where people were complaining about local residents "playing music, or people 'loitering' or smoking weed,” adding they wanted to call the police. After these concerns were raised, she said, they were kicked out of the group.
“You're framing your neighbors as a problem — that's not peaceful, and I think that's still what the folks who created the page are not understanding,” Palmer said. “A lot of them will say you don't want people to get beaten by the cops. And you might not consciously want that. But you're not understanding that like the way you're going about it, that is what likely could happen.”
During the weekend leading up to Monday night, these posts reached a fever pitch. On Thursday, Flatbush resident Irina Manta — a white woman who described herself as “a law professor that moved to the neighborhood due to a serious noise nuisance in Manhattan" — posted in the Facebook Group “Ditmas Park, Brooklyn.”
She announced her intention to create a new group on the platform called “Peaceful Ditmas Park,” which she said was intended to be a "working group" to deal with the issue of fireworks in the area.
Dozens of people commented on the post, telling her that the neighborhood has "always had fireworks.” They said even so-called peaceful solutions like getting the city government involved would inevitably result in a police response that would put Black residents at risk.
"YOU DO NOT OWN THE SIDEWALK. YOU DO NOT OWN THE STREETS," one person commented. "People have a right to express themselves in different ways."
"Part of entrance to this group was based on agreeing both to follow the law and support others in that effort," Manta said in a comment posted to the new group. "The firework noise complaint is against the law and is an important reason this group was started."
In this new group, Manta posted a draft of a Change.org petition in which she encouraged de Blasio and several New York City council members to respond to the increase in fireworks in the area.
"Essential workers, young children, the elderly, and individuals sick with COVID-19 or cancer often cannot sleep until 4am," Manta wrote. "Not only is there a serious noise problem, but the fireworks have already caused fires and other risks to life and limb, and this will continue if left unchecked. That is unacceptable."
The draft says the cosigners are "vocal opponents of police brutality" and "urge that no harm come to the firework launchers."
Manta declined an interview, but told BuzzFeed News in a Facebook message that “I did not call the police, the draft petition was never sent to any official, and any suggestion that I am responsible for the police coming is untrue.”
Brandice Taylor-Davis, who commented on Manta’s original post in the “Ditmas Park, Brooklyn” group, said she saw the petition and viewed it as gentrifiers rallying each other to call the police.
“Calling 311, writing letters, calling your assembly person — all of these things that you're suggesting is just gonna get someone else to call the police so that you can feel like you didn't directly call the police, but they're gonna actually call them anyway,” she said.
Taylor-Davis said she urged Manta to consider other solutions before petitioning the city or calling the police — like doing vigorous exercise before bed, using earplugs, speaking to her neighbors, or putting up flyers.
“When she didn't accept my first round, she was like, ‘Do you have any other suggestions?’” Taylor-Davis said. “She's asking for the suggestions and labor from people. But it seemed to me like she was asking just to be asking and not because she was actually interested in taking any of the suggestions.”
One woman commented on Manta’s post with the draft of the petition, and said she (the person commenting) had been calling the police regularly, and that she had ridden her bike to her local police precinct and urged them to act.
Another woman in the “Ditmas Park, Brooklyn” Facebook Group called the people using fireworks "assholes" and "exceptionally dumb," alleging that they caused property damage to a concrete wall.
"So no, I won't 'enjoy the show' nor stop calling 911," the woman wrote. "What's next, something blasts through my nursery window and lands in my 1-year-old's crib? My house catches fire?"


buzzfeed--2020-06-19--Police Pulled Over Two Black Men For Having An Air Freshener In Their Car. A Court Ruled The Stop Wa

Police Pulled Over Two Black Men For Having An Air Freshener In Their Car. A Court Ruled The Stop Was Legitimate.

Still image from police body camera footage after Napoleon Jackson and Kittrell Freeman were pulled over in Chicago in September 2018 because of a hanging air freshener .
WASHINGTON — In September 2018 , Napoleon Jackson was driving a car in the South Side of Chicago .
Kittrell Freeman sat in the front passenger seat .
A police officer pulled Jackson over , and a later search of the car revealed a loaded rifle and two handguns .
But the officer didn ’ t know there were guns in the car when she stopped Jackson .
She did know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she ’ d run a license plate check after Jackson first passed her on the street .
Why did she pull him over ?
She ’ d seen a tree-shaped air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror .
Jackson and Freeman faced federal gun charges — they each had previous felony convictions that made it illegal for them to possess guns .
They argued their cases should be tossed out because the air freshener–based stop was unlawful .
Jackson was sentenced to nine months in prison .
Freeman is serving five years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruled the presence of the air freshener alone was enough to justify the stop .
Chicago ’ s municipal code prohibits objects that obstruct the windshield , and the officer had “ reasonable suspicion ” to think Jackson ’ s air freshener violated that law , the court found .
Laws that allow police to stop people for relatively minor infractions — especially when the people disproportionately affected are Black — are under scrutiny again after George Floyd was killed in police custody in Minneapolis last month .
Police officers had arrested Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was accused of trying to use a counterfeit $ 20 bill at a store .
Floyd was initially compliant , resisted being handcuffed , and then was compliant again , according to the criminal complaint filed against the police officer who used a knee chokehold to hold Floyd on the ground for nearly nine minutes .
The 7th Circuit ’ s decision was the latest in a long line of cases involving police stops and air fresheners .
Laws that prohibit anything that obstructs the view of a driver , similar to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States .
Defendants like Jackson and Freeman who ended up facing far more serious criminal charges after being stopped because of an air freshener have raised challenges to these police encounters in state and federal courts , with mixed success .
Research by the Stanford Open Policing Project found that Black and Latino drivers nationwide are stopped by police and have their cars searched at higher rates than white drivers .
A study released by the ACLU of Illinois in 2019 found that Black and Latino drivers who were stopped were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates than white drivers , even though data showed they weren ’ t any more likely to have contraband in their cars .
Other studies have found racial disparities specifically in traffic stops for minor , “ non-moving ” violations , a category that would likely include windshield obstructions .
Courts previously have accepted arguments that police used the presence of air fresheners as a pretext to stop Black and Latino drivers — in 2010 , a federal judge in Arkansas ruled that a police officer had engaged in a pattern of racially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the officer cited dangling air fresheners as a reason for making traffic stops .
A Minnesota appeals court in 1994 upheld a judge ’ s order dismissing a case where a police officer said he ’ d stopped a Black man driving a car at 3 a.m. because of a hanging air freshener .
There was no evidence the air freshener was blocking the man ’ s view , the appeals court found .
“ The trial court could legitimately find that in the absence of an objective legal reason , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air freshener as a pretext to stop Hardy because he was an African-American driving around shopping centers in the middle of the night , ” a Minnesota appeals judge wrote at the time .

WASHINGTON — In September 2018, Napoleon Jackson was driving a car in the South Side of Chicago. Kittrell Freeman sat in the front passenger seat. A police officer pulled Jackson over, and a later search of the car revealed a loaded rifle and two handguns.
But the officer didn’t know there were guns in the car when she stopped Jackson. She did know that the car wasn’t stolen; she’d run a license plate check after Jackson first passed her on the street. Why did she pull him over? She’d seen a tree-shaped air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror.
Jackson and Freeman faced federal gun charges — they each had previous felony convictions that made it illegal for them to possess guns. They argued their cases should be tossed out because the air freshener–based stop was unlawful. Jackson was sentenced to nine months in prison. Freeman is serving five years. On Wednesday, a federal appeals court ruled the presence of the air freshener alone was enough to justify the stop. Chicago’s municipal code prohibits objects that obstruct the windshield, and the officer had “reasonable suspicion” to think Jackson’s air freshener violated that law, the court found.
Laws that allow police to stop people for relatively minor infractions — especially when the people disproportionately affected are Black — are under scrutiny again after George Floyd was killed in police custody in Minneapolis last month. Police officers had arrested Floyd, a Black man, after he was accused of trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a store. Floyd was initially compliant, resisted being handcuffed, and then was compliant again, according to the criminal complaint filed against the police officer who used a knee chokehold to hold Floyd on the ground for nearly nine minutes.
The 7th Circuit’s decision was the latest in a long line of cases involving police stops and air fresheners. Laws that prohibit anything that obstructs the view of a driver, similar to the one in Chicago, are common across the United States. Defendants like Jackson and Freeman who ended up facing far more serious criminal charges after being stopped because of an air freshener have raised challenges to these police encounters in state and federal courts, with mixed success.
Research by the Stanford Open Policing Project found that Black and Latino drivers nationwide are stopped by police and have their cars searched at higher rates than white drivers. A study released by the ACLU of Illinois in 2019 found that Black and Latino drivers who were stopped were asked to consent to searches at higher rates than white drivers, even though data showed they weren’t any more likely to have contraband in their cars. Other studies have found racial disparities specifically in traffic stops for minor, “non-moving” violations, a category that would likely include windshield obstructions.
Courts previously have accepted arguments that police used the presence of air fresheners as a pretext to stop Black and Latino drivers — in 2010, a federal judge in Arkansas ruled that a police officer had engaged in a pattern of racially profiling Latino drivers, and noted instances when the officer cited dangling air fresheners as a reason for making traffic stops.
A Minnesota appeals court in 1994 upheld a judge’s order dismissing a case where a police officer said he’d stopped a Black man driving a car at 3 a.m. because of a hanging air freshener. There was no evidence the air freshener was blocking the man’s view, the appeals court found.
“The trial court could legitimately find that in the absence of an objective legal reason, the officer used the mere presence of the air freshener as a pretext to stop Hardy because he was an African-American driving around shopping centers in the middle of the night,” a Minnesota appeals judge wrote at the time.


buzzfeed--2020-06-19--Trump's Rally Brought A Crisis To Tulsa. Now The City Is Expecting Its Biggest Juneteenth Celebratio

Trump's Rally Brought A Crisis To Tulsa. Now The City Is Expecting Its Biggest Juneteenth Celebration Ever.

Thousands of people protest the police killings of George Floyd and other unarmed black people , in Tulsa , Oklahoma , on May 31 .
WASHINGTON — Members of a black nonprofit in Tulsa , Oklahoma , who had canceled its Juneteenth festival because of the coronavirus , are doubling down with a larger event after President Donald Trump announced he ’ d hold a MAGA rally there on the same day .
After Trump announced plans to hold a rally in Tulsa , the site of the 1921 Black Wall Street massacre , on Juneteenth , which commemorates the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the US , organizers are now expecting a crowd of 30,000 at the city ’ s Juneteenth festival , which will again be held outdoors .
Sherry Gamble Smith and Vanessa Hall Harper of Tulsa Juneteenth Inc. expanded the outdoor event in 2015 after a lull in the 2010s .
Each year more and more people have flooded the event to celebrate .
This year , the coronavirus upended plans for large gatherings , and the unpredictable global pandemic left Lindsey Corbitt , an event coordinator for Tulsa Juneteenth Inc. , doubtful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So the Tulsa Juneteenth Board of Directors postponed the festival until 2021 , breaking a tradition they had started four years earlier .
A month later , the president announced his rally for the same day and asked attendees to sign a waiver agreeing not to sue if they contract the coronavirus .
“ We felt very disrespected and a little hurt in that moment , ” Corbitt , 28 , told BuzzFeed News during a phone interview .
“ We thought so heavily about the process and knowing what circumstances COVID brings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump tweeted he would change the date to the 20th “ out of respect of this Holiday.
” ( “ I did something good : I made Juneteenth very famous , ” Trump told the Wall Street Journal Wednesday . )
“ For someone who does not respect our ideas , our concepts , our history , our culture — to bring other individuals that support him in not respecting us to our city was 100 % a slap in the face , ” Corbitt said .
“ So in order to combat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can , we decided that it 's a good idea to go ahead and celebrate who we are and what we do and rally for justice.
” More than a dozen Black Tulsa organizations collaborated to peacefully celebrate Juneteenth in the Greenwood District — the site of the 1921 massacre where white residents killed as many as 300 Black people and burned a thriving commercial Black-owned district .
As usual , Cajun and soul food vendors will share space with artists and entertainers outdoors on Greenwood Avenue for the Juneteenth celebration .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious tone ; this year ’ s theme is “ I , Too , Am America ” and Rev .
Al Sharpton will be a keynote speaker .
Tiffany Crutcher , the twin sister of Terence Crutcher , who was fatally shot by Tulsa police in 2016 , will also speak at the event .
A day later , just over a mile away , Trump will host a MAGA rally at the 19,100-seat BOK Center .
A spokesperson for the president tweeted that there ’ ve been 1 million tickets requests and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the arena have started lining up as early as Wednesday for the Saturday event .
In Tulsa , where only 10 % of the population is Black , Trump continues to draw criticism for holding a rally in the city .
During a moment when protesters are rallying nationwide against police brutality and systemic racism , some residents of Oklahoma think it ’ s just not the best time .
“ We ’ re no strangers to that kind of stuff , ” Democratic State Rep. Monroe Nichols told BuzzFeed News .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and energy around the issue of law enforcement in Tulsa .
Not just because of what happened in Minneapolis , but because of what ’ s happening in our own community .
We ’ ve dealt with that in my community for a very , very long time , not to mention the race massacre 99 years ago.
” Republican Gov .
Kevin Stitt told reporters on Wednesday that he has advised the president not to visit the Greenwood area during his trip to Tulsa because the needed security would disrupt Juneteenth events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state legislature , the warning to stay away was more of a rebuke of Trump ’ s presidency .
“ We ’ ve pushed back a lot on Trump visiting the Greenwood District because of his rhetoric and those types of things , ” Nichols said .
“ I don ’ t think it ’ s appropriate for him to be there .
… I did have some concern about security .
Because Donald Trump brings with him , you know , some folks who are kind of looking to mix it up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials advised against Trump ’ s indoor rally .
“ I ’ m concerned about our ability to protect anyone who attends a large , indoor event , and I ’ m also concerned about our ability to ensure the president stays safe as well , ” said Bruce Dart , Tulsa ’ s health department director , adding , “ I wish we could postpone this to a time when the virus isn ’ t as large a concern as it is today.
” The warning came amid Oklahoma ’ s recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nine states that has seen an uptick of 75 % or more COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days .
Whirlpool temporarily closed its Tulsa plant because of confirmed coronavirus cases among its employees a week ahead of the president ’ s visit .
Both the Trump campaign and Black event organizers say they ’ ll be distributing masks and hand sanitizer .
The Trump campaign said they ’ ll be taking attendees ’ temperatures and have added an outdoor stage to the event and Trump will speak at both the indoor and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Anthony Fauci , a member of the White House coronavirus task force , told the Daily Beast Tuesday “ outside is better than inside , no crowd is better than crowd , ” and “ crowd is better than big crowd ” when asked about Trump ’ s Tulsa rally and other large events and social distancing .
( Fauci said he personally would not attend . )

WASHINGTON — Members of a black nonprofit in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who had canceled its Juneteenth festival because of the coronavirus, are doubling down with a larger event after President Donald Trump announced he’d hold a MAGA rally there on the same day.
After Trump announced plans to hold a rally in Tulsa, the site of the 1921 Black Wall Street massacre, on Juneteenth, which commemorates the day the last enslaved person was freed in the US, organizers are now expecting a crowd of 30,000 at the city’s Juneteenth festival, which will again be held outdoors.
Sherry Gamble Smith and Vanessa Hall Harper of Tulsa Juneteenth Inc. expanded the outdoor event in 2015 after a lull in the 2010s. Each year more and more people have flooded the event to celebrate.
This year, the coronavirus upended plans for large gatherings, and the unpredictable global pandemic left Lindsey Corbitt, an event coordinator for Tulsa Juneteenth Inc., doubtful the state would reopen in time. So the Tulsa Juneteenth Board of Directors postponed the festival until 2021, breaking a tradition they had started four years earlier.
A month later, the president announced his rally for the same day and asked attendees to sign a waiver agreeing not to sue if they contract the coronavirus.
“We felt very disrespected and a little hurt in that moment,” Corbitt, 28, told BuzzFeed News during a phone interview. “We thought so heavily about the process and knowing what circumstances COVID brings to our citizens.”
Following backlash, Trump tweeted he would change the date to the 20th “out of respect of this Holiday.” (“I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous,” Trump told the Wall Street Journal Wednesday.)
“For someone who does not respect our ideas, our concepts, our history, our culture — to bring other individuals that support him in not respecting us to our city was 100% a slap in the face,” Corbitt said. “So in order to combat that in the most positive way that we can, we decided that it's a good idea to go ahead and celebrate who we are and what we do and rally for justice.”
More than a dozen Black Tulsa organizations collaborated to peacefully celebrate Juneteenth in the Greenwood District — the site of the 1921 massacre where white residents killed as many as 300 Black people and burned a thriving commercial Black-owned district. As usual, Cajun and soul food vendors will share space with artists and entertainers outdoors on Greenwood Avenue for the Juneteenth celebration. But the current environment commands a more serious tone; this year’s theme is “I, Too, Am America” and Rev. Al Sharpton will be a keynote speaker. Tiffany Crutcher, the twin sister of Terence Crutcher, who was fatally shot by Tulsa police in 2016, will also speak at the event.
A day later, just over a mile away, Trump will host a MAGA rally at the 19,100-seat BOK Center. A spokesperson for the president tweeted that there’ve been 1 million tickets requests and attendees looking to get a seat inside the arena have started lining up as early as Wednesday for the Saturday event.
In Tulsa, where only 10% of the population is Black, Trump continues to draw criticism for holding a rally in the city. During a moment when protesters are rallying nationwide against police brutality and systemic racism, some residents of Oklahoma think it’s just not the best time.
“We’re no strangers to that kind of stuff,” Democratic State Rep. Monroe Nichols told BuzzFeed News. “There’s a lot of activism and energy around the issue of law enforcement in Tulsa. Not just because of what happened in Minneapolis, but because of what’s happening in our own community. We’ve dealt with that in my community for a very, very long time, not to mention the race massacre 99 years ago.”
Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt told reporters on Wednesday that he has advised the president not to visit the Greenwood area during his trip to Tulsa because the needed security would disrupt Juneteenth events. But for Democrats in the Oklahoma state legislature, the warning to stay away was more of a rebuke of Trump’s presidency.
“We’ve pushed back a lot on Trump visiting the Greenwood District because of his rhetoric and those types of things,” Nichols said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for him to be there. … I did have some concern about security. Because Donald Trump brings with him, you know, some folks who are kind of looking to mix it up a bit.”
Last week local health officials advised against Trump’s indoor rally. “I’m concerned about our ability to protect anyone who attends a large, indoor event, and I’m also concerned about our ability to ensure the president stays safe as well,” said Bruce Dart, Tulsa’s health department director, adding, “I wish we could postpone this to a time when the virus isn’t as large a concern as it is today.”
The warning came amid Oklahoma’s recent spike in coronavirus cases — one of nine states that has seen an uptick of 75% or more COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days. Whirlpool temporarily closed its Tulsa plant because of confirmed coronavirus cases among its employees a week ahead of the president’s visit.
Both the Trump campaign and Black event organizers say they’ll be distributing masks and hand sanitizer. The Trump campaign said they’ll be taking attendees’ temperatures and have added an outdoor stage to the event and Trump will speak at both the indoor and outdoor events, according to Axios. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, told the Daily Beast Tuesday “outside is better than inside, no crowd is better than crowd,” and “crowd is better than big crowd” when asked about Trump’s Tulsa rally and other large events and social distancing. (Fauci said he personally would not attend.)


buzzfeed--2020-06-19--People In Brooklyn Were Setting Off Fireworks. Then Police Showed Up In Riot Gear.


buzzfeed--2020-06-19--Black Lives Matters Activists Say They're Being Silenced By Facebook

“ Every single one of them , at the same moment , was starting to get notifications from Instagram that any posts that had my name , that linked to my work , or even just had pictures of me had been flagged and taken down because they violated community standards , ” Doran , an Oakland-based anti-racism activist and educator , told BuzzFeed News .
Louiza Doran was leading an anti-racism workshop in Zoom on June 3 when she noticed the roughly 12 women participating were making strange faces .
Doran said Facebook prevented her account from going live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments — and it was n't the first time .
“ Black folks are talking about their experiences in this country right now , and they are systematically being silenced , ” she said .
A spokesperson for the social network told BuzzFeed News the action against Doran ’ s Facebook and Instagram accounts was temporary and unrelated to her content , saying a technical issue caused its automated systems to flag the URL of her personal site as spam .
“ The voices speaking out against racial injustice and systemic racism are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actively trying to elevate them , not silence them , ” said Joe Osborne , a Facebook spokesperson .
“ These examples were enforcement mistakes , and they were certainly not intentional.
” On Thursday , the company announced $ 200 million in additional funding to support Black-owned businesses and organizations , and said the Facebook app will add a section , called Lift Black Voices , to highlight stories from Black people .
Doran was unconvinced by the company ’ s explanation and deeply skeptical of its commitment to racial equality .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ choice but to continue using its products .
“ I 'm in a little bit of a heartbreaking catch-22 , ” she said .
Black Americans have long expressed frustration that Facebook wrongly flags or removes posts discussing racism or white supremacy .
That puts them in a difficult position .
Black activists who spoke to BuzzFeed News said they recognized the power of Facebook and Instagram to mobilize support and organize , but they did n't trust the company .
“ I do fundamentally believe that Facebook and now Instagram exist as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to uphold oppressive narratives and content of the farthest right ideologies , ” Doran said .
Facebook is “ asleep at the wheel , ” Brandi Collins-Dexter , senior campaign director at Color of Change , a nonprofit digital racial justice organization , told BuzzFeed News .
“ When you have a company that has been so reckless time and time again , you have millions of people that are impacted .
That has chilling impactions for free speech to actually be realized.
” Color of Change has collected hundreds of reports of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ removed or acted upon by Facebook in recent weeks .
“ We are reaching out on issues of racism and police violence time and time again and are being shut down , ” she said .
“ It does call into question who is making the decisions.
” One person who has raised concerns is Carolyn Wysinger , the board president of San Francisco Pride , whom USA Today featured in a 2019 article about Black activists on Facebook .
Since then , the social network has invited her to events focused on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one that brought Black online influencers together for a roundtable discussion .

Doran said Facebook prevented her account from going live and removed some of her posts and comments — and it wasn't the first time.
“Black folks are talking about their experiences in this country right now, and they are systematically being silenced,” she said.
A spokesperson for the social network told BuzzFeed News the action against Doran’s Facebook and Instagram accounts was temporary and unrelated to her content, saying a technical issue caused its automated systems to flag the URL of her personal site as spam.
“The voices speaking out against racial injustice and systemic racism are critical right now, and we are actively trying to elevate them, not silence them,” said Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesperson. “These examples were enforcement mistakes, and they were certainly not intentional.”
On Thursday, the company announced $200 million in additional funding to support Black-owned businesses and organizations, and said the Facebook app will add a section, called Lift Black Voices, to highlight stories from Black people.
Doran was unconvinced by the company’s explanation and deeply skeptical of its commitment to racial equality. But she also felt she had no choice but to continue using its products.
“I'm in a little bit of a heartbreaking catch-22,” she said.
Black Americans have long expressed frustration that Facebook wrongly flags or removes posts discussing racism or white supremacy. That puts them in a difficult position. Black activists who spoke to BuzzFeed News said they recognized the power of Facebook and Instagram to mobilize support and organize, but they didn't trust the company.
“I do fundamentally believe that Facebook and now Instagram exist as a tool of domination. They exist to uphold oppressive narratives and content of the farthest right ideologies,” Doran said.
Facebook is “asleep at the wheel,” Brandi Collins-Dexter, senior campaign director at Color of Change, a nonprofit digital racial justice organization, told BuzzFeed News. “When you have a company that has been so reckless time and time again, you have millions of people that are impacted. That has chilling impactions for free speech to actually be realized.”
Color of Change has collected hundreds of reports of Black Lives Matter and anti-racist content being removed or acted upon by Facebook in recent weeks. “We are reaching out on issues of racism and police violence time and time again and are being shut down,” she said. “It does call into question who is making the decisions.”
One person who has raised concerns is Carolyn Wysinger, the board president of San Francisco Pride, whom USA Today featured in a 2019 article about Black activists on Facebook. Since then, the social network has invited her to events focused on civil rights and content moderation, including one that brought Black online influencers together for a roundtable discussion.


buzzfeed--2020-06-19--DACA Recipients Are Shocked And Relieved After The Supreme Court Ruled Against Trump


buzzfeed--2020-06-19--Find The Police And Military Planes That Monitored The Protests In Your City With These Maps

As protests against police brutality ramped up across the nation , aircraft operated by law enforcement and the National Guard were flying overhead .
As crowds protesting police brutality swelled in cities across the United States this weekend , law enforcement agencies and the National Guard took to the skies — watching from hundreds of helicopters and planes circling overhead .
Surveillance planes are always in action over the nation .
To give an overview of the airborne response to the current civil unrest , we mapped flights by local police , state and federal law enforcement , and military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday , May 29 , to 7 p.m. Central Time on Sunday , May 31 .
The locations of large demonstrations coincided with the most intense aircraft activity .
We identified law enforcement aircraft from information on their operators in the Federal Aviation Administration ’ s registration database and tracked them using signals from the planes ’ transponders compiled at the crowdsourced flight-tracking website ADS-B Exchange .
( We assumed planes registered to cities or counties were used for law enforcement unless the registration information identified them as dedicated to another purpose , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Unlike commercial sites , ADS-B Exchange doesn ’ t follow requests to block aircraft from being tracked , so it can give a more complete picture of surveillance activity .
It also flags aircraft operated by the US military , including National Guard units , so we recorded all military flights over the nation .
Most were not over major cities , but some military helicopters did fly over the protests .
In the maps below , click or tap on any flight path for more information on the aircraft involved .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ George Floyd was killed while in police custody on May 25 .
In addition to helicopters operated by the Minnesota State Patrol , we detected two military Black Hawk helicopters over Minneapolis that the state ’ s National Guard confirmed were its aircraft .
These circled above the most intense clashes between protesters and police .
“ Currently we are performing incident awareness and assessment observations in conjunction with civilian law enforcement , ” Minnesota National Guard spokesperson Blair Heusdens told BuzzFeed News by email .
Huesdens denied that the helicopters were collecting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a prohibited activity for the National Guard .
He stressed the Black Hawks ’ role in monitoring the safety of National Guard personnel and the public .
“ As long as Minnesota Guardsmen are performing important , and potentially dangerous missions we will use any asset available to keep them safe , ” Heusdens said .
Like most law enforcement aircraft , the Minnesota State Patrol helicopters that circled the protests are equipped for surveillance .
They have high-resolution optical and infrared cameras that can monitor activity at night and transmit video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ microwave downlink system .
The state patrol ’ s pilots are trained to fly wearing night vision goggles .
The FBI , the Department of Homeland Security , and the Drug Enforcement Administration each have substantial fleets of surveillance aircraft .
Federal planes can be called in to assist local law enforcement ; FBI planes flew over the protests in Ferguson , Missouri , in August 2014 after police shot Michael Brown , and in Baltimore in April 2015 after Freddie Gray died in police custody .
ADS-B Exchange captured only 26 FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday to Sunday .
BuzzFeed News previously found that the FBI and DHS surveillance planes are typically much less active over the weekend .
But a Predator drone operated by Customs and Border Protection , part of DHS , was spotted by investigative reporter Jason Paladino of the Project on Government Oversight flying around Minneapolis in a hexagonal pattern earlier on Friday .
The drone was “ preparing to provide live video to aid in situational awareness at the request of our federal law enforcement partners in Minneapolis , ” the agency told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Bell 412 helicopter operated by the US Park Police , part of the Interior Department , circled the White House .
The park police also had officers on the ground around the White House , together with Secret Service agents and DC metro police , where they clashed with protesters .
The maps here show a snapshot of activity in what is a rapidly escalating situation — especially after President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to unleash the military on protesters if the unrest was not quickly brought under control .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were seen over Washington , DC , hovering at very low altitude directly over crowds in what appeared to be a hazardous show of force .
Lakotas are generally used for disaster response , medical evacuation , and homeland security missions .
They are used by the US Army and the National Guard .
On Tuesday , the DC National Guard responded on Twitter to concerns about the incident , saying it had “ directed an investigation into the actions of our rotary aviation assets .
”

As crowds protesting police brutality swelled in cities across the United States this weekend, law enforcement agencies and the National Guard took to the skies — watching from hundreds of helicopters and planes circling overhead.
Surveillance planes are always in action over the nation. To give an overview of the airborne response to the current civil unrest, we mapped flights by local police, state and federal law enforcement, and military planes from 7 p.m. Central Time on Friday, May 29, to 7 p.m. Central Time on Sunday, May 31. The locations of large demonstrations coincided with the most intense aircraft activity.
We identified law enforcement aircraft from information on their operators in the Federal Aviation Administration’s registration database and tracked them using signals from the planes’ transponders compiled at the crowdsourced flight-tracking website ADS-B Exchange. (We assumed planes registered to cities or counties were used for law enforcement unless the registration information identified them as dedicated to another purpose, such as a city fire department.)
Unlike commercial sites, ADS-B Exchange doesn’t follow requests to block aircraft from being tracked, so it can give a more complete picture of surveillance activity. It also flags aircraft operated by the US military, including National Guard units, so we recorded all military flights over the nation. Most were not over major cities, but some military helicopters did fly over the protests.
In the maps below, click or tap on any flight path for more information on the aircraft involved.
Minneapolis


buzzfeed--2020-06-20--Police Pulled Over Two Black Men For Having An Air Freshener In Their Car. A Court Ruled The Stop Wa


buzzfeed--2020-06-20--Facebook Removed Trump Campaign Ads That Invoked Nazi Symbols

But one lawmaker had more tough questions for the company .
In a House Intelligence hearing Thursday , Nathaniel Gleicher , Facebook 's head of cybersecurity , addressed President Donald Trump 's campaign ads that used an upside-down red triangle reminiscent of a Nazi symbol alongside fearful messaging about anti-fascism activists .
“ What sanctions will you take against the Trump campaign ?
” Rep. Eric Swalwell asked .
“ Because this is not the first time an ad has been taken down .
I believe it ’ s the third time.
” On Thursday , Facebook removed the ad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Nazis used a red triangle to mark prisoners in concentration camps .
Kandy Zabka , a Texas-based cyber strategist and owner of Komfort Linux , said that she reported the Trump campaign page on Wednesday after seeing the same red triangle ad that Facebook eventually took down .
Zabka ’ s report was reviewed and Facebook initially determined that it doesn ’ t go against community standards , according to screenshots provided to BuzzFeed News .
The report was updated Thursday afternoon to say that the offending piece of content was removed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
As it came under fire , the Trump campaign defended its use of the image , saying on Twitter that the triangle was both an emoji and a “ symbol widely used by Antifa.
” The campaign posted an image of an upside-down red triangle with the words “ antifa ” scrawled across it as proof .
But when NBC reporter Brandy Zadrozny , unable to find it through both regular and reverse-image searches , asked for the source of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obscure T-shirt store purportedly run by a man in Spain .
As the removal was unfolding , representatives from Facebook , Google , and Twitter were testifying before the House Committee on Intelligence , which was holding a hearing on election security .
Toward the end of the hearing , Rep. Swalwell , a Democrat from California , asked Gleicher about Facebook ’ s removal of the ads .
Gleicher repeated Facebook ’ s statement on hate symbols not being allowed on the platform , saying the company made an exception for discussion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to allow someone to put up a symbol to condemn it or to discuss it , but in a situation where we do n't see either of those we don ’ t allow it on the platform and we will remove it , ” Gleicher said .
“ That ’ s what we saw in this case in this ad , and anywhere this symbol is used we will take the same action .
So we ’ ll be consistent in enforcing wherever either our systems identify those symbols and as you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this we get it within our system so we can look for other instances where it might appear .
So we can find and remove it automatically.
” Swalwell also asked how many symbols a campaign would have to use before its page and account are removed from the platform .
Gleicher was unable to respond , saying his focus is not on ad policies , but pledged to follow up .
Facebook has previously removed an ad from the Trump campaign asking “ Should we deport illegals ?
” because it used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ads in March for violating policies around misleading content about the US census after initially allowing them to run .

In a House Intelligence hearing Thursday, Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity, addressed President Donald Trump's campaign ads that used an upside-down red triangle reminiscent of a Nazi symbol alongside fearful messaging about anti-fascism activists.
“What sanctions will you take against the Trump campaign?” Rep. Eric Swalwell asked. “Because this is not the first time an ad has been taken down. I believe it’s the third time.”
On Thursday, Facebook removed the ad after the Washington Post pointed out that the Nazis used a red triangle to mark prisoners in concentration camps.
Kandy Zabka, a Texas-based cyber strategist and owner of Komfort Linux, said that she reported the Trump campaign page on Wednesday after seeing the same red triangle ad that Facebook eventually took down.
Zabka’s report was reviewed and Facebook initially determined that it doesn’t go against community standards, according to screenshots provided to BuzzFeed News. The report was updated Thursday afternoon to say that the offending piece of content was removed, but the page remained intact. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


buzzfeed--2020-06-20--Trump's Rally Brought A Crisis To Tulsa. Now The City Is Expecting Its Biggest Juneteenth Celebratio


buzzfeed--2020-06-20--Trump Tried To Quietly Replace A Prosecutor Taking Aim At His Allies. It’s Not The First Time That B

Trump Tried To Quietly Replace A Prosecutor Taking Aim At His Allies. It’s Not The First Time That Backfired.

“ I learned in a press release from the Attorney General that I was ‘ stepping down ’ as United States Attorney .
I have not resigned , and have no intention of resigning , my position , to which I was appointed by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York , ” Berman said .
“ I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate.
” This was all apparently news to Berman .
Two hours after Barr ’ s statement went out , the Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office posted a statement from Berman saying he wasn ’ t going anywhere .
Late Friday night , Barr announced Trump had chosen a new nominee to serve as US attorney for the Southern District of New York , one of the most powerful federal prosecutor offices in the country .
Berman was “ stepping down , ” Barr said , and he thanked Berman for his “ tenacity and savvy ” in leading the office since 2018 .
The nearly-daylong standoff marked the second time now that Trump has failed trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quietly step aside .
`` I know that under her leadership , the Office 's unparalleled AUSAs , investigators , paralegals , and staff will continue to safeguard the Southern District 's enduring tradition of integrity and independence , '' he said .
Berman said in a statement that he decided to step down following Barr 's `` decision to respect the normal operation of law and have Deputy US Attorney Audrey Strauss become Acting US Attorney . ''
WASHINGTON — US attorney Geoffrey Berman said Saturday evening that he will leave his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dramatic standoff with Attorney General Bill Barr , who first announced that Berman was `` stepping down '' Friday , then later said President Donald Trump had fired him for refusing to leave his post .
Berman has been serving as US attorney since he was appointed on an “ interim ” basis by then-attorney general Jeff Sessions in January 2018 , and by court appointment since April 2018 .
Barr ’ s statement on Friday did not specify why Trump decided to replace Berman now .
His office is prosecuting former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign finance violations and is reportedly investigating Giuliani ’ s activities as well .
The office also subpoenaed the committee that managed Trump ’ s inauguration festivities in 2016 and has brought charges out of that investigation .
On Saturday , the Justice Department released a letter that Barr sent notifying Berman that Trump had officially fired him at Barr 's request , rejecting any argument by Berman that his judicial appointment meant he could n't be removed from office until there was a Senate-confirmed successor .
Barr wrote that he was `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's statement on Friday night , and referenced earlier discussions he said they had about Berman staying on in the Justice Department or moving to another role in the administration .
`` Unfortunately , with your statement of last night , you have chosen public spectacle over public service , '' Barr wrote .
`` Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning , I have asked the President to remove you as of today , and he has done so . ''
Speaking to reporters on Saturday , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to Barr and that he was `` not involved . ''
In his statement on Friday night , Berman had concluded by saying that he intended `` to ensure that this Office 's important cases continue unimpeded . ''
Barr on Saturday bristled at what he saw as a suggestion by Berman that he needed to stay to make sure cases were appropriately handled .
`` This is obviously false .
I fully expect that the office will continue to handle all cases in the normal course and pursuant to the Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and guidance , '' Barr wrote , adding that if any supervisors in New York had concerns about `` improper interference '' with a case , they should submit a report to the department 's inspector general .
The late-night back-and-forth over Berman ’ s seat echoed the Friday in March 2017 when Sessions and Trump ousted nearly all of the remaining Obama-appointed US attorneys nationwide .
Most of the US attorneys agreed to submit their resignations at Sessions ’ request , but not Preet Bharara , the US attorney in Manhattan at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bharara tweeted that he had refused to resign , and forced the Trump administration to fire him .
The fight over who runs the Manhattan US attorney ’ s office was the latest legal mess to come out of the Trump administration ’ s pattern of shattering norms in how the president and administration officials fill high-level executive branch jobs .
And it ’ s another complication of Trump ’ s decision not to fill vacancies with Senate-confirmed appointees .
It ’ s not clear what would have happened if Berman refused to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in court , which would lead to a rare public airing of intra-Justice Department politics and grievances .
But it was likely to create confusion about the legitimacy of actions taken by federal prosecutors in Manhattan acting under Berman ’ s authority , had he not stepped down Saturday .
Trump never installed a Senate-confirmed US attorney in New York after ousting Bharara in 2017 , leading to the murky position that Berman was in .
Had the dispute over Berman ’ s job landed in court , it wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to defend his appointments .
In March 2020 , a federal judge in Washington , DC , ruled that Trump ’ s appointment of Ken Cuccinelli as acting head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services was unlawful , and the judge blocked several immigration policies that Cuccinelli had signed off on .
Senate Democrats and other groups took the Trump administration to court over Trump ’ s appointment of Matthew Whitaker to serve as acting attorney general after Trump fired Jeff Sessions .
But Barr was confirmed and Whitaker left before a court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whitaker ’ s appointment — which bucked the standard process for temporarily filling a cabinet-level vacancy — was lawful .
Barr initially said Friday that Trump would nominate Jay Clayton , the current head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission , to take over for Berman .
Clayton has never served as a federal prosecutor , which is unusual for a US attorney nominee .
Before Clayton 's confirmation , the US Attorney for New Jersey , Craig Carpenito , would temporarily lead the Southern District starting July 3 , Barr said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not confirmed by the Senate and has been serving by court appointment since April 2018 .
In Barr 's letter to Berman on Saturday , though , Barr said that Strauss , the Deputy US Attorney in New York , would take over as acting US attorney now that Berman had been fired by Trump .
Notably , one of the jobs that Barr said he had discussed with Berman was taking over for Clayton as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission ; the other position Barr said the two men discussed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Civil Division .
Trump ’ s attempt to replace Berman with a US attorney of his choice was further complicated by the fact that the Senate Judiciary Committee traditionally has waited to act on US attorney nominees unless they have the backing of their home state senators ; senators submit what are known as “ blue slips ” to signal approval .
This would have potentially given the Democratic senators from New York — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — power to hold up Clayton ’ s nomination .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clayton to withdraw from consideration for the US attorney post and for the Justice Department ’ s inspector general to investigate .
Senate Republicans have moved forward on Trump ’ s nominees for federal appeals court seats without blue slips over objection from Democrats who protested that it was a break in tradition , but Committee Chair Lindsey Graham released a statement on Saturday saying he would continue to honor the practice for US attorneys .
“ I have not been contacted by the administration in this regard .
However , I know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fine man and accomplished lawyer , ” Graham said .
“ As to processing U.S. Attorney nominations , it has always been the policy of the Judiciary Committee to receive blue slips from the home state senators before proceeding to the nomination .
As chairman , I have honored that policy and will continue to do so.
” Trump never nominated a US attorney to replace Bharara .
Instead , Sessions announced in January 2018 that he had appointed Berman as “ interim ” US attorney .
Under federal law , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , but there are limits — an “ interim ” appointment expires either when a presidentially-appointed official is confirmed by the Senate , or after 120 days .
If the 120-day period runs out and there ’ s no Senate-confirmed official , the federal district court for that US attorney office can appoint a US attorney .
Federal law says that a court-appointed US attorney — like Berman — serves “ until the vacancy is filled.
” Meanwhile , a separate section of the US Code that lays out the process for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Each United States attorney is subject to removal by the President.
” Berman appeared to disagree with Barr and Trump about how these two provisions work together .
Berman ’ s statement on Friday night made clear that he believes the president can ’ t remove a court-appointed US attorney , and that only a Senate-confirmed official can take his place .

Berman had been serving as US attorney since he was appointed on an “interim” basis by then–attorney general Jeff Sessions in January 2018, and by court appointment since April 2018. Barr’s statement on Friday did not specify why Trump decided to replace Berman now. His office is prosecuting former associates of Trump ally Rudy Giuliani for campaign finance violations and is reportedly investigating Giuliani’s activities as well. The office also subpoenaed the committee that managed Trump’s inauguration festivities in 2016 and has brought charges out of that investigation.
On Saturday, the Justice Department released a letter that Barr had sent notifying Berman that Trump had officially fired him at Barr's request, rejecting any argument by Berman that his judicial appointment meant he couldn't be removed from office until there was a Senate-confirmed successor. Barr wrote that he was "surprised and quite disappointed" by Berman's statement on Friday night, and referenced earlier discussions he said they had had about Berman staying on in the Justice Department or moving to another role in the administration.
"Unfortunately, with your statement of last night, you have chosen public spectacle over public service," Barr wrote. "Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so."
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Trump said the decision to remove Berman was up to Barr and that he was "not involved."
In his statement on Friday night, Berman had concluded by saying that he intended "to ensure that this Office's important cases continue unimpeded." Barr on Saturday bristled at what he saw as a suggestion by Berman that he needed to stay to make sure cases were appropriately handled.
"This is obviously false. I fully expect that the office will continue to handle all cases in the normal course and pursuant to the Department’s applicable standards, policies, and guidance," Barr wrote, adding that if any supervisors in New York had concerns about "improper interference" with a case, they should submit a report to the department's inspector general.
The late-night back-and-forth over Berman’s seat echoed the Friday in March 2017 when Sessions and Trump ousted nearly all of the remaining Obama-appointed US attorneys nationwide. Most of the US attorneys agreed to submit their resignations at Sessions’ request, but not Preet Bharara, the US attorney in Manhattan at the time. The next day, Bharara tweeted that he had refused to resign, and forced the Trump administration to fire him.
The fight over who runs the Manhattan US attorney’s office was the latest legal mess to come out of the Trump administration’s pattern of shattering norms in how the president and administration officials fill high-level executive branch jobs. And it’s another complication of Trump’s decision not to fill vacancies with Senate-confirmed appointees.
It’s not clear what would have happened if Berman refused to leave. The fight could have ended up in court, which would lead to a rare public airing of intra–Justice Department politics and grievances. But it was likely to create confusion about the legitimacy of actions taken by federal prosecutors in Manhattan acting under Berman’s authority, had he not stepped down Saturday.
Trump never installed a Senate-confirmed US attorney in New York after ousting Bharara in 2017, leading to the murky position that Berman was in.
Had the dispute over Berman’s job landed in court, it wouldn’t have been the first time Trump had to defend his appointments. In March 2020, a federal judge in Washington, DC, ruled that Trump’s appointment of Ken Cuccinelli as acting head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services was unlawful, and the judge blocked several immigration policies that Cuccinelli had signed off on.
Senate Democrats and other groups took the Trump administration to court over Trump’s appointment of Matthew Whitaker to serve as acting attorney general after Trump fired Jeff Sessions. But Barr was confirmed and Whitaker left before a court could rule on the merits of whether Whitaker’s appointment — which bucked the standard process for temporarily filling a cabinet-level vacancy — was lawful.
Barr initially said Friday that Trump would nominate Jay Clayton, the current head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, to take over for Berman. Clayton has never served as a federal prosecutor, which is unusual for a US attorney nominee. Before Clayton's confirmation, the US attorney for New Jersey, Craig Carpenito, would temporarily lead the Southern District starting July 3, Barr said — Carpenito, like Berman, was not confirmed by the Senate and has been serving by court appointment since April 2018.
In Barr's letter to Berman on Saturday, though, Barr said that Strauss, the deputy US attorney in New York, would take over as acting US attorney now that Berman had been fired by Trump. Notably, one of the jobs that Barr said he had discussed with Berman was taking over for Clayton as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission; the other position Barr said the two men discussed was head of the Justice Department's Civil Division.
Trump’s attempt to replace Berman with a US attorney of his choice was further complicated by the fact that the Senate Judiciary Committee traditionally has waited to act on US attorney nominees unless they have the backing of their home state senators; senators submit what are known as “blue slips” to signal approval. This would have potentially given the Democratic senators from New York — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — power to hold up Clayton’s nomination.
Schumer also released a statement calling on Clayton to withdraw from consideration for the US attorney post and for the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate.
Senate Republicans have moved forward on Trump’s nominees for federal appeals court seats without blue slips over objection from Democrats who protested that it was a break in tradition, but Committee Chair Lindsey Graham released a statement on Saturday saying he would continue to honor the practice for US attorneys.
“I have not been contacted by the administration in this regard. However, I know Mr. Clayton and believe him to be a fine man and accomplished lawyer,” Graham said. “As to processing U.S. Attorney nominations, it has always been the policy of the Judiciary Committee to receive blue slips from the home state senators before proceeding to the nomination. As chairman, I have honored that policy and will continue to do so.”
Trump never nominated a US attorney to replace Bharara. Instead, Sessions announced in January 2018 that he had appointed Berman as “interim” US attorney. Under federal law, the attorney general has the power to do this, but there are limits — an “interim” appointment expires either when a presidentially appointed official is confirmed by the Senate, or after 120 days.
If the 120-day period runs out and there’s no Senate-confirmed official, the federal district court for that US attorney office can appoint a US attorney. Federal law says that a court-appointed US attorney — like Berman — serves “until the vacancy is filled.” Meanwhile, a separate section of the US Code that lays out the process for presidentially appointed US attorneys states, “Each United States attorney is subject to removal by the President.”
Berman appeared to disagree with Barr and Trump about how these two provisions work together. Berman’s statement on Friday night made clear that he believes the president can’t remove a court-appointed US attorney, and that only a Senate-confirmed official can take his place.


buzzfeed--2020-06-20--The FBI Used Its Most Advanced Spy Plane To Watch Black Lives Matter Protests

The aircraft is normally used to provide surveillance for big federal drug and gang busts — but flew over the Black Lives Matter protests in DC earlier this month , as well as over Baltimore during the Freddie Gray protests .
Shortly before 11 p.m. on Monday , June 1 , just hours after federal police used tear gas and batons to clear protesters from the front of the White House for President Donald Trump ’ s Bible-wielding photo op , a Cessna Citation jet took off from Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia .
Until about 1.30 a.m. , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington , DC , surveilling the protests , flight tracking records show .
The aircraft is a one-of-a-kind spy plane operated by the FBI , fitted with sophisticated cameras for long-range , persistent video surveillance , day or night .
It repeated its late-night circling around the city as protests continued the following two nights , and made a shorter flight on June 6 .
Normally , this elite spy plane is deployed for some of the FBI ’ s most important surveillance missions , providing eyes in the sky when federal agents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But this isn ’ t the first time it has flown over Black Lives Matter protests : A BuzzFeed News review of flight tracking records has established that the same aircraft circled above Baltimore in April and May of 2015 , during the unrest that followed the death of Freddie Gray from severe injuries sustained in police custody .
FBI surveillance of protests , even if they happen after a curfew has been declared , is controversial because the agency says it does not monitor activity protected by the First Amendment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ documented that a number of federal agencies wildly overreacted to protests in DC in deeply troubling ways , ” Nathan Freed Wessler , an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union ’ s Project on Speech , Privacy , and Technology , told BuzzFeed News .
“ To learn that the FBI deployed its state-of-the art surveillance plane to watch these historic protests raises additional troubling questions.
” The FBI has a fleet of more than 120 surveillance aircraft , covertly registered to fictitious companies .
In 2016 , BuzzFeed News analyzed more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planes .
“ It should come as no surprise that the FBI uses planes to follow terrorists , spies , and serious criminals , ” said then–deputy director Mark Giuliano in June 2015 , in a rare public statement on the agency ’ s aviation program .
“ We have an obligation to follow those people who want to hurt our country and its citizens , and we will continue to do so . ''
The vast majority of the FBI ’ s planes are small , propeller-driven Cessnas , according to Federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s front companies .
The jet that flew over BLM protests is the only aircraft of its type operated by known FBI fronts .
It is registered to the National Aircraft Leasing Corporation , identified as an FBI alias in the 2012 book Intel Wars , an analysis of the “ war on terror ” written by the former intelligence analyst Matthew Aid .
The address given on the plane ’ s registration documents is a UPS Store in Greenville , Delaware .
Other FAA documents , submitted to verify that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how it has been outfitted for advanced surveillance .
It was fitted with video cameras in 2006 , by a company called Alpha Research & Technology .
Photos on the firm ’ s website show the plane and the two-person , three-screen console used to control its surveillance cameras from inside the main cabin .
The plane now carries a Wescam MX-20 steerable camera turret , described by its manufacturer as ideal for high-altitude , persistent surveillance .
It can monitor targets day and night , see through haze , and provide infrared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less capable cameras requiring the aircraft to fly at altitudes of around 5,000 feet , where they would more easily be spotted from the ground .
Those planes watch suspects in FBI investigations in the same region as their home airport .
The Citation jet , by contrast , is deployed across the entire nation , and often circles its targets at altitudes of 15,000 feet or more .
During the flights above Washington , DC , in early June , it flew at between 13,000 and 17,500 feet .
BuzzFeed News obtained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to the start of 2015 from the website Flightradar24 , linking several of its flights to high-profile raids on drug traffickers and violent gangs .
These included major drug trafficking busts in Puerto Rico in 2018 and 2019 , drug and money laundering arrests in northern Alabama in October 2019 , and the capture of members of prisoner-led gangs in Woodland , Northern California , in February 2018 .
But the plane ’ s recent outing above DC is not the first time it has watched BLM protests .
In May 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cessna Citation had circled above Baltimore during the unrest triggered by the death of Freddie Gray .
An FBI propeller-driven Cessna was also tracked circling over the city at that time .
Through a Freedom of Information request to the FBI , the ACLU later obtained flight and evidence logs from the agency ’ s flights over Baltimore , plus video surveillance footage recorded by its planes .
In 2015 , the FBI Cessna Citation ’ s identity was masked on public flight tracking websites , but from the Flightradar24 data BuzzFeed News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that flew over the BLM protests in DC in June following George Floyd 's death also conducted surveillance in Baltimore after Freddie Gray was killed .
Although there had been violent clashes and looting in the days before the FBI planes were deployed above Baltimore , more than 18 hours of video footage subsequently released by the agency showed peaceful marches and people moving around on the streets at night .
In 2015 , the Baltimore Police Department asked for the FBI ’ s help in monitoring unrest in the city .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not request the flights above the nation ’ s capital in early June .
“ MPD did not request FBI aerial support , ” department spokesperson Alaina Gertz told BuzzFeed News by email .
The surveillance flights over DC began the day after another branch of the Department of Justice , the Drug Enforcement Administration , was given the authority to “ conduct covert surveillance ” and collect intelligence on people protesting the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police .
The FBI can also equip its planes with devices called cell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and can be used to locate and track people via their phones .
But Heath Hardman , a lawyer who used to operate similar devices for the US Marine Corps , could find no evidence of antennas that would be used for this purpose in the FAA documents for the Citation jet , and said that a plane tracking phones would be unlikely to fly so high .
“ You want to be as low as you can without being detected , ” he told BuzzFeed News .
The FBI declined to answer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence collected by the plane , and whether it conducted any forms of surveillance other than video monitoring .
“ The FBI is supporting our state , local , and federal law enforcement partners with maintaining public safety in the communities we serve , ” the agency responded in a written statement .
“ Our efforts are focused on identifying , investigating , and disrupting individuals that are inciting violence and engaging in criminal activity .
The FBI respects those who are exercising their First Amendment rights , including the right to peacefully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cessna jet wasn ’ t the only sophisticated government spy plane to fly over DC in early June .
On June 3 and 4 , an RC-26 surveillance aircraft operated by the Air National Guard flew in tighter circles at altitudes of less than 7,000 feet .
These planes , like the FBI ’ s jet , are commonly used in counter–drug trafficking operations .
The Air National Guard told Air Force magazine that these flights were “ responding to a District of Columbia National Guard request to provide airborne situational awareness of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within the District.
” The Air Force Inspector General is now investigating whether this aircraft improperly monitored protesters , the New York Times reported on June 18 .
“ It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time due to the ongoing nature of the investigation , ” National Guard spokesperson Wayne Hall told BuzzFeed News by email .

Normally, this elite spy plane is deployed for some of the FBI’s most important surveillance missions, providing eyes in the sky when federal agents arrest drug traffickers or violent gang members. But this isn’t the first time it has flown over Black Lives Matter protests: A BuzzFeed News review of flight tracking records has established that the same aircraft circled above Baltimore in April and May of 2015, during the unrest that followed the death of Freddie Gray from severe injuries sustained in police custody.
FBI surveillance of protests, even if they happen after a curfew has been declared, is controversial because the agency says it does not monitor activity protected by the First Amendment.
“It’s now been well documented that a number of federal agencies wildly overreacted to protests in DC in deeply troubling ways,” Nathan Freed Wessler, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Project on Speech, Privacy, and Technology, told BuzzFeed News. “To learn that the FBI deployed its state-of-the-art surveillance plane to watch these historic protests raises additional troubling questions.”
The FBI has a fleet of more than 120 surveillance aircraft, covertly registered to fictitious companies. In 2016, BuzzFeed News analyzed more than four months of flights by these planes.
“It should come as no surprise that the FBI uses planes to follow terrorists, spies, and serious criminals,” said then–deputy director Mark Giuliano in June 2015, in a rare public statement on the agency’s aviation program. “We have an obligation to follow those people who want to hurt our country and its citizens, and we will continue to do so."
The vast majority of the FBI’s planes are small, propeller-driven Cessnas, according to Federal Aviation Administration registration records for the agency’s front companies. The jet that flew over BLM protests is the only aircraft of its type operated by known FBI fronts. It is registered to the National Aircraft Leasing Corporation, identified as an FBI alias in the 2012 book Intel Wars, an analysis of the “war on terror” written by the former intelligence analyst Matthew Aid. The address given on the plane’s registration documents is a UPS Store in Greenville, Delaware.
Other FAA documents, submitted to verify that the plane is safe to fly, reveal how it has been outfitted for advanced surveillance.
It was fitted with video cameras in 2006, by a company called Alpha Research & Technology. Photos on the firm’s website show the plane and the two-person, three-screen console used to control its surveillance cameras from inside the main cabin. The plane now carries a Wescam MX-20 steerable camera turret, described by its manufacturer as ideal for high-altitude, persistent surveillance. It can monitor targets day and night, see through haze, and provide infrared thermal imaging.


buzzfeed--2020-06-20--Black Lives Matters Activists Say They're Being Silenced By Facebook


buzzfeed--2020-06-21--Trump Defended His Ability To Walk Down A Ramp At His First Rally During The Pandemic

President Donald Trump spent more than 10 minutes bragging about his ability to walk down a ramp and drink water out of a glass during his Saturday campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , where COVID-19 infection rates are on the rise .
The rally billed by the president 's reelection campaign as a massive relaunch was instead marked by empty seats and familiar discursions .
Ramps , though , have become a new fixation .
`` Anyway , that 's a long story , '' Trump said after about 14 minutes of explaining what happened when he walked down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at West Point the week before .
`` But here 's the story .
More the ramp than the water , but I have lived with the ramp and the water since I left West Point . ''
During that speech in New York , Trump seemed to struggle to lift a glass of water to his mouth , and later labored as he slowly walked offstage and down a ramp , leading to wild speculation about his health .
That speculation , Trump said , reached his wife .
As he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Melania Trump after his West Point speech , she informed him he was trending online .
He asked if it was because of the speech .
`` No , they do n't mention the speech , '' he said she told him .
`` They mention the fact that you may have Parkinson 's disease . ''
Trump insisted in Tulsa that the conditions at West Point — namely the sun , the fatigue of saluting 600 cadets , and his leather shoes — were to blame for the viral video clips .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president drank from a glass of water and was met with chants of `` four more years '' from a crowd far smaller than his campaign had advertised .

President Donald Trump spent more than 10 minutes bragging about his ability to walk down a ramp and drink water out of a glass during his Saturday campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where COVID-19 infection rates are on the rise.
The rally billed by the president's reelection campaign as a massive relaunch was instead marked by empty seats and familiar discursions.
Ramps, though, have become a new fixation.
"Anyway, that's a long story," Trump said after about 14 minutes of explaining what happened when he walked down a ramp after his speech to graduates at West Point the week before. "But here's the story. More the ramp than the water, but I have lived with the ramp and the water since I left West Point."
During that speech in New York, Trump seemed to struggle to lift a glass of water to his mouth, and later labored as he slowly walked offstage and down a ramp, leading to wild speculation about his health.
That speculation, Trump said, reached his wife. As he had it Saturday night, when he called Melania Trump after his West Point speech, she informed him he was trending online. He asked if it was because of the speech. "No, they don't mention the speech," he said she told him. "They mention the fact that you may have Parkinson's disease."
Trump insisted in Tulsa that the conditions at West Point — namely the sun, the fatigue of saluting 600 cadets, and his leather shoes — were to blame for the viral video clips.
About 13 minutes into his story, the president drank from a glass of water and was met with chants of "four more years" from a crowd far smaller than his campaign had advertised.