buzzfeed--2020-06-06--These Charts And Maps Show Where The Coronavirus Is Surging Across The US — And Where It Is In Decli

These Charts And Maps Show Where The Coronavirus Is Surging Across The US — And Where It Is In Decline

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
New coronavirus infections are on the rise in parts of the country , while falling in former hot spots like New York .
As the weeks and months drag on , experts expect to see a patchwork of surging and subsiding local epidemics — particularly if the virus starts to spread rapidly in places that are relaxing lockdowns that have brought the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and maps below will help you track this shifting landscape and will be updated regularly .
The colors indicate whether the number of new cases has risen or fallen in the last two weeks .
In locations highlighted in pink , new cases have surged , while green shows where the number has declined .
The darker the shade of pink or green , the larger the relative rise or fall .
Because the number of confirmed new cases on any day can fluctuate widely , we have used the daily average of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide a more stable measure on any given day .
Locations shown in light gray have either had very few cases in the past two weeks , or the number has changed by less than 5 % .

New coronavirus infections are on the rise in parts of the country, while falling in some former hot spots.
As the weeks and months drag on, experts expect to see a patchwork of surging and subsiding local epidemics — particularly if the virus starts to spread rapidly in places that are relaxing lockdowns that have brought the economy to its knees.
The charts and maps below will help you track this shifting landscape and will be updated regularly. The colors indicate whether the number of new cases has risen or fallen in the last two weeks. In locations highlighted in pink, new cases have surged, while green shows where the number has declined. The darker the shade of pink or green, the larger the relative rise or fall.
Because the number of confirmed new cases on any day can fluctuate widely, we have used the daily average of new cases over the last seven days to provide a more stable measure on any given day. Locations shown in light gray have either had very few cases in the past two weeks, or the number has changed by less than 5%.
States


buzzfeed--2020-06-07--It Was A Completely Peaceful Protest Against Police Brutality. Then The Cops Attacked.

An entirely peaceful protest in Manhattan ended in chaos , panic , and violence when a mass of police officers in riot gear confronted protesters we were following near Grand Army Plaza , at the entrance to Central Park .
Since an 8 p.m. curfew went into effect on Tuesday to curb looting , there have been nightly clashes between peaceful protesters and police across the city .
Looting is down , but the NYPD continues to make mass arrests for curfew violations—sometimes violently .
The NYPD did not use tear gas or rubber bullets on this group of protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parts of the country .
But the rapid escalation of Thursday night ’ s protest illustrates just how quickly a peaceful march can turn into mayhem .
In the end , police shoved , hit , and arrested dozens of people .
BuzzFeed reporters were caught up in the clash .
As we tried to record the arrests on video , a police officer shoved one of us with a baton , despite the fact that we had identified ourselves as press .
Another officer , in a white shirt , grabbed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about to handcuff and arrest her , and only stopped after other officers intervened .
All around us , batons were swinging and people were running as police rounded up marchers .
The night had begun peacefully .
And for a time , it looked as though it was going to remain that way .
After a week of protests , the chants were familiar .
The chants come over megaphones from organizers , from teenagers cupping their hands to their mouths , and from groups of friends holding up signs saying “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the protesters marched in a giant loop starting in Times Square , moving south to Herald Square , west to Chealsea , back east to Union Square and finally north to Central Park — the event was peaceful and relaxed .
Even when the 8 p.m. curfew hit , things stayed calm .
Dozens of police officers on bikes and foot trailed the group , and spirits remained high .
“ It ’ s our right to peacefully protest , ” the crowd chanted , marching down city blocks .
MTA buses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smiled and pumped their fists .
The protesters roared back in grateful appreciation .
Others handed out water to keep the crowd hydrated on the hot and humid day .
Up above , residents standing on their balconies cheered , clapped , and banged pots and pans to show solidarity .
“ I love the fact that there ’ s been support from everywhere , it wasn ’ t just Black people , ” said Angelo La Roche , remarking on the diversity of the crowd .
“ It really felt amazing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vibe and energy from everyone , ” the 32 year-old added .
“ People just want to protest , ” Jill , an education worker , told BuzzFeed News .
“ They just want to have their voices heard , and they ’ re angry… they ’ re killing us on camera with witnesses .
We don ’ t wan na be here !
It ’ s a pandemic !
” One police officer told BuzzFeed News that the previous nights of looting were some of the worst he ’ s ever seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But this crowd , he said , “ they ’ ve been great , they ’ re having a good time ” .
NYPD Intelligence Bureau officers were also monitoring the crowd , looking for outbreaks of looting or violence .
One officer told BuzzFeed News that it was up to the NYPD to decide whether or not to enforce the curfew .
At several points , the group made stops near subways , for people who had been walking all day and needed to get home .
Most of the crowd chose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a half after curfew , the group was still several hundred strong .
Some marchers played music from a speaker and danced together as they walked .

An entirely peaceful protest in Manhattan ended in chaos, panic, and violence when a mass of police officers in riot gear confronted protesters we were following near Grand Army Plaza, at the entrance to Central Park.
Since an 8 p.m. curfew went into effect on Tuesday to curb looting, there have been nightly clashes between peaceful protesters and police across the city. Looting is down, but the NYPD continues to make mass arrests for curfew violations —sometimes violently. The NYPD did not use tear gas or rubber bullets on this group of protesters, as police have used in other parts of the country. But the rapid escalation of Thursday night’s protest illustrates just how quickly a peaceful march can turn into mayhem.
In the end, police shoved, hit, and arrested dozens of people. BuzzFeed reporters were caught up in the clash. As we tried to record the arrests on video, a police officer shoved one of us with a baton, despite the fact that we had identified ourselves as press. Another officer, in a white shirt, grabbed the other reporter’s arms and was about to handcuff and arrest her, and only stopped after other officers intervened. All around us, batons were swinging and people were running as police rounded up marchers.
The night had begun peacefully. And for a time, it looked as though it was going to remain that way. After a week of protests, the chants were familiar.
“SAY HIS NAME”
“GEORGE FLOYD”
“NO JUSTICE”
“NO PEACE”
“WHOSE STREETS?”
“OUR STREETS”
The chants come over megaphones from organizers, from teenagers cupping their hands to their mouths, and from groups of friends holding up signs saying “Black Lives Matter.”
For hours — as the protesters marched in a giant loop starting in Times Square, moving south to Herald Square, west to Chelsea, back east to Union Square, and finally north to Central Park — the event was peaceful and relaxed.
Even when the 8 p.m. curfew hit, things stayed calm. Dozens of police officers on bikes and foot trailed the group, and spirits remained high. “It’s our right to peacefully protest,” the crowd chanted, marching down city blocks.
MTA buses and cars beeped their support. Drivers smiled and pumped their fists. The protesters roared back in grateful appreciation. Others handed out water to keep the crowd hydrated on the hot and humid day. Up above, residents standing on their balconies cheered, clapped, and banged pots and pans to show solidarity.
“I love the fact that there’s been support from everywhere, it wasn’t just Black people,” said Angelo La Roche, remarking on the diversity of the crowd. “It really felt amazing to have that love, and feel that vibe and energy from everyone,” the 32-year-old added.
“People just want to protest,” Jill, an education worker, told BuzzFeed News. “They just want to have their voices heard, and they’re angry… They’re killing us on camera with witnesses. We don’t wanna be here! It’s a pandemic!”
One police officer told BuzzFeed News that the previous nights of looting were some of the worst he’s ever seen in his time on the force. But this crowd, he said, “They’ve been great. They’re having a good time.”
NYPD Intelligence Bureau officers were also monitoring the crowd, looking for outbreaks of looting or violence. One officer told BuzzFeed News that it was up to the NYPD to decide whether or not to enforce the curfew.
At several points, the group made stops near subways, for people who had been walking all day and needed to get home. Most of the crowd chose to keep marching.
Even an hour and a half after curfew, the group was still several hundred strong. Some marchers played music from a speaker and danced together as they walked.


buzzfeed--2020-06-07--A Popular QAnon Twitter Account That Claims To Have Explosive DC Dirt Is Really Just A Random Italia

A Popular QAnon Twitter Account That Claims To Have Explosive DC Dirt Is Really Just A Random Italian Guy

Near the end of her May 26 briefing , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called on Chanel Rion , the chief White House correspondent for pro-Trump cable outlet One America News Network .
Rion began her question by making the explosive — and false — claim that “ new information ” had revealed that former president Barack Obama had used a foreign intelligence service to surveil two floors of Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign .
“ So to what extent was [ former CIA director ] John Brennan behind that ?
” she asked .
People in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heads , but a hyperactive Twitter user with a photo of one of the astronauts from 2001 : A Space Odyssey as its avatar was elated .
“ Great job !
” tweeted @ GregRubini at Rion , claiming she had “ asked a spicy question from my book.
” It was another coup for the pseudonymous account with more than 120,000 followers .
He has injected himself into major news events , in part by claiming to have sources in the FBI , Trump Tower , and within government and intelligence circles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the US , @ GregRubini tweeted that antifa is `` controlled by the CIA . ''
New York mayor `` De Blasio is ANTIFA , '' he also wrote , in a post that was retweeted thousands of times .
His viral Twitter threads helped his conspiracy-filled self-published book , The Spy Operations on Trump , climb Amazon bestseller lists after its May 22 release .
He was among the first to tweet the name of the alleged Ukraine whistleblower .
His tweets claiming that Dr. Anthony Fauci , the country ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made ” the novel coronavirus went viral and helped launch that baseless rumor into the mainstream .
And thanks to national reporters like Rion who follow his path of conspiratorial thinking , he even has a line to the White House itself .
But the Rubini account ’ s claims of insider intel and “ high placed ” sources appear to be some of its author 's litany of fabrications — which include his online identity .
The man behind @ GregRubini is Gregorio Palusa , a 61-year-old Italian sound engineer and marketer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His background includes a pattern of unverified claims about his business relationships and expertise , and a brief spell as a groupie for a Pink Floyd tribute band .
Palusa did not respond to multiple emails and phone calls .
The Rubini account first attracted national attention late last year when it tweeted the name of the alleged whistleblower more than 20 times , according to the Washington Post .
Since then it ’ s become a mainstay of far-right conspiracy thinking .
May 's White House briefing was the second time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims to prominence .
In mid-March , OAN aired an outlandish report from Rion that suggested a link between the novel coronavirus in Wuhan and a lab in North Carolina .
Rion , who has spread conspiracy theories and false information in the past , credited Rubini for the information , describing him as “ a citizen investigator and monitored source amongst a certain set in the DC intelligence community.
” Rion did not respond to a request for comment .
Rion ’ s story sparked a firestorm of criticism and caused the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , exposing that she had changed her name , made misleading claims about her past , and had little journalism experience .
But her source escaped a similar level of scrutiny .
Until now .
Palusa was born on Jan. 4 , 1959 , in Trieste , a seaport in the northeast of Italy , according to a consulting contract that Palusa signed with an Italian book publisher in 2012 .
Two former business partners said Palusa had spent years in the US and in London , and spoke English very well .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of the 1990s and in the first decade of the 2000s , a former business associate who requested anonymity told BuzzFeed News .
His mother still lives in Trieste , but in a phone call told BuzzFeed News he was no longer living with her .
She said she didn ’ t know where her son currently was and wasn ’ t sure whether she could get in touch with him .
Around 2010 , Palusa moved to Tuscany , listing an address in Pienza , a small town near Siena , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to domain registration records .
Several music and film festivals held in the Siena area between 2013 and 2018 included Palusa ’ s name in promotional materials .
An artist from Trieste told BuzzFeed News that he had ended a business partnership relating to several collaborative creative and design projects with Palusa more than a decade ago .
The artist said he had not been in contact with Palusa for at least 10 years .
“ He started to have delusions of greatness , claimed to ask millions of dollars from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies with which he had had no relationship , ” said the artist , who spoke on condition of anonymity .
He also said Palusa became more difficult to deal with over time , eventually forcing him to hire a lawyer to end their partnership .
“ I never wanted to deal with this person again , '' he said , `` because of his growing megalomania that can seriously endanger those who work honestly.
” These days , Palusa claims to be employed in marketing .
His LinkedIn profile lists him as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marketing firm Vertygo Team , although on other sites he claimed his title was director of communications .
Palusa has also used “ Greg Rubini ” as an alias in the past , according to a Facebook post in March 2016 from an Italian book publisher that specializes in books about spirituality , ancient astronauts , and religious history .
In the post , the publisher claimed a WordPress blog authored by `` Gregorio Palusa aka Greg Rubini on social media '' had defamed the publisher by pushing false and “ delirious ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of euros from the company , and had wasted a year of its time after pretending to represent a nonexistent marketing company .
Uno Editori CEO Prabhat Eusebio told BuzzFeed News that Palusa , who lived in Tuscany at the time , had contacted his company in 2012 , promising to bring one of its authors to the US .
“ He claimed to have contacts with large American publishers , ” said Eusebio .
“ We realized the fraud after a loss of about 6,000 euros , ” Eusebio alleged .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it all ended up in a soap bubble.
” The Uno Editori CEO claimed that Palusa became increasingly uncompromising as it seemed more clear he was unlikely to deliver on his promises .
“ After repeated requests to meet , and questions about how things were going in the search for publishers and agents , his position became more and more intransigent — and he blackmailed us when we stopped paying his fee.
” Eusebio said Palusa threatened to not return revised texts , and to sue and go after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid .
`` He also asked for an exorbitant amount — €137,000 — outside the scope of the contract as compensation for his time , arbitrarily counting hours worked without providing any evidence.
” Eusebio said the company paid some of those fees , but started legal proceedings , after which Palusa created a WordPress blog to attack the company .
The publisher said he had to abandon proceedings because it had become too costly .
Palusa also appears to have worked as an audio engineer .
His Blogger profile includes the claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Klaus Hiemann , whom the Rubini account has tweeted about .
( Deutsche Grammophon didn ’ t respond to a request for comment . )
Italian organist Marco Lo Muscio said Palusa was a sound engineer on his 2009 album , Dark and Light .
Palusa ’ s YouTube account showcases musical performances that he claims to have filmed and edited , many of which have to do with the rock band Pink Floyd .
At an Italian festival held in Tuscany in 2013 , Palusa presented a multimedia exhibition called Pink Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a performance by tribute band Pink Noise .
Carmelo J. , a member of the band , said they fell out of touch after Palusa began offering the unsolicited feedback about its work .
“ Greg Palusa liked us very much as a band , he followed us for a bit , ” Carmelo J. told BuzzFeed News in a Facebook message .
“ Then he disappeared ( I do n't remember why , probably some small squabble ) and we have no more news of him.
” Asked if he could recall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ J. replied : “ I just remember that at a certain point his stylistic ‘ advice ’ about us became ‘ critical , ’ expressed even in an inelegant way.
” Palusa also said he ’ s worked with several prominent companies , a claim which could not be independently verified .
Many of the companies that Palusa listed on his Blogger profile as having worked with told BuzzFeed News they had never heard of him .
He claims to have worked with London marketing agency AKQA , Angels Costumes , Ferrari , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The managing director of AKQA , who ’ s been there for 13 years , told BuzzFeed News that Palusa ’ s name did not appear in any records and he didn ’ t recognize him .
Angels Costumes of London said the same .
A spokesperson for Apple said the company has never employed Palusa and had no record of working with Vertygo Team .
EMI did not respond to requests for comment .
Ferrari declined to comment , but Palusa ’ s claim that he had worked for the company made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Ford Motor Company against Ferrari .
In the suit , filed in Michigan , Ford alleged that Ferrari had infringed on Ford ’ s F-150 trademark .
Ford ’ s complaint described Palusa ’ s company , Vertygo Team , as “ Ferrari ’ s outside marketing consultant ” and quoted from an article he published on his website about Ferrari ’ s marketing strategy .
The suit was dismissed less than a month later after the parties came to a settlement .
Palusa claims on his LinkedIn profile that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was being studied by companies including Nokia , Microsoft , Sony , and Goldman Sachs .
Backlink data from SEMrush showed the vast majority of links to the post came from spammy online coupon sites .
As @ GregRubini , Palusa claims to have sources inside the US government with knowledge of intelligence , judicial , and White House matters .
For example , in May of 2019 , he said his “ well placed source inside the FBI ” had seen indictments for former CIA director John Brennan and former FBI director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He has also tweeted that people should stop asking him who these supposed insiders are : “ my sources are confidential .
I always honor my commitment to confidentiality , so : do n't even ask who my sources are.
” He threatened to block anyone who asked about his sources .
None of these things happened , of course .
But Palusa kept adding new followers .
On May 22 , he published a book in which he alleges a broad deep state conspiracy against Trump .
In its appendix , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ February of this year his tweets generated 53.8 million views .
His book is filled with references to supposedly high-placed sources , including the false claim that Rion cited in the White House .
In the book , Palusa also offers a document he claims is a memo from the head of the British communications intelligence agency to then–foreign minister Boris Johnson outlining the Trump surveillance operation .
Palusa ’ s attempts to verify the memo and its implications occupy close to half of the book .
He writes that the most likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % authentic.
” In fact , according to responses from the UK government as well as outlets who examined it , it is a sloppy forgery that doesn ’ t hold up to the slightest scrutiny .
Palusa also cites a March 2017 claim from Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano that the UK spied on the Trump campaign at Obama ’ s request , an allegation that has been widely discredited .
When that surfaced , the usually tight-lipped GCHQ called it “ nonsense ” and “ utterly ridiculous.
” A spokesperson for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim was `` ridiculous and should have been ignored . ''
The US government agreed to not repeat it .
Even Donald Trump — the person who benefits most if the claim is true — has declined to repeat it .
But none of that is mentioned in the book .
Instead , Palusa writes that three “ high placed confidential sources have confirmed to the author of this book , Greg Rubini , that the GCHQ Top Secret document is authentic.
” ●

“He started to have delusions of greatness, claimed to ask millions of dollars from companies, boasted about having assignments with companies with which he had had no relationship,” said the artist, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He also said Palusa became more difficult to deal with over time, eventually forcing him to hire a lawyer to end their partnership. “I never wanted to deal with this person again," he said, "because of his growing megalomania that can seriously endanger those who work honestly.”
These days, Palusa claims to be employed in marketing. His LinkedIn profile lists him as the London-based director of international relations of marketing firm Vertygo Team, although on other sites he claimed his title was director of communications.
Palusa has also used “Greg Rubini” as an alias in the past, according to a Facebook post in March 2016 from an Italian book publisher that specializes in books about spirituality, ancient astronauts, and religious history. In the post, the publisher claimed a WordPress blog authored by "Gregorio Palusa aka Greg Rubini on social media" had defamed the publisher by pushing false and “delirious” information, that Palusa had stolen thousands of euros from the company, and had wasted a year of its time after pretending to represent a nonexistent marketing company.
Uno Editori CEO Prabhat Eusebio told BuzzFeed News that Palusa, who lived in Tuscany at the time, had contacted his company in 2012, promising to bring one of its authors to the US. “He claimed to have contacts with large American publishers,” said Eusebio.
“We realized the fraud after a loss of about 6,000 euros,” Eusebio alleged. “He seemed like an expert in publishing, but it all ended up in a soap bubble.”
The Uno Editori CEO claimed that Palusa became increasingly uncompromising as it seemed more clear he was unlikely to deliver on his promises. “After repeated requests to meet, and questions about how things were going in the search for publishers and agents, his position became more and more intransigent — and he blackmailed us when we stopped paying his fee.” Eusebio said Palusa threatened to not return revised texts, and to sue and go after the publisher in public if he wasn't paid. "He also asked for an exorbitant amount — €137,000 — outside the scope of the contract as compensation for his time, arbitrarily counting hours worked without providing any evidence.”
Eusebio said the company paid some of those fees, but started legal proceedings, after which Palusa created a WordPress blog to attack the company. The publisher said he had to abandon proceedings because it had become too costly.
Palusa also appears to have worked as an audio engineer.
His Blogger profile includes the claim that he worked with Deutsche Grammophon engineer Klaus Hiemann, whom the Rubini account has tweeted about. (Deutsche Grammophon didn’t respond to a request for comment.)
Italian organist Marco Lo Muscio said Palusa was a sound engineer on his 2009 album, Dark and Light. Palusa’s YouTube account showcases musical performances that he claims to have filmed and edited, many of which have to do with the rock band Pink Floyd. At an Italian festival held in Tuscany in 2013, Palusa presented a multimedia exhibition called Pink Floyd: Odyssey in Space in conjunction with a performance by tribute band Pink Noise.
Carmelo J., a member of the band, said they fell out of touch after Palusa began offering the unsolicited feedback about its work.
“Greg Palusa liked us very much as a band, he followed us for a bit,” Carmelo J. told BuzzFeed News in a Facebook message. “Then he disappeared (I don't remember why, probably some small squabble) and we have no more news of him.”
Asked if he could recall what the argument was about, Carmelo J. replied: “I just remember that at a certain point his stylistic ‘advice’ about us became ‘critical,’ expressed even in an inelegant way.”
Palusa also said he’s worked with several prominent companies, a claim which could not be independently verified.
Many of the companies that Palusa listed on his Blogger profile as having worked with told BuzzFeed News they had never heard of him. He claims to have worked with London marketing agency AKQA, Angels Costumes, Ferrari, Apple, and music label EMI.
The managing director of AKQA, who’s been there for 13 years, told BuzzFeed News that Palusa’s name did not appear in any records and he didn’t recognize him. Angels Costumes of London said the same. A spokesperson for Apple said the company has never employed Palusa and had no record of working with Vertygo Team. EMI did not respond to requests for comment.
Ferrari declined to comment, but Palusa’s claim that he had worked for the company made its way into a 2011 lawsuit filed by the Ford Motor Company against Ferrari. In the suit, filed in Michigan, Ford alleged that Ferrari had infringed on Ford’s F-150 trademark. Ford’s complaint described Palusa’s company, Vertygo Team, as “Ferrari’s outside marketing consultant” and quoted from an article he published on his website about Ferrari’s marketing strategy. The suit was dismissed less than a month later after the parties came to a settlement.
Palusa claims on his LinkedIn profile that his article about Apple’s marketing strategy was being studied by companies including Nokia, Microsoft, Sony, and Goldman Sachs. Backlink data from SEMrush showed the vast majority of links to the post came from spammy online coupon sites.


buzzfeed--2020-06-08--It Was A Completely Peaceful Protest Against Police Brutality. Then The Cops Attacked.


buzzfeed--2020-06-07--Protesters And Journalists Are Being Attacked For Exercising The Same Rights

On Tuesday night , I was reporting on the protests against police brutality and racism in New York City when an NYPD officer threatened to arrest me .
It was a couple hours after the city ’ s newly established curfew , and a colleague and I were trying to figure out what was happening at the Manhattan Bridge .
Thousands of nonviolent protesters who ’ d marched from Brooklyn were now being barred entrance into Manhattan by lines of officers in riot gear .
All of Confucius Plaza was crawling with police , while a low-flying helicopter buzzed ominously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boxed in and shouting to be freed .
It was one of the most surreal scenes I ’ ve ever seen , in the city I call my home or anywhere .
My colleague Tilli and I were standing with a group of onlookers who were chanting “ Let them go !
” across from the entrance to the bridge when cops suddenly started pushing us back .
We thought they might be about to start kettling the protesters , forming a circle in which to trap and potentially arrest them ; it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been using this week to round up people deliberately protesting after the citywide curfew .
As I tried to get closer to the crowd on the bridge , I showed an officer my press pass , but he barked that it wasn ’ t NYPD certified .
“ You ’ re in violation of the curfew , ” he said .
“ If you don ’ t go home now , expect to be arrested.
” The kettling never came to pass .
Eventually the protesters were encouraged to turn around and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the bridge — where a huge police presence awaited them .
Some protesters were placed into police custody while most were allowed to march on unimpeded after more than an hour trapped in terrifying limbo .
That incident would ironically end up being one of the more peaceful encounters documented between police and protesters in New York City this week .
Residents fighting for their right to peaceful assembly — or else simply doing their jobs , as reporters or delivery drivers or legal observers or healthcare providers — have been routinely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ en masse , and , due to a judge ’ s recent ruling , detained for 24 hours or more in the city ’ s coronavirus-infested jails .
Not only do the president and his supporters deride the media as the “ enemy of the people ” and gleefully advocate for our destruction on a daily basis ; we ’ re now seeing police officers across the country blatantly violate journalists ’ First Amendment rights , as well as our classifications as essential workers who are supposed to be exempt from curfews in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new analysis by the Guardian and Bellingcat , an investigative journalism website specializing in open-source intelligence , there have been at least 148 instances of journalist arrests or attacks during coverage of these protests — they ’ ve been “ blinded , beaten , maced and arrested by police in numbers never before documented in the US.
” Mayor Bill de Blasio , who had seemingly avoided watching any of the other hundreds of stomach-churning viral videos of police brutality against protesters and essential workers , finally spoke up on Thursday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an arrested delivery worker .
“ Food delivery is essential work and is EXEMPTED from the curfew , ” he tweeted .
“ Same goes for journalists covering protests out doing their jobs .
They are essential workers , too.
” It remains to be seen whether the NYPD will heed the mayor ’ s words , but all evidence indicates that yet again , “ essential workers ” during the coronavirus pandemic aren ’ t being paid or treated as though they ’ re really so essential .
When I was able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return safely to my home , I thought about how ridiculous — and how troubling — it was that even my supposedly protected status as a reporter almost didn ’ t protect me after all , as has been the case for multiple colleagues of mine this week .
Though de Blasio ’ s press secretary has indicated reporters shouldn ’ t need official NYPD-certified press passes to do their jobs at the protests this week , that hasn ’ t filtered down to police on the ground .
Those passes are notoriously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working at name-brand news outlets , let alone for freelance and citizen journalists .
A detective told me the department isn ’ t even processing press cards until further notice “ due to the current situation.
” It ’ s disconcerting that the police are tasked with deciding which journalists can move freely on the streets when the question of their own brutality is currently the biggest story in the world .
But I feel even more uncomfortable with the idea that I ’ ve been afforded any special status at all .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ out in an excellent Twitter thread , “ police have been blatantly ignoring the First Amendment rights of protesters — responding to their constitutionally protected speech with state violence — for years , ” and “ journalists are not a specially protected class of 1st Amend users .
It is no *more* outrageous for a reporter to be targeted with tear gas or rubber bullets or arrest than it is for a citizen peacefully assembling & chanting ( no matter how angry ) to be met with that same force.
” And yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who haven ’ t experienced discrimination , from the police or otherwise , due to their race or gender or socioeconomic status — are all too eager to rail against journalist suppression while downplaying or even championing police efforts to harass or arrest protesters .
The National Press Club earlier this week penned an open letter , signed by 28 press organizations , calling “ for police nationwide to halt use of violence , arrests against journalists covering protests , ” but made sure to clarify their “ utmost respect ” for law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being asked to do is difficult and requires extraordinary courage and discipline and we can see that most of you are working diligently to restore a sense of peace and calm to your cities , ” the letter begins .
“ Thank you for your best efforts.
” Press freedom is , of course , essential and worth fighting for , but that so many journalism groups would lend their names to a letter commending “ most ” cops for restoring “ peace and calm ” when hundreds of protesters are being brutalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to me , of an industry in great and terrible crisis .
For one thing , to advocate for journalists ’ rights without doing so just as passionately for the rights of protesters — which are , again , enshrined in the same constitutional amendment — is to deny that , as Wesley Morris wrote this week for the New York Times , “ the most urgent filmmaking anybody ’ s doing in this country right now is by black people with camera phones.
” In the United States and around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record the abuses and brutalities they ’ ve faced while fighting for a better future have exposed long-standing injustices like police violence to communities who ’ d been previously sheltered from it , and therefore inured .
A new study from Monmouth University released this week found that 57 % of Americans believe police are more likely to use excessive force against black people , compared to 34 % in 2016 .
It was citizen journalists and other social media users who made Ferguson “ America ’ s Arab Spring , ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since .
Nothing about police behavior has fundamentally changed — white people are now just seeing more of it , and are now more likely to actually believe what black people have been telling us for decades .
Whether or not reporters with a piece of employer-issued plastic around our necks are on the ground , witnessing and documenting the atrocities or experiencing them ourselves , the ever-mounting video evidence from anyone with a smartphone is increasingly impossible to ignore .
When Gov .
Andrew Cuomo falsely claims that NYPD haven ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ combination of journalist and protester videos can prove him wrong .
The George Floyd demonstrations are just the latest and most incendiary events to trouble the boundaries between journalists and the activists on whom we ’ re reporting .
More reporters are realizing that they need not — and should not — always take law enforcement at their word .
In the horrifying incident of Buffalo officers shoving an elderly white man to the ground , where they left him bleeding from the head , police originally said he “ tripped and fell.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the officers involved to be suspended and investigated , having previously ignored every other appalling video of brutality against Black and brown bodies at the hands of his officers .
( The entire Buffalo riot squad has since resigned from the team , though not their jobs , in solidarity with their disgraced colleagues . )
Every night we witness brutality and abuse just to wake up to our elected officials denying what we ’ ve seen with our own eyes .
On Friday , de Blasio even accused WNYC radio host @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” for accurately summarizing police activity in New York this week .
Luckily , we ’ re equipped to report the facts .
And if officers are harassing and arresting even the people they aren ’ t “ supposed ” to , from journalists to lawmakers , what might they be getting up to in the marginalized communities they ’ ve been over-policing for decades now ?
Especially when the evidence isn ’ t captured on video , police testimony puts people in jail every day .
“ One reason journalists are conditioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of protesters being violated by the gov is cause they ’ re scared that would be inappropriate ‘ activism , ’ ” Lowery noted in his thread , “ while advocating loudly for their *own rights* is seen as necessary and noble.
’ ” That ’ s why some newsroom leadership — including my own — have discouraged their staffers from contributing to bail funds to free arrested protesters and workers , arguing as Business Insider editor-in-chief Nich Carlson did recently that those donations “ call into question our credibility in covering the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report on employee outcry , the company clarified the editor ’ s comments , referring to the policy as a mere guideline to use “ best judgment.
” ) Most news outlets have ethics guidelines that discourage journalists from donating to “ political ” causes — the question newsroom leaders face is whether supporting the release of protesters from police custody for exercising their First Amendment rights , as they likely would for journalists , is really a “ political ” cause rather than one of free speech and human rights .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavily on journalists of color , in particular Black journalists , during the 2020 protests and long beforehand .
Karen Attiah of the Washington Post recently noted , “ This is another problem with the lack of diversity in our newsrooms .
Too many … treat serious life or death issues as their fodder for intellectual calisthenics , while many of us and our communities are literally under siege from dangerous rhetoric and racist policies.
” In the past week a wave of Black journalists at the New York Times , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condemned an opinion piece by Sen. Tom Cotton , which called for a military crackdown on protesters .
It was a protest that felt both unprecedented and inevitable — just one of the long-strained dams finally broken during These Extraordinary Times .
Not only does the Times have a strict social media policy about criticizing colleagues in public ; journalists of color have described being prohibited or discouraged from calling out racism in the industry and beyond it for fear they ’ ll be labeled biased activists .
At least one New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journalists have seized the moment to dig in their heels about “ safetyism , ” quelling “ bad opinions , ” and the “ free exchange of ideas ” , ” delegitimizing and insulting their Black peers in the process .
But the shakeup at the Times over publishing a fascist op-ed offers us the tiniest window into a potential future of journalism that doesn ’ t have to submit to bothsidesism .
Newsroom leaders often seem more concerned about conservatives perceiving them as biased than they are concerned about the prejudice and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that include their own employees .
In prioritizing false equivalences over truth , these journalists are in dereliction of their duty to their readers and to each other .
Months into the coronavirus pandemic , when antiracist protests have swelled to hearteningly staggering levels — and police crackdowns have responded in kind — journalism is just one of many industries that will have to make a case for itself in whatever world we build out of all this .
I hope white journalists can use the opportunity to finally stand in solidarity with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and with all workers against state-sanctioned violence .
It ’ s our job to hold abusers of power to account .
We can ’ t stop now .
●

On Tuesday night, I was reporting on the protests against police brutality and racism in New York City when an NYPD officer threatened to arrest me. It was a couple hours after the city’s newly established curfew, and a colleague and I were trying to figure out what was happening at the Manhattan Bridge. Thousands of nonviolent protesters who’d marched from Brooklyn were now being barred entrance into Manhattan by lines of officers in riot gear. All of Confucius Plaza was crawling with police, while a low-flying helicopter buzzed ominously overhead, illuminating the protesters who were boxed in and shouting to be freed. It was one of the most surreal scenes I’ve ever seen, in the city I call my home or anywhere.
My colleague Tilli and I were standing with a group of onlookers who were chanting “Let them go!” across from the entrance to the bridge when cops suddenly started pushing us back. We thought they might be about to start kettling the protesters, forming a circle in which to trap and potentially arrest them; it’s a tactic that the NYPD has been using this week to round up people deliberately protesting after the citywide curfew. As I tried to get closer to the crowd on the bridge, I showed an officer my press pass, but he barked that it wasn’t NYPD certified. “You’re in violation of the curfew,” he said. “If you don’t go home now, expect to be arrested.”
The kettling never came to pass. Eventually the protesters were encouraged to turn around and try their luck on the Brooklyn end of the bridge — where a huge police presence awaited them. Some protesters were placed into police custody while most were allowed to march on unimpeded after more than an hour trapped in terrifying limbo. That incident would ironically end up being one of the more peaceful encounters documented between police and protesters in New York City this week. Residents fighting for their right to peaceful assembly — or else simply doing their jobs, as reporters or delivery drivers or legal observers or healthcare providers — have been routinely rounded up, beaten bloody, arrested en masse, and, due to a judge’s recent ruling, detained for 24 hours or more in the city’s coronavirus-infested jails.


buzzfeed--2020-06-07--These Charts And Maps Show Where The Coronavirus Is Surging Across The US — And Where It Is In Decli


buzzfeed--2020-06-09--Thousands Of People Have Been Arrested During Recent Protests. We Want To Hear About Your Experience

Thousands Of People Have Been Arrested During Recent Protests. We Want To Hear About Your Experiences.

More than 11,000 people have been arrested in cities across the United States during protests against anti-Black racism and police @ @ @ @ @ weeks .
Demonstrators , bystanders , and journalists have shared countless videos of mass arrests @ @ @ @ @ sometimes violent ) between law enforcement officers and protesters .
The police activity around these @ @ @ @ @ lawsuits and underscored the demands for accountability that are at the core of protests spurred @ @ @ @ @ Floyd and Breonna Taylor .
If you were arrested while participating in these protests , @ @ @ @ @ you .
We want to learn about your experience before , during , and after @ @ @ @ @ .
You can fill out this form , and a reporter may follow up with @ @ @ @ @

More than 11,000 people have been arrested in cities across the United States during protests against anti-Black racism and police brutality over the last two weeks. Demonstrators, bystanders, and journalists have shared countless videos of mass arrests and of the encounters (sometimes violent) between law enforcement officers and protesters.
The police activity around these demonstrations has already led to lawsuits and underscored the demands for accountability that are at the core of protests spurred by the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
If you were arrested while participating in these protests, we want to hear from you. We want to learn about your experience before, during, and after you were taken into custody. You can fill out this form, and a reporter may follow up with you with additional questions.


buzzfeed--2020-06-08--Democrats Are Pushing For Police Reforms On Use Of Force With New Federal Legislation

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi joins fellow Democrats from the House and Senate , including Rep. Lacy Clay , Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer , and House Majority Whip James Clyburn , to announce new legislation on police reforms .
Democrats proposed a sweeping package of policing reforms Monday that would ban chokeholds , end no-knock warrants in drug cases , create a national police misconduct registry , and limit qualified immunity that shields officers from being sued .
The Justice in Policing Act has been in the works since George Floyd was killed in the custody of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests .
The bill would put police officers under more scrutiny and limit their ability to use violent force .
But it does not adopt the policies of the grassroots “ defund the police ” movement , which has become a rallying cry at protests .
Democrats expressed sympathy and understanding for the “ defund the police ” movement , but their bill does not substantially restructure police funding .
“ I can ’ t imagine that happening in a federal way , ” said Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Karen Bass .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that part of that cry is a desire for there to be a significantly higher investment in communities.
” The Justice in Policing Act aims to make use of deadly force a last resort by changing the national use of force standard from it being “ reasonable ” to the higher bar of “ necessary to prevent death or serious bodily injury.
” “ As we all know , we can reason away just about anything .
The appropriate and fair question to ask is ‘ Was it necessary ?
’ ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban police use of chokeholds and no-knock raids where police can storm into a home without identifying themselves .
This was the type of search that led to the death of Breonna Taylor , a 26-year-old unarmed black woman in Louisville , Kentucky , who was shot to death in her home by police .
These changes would be enacted directly for all federal policing agencies .
Technically the federal government can not dictate policies like a chokehold ban to state and local police agencies .
Instead , the bill conditions funding and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the federal standard .
Denying funding has been an effective way to make states follow national standards such as speed limits .
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the bill could move through committee and be ready for a floor vote in the next two weeks .
The bill is likely to pass the Democrat-controlled House , but its fate is far more uncertain in the Senate where Republicans have control .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ultimately controls what goes to a floor vote and has consistently refused to take up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asked repeatedly by BuzzFeed News last week if he plans to allow a floor vote for any criminal justice legislation , he stared ahead and did not answer .
Senate Majority Whip John Thune said some Republican members had proposed ideas , but did not say who they were or what they were advocating .
Asked last week about what changes Republicans could embrace , Sen. Ted Cruz said he would judge any proposals on their merits , but that his immediate focus is violence at protests .
“ In the midst of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country the first priority has to be stopping the violence , keeping people safe , ” said Cruz .
On the Justice in Policing Act , Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that “ Democrats are going to fight like hell to make this a reality.
” But with the Senate not even able to pass an anti-lynching bill — Republican Sen. Rand Paul said the bill was too broad — larger reforms that would be fought vigorously by police unions would be difficult to pass before the election .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t want to think of this as an electoral moment because November is a long way away , but the reality is very little can change so long as Trump is in office and McConnell runs the Senate , ” said Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy .
The Justice in Policing Act is set to be the framework of Democratic social justice policy in the election .
Other policies in the package include creating a federal police misconduct registry so that officers can not switch agencies and start with a clean slate .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discipline records , and dismissals .
The bill would direct the attorney general to create policing best practices and accreditation standards , as well as collect data on the racial distribution of drug charges , traffic and pedestrian stops , and the use of deadly force by police .
The bill would give the Department of Justice subpoena power to investigate police forces .
The bill would limit qualified immunity laws , making it easier for people to sue a police officer if their constitutional rights are violated .
It would also limit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal government to state and local police departments .

Democrats proposed a sweeping package of policing reforms Monday that would ban chokeholds, end no-knock warrants in drug cases, create a national police misconduct registry, and limit qualified immunity that shields officers from being sued.
The Justice in Policing Act has been in the works since George Floyd was killed in the custody of the Minneapolis police, sparking nationwide anti–police violence protests. The bill would put police officers under more scrutiny and limit their ability to use violent force. But it does not adopt the policies of the grassroots “defund the police” movement, which has become a rallying cry at protests.
Democrats expressed sympathy and understanding for the “defund the police” movement, but their bill does not substantially restructure police funding.
“I can’t imagine that happening in a federal way,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Karen Bass. “But let me just tell you that part of that cry is a desire for there to be a significantly higher investment in communities.”
The Justice in Policing Act aims to make use of deadly force a last resort by changing the national use of force standard from it being “reasonable” to the higher bar of “necessary to prevent death or serious bodily injury.”
“As we all know, we can reason away just about anything. The appropriate and fair question to ask is ‘Was it necessary?’” said Sen. Kamala Harris.
The bill would ban police use of chokeholds and no-knock raids where police can storm into a home without identifying themselves. This was the type of search that led to the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old unarmed black woman in Louisville, Kentucky, who was shot to death in her home by police.
These changes would be enacted directly for all federal policing agencies. Technically the federal government cannot dictate policies like a chokehold ban to state and local police agencies. Instead, the bill conditions funding and grants to local jurisdictions on them complying with the federal standard. Denying funding has been an effective way to make states follow national standards such as speed limits.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the bill could move through committee and be ready for a floor vote in the next two weeks.
The bill is likely to pass the Democrat-controlled House, but its fate is far more uncertain in the Senate where Republicans have control. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ultimately controls what goes to a floor vote and has consistently refused to take up Democratic bills passed by the House.
Asked repeatedly by BuzzFeed News last week if he plans to allow a floor vote for any criminal justice legislation, he stared ahead and did not answer.
Senate Majority Whip John Thune said some Republican members had proposed ideas, but did not say who they were or what they were advocating. Asked last week about what changes Republicans could embrace, Sen. Ted Cruz said he would judge any proposals on their merits, but that his immediate focus is violence at protests.
“In the midst of rioting and acts of violence across the country the first priority has to be stopping the violence, keeping people safe,” said Cruz.
On the Justice in Policing Act, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that “Democrats are going to fight like hell to make this a reality.” But with the Senate not even able to pass an anti-lynching bill — Republican Sen. Rand Paul said the bill was too broad — larger reforms that would be fought vigorously by police unions would be difficult to pass before the election.
“I know a lot of people don’t want to think of this as an electoral moment because November is a long way away, but the reality is very little can change so long as Trump is in office and McConnell runs the Senate,” said Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy.
The Justice in Policing Act is set to be the framework of Democratic social justice policy in the election. Other policies in the package include creating a federal police misconduct registry so that officers cannot switch agencies and start with a clean slate. The registry would track police misconduct complaints, discipline records, and dismissals.
The bill would direct the attorney general to create policing best practices and accreditation standards, as well as collect data on the racial distribution of drug charges, traffic and pedestrian stops, and the use of deadly force by police. The bill would give the Department of Justice subpoena power to investigate police forces.
The bill would limit qualified immunity laws, making it easier for people to sue a police officer if their constitutional rights are violated. It would also limit the transfer of military-grade equipment from the federal government to state and local police departments.


buzzfeed--2020-06-08--Protesters And Journalists Are Being Attacked For Exercising The Same Rights

On Tuesday night , I was reporting on the protests against police brutality and racism in New York City when an NYPD officer threatened to arrest me .
It was a couple hours after the city ’ s newly established curfew , and a colleague and I were trying to figure out what was happening at the Manhattan Bridge .
Thousands of nonviolent protesters who ’ d marched from Brooklyn were now being barred entrance into Manhattan by lines of officers in riot gear .
All of Confucius Plaza was crawling with police , while a low-flying helicopter buzzed ominously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boxed in and shouting to be freed .
It was one of the most surreal scenes I ’ ve ever seen , in the city I call my home or anywhere .
My colleague Tilli and I were standing with a group of onlookers who were chanting “ Let them go !
” across from the entrance to the bridge when cops suddenly started pushing us back .
We thought they might be about to start kettling the protesters , forming a circle in which to trap and potentially arrest them ; it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been using this week to round up people deliberately protesting after the citywide curfew .
As I tried to get closer to the crowd on the bridge , I showed an officer my press pass , but he barked that it wasn ’ t NYPD certified .
“ You ’ re in violation of the curfew , ” he said .
“ If you don ’ t go home now , expect to be arrested.
” The kettling never came to pass .
Eventually the protesters were encouraged to turn around and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the bridge — where a huge police presence awaited them .
Some protesters were placed into police custody while most were allowed to march on unimpeded after more than an hour trapped in terrifying limbo .
That incident would ironically end up being one of the more peaceful encounters documented between police and protesters in New York City this week .
Residents fighting for their right to peaceful assembly — or else simply doing their jobs , as reporters or delivery drivers or legal observers or healthcare providers — have been routinely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ en masse , and , due to a judge ’ s recent ruling , detained for 24 hours or more in the city ’ s coronavirus-infested jails .
Not only do the president and his supporters deride the media as the “ enemy of the people ” and gleefully advocate for our destruction on a daily basis ; we ’ re now seeing police officers across the country blatantly violate journalists ’ First Amendment rights , as well as our classifications as essential workers who are supposed to be exempt from curfews in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new analysis by the Guardian and Bellingcat , an investigative journalism website specializing in open-source intelligence , there have been at least 148 instances of journalist arrests or attacks during coverage of these protests — they ’ ve been “ blinded , beaten , maced and arrested by police in numbers never before documented in the US.
” Mayor Bill de Blasio , who had seemingly avoided watching any of the other hundreds of stomach-churning viral videos of police brutality against protesters and essential workers , finally spoke up on Thursday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an arrested delivery worker .
“ Food delivery is essential work and is EXEMPTED from the curfew , ” he tweeted .
“ Same goes for journalists covering protests out doing their jobs .
They are essential workers , too.
” It remains to be seen whether the NYPD will heed the mayor ’ s words , but all evidence indicates that yet again , “ essential workers ” during the coronavirus pandemic aren ’ t being paid or treated as though they ’ re really so essential .
When I was able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return safely to my home , I thought about how ridiculous — and how troubling — it was that even my supposedly protected status as a reporter almost didn ’ t protect me after all , as has been the case for multiple colleagues of mine this week .
Though de Blasio ’ s press secretary has indicated reporters shouldn ’ t need official NYPD-certified press passes to do their jobs at the protests this week , that hasn ’ t filtered down to police on the ground .
Those passes are notoriously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working at name-brand news outlets , let alone for freelance and citizen journalists .
A detective told me the department isn ’ t even processing press cards until further notice “ due to the current situation.
” It ’ s disconcerting that the police are tasked with deciding which journalists can move freely on the streets when the question of their own brutality is currently the biggest story in the world .
But I feel even more uncomfortable with the idea that I ’ ve been afforded any special status at all .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ out in an excellent Twitter thread , “ police have been blatantly ignoring the First Amendment rights of protesters — responding to their constitutionally protected speech with state violence — for years , ” and “ journalists are not a specially protected class of 1st Amend users .
It is no *more* outrageous for a reporter to be targeted with tear gas or rubber bullets or arrest than it is for a citizen peacefully assembling & chanting ( no matter how angry ) to be met with that same force.
” And yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who haven ’ t experienced discrimination , from the police or otherwise , due to their race or gender or socioeconomic status — are all too eager to rail against journalist suppression while downplaying or even championing police efforts to harass or arrest protesters .
The National Press Club earlier this week penned an open letter , signed by 28 press organizations , calling “ for police nationwide to halt use of violence , arrests against journalists covering protests , ” but made sure to clarify their “ utmost respect ” for law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being asked to do is difficult and requires extraordinary courage and discipline and we can see that most of you are working diligently to restore a sense of peace and calm to your cities , ” the letter begins .
“ Thank you for your best efforts.
” Press freedom is , of course , essential and worth fighting for , but that so many journalism groups would lend their names to a letter commending “ most ” cops for restoring “ peace and calm ” when hundreds of protesters are being brutalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to me , of an industry in great and terrible crisis .
For one thing , to advocate for journalists ’ rights without doing so just as passionately for the rights of protesters — which are , again , enshrined in the same constitutional amendment — is to deny that , as Wesley Morris wrote this week for the New York Times , “ the most urgent filmmaking anybody ’ s doing in this country right now is by black people with camera phones.
” In the United States and around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record the abuses and brutalities they ’ ve faced while fighting for a better future have exposed long-standing injustices like police violence to communities who ’ d been previously sheltered from it , and therefore inured .
A new study from Monmouth University released this week found that 57 % of Americans believe police are more likely to use excessive force against black people , compared to 34 % in 2016 .
It was citizen journalists and other social media users who made Ferguson “ America ’ s Arab Spring , ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since .
Nothing about police behavior has fundamentally changed — white people are now just seeing more of it , and are now more likely to actually believe what black people have been telling us for decades .
Whether or not reporters with a piece of employer-issued plastic around our necks are on the ground , witnessing and documenting the atrocities or experiencing them ourselves , the ever-mounting video evidence from anyone with a smartphone is increasingly impossible to ignore .
When Gov .
Andrew Cuomo falsely claims that NYPD officers haven ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a combination of journalist and protester videos can prove him wrong .
The George Floyd demonstrations are just the latest and most incendiary events to trouble the boundaries between journalists and the activists on whom we ’ re reporting .
More reporters are realizing that they need not — and should not — always take law enforcement at their word .
In the horrifying incident of Buffalo officers shoving an elderly white man to the ground , where they left him bleeding from the head , police originally said he “ tripped and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call for the officers involved to be suspended and investigated , having previously ignored every other appalling video of brutality against Black and brown bodies at the hands of his officers .
( The entire Buffalo riot squad has since resigned from the team , though not their jobs , in solidarity with their disgraced colleagues . )
Every night we witness brutality and abuse just to wake up to our elected officials denying what we ’ ve seen with our own eyes .
On Friday , de Blasio even accused WNYC radio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ objective ” for accurately summarizing police activity in New York this week .
Luckily , we ’ re equipped to report the facts .
And if officers are harassing and arresting even the people they aren ’ t “ supposed ” to , from journalists to lawmakers , what might they be getting up to in the marginalized communities they ’ ve been over-policing for decades now ?
Especially when the evidence isn ’ t captured on video , police testimony puts people in jail every day .
“ One reason journalists are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights of protesters being violated by the gov is cause they ’ re scared that would be inappropriate ‘ activism , ’ ” Lowery noted in his thread , “ while advocating loudly for their *own rights* is seen as necessary and noble.
’ ” That ’ s why some newsroom leadership — including my own — have discouraged their staffers from contributing to bail funds to free arrested protesters and workers , arguing as Business Insider editor-in-chief Nich Carlson did recently that those donations “ call into question our credibility in covering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beast report on employee outcry , the company clarified the editor ’ s comments , referring to the policy as a mere guideline to use “ best judgment.
” ) Most news outlets have ethics guidelines that discourage journalists from donating to “ political ” causes — the question newsroom leaders face is whether supporting the release of protesters from police custody for exercising their First Amendment rights , as they likely would for journalists , is really a “ political ” cause rather than one of free speech and human rights .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially heavily on journalists of color , in particular Black journalists , during the 2020 protests and long beforehand .
Karen Attiah of the Washington Post recently noted , “ This is another problem with the lack of diversity in our newsrooms .
Too many … treat serious life or death issues as their fodder for intellectual calisthenics , while many of us and our communities are literally under siege from dangerous rhetoric and racist policies.
” In the past week a wave of Black journalists at the New York Times , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly condemned an opinion piece by Sen. Tom Cotton , which called for a military crackdown on protesters .
It was a protest that felt both unprecedented and inevitable — just one of the long-strained dams finally broken during These Extraordinary Times .
Not only does the Times have a strict social media policy about criticizing colleagues in public ; journalists of color have described being prohibited or discouraged from calling out racism in the industry and beyond it for fear they ’ ll be labeled biased activists .
At least one New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) journalists have seized the moment to dig in their heels about “ safetyism , ” quelling “ bad opinions , ” and the “ free exchange of ideas ” , ” delegitimizing and insulting their Black peers in the process .
But the shakeup at the Times over publishing a fascist op-ed offers us the tiniest window into a potential future of journalism that doesn ’ t have to submit to bothsidesism .
Newsroom leaders often seem more concerned about conservatives perceiving them as biased than they are concerned about the prejudice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities that include their own employees .
In prioritizing false equivalences over truth , these journalists are in dereliction of their duty to their readers and to each other .
Months into the coronavirus pandemic , when antiracist protests have swelled to hearteningly staggering levels — and police crackdowns have responded in kind — journalism is just one of many industries that will have to make a case for itself in whatever world we build out of all this .
I hope white journalists can use the opportunity to finally stand in solidarity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and with all workers against state-sanctioned violence .
It ’ s our job to hold abusers of power to account .
We can ’ t stop now .
●


buzzfeed--2020-06-09--Twitter Is Now Fact-Checking 5G Coronavirus Conspiracy Tweets

BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Twitter has started putting a fact-checking label on tweets that link the coronavirus pandemic to 5G wireless internet , a popular conspiracy theory that has been spreading online for months .
Most tweets that incorrectly associate the spread of the coronavirus with 5G will now come with a link below them that says , “ Get the facts about COVID-19 . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ collection of tweets from journalists and fact-checkers , as well as news stories curated by Twitter that debunk the claim .
The system isn ’ t yet foolproof .
A spot check conducted by BuzzFeed News on Tuesday shows that some conspiracy tweets are still slipping through without a label .
The conspiracy theory claims that global elites are using 5G — the industry term for the fifth generation of wireless communications infrastructure , which has been implemented in dozens of countries worldwide — as a bioweapon to fuel the pandemic .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , New Agers , and members of the QAnon .
The baseless theory has become so popular that arsonists have attacked 90 cellphone towers in the UK , and network engineers have been verbally abused in the streets .
Some conspiracists have exploited fears stirred up by the theory to make money by selling bogus $ 350 USB sticks claiming that they protect people from 5G radiation and from coronavirus infection .
In recent weeks Twitter has become more proactive about policing misinformation on the platform , as well as tweets inciting violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a similar “ Get the facts ” label on a President Donald Trump tweet about mail-in ballots .
A week later , it put a warning label on tweets by both Trump and the White House about protesters in Minneapolis , saying that they violated the company ’ s rules about “ glorifying violence.
” `` When the looting starts , the shooting starts , '' the tweets said .

The conspiracy theory claims that global elites are using 5G — the industry term for the fifth generation of wireless communications infrastructure, which has been implemented in dozens of countries worldwide — as a bioweapon to fuel the pandemic. It has been peddled for months by right-wingers, New Agers, and members of the QAnon.
The baseless theory has become so popular that arsonists have attacked 90 cellphone towers in the UK, and network engineers have been verbally abused in the streets. Some conspiracists have exploited fears stirred up by the theory to make money by selling bogus $350 USB sticks claiming that they protect people from 5G radiation and from coronavirus infection.
In recent weeks Twitter has become more proactive about policing misinformation on the platform, as well as tweets inciting violence. Last month, the company slapped a similar “Get the facts” label on a President Donald Trump tweet about mail-in ballots.
A week later, it put a warning label on tweets by both Trump and the White House about protesters in Minneapolis, saying the posts violated the company’s rules about “glorifying violence.”
"When the looting starts, the shooting starts," the tweets said.


buzzfeed--2020-06-09--Democrats Are Pushing For Police Reforms On Use Of Force With New Federal Legislation


buzzfeed--2020-06-09--The Trump Administration Said It Didn’t Change Policy To Deny Housing Loans To DACA Recipients. Emai

The Trump Administration Said It Didn’t Change Policy To Deny Housing Loans To DACA Recipients. Emails Show Otherwise.

The Trump administration changed housing policy to deny federally backed housing loans to young undocumented immigrants while repeatedly telling Congress there were no changes made , according to internal emails and other documents from the federal housing agency .
Though the practice of denying federally backed home loans to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program had been going on for months before , officials with the Housing and Urban Development Department made a specific internal decision by August 2018 to exclude them from the program , according to the emails and internal memos .
The documents were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Information Act request and provided to BuzzFeed News .
Democracy Forward wrote a letter , which is expected to be submitted Friday , calling for HUD Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis to open an investigation into whether the agency violated federal law by changing its policy without allowing for a public notice and comment period and by failing to disclose the change to Congress and the public .
DACA recipients , loan officers , realtors , and industry associations told BuzzFeed News in December 2018 that federal housing officials were telling them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Federal Housing Administration ’ s home loan program after years of being told they were eligible .
Housing Secretary Ben Carson denied that there was any shift in how DACA recipients were being treated , and HUD did not publicly admit it was denying these loans until June 2019 .
During public testimony to congressional committees and in private meetings with members of Congress following BuzzFeed News ’ initial reporting , Carson and other HUD staffers repeatedly said there was no policy change .
Carson went so far as to say he “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ No one was aware of any changes that had been made to the policy whatsoever .
I ’ m sure we have plenty of DACA recipients who have FHA-backed loans , ” he said during a congressional hearing in April 2019 after being asked by Rep. Pete Aguilar of California about BuzzFeed News ’ reporting .
The newly obtained emails show that HUD officials were telling lenders not to approve FHA-backed loans from at least early 2018 , and that they had made a specific decision by that August to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to DACA recipients to justify excluding them , though it ’ s not clear why that category was considered disqualifying .
That decision was communicated to staff during an internal credit policy conference call on Aug. 30 , 2018 .
The general consensus that HUD officials formed in their internal emails was that “ lawful residency , ” which is required to qualify for the loans , was the same as “ lawful status ” ; this disregards that while federal immigration authorities say DACA “ does not confer lawful status , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the United States .
DACA status is not directly addressed in the FHA single-family housing handbook , the document lenders refer to for rules on government-backed housing loans .
The handbook says only that an Employment Authorization Document — which DACA recipients have — is necessary “ to substantiate work status ” for noncitizens .
The internal HUD documents show that officials made the decision to start telling lenders that the specific type of EAD that DACA recipients have , a C-33 EAD , was no longer valid for government-backed loans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assessment of who was eligible for the loans in the years since DACA was implemented in 2012 .
“ Although our policy has always been that they must have lawful residency to qualify for an FHA mortgage , we never used the category codes on the EAD card to determine this and I think everyone just assumed that they had lawful status if they had an EAD card ( Makes sense — why would USCIS issue a card if the person wasn ’ t lawfully allowed in the country ?
? )
.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcing using the category code , ” Deanna DiMarino , a staffer in the office of FHA Commissioner Brian Montgomery , wrote in an email to colleagues on Nov. 28 , 2018 .
She wrote in the same email that HUD needed to “ be sure we can back up the lawful residency piece via USCIS , which has been a major challenge to do.
” Internal guidance from HUD ’ s Escalation Review Committee on Nov. 27 , 2018 , again reinforced the agency ’ s change in policy to use the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ confirming that DACA recipients do not meet FHA ’ s lawful residency requirements.
” The loans provided by the FHA are designed to be more accessible to buyers with low incomes .
They require a lower down payment than most conventional mortgages .
Because they ’ re insured by the government , they provide assurance for lenders in case the borrower defaults on payments .
The loans are not restricted to US citizens or permanent residents — some people on temporary work visas , for example , can qualify .
People working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noticed the change in guidance after President Donald Trump first unsuccessfully moved to rescind the program .
The emails come as the Supreme Court is set to soon decide on the fate of the DACA program , which allows hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants to live and work in the US .
Former president Barack Obama instituted the program in 2012 to protect from deportation those who came to the US as children .
The Trump administration moved to close down the program in 2017 , but that decision was later blocked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court later took up the arguments , and the conservative justices appeared to side with the administration 's case to rescind the protections .
Advocates have argued that such a decision would violate the Administrative Procedure Act , and the administration did not offer a full explanation for attempting to shut the program down .
A decision on the future of the program is expected this summer , during the height of the presidential campaign .
Trump has made restricting immigration a hallmark of his tenure and candidacy .
“ The Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deny DACA recipients federal home loan eligibility hurt DACA recipients and lenders and created uncertainty in the home mortgage market .
It was an administrative trainwreck — and yet another example of what happens when the Trump administration ’ s disregard for immigrants and inability to govern collide , ” said Robin Thurston , senior counsel for Democracy Forward .

The Trump administration changed housing policy to deny federally backed housing loans to young undocumented immigrants while repeatedly telling Congress there were no changes made, according to internal emails and other documents from the federal housing agency.
Though the practice of denying federally backed home loans to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program had been going on for months before, officials with the Housing and Urban Development Department made a specific internal decision by August 2018 to exclude them from the program, according to the emails and internal memos.
The documents were obtained by Democracy Forward through a Freedom of Information Act request and provided to BuzzFeed News. Democracy Forward wrote a letter, which is expected to be submitted Friday, calling for HUD Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis to open an investigation into whether the agency violated federal law by changing its policy without allowing for a public notice and comment period and by failing to disclose the change to Congress and the public.
DACA recipients, loan officers, realtors, and industry associations told BuzzFeed News in December 2018 that federal housing officials were telling them to shut DACA recipients out of the Federal Housing Administration’s home loan program after years of being told they were eligible.
Housing Secretary Ben Carson denied that there was any shift in how DACA recipients were being treated, and HUD did not publicly admit it was denying these loans until June 2019. During public testimony to congressional committees and in private meetings with members of Congress following BuzzFeed News’ initial reporting, Carson and other HUD staffers repeatedly said there was no policy change.
Carson went so far as to say he “asked around” after reading the story. “No one was aware of any changes that had been made to the policy whatsoever. I’m sure we have plenty of DACA recipients who have FHA-backed loans,” he said during a congressional hearing in April 2019 after being asked by Rep. Pete Aguilar of California about BuzzFeed News’ reporting.
The newly obtained emails show that HUD officials were telling lenders not to approve FHA-backed loans from at least early 2018, and that they had made a specific decision by that August to use an employment authorization category that only applies to DACA recipients to justify excluding them, though it’s not clear why that category was considered disqualifying. That decision was communicated to staff during an internal credit policy conference call on Aug. 30, 2018.
The general consensus that HUD officials formed in their internal emails was that “lawful residency,” which is required to qualify for the loans, was the same as “lawful status”; this disregards that while federal immigration authorities say DACA “does not confer lawful status,” its recipients are “lawfully present” in the United States.
DACA status is not directly addressed in the FHA single-family housing handbook, the document lenders refer to for rules on government-backed housing loans. The handbook says only that an Employment Authorization Document — which DACA recipients have — is necessary “to substantiate work status” for noncitizens.
The internal HUD documents show that officials made the decision to start telling lenders that the specific type of EAD that DACA recipients have, a C-33 EAD, was no longer valid for government-backed loans, something they had never included in their assessment of who was eligible for the loans in the years since DACA was implemented in 2012.
“Although our policy has always been that they must have lawful residency to qualify for an FHA mortgage, we never used the category codes on the EAD card to determine this and I think everyone just assumed that they had lawful status if they had an EAD card (Makes sense — why would USCIS issue a card if the person wasn’t lawfully allowed in the country??). … [W]e are now enforcing using the category code,” Deanna DiMarino, a staffer in the office of FHA Commissioner Brian Montgomery, wrote in an email to colleagues on Nov. 28, 2018.
She wrote in the same email that HUD needed to “be sure we can back up the lawful residency piece via USCIS, which has been a major challenge to do.”
Internal guidance from HUD’s Escalation Review Committee on Nov. 27, 2018, again reinforced the agency’s change in policy to use the employment authorization to exclude DACA recipients — “confirming that DACA recipients do not meet FHA’s lawful residency requirements.”
The loans provided by the FHA are designed to be more accessible to buyers with low incomes. They require a lower down payment than most conventional mortgages. Because they’re insured by the government, they provide assurance for lenders in case the borrower defaults on payments. The loans are not restricted to US citizens or permanent residents — some people on temporary work visas, for example, can qualify.
People working with DACA recipients on housing say they noticed the change in guidance after President Donald Trump first unsuccessfully moved to rescind the program.
The emails come as the Supreme Court is set to soon decide on the fate of the DACA program, which allows hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants to live and work in the US. Former president Barack Obama instituted the program in 2012 to protect from deportation those who came to the US as children.
The Trump administration moved to close down the program in 2017, but that decision was later blocked by the federal courts. The Supreme Court later took up the arguments, and the conservative justices appeared to side with the administration's case to rescind the protections. Advocates have argued that such a decision would violate the Administrative Procedure Act, and the administration did not offer a full explanation for attempting to shut the program down.
A decision on the future of the program is expected this summer, during the height of the presidential campaign. Trump has made restricting immigration a hallmark of his tenure and candidacy.
“The Trump administration’s unacknowledged, unlawful decision to deny DACA recipients federal home loan eligibility hurt DACA recipients and lenders and created uncertainty in the home mortgage market. It was an administrative trainwreck — and yet another example of what happens when the Trump administration’s disregard for immigrants and inability to govern collide,” said Robin Thurston, senior counsel for Democracy Forward.


buzzfeed--2020-06-10--"This Has To Stop": A Court Invoked George Floyd's Death In Denying Qualified Immunity To Cops Who S

"This Has To Stop": A Court Invoked George Floyd's Death In Denying Qualified Immunity To Cops Who Shot A Man 22 Times

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Tuesday invoked the recent death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in denying legal immunity to five cops in West Virginia who were sued for shooting a Black man 22 times while he lay motionless on the ground .
Judge Henry Floyd of the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit wrote on behalf of a unanimous three-judge panel that to dismiss the case against officers who shot and killed Wayne Jones in 2013 `` would signal absolute immunity for fear-based use of deadly force , which we can not accept . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ year before protests erupted nationwide after Michael Brown , an unarmed Black man , was killed by police in Ferguson , Missouri .
`` Although we recognize that our police officers are often asked to make split-second decisions , we expect them to do so with respect for the dignity and worth of black lives .
Before the ink dried on this opinion , the FBI opened an investigation into yet another death of a black man at the hands of police , this time George Floyd in Minneapolis , '' wrote Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to George Floyd .
`` This has to stop . ''
Qualified immunity , the legal principle that has long shielded law enforcement officers and city officials from civil liability in court for excessive force and civil rights claims , has gotten fresh attention in the aftermath of Floyd 's death .
Floyd died after a police officer in Minneapolis used a knee chokehold on Floyd 's neck for nearly nine minutes .
Federal appeals courts have struggled with how to apply qualified immunity in practice , and an ideologically diverse group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushing the US Supreme Court to revisit the concept and get rid of it , or at least limit the circumstances when police can rely on it in court .
Tuesday 's opinion marks the first time a federal appeals court has explicitly linked Floyd 's death with the broader debate over how much protection police should get when they 're sued .
According to the 4th Circuit 's opinion , Jones had been experiencing homelessness and was diagnosed with schizophrenia when a police officer in Martinsburg , West Virginia , stopped him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walking in the road instead of on the sidewalk , which was against state and local laws .
When the officer asked if Jones had any weapons on him — Jones initially indicated he did n't know what a `` weapon '' was — Jones replied that he had `` something . ''
The officer called for backup , according to the opinion .
Jones tried to move away from the officers , who used Tasers on him .
One of the officers said Jones hit him , and then ran away .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer used a chokehold to restrain Jones , and one could be seen on video kicking Jones on the ground .
One officer then felt a `` sharp poke '' and saw that Jones had a knife .
According to the opinion , the officers withdrew and formed a semicircle around Jones .
When the officers ordered him to drop the knife , Jones did n't respond and lay `` motionless . ''
The five officers then fired 22 shots at Jones , and he died .
A district court judge had granted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that at the time Jones was shot , he was n't `` secured '' by the officers , so they had n't used excessive force under the `` clearly established '' law on the issue .
Under the concept of qualified immunity , whether police can get immunity for allegedly excessive or unconstitutional actions depends on whether the law was `` clearly established '' at the time that what they did was unlawful or unconstitutional .
But the three-judge 4th Circuit panel disagreed with the lower court judge , finding that Jones was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him .
`` A reasonable jury viewing the videos could find that Jones was secured when he was pinned to the ground by five officers , '' Floyd wrote .
`` The defendants emphasize that Jones was not handcuffed , and that , as admitted , he stabbed an officer .
Yet in 2013 , it was already clearly established that suspects can be secured without handcuffs when they are pinned to the ground , and that such suspects can not be subjected to further force . ''
Floyd wrote later in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then police officers could not constitutionally release him , back away , and shoot him .
To do so violated Jones ’ s constitutional right to be free from deadly force under clearly established law . ''
The court said that the first officer who stopped Jones was responsible for escalating a situation that began because Jones was walking in the street instead of on a sidewalk .
The fact that Jones initially refused to cooperate , and that police later discovered he had a small knife , did not give officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force .
`` What we see is a scared man who is confused about what he did wrong , and an officer that does nothing to alleviate that man ’ s fears .
That is the broader context in which five officers took Jones ’ s life , '' Floyd wrote .
Lawyers for Jones ' estate and the Martinsburg police did not immediately return requests for comment .

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Tuesday invoked the recent death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in denying legal immunity to five cops in West Virginia who were sued for shooting a Black man 22 times while he lay motionless on the ground.
Judge Henry Floyd of the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit wrote on behalf of a unanimous three-judge panel that to dismiss the case against officers who shot and killed Wayne Jones in 2013 "would signal absolute immunity for fear-based use of deadly force, which we cannot accept."
Floyd noted that Jones was killed a year before protests erupted nationwide after Michael Brown, an unarmed Black man, was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri.
"Although we recognize that our police officers are often asked to make split-second decisions, we expect them to do so with respect for the dignity and worth of black lives. Before the ink dried on this opinion, the FBI opened an investigation into yet another death of a black man at the hands of police, this time George Floyd in Minneapolis," wrote Floyd, who is not believed to be related to George Floyd. "This has to stop."
Qualified immunity, the legal principle that has long shielded law enforcement officers and city officials from civil liability in court for excessive force and civil rights claims, has gotten fresh attention in the aftermath of Floyd's death. Floyd died after a police officer in Minneapolis used a knee chokehold on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.
Federal appeals courts have struggled with how to apply qualified immunity in practice, and an ideologically diverse group of elected officials and advocacy groups is pushing the US Supreme Court to revisit the concept and get rid of it, or at least limit the circumstances when police can rely on it in court. Tuesday's opinion marks the first time a federal appeals court has explicitly linked Floyd's death with the broader debate over how much protection police should get when they're sued.
According to the 4th Circuit's opinion, Jones had been experiencing homelessness and was diagnosed with schizophrenia when a police officer in Martinsburg, West Virginia, stopped him in March 2013. Jones had been walking in the road instead of on the sidewalk, which was against state and local laws. When the officer asked if Jones had any weapons on him — Jones initially indicated he didn't know what a "weapon" was — Jones replied that he had "something."
The officer called for backup, according to the opinion. Jones tried to move away from the officers, who used Tasers on him. One of the officers said Jones hit him, and then ran away. Once the officers caught Jones, one officer used a chokehold to restrain Jones, and one could be seen on video kicking Jones on the ground. One officer then felt a "sharp poke" and saw that Jones had a knife.
According to the opinion, the officers withdrew and formed a semicircle around Jones. When the officers ordered him to drop the knife, Jones didn't respond and lay "motionless." The five officers then fired 22 shots at Jones, and he died.
A district court judge had granted qualified immunity to the officers, finding that at the time Jones was shot, he wasn't "secured" by the officers, so they hadn't used excessive force under the "clearly established" law on the issue. Under the concept of qualified immunity, whether police can get immunity for allegedly excessive or unconstitutional actions depends on whether the law was "clearly established" at the time that what they did was unlawful or unconstitutional.
But the three-judge 4th Circuit panel disagreed with the lower court judge, finding that Jones was "secured" when the officers shot him.
"A reasonable jury viewing the videos could find that Jones was secured when he was pinned to the ground by five officers," Floyd wrote. "The defendants emphasize that Jones was not handcuffed, and that, as admitted, he stabbed an officer. Yet in 2013, it was already clearly established that suspects can be secured without handcuffs when they are pinned to the ground, and that such suspects cannot be subjected to further force."
Floyd wrote later in the opinion: "If Jones was secured, then police officers could not constitutionally release him, back away, and shoot him. To do so violated Jones’s constitutional right to be free from deadly force under clearly established law."
The court said that the first officer who stopped Jones was responsible for escalating a situation that began because Jones was walking in the street instead of on a sidewalk. The fact that Jones initially refused to cooperate, and that police later discovered he had a small knife, did not give officers "carte blanche" to use deadly force.
"What we see is a scared man who is confused about what he did wrong, and an officer that does nothing to alleviate that man’s fears. That is the broader context in which five officers took Jones’s life," Floyd wrote.
Lawyers for Jones' estate and the Martinsburg police did not immediately return requests for comment.