mintpressnews--2020-06-01--Austin Police Respond to Police Brutality Protest with Violent Crackdowns

The protests against police brutality , which have gripped the nation as a result of the police murder of George Floyd , reached the capital of Texas on Saturday as thousands of mostly young and outraged Austin residents of all colors flooded one of the city ’ s most vital arteries , taking over I-35 just where it overlooks Austin Police Department ( APD ) headquarters and blocking traffic until police were able to get them off .
The demonstrators would later march down Congress Avenue , just a few blocks from the Texas State legislature as they circled around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , chanting different slogans like “ Whose streets ?
Our Streets ” and “ FTP .
Fuck the police , ” among others slogans .
Meanwhile , an entirely different atmosphere prevailed in and around the gentrified areas of downtown Austin where the also young but professional classes who work in tech companies like Google were enjoying a late brunch in recently re-opened outdoor cafes .
The contrast was also evident just before crossing into downtown as people paddled rented canoes and kayak up and down the Colorado River , indulging in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The bright , sunny day seemed a perfect opportunity for life to get back to normal .
But just down the street , it was clear that something had radically changed for one segment of the population and that the kind of “ normal ” was no longer going to be acceptable .
The scene outside Austin Police department headquarters had the contours of an earlier , yet recent time in American history .
A stoic line of Texas police formed a barricade with their shields , while behind them precinct staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crowds of Black , Latino , and White protestors swelled .
Directly in front of the police building , on the I-35 overpass , were at least 15 armed police officers lined up along the ledge of the freeway with a birds-eye view of the situation unfolding below .
Most of the arriving protestors did not seem to notice them until later .
But as the mass of people gathered to voice their repudiation over the continued abuses of an out-of-control police state , a small group of young ladies was directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in front of APD headquarters .
Climbing the small brick wall that lines the steps of the entrance , the girls tried to assert a symbolic act of defiance by standing directly in front of the officers and , by virtue of the architectural design , literally over them .
Eventually , the girls were pushed off the ledge , sparking an outcry by the protesters below .
As the young women climbed up on the wall again , one African American man shouted “ We are recording ” and dared the policemen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his cell-phone at them .
A police precinct staff member tried to warn protesters over a bullhorn to not lose control , calling for the crowd to “ peep ” their people as tensions began to rise steadily .
A few feet away , some protestors began taking notice of the officers watching from the overpass , and attention would quickly be diverted away from the APD building to them and considerably escalate the potential for violence .
The right side of history One of the protesters started passionately addressing his fellow demonstrators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warning that the police were “ getting ready ” to come down hard on the people and exhorted them to come together against the police state .
The dark-haired man in black shouted up at the officers , asking them when they had last been in court and declared that they would no longer be allowed to “ police or govern ” the people .
The rousing speech would move the attention of the masses away from the APD building and over to the policemen on the overpass .
Soon enough , hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ramp to confront the officers with their signs and effectively block their view .
Predictably , this action drew a reaction from the cops who began firing their “ non-lethal ” weapons at point-blank range , causing a dangerous stampede of people down the steep incline back onto the street below .
Protesters would respond in kind by throwing rocks and water bottles to the policemen , who then began shooting into the trees , hundreds of feet away where people were taking cover .
Many demonstrators were hit , and at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of more than 100 feet .
The confrontation would persist for the next several minutes , but protestors were not deterred and continued to climb back to the top .
The determination of the protesters was clear and their anger at the murder of another black man at the hands of police was not to be taken lightly .
Despite the vocal presence of one detractor , calling out for the protesters to be arrested because most of them “ weren ’ t even black ” – though many were - , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precise moment in history point to a significant shift in the mindset of many Americans regarding the proper role of the police in this nation and regardless of the immediate implications or uncomfortable consequences , we can not dispute that the protestors are on the right side of history .
Feature photo | An Austin Police officer sprays pepper spray at protesters , Saturday , May 30 , 2020 , in Austin , Texas .
Ricardo B. Brazziell | AP

The protests against police brutality, which have gripped the nation as a result of the police murder of George Floyd, reached the capital of Texas on Saturday as thousands of mostly young and outraged Austin residents of all colors flooded one of the city’s most vital arteries, taking over I-35 just where it overlooks Austin Police Department (APD) headquarters and blocking traffic until police were able to get them off.
The demonstrators would later march down Congress Avenue, just a few blocks from the Texas State legislature as they circled around on their way back to APD headquarters, chanting different slogans like “Whose streets? Our Streets” and “FTP. Fuck the police,” among others slogans. Meanwhile, an entirely different atmosphere prevailed in and around the gentrified areas of downtown Austin where the also young but professional classes who work in tech companies like Google were enjoying a late brunch in recently re-opened outdoor cafes.
The contrast was also evident just before crossing into downtown as people paddled rented canoes and kayak up and down the Colorado River, indulging in the first outings after many weeks of lockdown. The bright, sunny day seemed a perfect opportunity for life to get back to normal. But just down the street, it was clear that something had radically changed for one segment of the population and that the kind of “normal” was no longer going to be acceptable.
A wall of indifference
The scene outside Austin Police department headquarters had the contours of an earlier, yet recent time in American history. A stoic line of Texas police formed a barricade with their shields, while behind them precinct staff and more policemen looked on nervously as the crowds of Black, Latino, and White protestors swelled.
Directly in front of the police building, on the I-35 overpass, were at least 15 armed police officers lined up along the ledge of the freeway with a birds-eye view of the situation unfolding below. Most of the arriving protestors did not seem to notice them until later. But as the mass of people gathered to voice their repudiation over the continued abuses of an out-of-control police state, a small group of young ladies was directly challenging the position of the shield-carrying Rangers in front of APD headquarters.
Climbing the small brick wall that lines the steps of the entrance, the girls tried to assert a symbolic act of defiance by standing directly in front of the officers and, by virtue of the architectural design, literally over them. Eventually, the girls were pushed off the ledge, sparking an outcry by the protesters below. As the young women climbed up on the wall again, one African American man shouted “We are recording” and dared the policemen to “touch her” while pointing his cell-phone at them.
A police precinct staff member tried to warn protesters over a bullhorn to not lose control, calling for the crowd to “peep” their people as tensions began to rise steadily. A few feet away, some protestors began taking notice of the officers watching from the overpass, and attention would quickly be diverted away from the APD building to them and considerably escalate the potential for violence.
The right side of history
One of the protesters started passionately addressing his fellow demonstrators and the policemen on the overpass, warning that the police were “getting ready” to come down hard on the people and exhorted them to come together against the police state. The dark-haired man in black shouted up at the officers, asking them when they had last been in court and declared that they would no longer be allowed to “police or govern” the people.
The rousing speech would move the attention of the masses away from the APD building and over to the policemen on the overpass. Soon enough, hundreds of them would start climbing up the ramp to confront the officers with their signs and effectively block their view. Predictably, this action drew a reaction from the cops who began firing their “non-lethal” weapons at point-blank range, causing a dangerous stampede of people down the steep incline back onto the street below.
Protesters would respond in kind by throwing rocks and water bottles to the policemen, who then began shooting into the trees, hundreds of feet away where people were taking cover. Many demonstrators were hit, and at least one in the stomach from a distance of more than 100 feet. The confrontation would persist for the next several minutes, but protestors were not deterred and continued to climb back to the top.
The determination of the protesters was clear and their anger at the murder of another black man at the hands of police was not to be taken lightly. Despite the vocal presence of one detractor, calling out for the protesters to be arrested because most of them “weren’t even black” – though many were -, the broader implications of these actions at this precise moment in history point to a significant shift in the mindset of many Americans regarding the proper role of the police in this nation and regardless of the immediate implications or uncomfortable consequences, we cannot dispute that the protestors are on the right side of history.
Feature photo | An Austin Police officer sprays pepper spray at protesters, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in Austin, Texas. Ricardo B. Brazziell | AP
Raul Diego is a MintPress News Staff Writer, independent photojournalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker.


mintpressnews--2020-06-01--US Considers New Weapons for Saudi Arabia as Kingdom Renews Yemen Border Bombings

YEMEN-SAUDI BORDER — At seven years old , Radhiah Issa ’ s wide-eyed screams of panic and fear were understandable .
Even an adult would be forgiven for waking up in a heated panic after discovering much of their body wrapped in blood-soaked bandages and laying in an unfamiliar room .
Radhiah was in the family home of a Yemeni doctor who had scraped together whatever medical supplies he could in a heroic effort to render first aid and perform emergency surgery on Radhiah , who was seriously injured last Wednesday by a Saudi artillery shell while she stood amid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her home in the Shada District of Yemen ’ s northwestern province of Sadaa , near the border with Saudi Arabia .
“ We needed sterilization tools and masks to avoid COVID-19 , not American shells and bombs to smash our children , ” one of Radhiah ’ s family members told MintPress News .
For the past few weeks , residents along the Yemen-Saudi border , particularly in the Sadaa , Hajjah , and al-Jawf provinces , have faced two options : contend with life under constant bombardment by Saudi border guards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the border where the threat of COVID-19 looms amid the other myriad epidemics raging across Yemen .
“ The bombing and COVID-19 are making our lives hell ; if you are quarantined at your home , the bombs will demolish the building on your head , and if you leave the house , you are subjected to coronavirus , ” one of Radhiah ’ s family members told MintPress as the young girl lay nearby , still dazed .
As locals in the border town of Maran were celebrating Eid , the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , four civilians were killed and another injured after Saudi warplanes targeted a highway in the Haydan district of Sa ’ ada .
The attack on Maran accompanied a spat of over 100 Saudi airstrikes focused mostly along the Kingdom ’ s border with Yemen during Eid celebrations .
Malahat , Baqim , al-Jawf , and Marib provinces as well as Abs and Harad district in the country ’ s northern province of Hajjah , were all heavily targeted causing still known numbers of casualties and damage .
In Hodeida , the Eid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the province ’ s war-weary residents as the Saudi-led Coalition continued to hammer the strategic port city .
Since December 13 , 2018 , Saudi airstrikes on the city have been replaced with snipers , artillery shells , and missiles after the Houthis and Saudi Arabia agreed to a UN-brokered truce in Sweden .
An eight-year-old boy sustained injuries after Saudi mercenaries shelled a residential area in Hodieda ’ s southern al-Durayhimi district on the same day that Saudi airstrikes were peppering mountaintops near Maran with indiscriminate shelling and airstrikes , as seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saudi attacks come at a time when the coronavirus outbreak in the country is spreading like wildfire .
Officials in both Houthi-controlled Sana ’ a and opposition-controlled Aden , as well as officials from the United Nations , have now confirmed what MinPress already revealed in a previous report : that COVID-19 was already spreading quickly throughout the country .
The Ministry of Public Health and Population based in Sana ’ a affirmed on Thursday that COVID-19 cases have appeared in several areas of the country , including the capital Sana ’ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide the necessary healthcare for the infected and to initiate contact tracing to track the virus ’ spread .
Moreover , the Saudi attacks came as Yemenis , like the rest of the Muslim world , celebrated the sixth Eid al-Fitr since 2015 , the year that the richest countries in the Middle East , and amongst the richest in the world , launched a military campaign against Yemen , one of the poorest nations on earth .
Though Saudi Arabia is ostensibly a Muslim country , that factor did not dissuade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of airstrikes on the Muslim holiday .
On April 8 , Saudi Arabia claimed it was halting military attacks and suspending hostilities in support of United Nations ’ peace efforts and to avoid the spread of the coronavirus in Yemen , however , the onslaught continued for the sixth consecutive year where Saudi warplanes dropped dozens of tons from the weapons , mostly supplied by the United States .
Saudi warplanes hit populated areas in the border provinces with at least 300 airstrikes .
For Yemen ’ s residents , both U.S. bombs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as they have affected every aspect of their lives .
Loved ones are no longer present , lost to the brutal war ; the blockade , the diseases , and the famine have all radically altered what has traditionally been a joyous occasion .
In what can only be described as a boost to the Saudi-led Coalition war and a tragedy for the civilians who already struggle with COVID-19 and other epidemics , President Donald Trump ’ s administration plans to provide Saudi Arabia with more bombs one year after pushing through an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kingdom .
Influential U.S .
Senator Bob Menendez ( D-NJ ) revealed in an editorial published by CNN that President Trump ’ s administration was considering selling arms to Saudi Arabia again , following international condemnation during the last such sale .
Menendez , the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , confirmed that there is still no justification for the U.S. to sell bombs to Saudi Arabia , adding “ That is why I am particularly troubled that the State Department has again refused to explain the need to sell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top of the thousands that have yet to be delivered from last year ’ s emergency.
” The news has raised concerns from Yemen ’ s residents , local human rights organizations , and activists , who warn that the United States and Saudi-led coalition are preparing to prolong the war the world ’ s worst humanitarian crisis .
They called on the United States to instead provide testing and protective equipment , respirators , ventilators , sterilization tools and masks instead of bombs .
With the United States preoccupied with its own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yemen , American weapons in Yemen have killed at least 100,000 civilians according to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project ( ACLED ) , a nonprofit conflict-research organization , and over 100,00 people die every year as a result of disease and epidemics like cholera and dengue fever , most of them children .
Since 2015 , when the war began , coalition warplanes have conducted more than 250,000 airstrikes in Yemen according to the Yemeni Army .
70 percent of those airstrikes have hit civilian targets .
Thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the United States , have been dropped on hospitals , schools , markets , mosques , farms , factories , bridges , and power and water treatment plants and have left unexploded ordnance scattered across densely populated areas .
In addition to killing and injuring hundreds of civilians , American-made weapons have exposed Yemen ’ s people to highly toxic substances on a level not seen before has left Yemen one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world .
Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist .
He covers the war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as local Yemeni media .

YEMEN-SAUDI BORDER — At seven years old, Radhiah Issa’s wide-eyed screams of panic and fear were understandable. Even an adult would be forgiven for waking up in a heated panic after discovering much of their body wrapped in blood-soaked bandages and laying in an unfamiliar room. Radhiah was in the family home of a Yemeni doctor who had scraped together whatever medical supplies he could in a heroic effort to render first aid and perform emergency surgery on Radhiah, who was seriously injured last Wednesday by a Saudi artillery shell while she stood amid her family’s grazing sheep near her home in the Shada District of Yemen’s northwestern province of Sadaa, near the border with Saudi Arabia.
“We needed sterilization tools and masks to avoid COVID-19, not American shells and bombs to smash our children,” one of Radhiah’s family members told MintPress News. For the past few weeks, residents along the Yemen-Saudi border, particularly in the Sadaa, Hajjah, and al-Jawf provinces, have faced two options: contend with life under constant bombardment by Saudi border guards and warplanes or seek refuge farther from the border where the threat of COVID-19 looms amid the other myriad epidemics raging across Yemen. “The bombing and COVID-19 are making our lives hell; if you are quarantined at your home, the bombs will demolish the building on your head, and if you leave the house, you are subjected to coronavirus,” one of Radhiah’s family members told MintPress as the young girl lay nearby, still dazed.
As locals in the border town of Maran were celebrating Eid, the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, four civilians were killed and another injured after Saudi warplanes targeted a highway in the Haydan district of Sa’ada. The attack on Maran accompanied a spat of over 100 Saudi airstrikes focused mostly along the Kingdom’s border with Yemen during Eid celebrations. Malahat, Baqim, al-Jawf, and Marib provinces as well as Abs and Harad district in the country’s northern province of Hajjah, were all heavily targeted causing still known numbers of casualties and damage.
In Hodeida, the Eid al-Fitr festivities failed to bring quiet to the province’s war-weary residents as the Saudi-led Coalition continued to hammer the strategic port city. Since December 13, 2018, Saudi airstrikes on the city have been replaced with snipers, artillery shells, and missiles after the Houthis and Saudi Arabia agreed to a UN-brokered truce in Sweden. An eight-year-old boy sustained injuries after Saudi mercenaries shelled a residential area in Hodieda’s southern al-Durayhimi district on the same day that Saudi airstrikes were peppering mountaintops near Maran with indiscriminate shelling and airstrikes, as seen in video obtained by MintPress.
The Saudi attacks come at a time when the coronavirus outbreak in the country is spreading like wildfire. Officials in both Houthi-controlled Sana’a and opposition-controlled Aden, as well as officials from the United Nations, have now confirmed what MinPress already revealed in a previous report: that COVID-19 was already spreading quickly throughout the country. The Ministry of Public Health and Population based in Sana’a affirmed on Thursday that COVID-19 cases have appeared in several areas of the country, including the capital Sana’a, and that the Ministry was working to provide the necessary healthcare for the infected and to initiate contact tracing to track the virus’ spread.
Moreover, the Saudi attacks came as Yemenis, like the rest of the Muslim world, celebrated the sixth Eid al-Fitr since 2015, the year that the richest countries in the Middle East, and amongst the richest in the world, launched a military campaign against Yemen, one of the poorest nations on earth. Though Saudi Arabia is ostensibly a Muslim country, that factor did not dissuade the Kingdom from carrying out a barrage of airstrikes on the Muslim holiday.
On April 8, Saudi Arabia claimed it was halting military attacks and suspending hostilities in support of United Nations’ peace efforts and to avoid the spread of the coronavirus in Yemen, however, the onslaught continued for the sixth consecutive year where Saudi warplanes dropped dozens of tons from the weapons, mostly supplied by the United States. Saudi warplanes hit populated areas in the border provinces with at least 300 airstrikes.
For Yemen’s residents, both U.S. bombs and COVID-19 have dampened Eid festivities, as they have affected every aspect of their lives. Loved ones are no longer present, lost to the brutal war; the blockade, the diseases, and the famine have all radically altered what has traditionally been a joyous occasion.
No end in sight
In what can only be described as a boost to the Saudi-led Coalition war and a tragedy for the civilians who already struggle with COVID-19 and other epidemics, President Donald Trump’s administration plans to provide Saudi Arabia with more bombs one year after pushing through an $8.1 billion weapons contract with the Kingdom.
Influential U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) revealed in an editorial published by CNN that President Trump’s administration was considering selling arms to Saudi Arabia again, following international condemnation during the last such sale. Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, confirmed that there is still no justification for the U.S. to sell bombs to Saudi Arabia, adding “That is why I am particularly troubled that the State Department has again refused to explain the need to sell thousands more bombs to Saudi Arabia on top of the thousands that have yet to be delivered from last year’s emergency.”
The news has raised concerns from Yemen’s residents, local human rights organizations, and activists, who warn that the United States and Saudi-led coalition are preparing to prolong the war the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. They called on the United States to instead provide testing and protective equipment, respirators, ventilators, sterilization tools and masks instead of bombs.
With the United States preoccupied with its own record-high number of COVID-19 cases, in Yemen, American weapons in Yemen have killed at least 100,000 civilians according to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, and over 100,00 people die every year as a result of disease and epidemics like cholera and dengue fever, most of them children.
Since 2015, when the war began, coalition warplanes have conducted more than 250,000 airstrikes in Yemen according to the Yemeni Army. 70 percent of those airstrikes have hit civilian targets. Thousands of tons of weapons, most often supplied by the United States, have been dropped on hospitals, schools, markets, mosques, farms, factories, bridges, and power and water treatment plants and have left unexploded ordnance scattered across densely populated areas.
In addition to killing and injuring hundreds of civilians, American-made weapons have exposed Yemen’s people to highly toxic substances on a level not seen before has left Yemen one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world.
Feature photo | A Houthi man inspects an unexploded US-made cluster bomb in Sanaa, Yemen, 2016. Hani Mohammed | AP
Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.


mintpressnews--2020-06-01--National Security “Experts” Blame Russia for the George Floyd Protests

The murder of George Floyd one week ago by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has sparked national and international protests , as millions have expressed their outrage over what they see as a racist and deadly policing system .
But many in the political establishment are claiming that much of the crisis has been manufactured by powerful enemy nations , especially Russia .
Discussing the protests on CNN , Susan Rice , former U.S .
Ambassador to the U.N. and National Security Advisor to President Obama , pontificated that the Kremlin was behind them .
“ I would bet , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m not reading intelligence these days , but based on my experience – this is right out of the Russian playbook , ” she said , adding that the U.S. can not allow “ extremists ” and “ foreign actors ” to distract attention away from real issues .
Instead of pressing her for evidence , host Wolf Blitzer ( who worked for AIPAC , a lobby group interfering in U.S. politics on behalf of Israel ) immediately backed up her speculation .
“ You ’ re absolutely right on the foreign interference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russians , when it was the Soviet Union , the Communists , have often tried to embarrass the United States by promoting the racial divide in our country , ” he replied .
Rice continued : “ We see it all the time , we ’ ve seen it for years , and frankly every day on social media , where they take any divisive painful issue , whether it is immigration , whether it is gay rights , whether it is gun violence , and always racism , and they play on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply to embarrass the United States , Wolf , their aim is to divide us , to cause us to come into combat with each other , to disintegrate us from within .
And I would not be surprised to learn that they have fomented some of these extremists on both sides using social media , I would not be surprised to learn that they have been funding it in some way , shape or form.
” As such , she presented issues like the treatment of black people as a Russian-backed talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prominent Florida Republican influential in international affairs , claimed that tensions were being “ very heavily ” stoked by “ at least three foreign adversaries ” “ promoting violence.
” In an interview with ABC , Trump ’ s National Security Adviser Robert O ’ Brien said Rubio was “ spot on , ” claiming China and Iran were all involved in fanning the flames of racial resentment .
Like with CNN , host George Stephanopoulos did not challenge his guest , but , in fact , backed him up , interrupting him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Russia has been actively trying in the past to spark racial unrest .
Are they one of the adversaries who are now exploiting the situation as well ?
” O ’ Brien agreed Russia was partially responsible for the explosion in protests .
The irony is that the U.S. is openly sponsoring , organizing , and supporting uprisings abroad , like in Venezuela , Hong Kong , and Ukraine .
Indeed , Rubio , Rice , and O ’ Brien are key figures in organizing them .
While Moscow might indeed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is minimal ; RT , the primary Russia-funded English-language outlet has received only around 10,000 worldwide views on its YouTube videos on the George Floyd protests .
The tenuous attempt to connect the anger over the Floyd murder is part of a much longer history of defaming black struggles for liberation by associating them with Russia .
The celebrated playwright and activist James Baldwin long ago wrote that “ when the nation has trouble with the Northern Negro , it blames the Kremlin.
” The Civil Rights struggle was constantly written off as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Press in 1965 , host Lawrence Spivak engaged in red-baiting Martin Luther King , Jr. , asking him , “ moderate Negro leaders , including you , have feared to point out the degree of communist infiltration in the Civil Rights Movement .
Have communists infiltrated the movement ?
” While the evidence linking the public anger over George Floyd ’ s killing to the Kremlin , Beijing , or any other foreign government is hazy , at best , the utility in blaming outside agitators for rioting or even for Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear .
For the national security state , it rallies the country round a jingoistic message , increasing their power and prestige .
For centrists in the establishment , it gives them an out to look the other way and paper over the deep cracks in American society , allowing them an excuse not to change their policies or cede ground from insurgent populists .
And for corporate media , foreign interference was a money-spinning story .
The Russiagate conspiracy , now looking weaker than ever , dominated headlines for three years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ online pushed big social media companies like Facebook , YouTube , Twitter , and search engines like Google and Bing to partner with the national security state and alter their algorithms , promoting establishment media and de-ranking , de-listing or deplatforming alternative media that was challenging their dominance .
The latest instance of American social disharmony being blamed on Moscow is part of a long tradition , where some see an invisible Russian hand whenever it is useful .
Feature photo | Tear gas canisters detonate beside a protester as authorities clear an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , May 30 , 2020 , in Minneapolis .
John Minchillo | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

The murder of George Floyd one week ago by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has sparked national and international protests, as millions have expressed their outrage over what they see as a racist and deadly policing system. But many in the political establishment are claiming that much of the crisis has been manufactured by powerful enemy nations, especially Russia.
Discussing the protests on CNN, Susan Rice, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. and National Security Advisor to President Obama, pontificated that the Kremlin was behind them. “I would bet, based on my experience – I’m not reading intelligence these days, but based on my experience – this is right out of the Russian playbook,” she said, adding that the U.S. cannot allow “extremists” and “foreign actors” to distract attention away from real issues. Instead of pressing her for evidence, host Wolf Blitzer (who worked for AIPAC, a lobby group interfering in U.S. politics on behalf of Israel) immediately backed up her speculation. “You’re absolutely right on the foreign interference, because we know for decades the Russians, when it was the Soviet Union, the Communists, have often tried to embarrass the United States by promoting the racial divide in our country,” he replied.
More of Susan Rice speculating on CNN that Russia is fueling US protests: "I would not be surprised to learn that they have fomented some of these extremists on both sides using social media. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they are funding it in some way, shape, or form." pic.twitter.com/qLGdZuxBuo — Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) May 31, 2020
Rice continued: “We see it all the time, we’ve seen it for years, and frankly every day on social media, where they take any divisive painful issue, whether it is immigration, whether it is gay rights, whether it is gun violence, and always racism, and they play on both sides. Their aim is not simply to embarrass the United States, Wolf, their aim is to divide us, to cause us to come into combat with each other, to disintegrate us from within. And I would not be surprised to learn that they have fomented some of these extremists on both sides using social media, I would not be surprised to learn that they have been funding it in some way, shape or form.” As such, she presented issues like the treatment of black people as a Russian-backed talking point.
Senator Marco Rubio, a prominent Florida Republican influential in international affairs, claimed that tensions were being “very heavily” stoked by “at least three foreign adversaries” “promoting violence.” In an interview with ABC, Trump’s National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said Rubio was “spot on,” claiming China and Iran were all involved in fanning the flames of racial resentment. Like with CNN, host George Stephanopoulos did not challenge his guest, but, in fact, backed him up, interrupting him to ask, “We also know that Russia has been actively trying in the past to spark racial unrest. Are they one of the adversaries who are now exploiting the situation as well?” O’Brien agreed Russia was partially responsible for the explosion in protests.
The irony is that the U.S. is openly sponsoring, organizing, and supporting uprisings abroad, like in Venezuela, Hong Kong, and Ukraine. Indeed, Rubio, Rice, and O’Brien are key figures in organizing them. While Moscow might indeed by promoting tensions, their measurable online reach is minimal; RT, the primary Russia-funded English-language outlet has received only around 10,000 worldwide views on its YouTube videos on the George Floyd protests.
The tenuous attempt to connect the anger over the Floyd murder is part of a much longer history of defaming black struggles for liberation by associating them with Russia. The celebrated playwright and activist James Baldwin long ago wrote that “when the nation has trouble with the Northern Negro, it blames the Kremlin.” The Civil Rights struggle was constantly written off as a Kremlin psychological operation; on Meet the Press in 1965, host Lawrence Spivak engaged in red-baiting Martin Luther King, Jr., asking him, “moderate Negro leaders, including you, have feared to point out the degree of communist infiltration in the Civil Rights Movement. Have communists infiltrated the movement?”
While the evidence linking the public anger over George Floyd’s killing to the Kremlin, Beijing, or any other foreign government is hazy, at best, the utility in blaming outside agitators for rioting or even for Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 is clear. For the national security state, it rallies the country round a jingoistic message, increasing their power and prestige. For centrists in the establishment, it gives them an out to look the other way and paper over the deep cracks in American society, allowing them an excuse not to change their policies or cede ground from insurgent populists. And for corporate media, foreign interference was a money-spinning story. The Russiagate conspiracy, now looking weaker than ever, dominated headlines for three years. Furthermore, the idea of foreign interference online pushed big social media companies like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and search engines like Google and Bing to partner with the national security state and alter their algorithms, promoting establishment media and de-ranking, de-listing or deplatforming alternative media that was challenging their dominance.
The latest instance of American social disharmony being blamed on Moscow is part of a long tradition, where some see an invisible Russian hand whenever it is useful.
Feature photo | Tear gas canisters detonate beside a protester as authorities clear an intersection near the Minneapolis 5th Police Precinct, May 30, 2020, in Minneapolis. John Minchillo | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-06-02--The Forgotten Coup Against ‘The Most Loyal Ally’

The Australian High Court has ruled that correspondence between the Queen and the Governor-General of Australia , her viceroy in the former British colony , is no longer “ personal ” and the property of Buckingham Palace .
Why does this matter ?
Secret letters written in 1975 by the Queen and her man in Canberra , Sir John Kerr , can now be released by the National Archives .
On November 11 , 1975 , Kerr infamously sacked the reformist government of prime minister Gough Whitlam , and delivered Australia into the hands of the United States .
Today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ none : its politics , intelligence agencies , military and much of its media are integrated into Washington ’ s “ sphere of dominance ” and war plans .
In Donald Trump ’ s current provocations of China , the U.S. bases in Australia are described as the “ tip of the spear ” .
There is an historical amnesia among Australia ’ s polite society about the catastrophic events of 1975 .
An Anglo-American coup overthrew a democratically elected ally in a demeaning scandal in which sections of the Australian elite colluded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stamina and achievement of the Australian historian Jenny Hocking in forcing the High Court ’ s decision are exceptional .
Gough Whitlam was driven from government on Remembrance Day , 1975 .
When he died six years ago , his achievements were recognized , if grudgingly , his mistakes noted in false sorrow .
The truth of the coup against him , it was hoped , would be buried with him .
During the Whitlam years , 1972-75 , Australia briefly achieved independence and became intolerably progressive .
Politically , it was an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that no country had “ reversed its posture in international affairs so totally without going through a domestic revolution ” .
The last Australian troops were ordered home from their mercenary service to the American assault on Vietnam .
Whitlam ’ s ministers publicly condemned US barbarities as “ mass murder ” and the crimes of “ maniacs ” .
The Nixon administration was corrupt , said the Deputy Prime Minister , Jim Cairns , and called for a boycott of American trade .
In response , Australian dockers refused to unload American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Non-Aligned Movement and called for a Zone of Peace in the Indian ocean , which the US and Britain opposed .
He demanded France cease its nuclear testing in the Pacific .
In the UN , Australia spoke up for the Palestinians .
Refugees fleeing the CIA-engineered coup in Chile were welcomed into Australia : an irony I know that Whitlam later savored .
Although not regarded as on the left of the Labor Party , Gough Whitlam was a maverick social democrat of principle , pride and propriety .
He believed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country ’ s resources and dictate its economic and foreign policies .
He proposed to “ buy back the farm ” .
In drafting the first Aboriginal lands rights legislation and supporting Aboriginal strikers , his government raised the ghost of the greatest land grab in human history , Britain ’ s colonization of Australia , and the question of who owned the island-continent ’ s vast natural wealth .
At home , equal pay for women , free universal higher education , and support for the arts became law .
There was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political time was already running out .
Latin Americans will recognize the audacity and danger of such a “ breaking free ” in a country whose establishment was welded to great , external power .
Australians had served every British imperial adventure since the Boxer rebellion was crushed in China .
In the 1960s , Australia pleaded to join the US in its invasion of Vietnam , then provided “ black teams ” for the CIA .
Whitlam ’ s enemies gathered .
US diplomatic cables published in 2013 by WikiLeaks disclose the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parties , including a future prime minister and foreign minister , as Washington ’ s informants during the Whitlam years .
Gough Whitlam knew the risk he was taking .
The day after his election , he ordered that his staff should no longer be “ vetted or harassed ” by the Australian security organisation , ASIO , which was then , as now , tied to Anglo-American intelligence .
A CIA station officer in Saigon wrote : “ We were told the Australians might as well be regarded as North Vietnamese collaborators.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when , in the early hours of March 16 , 1973 , Whitlam ’ s Attorney-General , Lionel Murphy , led a posse of Federal police in a raid on the Melbourne offices of ASIO .
Since its inception in 1949 , ASIO had become as powerful in Australia as the CIA in Washington .
A leaked file on Deputy Prime Minister Jim Cairns described him as a dangerous figure who would bring about “ the destruction of the democratic system of government ” .
ASIO ’ s real power derived from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of loyalty to foreign intelligence organizations – notably the CIA and MI6 .
This was demonstrated dramatically when the ( now defunct ) National Times published extracts from tens of thousands of classified documents under the headline , “ How ASIO Betrayed Australia to the Americans.
” Australia is home to some of the most important spy bases in the world .
Whitlam demanded to know the CIA ’ s role and if and why the CIA was running the “ joint facility ” at Pine Gap near Alice Springs .
As documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pine Gap allows the US to spy on everyone .
“ Try to screw us or bounce us , ” Whitlam warned the US ambassador , Walter Rice , “ [ and Pine Gap ] will become a matter of contention ” .
Victor Marchetti , the CIA officer who had helped set up Pine Gap , later told me , “ This threat to close Pine Gap caused apoplexy in the White House… a kind of Chile [ coup ] was set in motion.
” Pine Gap ’ s top-secret messages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TRW .
One of the de-coders was Christopher Boyce , a young man troubled by the “ deception and betrayal of an ally ” he witnessed .
Boyce revealed that the CIA had infiltrated the Australian political and trade union elite and was spying on phone calls and Telex messages .
In an interview with the Australian author and investigative journalist , William Pinwell , Boyce revealed one name as especially important .
The CIA referred to the Governor-General of Australia , Sir John Kerr , as “ our man Kerr ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s man and a passionate monarchist , he had long-standing ties to Anglo-American intelligence .
He was an enthusiastic member of the Australian Association for Cultural Freedom , described by Jonathan Kwitny of the Wall Street Journal in his book , “ The Crimes of Patriots ” , as , “ an elite , invitation-only group… exposed in Congress as being founded , funded and generally run by the CIA ” .
Kerr was also funded by the Asia Foundation , exposed in Congress as a conduit for CIA influence and money .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid for Kerr ’ s travel , built his prestige , even paid for his writings … Kerr continued to go to the CIA for money ” .
When Whitlam was re-elected for a second term in 1974 , the White House sent Marshall Green to Canberra as ambassador .
Green was an imperious , sinister figure who worked in the shadows of America ’ s “ deep state ” .
Known as the “ coupmaster ” , he had played a central role in the 1965 coup against President Sukarno in Indonesia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives .
One of Green ’ s first speeches in Australia was to the Australian Institute of Directors , described by an alarmed member of the audience as “ an incitement to the country ’ s business leaders to rise against the government ” .
The Americans worked closely with the British .
In 1975 , Whitlam discovered that MI6 was operating against his government .
“ The Brits were actually decoding secret messages coming into my foreign affairs office , ” he said later .
One of his ministers , Clyde Cameron @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MI6 was bugging Cabinet meetings for the Americans.
” Senior CIA officers later revealed that the “ Whitlam problem ” had been discussed “ with urgency ” by the CIA ’ s director , William Colby , and the head of MI6 , Sir Maurice Oldfield .
A deputy director of the CIA said : “ Kerr did what he was told to do.
” On November 10 , 1975 , Whitlam was shown a top secret telex message sourced to Theodore Shackley , the notorious head of the CIA ’ s East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coup against Salvador Allende in Chile two years earlier .
Shackley ’ s message was read to Whitlam .
It said that the prime minister of Australia was a security risk in his own country .
Brian Toohey , editor of the National Times , disclosed that it carried the authority of Henry Kissinger , destroyer of Chile and Cambodia .
Having removed the heads of both Australian intelligence agencies , ASIO and ASIS , Whitlam was now moving against the CIA .
He called for a list of all “ declared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day before the Shackley cabled arrived on November 10 , 1975 , Sir John Kerr visited the headquarters of the Defence Signals Directorate , Australia ’ s NSA , where he was secretly briefed on the “ security crisis ” .
It was during that weekend , according to a CIA source , that the CIA ’ s “ demands ” were passed to Kerr via the British .
On November 11 , 1975 – the day Whitlam was to inform Parliament about the secret CIA presence in Australia – he was summoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reserve powers ” invested in him by the British monarch , Kerr sacked the democratically elected prime minister .
The “ Whitlam problem ” was solved .
Australian politics never recovered , nor the nation its true independence .
The destruction of Salvador Allende ’ s government in Chile four years earlier , and of scores of other governments that have questioned the divine right of American might and violence since 1945 , was replicated in the most loyal of American allies , often described as “ the lucky country ” .
Only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Australia in 1975 differed , along with its enduring cover up .
Imagine a Whitlam today standing up to Trump and Pompeo .
Imagine the same courage and principled defiance .
Well , it happened .
Abridged from “ The Coup , ” in John Pilger ’ s book , “ A Secret Country ” , Vintage Books , London .
See also Pilger ’ s film , Other People ’ s Wars http : //johnpilger.com/videos/ the-last-dream-other-peoples- wars Feature photo | Gough Whitlam speaks on the Parliament House steps in Canberra after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Photo | Australian Information Service | National Library Of Australia John Pilger is an award-winning journalist .
His articles appear worldwide in newspapers such as The Guardian , Independent , The New York Times , the Los Angeles Times , the Mail & Guardian ( South Africa ) , Aftonbladet ( Sweden ) and Il Manifesto ( Italy ) .

The Australian High Court has ruled that correspondence between the Queen and the Governor-General of Australia, her viceroy in the former British colony, is no longer “personal” and the property of Buckingham Palace. Why does this matter?
Secret letters written in 1975 by the Queen and her man in Canberra, Sir John Kerr, can now be released by the National Archives. On November 11, 1975, Kerr infamously sacked the reformist government of prime minister Gough Whitlam, and delivered Australia into the hands of the United States.
Today, Australia is a vassal state bar none: its politics, intelligence agencies, military and much of its media are integrated into Washington’s “sphere of dominance” and war plans. In Donald Trump’s current provocations of China, the U.S. bases in Australia are described as the “tip of the spear”.
There is an historical amnesia among Australia’s polite society about the catastrophic events of 1975. An Anglo-American coup overthrew a democratically elected ally in a demeaning scandal in which sections of the Australian elite colluded. This is largely unmentionable. The stamina and achievement of the Australian historian Jenny Hocking in forcing the High Court’s decision are exceptional.
Gough Whitlam was driven from government on Remembrance Day, 1975. When he died six years ago, his achievements were recognized, if grudgingly, his mistakes noted in false sorrow. The truth of the coup against him, it was hoped, would be buried with him.
During the Whitlam years, 1972-75, Australia briefly achieved independence and became intolerably progressive. Politically, it was an astonishing period. An American commentator wrote that no country had “reversed its posture in international affairs so totally without going through a domestic revolution”.
The last Australian troops were ordered home from their mercenary service to the American assault on Vietnam. Whitlam’s ministers publicly condemned US barbarities as “mass murder” and the crimes of “maniacs”. The Nixon administration was corrupt, said the Deputy Prime Minister, Jim Cairns, and called for a boycott of American trade. In response, Australian dockers refused to unload American ships.
Whitlam moved Australia towards the Non-Aligned Movement and called for a Zone of Peace in the Indian ocean, which the US and Britain opposed. He demanded France cease its nuclear testing in the Pacific. In the UN, Australia spoke up for the Palestinians. Refugees fleeing the CIA-engineered coup in Chile were welcomed into Australia: an irony I know that Whitlam later savored.
Although not regarded as on the left of the Labor Party, Gough Whitlam was a maverick social democrat of principle, pride and propriety. He believed that a foreign power should not control his country’s resources and dictate its economic and foreign policies. He proposed to “buy back the farm”.
In drafting the first Aboriginal lands rights legislation and supporting Aboriginal strikers, his government raised the ghost of the greatest land grab in human history, Britain’s colonization of Australia, and the question of who owned the island-continent’s vast natural wealth.
At home, equal pay for women, free universal higher education, and support for the arts became law. There was a sense of real urgency as if political time was already running out.
Latin Americans will recognize the audacity and danger of such a “breaking free” in a country whose establishment was welded to great, external power. Australians had served every British imperial adventure since the Boxer rebellion was crushed in China. In the 1960s, Australia pleaded to join the US in its invasion of Vietnam, then provided “black teams” for the CIA.
Whitlam’s enemies gathered. US diplomatic cables published in 2013 by WikiLeaks disclose the names of leading figures in both main parties, including a future prime minister and foreign minister, as Washington’s informants during the Whitlam years.
Gough Whitlam knew the risk he was taking. The day after his election, he ordered that his staff should no longer be “vetted or harassed” by the Australian security organisation, ASIO, which was then, as now, tied to Anglo-American intelligence. A CIA station officer in Saigon wrote: “We were told the Australians might as well be regarded as North Vietnamese collaborators.”
Alarm in Washington rose to fury when, in the early hours of March 16, 1973, Whitlam’s Attorney-General, Lionel Murphy, led a posse of Federal police in a raid on the Melbourne offices of ASIO. Since its inception in 1949, ASIO had become as powerful in Australia as the CIA in Washington. A leaked file on Deputy Prime Minister Jim Cairns described him as a dangerous figure who would bring about “the destruction of the democratic system of government”.
ASIO’s real power derived from the UKUSA Treaty, with its secret pact of loyalty to foreign intelligence organizations – notably the CIA and MI6. This was demonstrated dramatically when the (now defunct) National Times published extracts from tens of thousands of classified documents under the headline, “How ASIO Betrayed Australia to the Americans.”
Australia is home to some of the most important spy bases in the world. Whitlam demanded to know the CIA’s role and if and why the CIA was running the “joint facility” at Pine Gap near Alice Springs. As documents leaked by Edward Snowden revealed in 2013, Pine Gap allows the US to spy on everyone.
“Try to screw us or bounce us,” Whitlam warned the US ambassador, Walter Rice, “[and Pine Gap] will become a matter of contention”.
Victor Marchetti, the CIA officer who had helped set up Pine Gap, later told me, “This threat to close Pine Gap caused apoplexy in the White House… a kind of Chile [coup] was set in motion.”
Pine Gap’s top-secret messages were de-coded by a CIA contractor, TRW. One of the de-coders was Christopher Boyce, a young man troubled by the “deception and betrayal of an ally” he witnessed. Boyce revealed that the CIA had infiltrated the Australian political and trade union elite and was spying on phone calls and Telex messages.
In an interview with the Australian author and investigative journalist, William Pinwell, Boyce revealed one name as especially important. The CIA referred to the Governor-General of Australia, Sir John Kerr, as “our man Kerr”.
Kerr was not only the Queen’s man and a passionate monarchist, he had long-standing ties to Anglo-American intelligence. He was an enthusiastic member of the Australian Association for Cultural Freedom, described by Jonathan Kwitny of the Wall Street Journal in his book, “The Crimes of Patriots”, as, “an elite, invitation-only group… exposed in Congress as being founded, funded and generally run by the CIA”.
Kerr was also funded by the Asia Foundation, exposed in Congress as a conduit for CIA influence and money. The CIA, wrote Kwitny, “paid for Kerr’s travel, built his prestige, even paid for his writings … Kerr continued to go to the CIA for money”.
When Whitlam was re-elected for a second term in 1974, the White House sent Marshall Green to Canberra as ambassador. Green was an imperious, sinister figure who worked in the shadows of America’s “deep state”. Known as the “coupmaster”, he had played a central role in the 1965 coup against President Sukarno in Indonesia – which cost up to a million lives.
One of Green’s first speeches in Australia was to the Australian Institute of Directors, described by an alarmed member of the audience as “an incitement to the country’s business leaders to rise against the government”.
The Americans worked closely with the British. In 1975, Whitlam discovered that MI6 was operating against his government. “The Brits were actually decoding secret messages coming into my foreign affairs office,” he said later. One of his ministers, Clyde Cameron, told me, “We
knew MI6 was bugging Cabinet meetings for the Americans.”
Senior CIA officers later revealed that the “Whitlam problem” had been discussed “with urgency” by the CIA’s director, William Colby, and the head of MI6, Sir Maurice Oldfield. A deputy director of the CIA said: “Kerr did what he was told to do.”
On November 10, 1975, Whitlam was shown a top secret telex message sourced to Theodore Shackley, the notorious head of the CIA’s East Asia Division, who had helped run the coup against Salvador Allende in Chile two years earlier. Shackley’s message was read to Whitlam. It said that the prime minister of Australia was a security risk in his own country. Brian Toohey, editor of the National Times, disclosed that it carried the authority of Henry Kissinger, destroyer of Chile and Cambodia.
Having removed the heads of both Australian intelligence agencies, ASIO and ASIS, Whitlam was now moving against the CIA. He called for a list of all “declared” CIA officers in Australia.
The day before the Shackley cabled arrived on November 10, 1975, Sir John Kerr visited the headquarters of the Defence Signals Directorate, Australia’s NSA, where he was secretly briefed on the “security crisis”. It was during that weekend, according to a CIA source, that the CIA’s “demands” were passed to Kerr via the British.
On November 11, 1975 – the day Whitlam was to inform Parliament about the secret CIA presence in Australia – he was summoned by Kerr. Invoking archaic vice-regal “reserve powers” invested in him by the British monarch, Kerr sacked the democratically elected prime minister.
The “Whitlam problem” was solved. Australian politics never recovered, nor the nation its true independence.
The destruction of Salvador Allende’s government in Chile four years earlier, and of scores of other governments that have questioned the divine right of American might and violence since 1945, was replicated in the most loyal of American allies, often described as “the lucky country”. Only the form of the crushing of democracy in Australia in 1975 differed, along with its enduring cover up.
Imagine a Whitlam today standing up to Trump and Pompeo. Imagine the same courage and principled defiance. Well, it happened.
Abridged from “The Coup,” in John Pilger’s book, “A Secret Country”, Vintage Books, London. See also Pilger’s film, Other People’s Wars http://johnpilger.com/videos/ the-last-dream-other-peoples- wars
Feature photo | Gough Whitlam speaks on the Parliament House steps in Canberra after his dismissal on November 11, 1975. Photo | Australian Information Service | National Library Of Australia
John Pilger is an award-winning journalist. His articles appear worldwide in newspapers such as The Guardian, Independent, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Mail & Guardian (South Africa), Aftonbladet (Sweden) and Il Manifesto (Italy).


mintpressnews--2020-06-02--Lee Camp: 19 Facts About American Policing That Will Blow Your Mind

With all the protests and anger and violence across the country , a justified discussion about policing has begun on our corporate media airwaves .
( I would say the discussion is overdue , but in fact , we ’ ve had it roughly every three years for the past 40 years . )
However , despite all the coverage , a deeper debate sits ignored – A debate about why our American police system exists at all , how it works ( or doesn ’ t ) , and where it came from .
The following 19 facts about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know .
First , let ’ s start with the sheer amount of murder .
• Police kill roughly 1,000 Americans per year .
In 2016 The Guardian found that American police murdered 1,093 .
That ’ s three lives extinguished by police every day.In the UK the average per year is three murders by police .
Not 300 .
Just three .
This means American police generally kill more citizens in a week than the UK will kill in a year .
In 2018 Denmark & Switzerland ’ s police killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let everyone live .
( You would think they would kill at least a few just to stay in practice . )
• The vast majority of those Americans killed are not “ hardened ” criminals ( whatever that means ) .
The Treatment Advocacy Center finds that one out of every four people killed by U.S. police was severely mentally ill .
If you add in simply mentally unstable or cognitively impaired , the number is much higher .
Probably well over 50 percent of the time police murder someone , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sound mind .
• Last year NBC News found that since 2005 , only 35 officers had been convicted of any crime after having taken someone ’ s life .
If we assume the U.S. averaged 900 police killings per year ( a very low estimate ) and that only one officer was involved in each killing ( an even lower estimate ) , this means cops are convicted .28 % of the time after killing someone .
Less than one percent .
But it gets worse .
• NBC reports , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ murder during this period [ 2005 to 2019 ] and seen their convictions stand.
” That ’ s a rate of conviction of .024 % – For all intents and purposes , police officers can murder with impunity .
What Cops Do All Day Now let ’ s take a moment to disabuse ourselves of the liberal fantasy of policing .
The vast majority of what police do in America is not run around catching the evil-doers like an episode of CSI or Law & Order or Die Hard or Starsky & Hutch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movies ever made ever .
• Professor Alex Vitale notes in “ The End of Policing ” that most cops average less than one felony arrest per year – meaning almost the entirety of a police officer ’ s day-to-day consists of standing around and occasionally dealing with small or nothing crimes .
These “ crimes ” such as loitering or “ causing a disturbance ” are designed to simply “ put people in the system.
” People of color are far more likely to be arrested for these types of crimes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sentence for a future “ crime of loitering ” or “ atrocity of playing loud music ” can be much longer .
• Vitale continues , “ Even detectives ( who make up only about 15 % of police forces ) spend most of their time taking reports of crimes that they will never solve—and in many cases will never even investigate .
…Most crimes that are investigated are not solved.
” • Rather than working harder to solve larger crimes , our government officials have created hundreds of smaller “ crimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the past few decades there has been a surge of bans on things like sleeping in public , begging , giving away free food , “ camping ” in public , and sleeping in one ’ s car .
Laws like these only serve to make homelessness ( and helping the homeless ) illegal and allow police to insert themselves , often upending lives .
( Because people begging for change often have it too easy . )
• A study in New York City found that over half of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were homeless .
Does anyone honestly believe that endlessly grabbing homeless people and charging them for nothing crimes does anything to help our society or the people involved ?
The fact that most officers spend their days doing this is equivalent to firefighters walking around spraying people ’ s cigarettes with water while the actual building fires are left to burn .
( More on those in a moment . )
• When wealthy or even middle-class people get caught doing most of these small crimes , they are either ignored by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If a Wall Street trader in a suit and tie takes a nap on a bench , do the police lock him up ?
If a doctor or a dentist or real estate agent is “ caught ” sleeping in their car , are they brought down to the station ?
No .
These so-called “ crimes ” serve to simply enforce the class structure and give police a reason to arrest the poor and the non-white .
• Meanwhile , true crimes don ’ t even garner a glance .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world are often legal , and even when they aren ’ t , they have nothing to do with police .
Corporate executives endlessly decide to dump toxins in our water or keep a baby powder on the shelves when they know it contains asbestos or continue sales of an herbicide when they know it causes cancer or push opioids on troubled Americans even as the bodies pile up .
Generally in such cases , no one will go to prison , no one will do a perp walk with handcuffs on .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a top exec is locked up , it has nothing to do with your average police officers .
As Michelle Alexander , author of The New Jim Crow has put it , “ We need an effective system of crime prevention and control in our communities , but that is not what the current system is .
This system is better designed to create crime , and a perpetual class of people labeled criminals.
” • The U.S. has the largest prison population in the world .
And if we slightly rephrase that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the largest prison state in the world.
” But the mainstream media doesn ’ t like the sound of that , so they won ’ t say it .
• Police in some regards commit more crime than average citizens .
Police now seize more from citizens via civil asset forfeiture than the amount of property stolen by street criminals in burglaries .
• Cops often protect inanimate objects against the unarmed citizens they have taken an oath to serve and protect .
For example , in Standing Rock , the law enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who actually owned the land through which it stabbed and drank the water it would ultimately contaminate .
So we ’ ve established police are not doing the job most people think they are and that they kill a lot of innocent people while acting like military patrols on the streets of the “ Land of The Free.
” Now let ’ s get into how poorly they ’ re trained at actually doing the jobs they shouldn ’ t be doing .
• Police academies spend [ on average ] 110 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only eight hours on conflict management .
This means , generally speaking , police spend 12 times as many hours learning how to shoot and kill people as learning how NOT to shoot and kill people .
• In most states , hairstylists are required to have far more training than police officers .
Even CNN reported , “ The minimum training requirement for Michigan police officers is 594 hours .
To work with electrical signs , you ’ ll need 4,000 hours of experience.
” • Former Philadelphia police captain Ray Lewis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to hire officers who are empathetic .
And pro-police website Officer.com has published articles saying empathy could be dangerous for police .
• Some cities also don ’ t want smart cops .
In fact , a court back in 2000 upheld the right of police departments to avoid hiring intelligent officers .
…So yes , in some American cities the authorities actively fill the department ’ s ranks with dumb people who can ’ t relate to your situation .
That certainly sounds like the opposite of what you ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the phrase , “ Gun included.
” And finally , we must ask , “ If our policing system is a draconian , military-style , Orwellian model used to consolidate an entrenched class hierarchy , then where did it come from ?
How did we get here ?
” • As detailed in “ Our Enemies in Blue , ” the American police system originated from slave patrols , which turned the streets of towns into patrol routes for what was a quasi-military force .
From its earliest days the American model was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ class people from the downtrodden and oppressed .
The numbers don ’ t lie .
The system has not largely changed since those early days .
Prof. Vitale writes , “ The reality is that the police exist primarily as a system for managing and even producing inequality by suppressing social movements and tightly managing the behaviors of poor and nonwhite people : those on the losing end of economic and political arrangements.
” These 19 facts should fully flip the script on how we view police in America .
We need a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it starting 400 years ago .
This article was published with special permission from the author .
It originally appeared at Consortium News .
Lee Camp is the host of the hit comedy news show “ Redacted Tonight.
” His new book “ Bullet Points and Punch Lines ” is available at LeeCampBook.com and his standup comedy special can be streamed for free at LeeCampAmerican.com .

With all the protests and anger and violence across the country, a justified discussion about policing has begun on our corporate media airwaves. (I would say the discussion is overdue, but in fact, we’ve had it roughly every three years for the past 40 years.) However, despite all the coverage, a deeper debate sits ignored – A debate about why our American police system exists at all, how it works (or doesn’t), and where it came from.
The following 19 facts about American policing will change everything you think you know. First, let’s start with the sheer amount of murder.
Police kill roughly 1,000 Americans per year. In 2016 The Guardian found that American police murdered 1,093. That’s three lives extinguished by police every day.In the UK the average per year is three murders by police. Not 300. Just three. This means American police generally kill more citizens in a week than the UK will kill in a year. In 2018 Denmark & Switzerland’s police killed no one. Zero. They literally let everyone live. (You would think they would kill at least a few just to stay in practice.)
The vast majority of those Americans killed are not “hardened” criminals (whatever that means). The Treatment Advocacy Center finds that one out of every four people killed by U.S. police was severely mentally ill. If you add in simply mentally unstable or cognitively impaired, the number is much higher. Probably well over 50 percent of the time police murder someone, the victim is not of a stable and sound mind.
Last year NBC News found that since 2005, only 35 officers had been convicted of any crime after having taken someone’s life. If we assume the U.S. averaged 900 police killings per year (a very low estimate) and that only one officer was involved in each killing (an even lower estimate), this means cops are convicted .28% of the time after killing someone. Less than one percent. But it gets worse.
NBC reports, “Only three officers have been convicted of murder during this period [2005 to 2019] and seen their convictions stand.” That’s a rate of conviction of .024% – For all intents and purposes, police officers can murder with impunity.
What Cops Do All Day
Now let’s take a moment to disabuse ourselves of the liberal fantasy of policing. The vast majority of what police do in America is not run around catching the evil-doers like an episode of CSI or Law & Order or Die Hard or Starsky & Hutch or all the other TV shows and movies ever made ever.
Professor Alex Vitale notes in “The End of Policing” that most cops average less than one felony arrest per year – meaning almost the entirety of a police officer’s day-to-day consists of standing around and occasionally dealing with small or nothing crimes. These “crimes” such as loitering or “causing a disturbance” are designed to simply “put people in the system.” People of color are far more likely to be arrested for these types of crimes. Once “in the system,” the sentence for a future “crime of loitering” or “atrocity of playing loud music” can be much longer.
Vitale continues, “Even detectives (who make up only about 15% of police forces) spend most of their time taking reports of crimes that they will never solve—and in many cases will never even investigate. …Most crimes that are investigated are not solved.”
Rather than working harder to solve larger crimes, our government officials have created hundreds of smaller “crimes” for police to nail citizens for. In the past few decades there has been a surge of bans on things like sleeping in public, begging, giving away free food, “camping” in public, and sleeping in one’s car. Laws like these only serve to make homelessness (and helping the homeless) illegal and allow police to insert themselves, often upending lives. (Because people begging for change often have it too easy.)
A study in New York City found that over half of those who cycle regularly through the prison system were homeless. Does anyone honestly believe that endlessly grabbing homeless people and charging them for nothing crimes does anything to help our society or the people involved? The fact that most officers spend their days doing this is equivalent to firefighters walking around spraying people’s cigarettes with water while the actual building fires are left to burn. (More on those in a moment.)
When wealthy or even middle-class people get caught doing most of these small crimes, they are either ignored by the police or let off with a warning. If a Wall Street trader in a suit and tie takes a nap on a bench, do the police lock him up? If a doctor or a dentist or real estate agent is “caught” sleeping in their car, are they brought down to the station? No. These so-called “crimes” serve to simply enforce the class structure and give police a reason to arrest the poor and the non-white.
Meanwhile, true crimes don’t even garner a glance. The largest crimes in the nation and the world are often legal, and even when they aren’t, they have nothing to do with police. Corporate executives endlessly decide to dump toxins in our water or keep a baby powder on the shelves when they know it contains asbestos or continue sales of an herbicide when they know it causes cancer or push opioids on troubled Americans even as the bodies pile up. Generally in such cases, no one will go to prison, no one will do a perp walk with handcuffs on. And in the incredibly rare moment that a top exec is locked up, it has nothing to do with your average police officers.
Designed to Create Crime
As Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow has put it, “We need an effective system of crime prevention and control in our communities, but that is not what the current system is. This system is better designed to create crime, and a perpetual class of people labeled criminals.”
The U.S. has the largest prison population in the world. And if we slightly rephrase that, we get, “America is the largest prison state in the world.” But the mainstream media doesn’t like the sound of that, so they won’t say it.
Police in some regards commit more crime than average citizens. Police now seize more from citizens via civil asset forfeiture than the amount of property stolen by street criminals in burglaries.
Cops often protect inanimate objects against the unarmed citizens they have taken an oath to serve and protect. For example, in Standing Rock, the law enforcement was steadfastly guarding a pipeline against the people who actually owned the land through which it stabbed and drank the water it would ultimately contaminate.
So we’ve established police are not doing the job most people think they are and that they kill a lot of innocent people while acting like military patrols on the streets of the “Land of The Free.” Now let’s get into how poorly they’re trained at actually doing the jobs they shouldn’t be doing.
Police academies spend [on average] 110 hours on firearms and self-defense, yet only eight hours on conflict management. This means, generally speaking, police spend 12 times as many hours learning how to shoot and kill people as learning how NOT to shoot and kill people.
In most states, hairstylists are required to have far more training than police officers. Even CNN reported, “The minimum training requirement for Michigan police officers is 594 hours. To work with electrical signs, you’ll need 4,000 hours of experience.”
Former Philadelphia police captain Ray Lewis has said police departments don’t want to hire officers who are empathetic. And pro-police website Officer.com has published articles saying empathy could be dangerous for police.
Some cities also don’t want smart cops. In fact, a court back in 2000 upheld the right of police departments to avoid hiring intelligent officers. …So yes, in some American cities the authorities actively fill the department’s ranks with dumb people who can’t relate to your situation. That certainly sounds like the opposite of what you’d want for a job opening that includes the phrase, “Gun included.”
Dark Roots
And finally, we must ask, “If our policing system is a draconian, military-style, Orwellian model used to consolidate an entrenched class hierarchy, then where did it come from? How did we get here?”
As detailed in “Our Enemies in Blue,” the American police system originated from slave patrols, which turned the streets of towns into patrol routes for what was a quasi-military force. From its earliest days the American model was a racist tactic to protect the higher class people from the downtrodden and oppressed. The numbers don’t lie. The system has not largely changed since those early days.
Prof. Vitale writes, “The reality is that the police exist primarily as a system for managing and even producing inequality by suppressing social movements and tightly managing the behaviors of poor and nonwhite people: those on the losing end of economic and political arrangements.”
These 19 facts should fully flip the script on how we view police in America. We need a completely new/different/smaller/less-violent model. And we need it starting 400 years ago.
Feature photo | Standoff in Washington. Photo | Eleanor Goldfield
This article was published with special permission from the author. It originally appeared at Consortium News.
Lee Camp is the host of the hit comedy news show “Redacted Tonight.” His new book “Bullet Points and Punch Lines” is available at LeeCampBook.com and his standup comedy special can be streamed for free at LeeCampAmerican.com.


mintpressnews--2020-06-03--Manipulating the Message: Police Attacks on Free Press and the Fencing in of Humanity

The evening before President Trump lumbered over to St. John ’ s Church for his infamous “ photo op , ” U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr quietly instructed all 56 regional departments of the FBI ’ s Joint Terrorism Task Forces ( JTTF ) to “ identify criminal organizers and instigators ” in the nationwide protests elicited by George Floyd ’ s murder .
Barr , himself , directed the dispersal of demonstrators outside the White House on Monday to clear the way for the President ’ s jaunt to the nearby house of worship .
As intended , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention and left precious little coverage , if any , about the continued encroachment by the federal government into whatever is left of America ’ s “ freedoms.
” Predictably , the mere use of a Bible as a prop was enough to rile up the base and the opposition together , diverting the attention away from substantial issues and corralling public discourse around a completely meaningless event .
From comments made by the church ’ s bishop denouncing Trump ’ s unannounced visit as a “ charade , ” to Pentagon officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unaware ” of where they were headed , this has been the modus operandi of the Trump presidency from the start .
But as the administration begins the last leg of its first – and possibly last term – the signs of more direct control over the press are starting to manifest .
Right from the gate , Trump harped on the message of “ fake news ” and labeled news media organizations as the enemy .
The crass and petulant delivery of Trump ’ s invectives against large news media outlets conceals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After all , the emergence of the Internet had laid bare the limitations of the fourth estate , which found itself exposed by a new generation of bloggers and independent journalists empowered by unfettered access to information .
Trump ’ s story rang true to many Americans who bought into the narrative he was peddling .
But , as events continue to unfold , it is becoming more clear that the outright effort to curtail first amendment protections is not exclusively geared towards professional journalists , but to the general population instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video recording device with instant publishing capabilities right in their pocket , are de facto journalists , as well .
A fairly new requirement for visa applications now compels people wishing to enter the country to provide their social media handles .
The so-called “ social media registration ” measure is being challenged in court from many different sectors , including social media giants Twitter and Reddit , faith-based organizations , and filmmakers .
The broader implications of such a seemingly innocuous change to a simple visa application are far reaching as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information indefinitely , share it broadly among federal agencies , and disclose it , in some circumstances , to foreign governments.
” , according to a press statement by the Knight First Amendment Institute .
The danger posed to the establishment by a hyper-informed population is being combatted on many fronts because it is a real threat to their power ; to the point that they are willing to sacrifice their own , mostly loyal mainstream media allies , to drive the point home .
The Australian government is opening an investigation into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the anti-police brutality protests in Washington DC .
Punched and shot with rubber bullets , cameraman Tim Myers and reporter Amelia Brace were caught in one of the many brutal acts by riot police .
Journalists have been arrested on camera and attacked by police repeatedly all over the country .
The tally so far , compiled by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker , counts as many as 12 arrests , 38 attacks on members of the press , and over 190 claims of abuse at the hands of police officers .
A particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blind in one eye from a rubber bullet shot at her directly by police .
A similar attack left legal observer Danny Garza with a black eye at a protest in Sacramento , California .
Garza , who also suffered from a concussion , is a member of the National Lawyers Guild and was at the protest in the capacity of a legal observer , he was nonetheless targeted specifically , as were the medics who came to his aide .
Scenes like these have been repeated in many places across the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one especially haunting incident that has been making the rounds on social media , a team of riot police lurched down a quiet residential street in Minneapolis where no protest of any kind was taking place , shooting their paintball guns at residents on their porch .
All of these shameful events beg the question : Why is this happening in a country which holds freedom of speech to be one of its guiding principles ?
Part of the answer was touched on above .
The state ’ s traditional control over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partners in the fourth estate , is under serious threat .
But , there are more effective and less visible ways of addressing such concerns .
The overt , gross examples of police brutality on display during the very demonstrations organized against it might have a different purpose altogether .
One more closely related to the roll-out of a new form of policing , which relies on algorithms instead of crude billy clubs .
The breach of Minneapolis ’ s 3rd Police Precinct on day three of the George Floyd protests in that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American history .
Not even during the turbulent and explosive social tensions of the 1960s did such a thing ever take place and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that it was allowed to happen .
The building was abandoned by police shortly after they reportedly “ ran out ” of non-lethal ammunition .
Reports of other questionable behavior by police , such as the destruction of protester ’ s water supplies and the ostensible planting of bricks in alleyways have proliferated over the past week of civil unrest , painting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the circumstances .
The perception of an out-of-control police force is not rare in minority communities , who have historically had to bear the brunt of their excesses , but it is far less familiar to more well-off suburbanites who don ’ t have the same relationship with law enforcement .
National coverage of these not-so-new behaviors , coupled with the narrative pushed by Susan Rice and others of “ foreign actors ” and “ outside agitators ” is tacitly making the case for the replacement of a fallible and racist police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mechanisms developed by entities like Google , Apple and Microsoft .
A tech-based , self-censoring model of social control is the ultimate dream of those who wish to rule over us , but not live among us .
Presenting the facet of police most ( White ) people never see for themselves on live TV is a good way to make a case for their replacement by cold and intractable computer code .
To Be or Not to be A video of a confrontation between AP journalists and a police officer emerged on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and photographer Maye-E Wong were precluded from covering a protest in lower Manhattan .
After being told to go home by an NYPD officer , Bumsted pleads their case , asserting that members of the press are considered “ essential workers.
” The officer responds by saying he doesn ’ t “ give a shit , ” while a fellow officer adds that they should “ get the fuck out.
” Such messy displays of human interaction can be completely avoided in a world where your status is determined by a scanning device @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is reduced to a machine parsing the photographs and videos we ’ ve already become so fond of taking of each other .
The existence of police brutality in America for people of color can not be disputed .
It is a fact of life for them , as well as many other marginalized groups .
At its core , it is a problem of inhumanity that requires a human solution , not stricter digital barriers that exacerbate our alienation in the name of profit and a false , uneasy peace .
Feature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Associated Press videojournalist Robert Bumsted , June 2 , 2020 , in New York .
Wong Maye-E | AP

The evening before President Trump lumbered over to St. John’s Church for his infamous “photo op,” U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr quietly instructed all 56 regional departments of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) to “identify criminal organizers and instigators” in the nationwide protests elicited by George Floyd’s murder. Barr, himself, directed the dispersal of demonstrators outside the White House on Monday to clear the way for the President’s jaunt to the nearby house of worship.
As intended, the stunt drew all the media’s attention and left precious little coverage, if any, about the continued encroachment by the federal government into whatever is left of America’s “freedoms.” Predictably, the mere use of a Bible as a prop was enough to rile up the base and the opposition together, diverting the attention away from substantial issues and corralling public discourse around a completely meaningless event.
From comments made by the church’s bishop denouncing Trump’s unannounced visit as a “charade,” to Pentagon officials accompanying the President claiming they were “unaware” of where they were headed, this has been the modus operandi of the Trump presidency from the start. But as the administration begins the last leg of its first – and possibly last term – the signs of more direct control over the press are starting to manifest.
Your e-papers, please
Right from the gate, Trump harped on the message of “fake news” and labeled news media organizations as the enemy. The crass and petulant delivery of Trump’s invectives against large news media outlets conceals the subtlety of the tactics in play. After all, the emergence of the Internet had laid bare the limitations of the fourth estate, which found itself exposed by a new generation of bloggers and independent journalists empowered by unfettered access to information. Trump’s story rang true to many Americans who bought into the narrative he was peddling.
But, as events continue to unfold, it is becoming more clear that the outright effort to curtail first amendment protections is not exclusively geared towards professional journalists, but to the general population instead, who by virtue of having a video recording device with instant publishing capabilities right in their pocket, are de facto journalists, as well.
A fairly new requirement for visa applications now compels people wishing to enter the country to provide their social media handles. The so-called “social media registration” measure is being challenged in court from many different sectors, including social media giants Twitter and Reddit, faith-based organizations, and filmmakers.
The broader implications of such a seemingly innocuous change to a simple visa application are far reaching as the State Department “can retain the collected information indefinitely, share it broadly among federal agencies, and disclose it, in some circumstances, to foreign governments.”, according to a press statement by the Knight First Amendment Institute.
The danger posed to the establishment by a hyper-informed population is being combatted on many fronts because it is a real threat to their power; to the point that they are willing to sacrifice their own, mostly loyal mainstream media allies, to drive the point home.
Shot in the face
The Australian government is opening an investigation into the assault on two Australian journalists covering the anti-police brutality protests in Washington DC. Punched and shot with rubber bullets, cameraman Tim Myers and reporter Amelia Brace were caught in one of the many brutal acts by riot police. Journalists have been arrested on camera and attacked by police repeatedly all over the country. The tally so far, compiled by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, counts as many as 12 arrests, 38 attacks on members of the press, and over 190 claims of abuse at the hands of police officers.
A particularly egregious attack left journalist Linda Tirado permanently blind in one eye from a rubber bullet shot at her directly by police. A similar attack left legal observer Danny Garza with a black eye at a protest in Sacramento, California. Garza, who also suffered from a concussion, is a member of the National Lawyers Guild and was at the protest in the capacity of a legal observer, he was nonetheless targeted specifically, as were the medics who came to his aide.
Hey folks, took a tracer found to the face (I think, given my backpack) and am headed into surgery to see if we can save my left eye Am wisely not gonna be on Twitter while I’m on morphine Stay safe folks pic.twitter.com/apZOyGrcBO — Linda Tirado (@KillerMartinis) May 30, 2020
Scenes like these have been repeated in many places across the nation over the past several days. In one especially haunting incident that has been making the rounds on social media, a team of riot police lurched down a quiet residential street in Minneapolis where no protest of any kind was taking place, shooting their paintball guns at residents on their porch.
Share widely: National guard and MPD sweeping our residential street. Shooting paint canisters at us on our own front porch. Yelling “light em up” #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #JusticeForGeorge #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/bW48imyt55 — Tanya Kerssen (@tkerssen) May 31, 2020
All of these shameful events beg the question: Why is this happening in a country which holds freedom of speech to be one of its guiding principles? Part of the answer was touched on above. The state’s traditional control over the public narrative, usually parsed by its partners in the fourth estate, is under serious threat. But, there are more effective and less visible ways of addressing such concerns. The overt, gross examples of police brutality on display during the very demonstrations organized against it might have a different purpose altogether. One more closely related to the roll-out of a new form of policing, which relies on algorithms instead of crude billy clubs.
Virtual Precincts Don’t Burn Down
The breach of Minneapolis’s 3rd Police Precinct on day three of the George Floyd protests in that city was an unprecedented act in modern American history. Not even during the turbulent and explosive social tensions of the 1960s did such a thing ever take place and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that it was allowed to happen. The building was abandoned by police shortly after they reportedly “ran out” of non-lethal ammunition. Reports of other questionable behavior by police, such as the destruction of protester’s water supplies and the ostensible planting of bricks in alleyways have proliferated over the past week of civil unrest, painting law enforcement in the worst possible light under the circumstances.
Asheville Police surround a medic station created by protesters as they stab water bottles with knives and tip over tables of medical supplies and food June 2, 2020. The medic team, made of EMTs and doctors, said the medical station was approved by the city. #avlnews pic.twitter.com/cLDperemsZ — Angie Wilhelm (@AngelaMWilhelm) June 3, 2020
The perception of an out-of-control police force is not rare in minority communities, who have historically had to bear the brunt of their excesses, but it is far less familiar to more well-off suburbanites who don’t have the same relationship with law enforcement. National coverage of these not-so-new behaviors, coupled with the narrative pushed by Susan Rice and others of “foreign actors” and “outside agitators” is tacitly making the case for the replacement of a fallible and racist police force with cleaner, more precise policing mechanisms developed by entities like Google, Apple and Microsoft.
A tech-based, self-censoring model of social control is the ultimate dream of those who wish to rule over us, but not live among us. Presenting the facet of police most (White) people never see for themselves on live TV is a good way to make a case for their replacement by cold and intractable computer code.
To Be or Not to be
A video of a confrontation between AP journalists and a police officer emerged on Tuesday, in which videojournalist Robert Bumsted and photographer Maye-E Wong were precluded from covering a protest in lower Manhattan. After being told to go home by an NYPD officer, Bumsted pleads their case, asserting that members of the press are considered “essential workers.” The officer responds by saying he doesn’t “give a shit,” while a fellow officer adds that they should “get the fuck out.”
Such messy displays of human interaction can be completely avoided in a world where your status is determined by a scanning device instead of another person and law enforcement is reduced to a machine parsing the photographs and videos we’ve already become so fond of taking of each other.
The existence of police brutality in America for people of color cannot be disputed. It is a fact of life for them, as well as many other marginalized groups. At its core, it is a problem of inhumanity that requires a human solution, not stricter digital barriers that exacerbate our alienation in the name of profit and a false, uneasy peace.
Feature photo | A police officer shouts at Associated Press videojournalist Robert Bumsted, June 2, 2020, in New York. Wong Maye-E | AP
Raul Diego is a MintPress News Staff Writer, independent photojournalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker.