hotair--2020-06-18--<span class='red'>Breaking: SCOTUS blocks Trump from ending DACA, 5-4; Update: Trump says 2nd Amendm

Breaking: SCOTUS blocks Trump from ending DACA, 5-4; Update: Trump says 2nd Amendment is next unless he's re-elected

Can an executive order bind a successor ?
The Supreme Court decided that it can , at least under certain circumstances , in its widely anticipated decision on the Trump administration ’ s attempts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) program .
In a 5-4 decision and opinion authored by Chief Justice John Roberts , the court ruled that Donald Trump ’ s policy countering the Barack Obama prosecutorial discretion EO that created DACA was “ arbitrary and capricious , ” but also left the option open to try again : The Supreme Court on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s immigration agenda , ruling the administration ’ s attempt to dismantle an Obama-era program that protects young undocumented immigrants from deportation was unlawful .
With its ruling , the high court provided a lifeline to nearly 700,000 immigrants whose future in the United States hung in the balance while a yearslong legal battle over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) program moved through the courts .
Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the opinion for the court , writing that the Trump administration ’ s decision to unwind the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the Administrative Procedure Act .
Note well that this leaves the issue of DACA itself undecided .
“ We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies , ” Roberts wrote in what is the crux of this hair-splitting exercise .
The administration is free to reverse the prosecutorial discretion policy , but the Department of Homeland Security has to comply with the APA first regardless of whether Trump ordered it or not through an EO : We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ action .
Here the agency failed to consider the conspicuous issues of whether to retain forbearance and what if anything to do about the hardship to DACA recipients .
That dual failure raises doubts about whether the agency appreciated the scope of its discretion or exercised that discretion in a reasonable manner .
The appropriate recourse is therefore to remand to DHS so that it may consider the problem anew .
That alarmed Justice Sonia Sotomayor , who wanted the court to block any attempt to roll back DACA permanently on the basis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the plurality minimizes the disproportionate impact of the rescission decision on Latinos after considering this point in isolation .
Ante , at 28 ( “ Were this fact sufficient to state a claim , virtually any generally applicable immigration policy could be challenged on equal protection grounds ” ) .
But the impact of the policy decision must be viewed in the context of the President ’ s public statements on and off the campaign trail .
At the motion-to-dismiss stage , I would not so readily dismiss the allegation that an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group that the President branded as less desirable mere months earlier .
What , pray tell , would be the disparate impact of a policy of prosecution of immigration cases — and how does that differ from the disparate impact of non-prosecution ?
Both are executive policy decisions on prosecutorial discretion , and both involve the same group of people .
This argument isn ’ t a judicial objection — it ’ s an argument of political advocacy .
Sotomayor wants a particular policy outcome , and wants to permanently make one president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do it .
Justice Clarence Thomas points out this hypocrisy in his dissent .
He offers a warning about the “ perverse incentives ” that this decision will have on outgoing administrations that want to create mischief in transitions , especially when the presidency changes parties : DHS created DACA during the Obama administration without any statutory authorization and without going through the requisite rulemaking process .
As a result , the program was unlawful from its inception .
The majority does not even attempt to explain why a court has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy reasons for rescinding an unlawful program under the arbitrary and capricious microscope .
The decision to countermand an unlawful agency action is clearly reasonable .
So long as the agency ’ s determination of illegality is sound , our review should be at an end .
Today ’ s decision must be recognized for what it is : an effort to avoid a politically controversial but legally correct decision .
The Court could have made clear that the solution respondents seek must come from the Legislative Branch .
Instead , the majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overreach by providing a stopgap measure of its own .
In doing so , it has given the green light for future political battles to be fought in this Court rather than where they rightfully belong—the political branches .
Such timidity forsakes the Court ’ s duty to apply the law according to neutral principles , and the ripple effects of the majority ’ s error will be felt throughout our system of self-government .
Perhaps even more unfortunately , the majority ’ s holding creates perverse incentives , particularly for outgoing administrations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s decision , administrations can bind their successors by unlawfully adopting significant legal changes through Executive Branch agency memoranda .
Even if the agency lacked authority to effectuate the changes , the changes can not be undone by the same agency in a successor administration unless the successor provides sufficient policy justifications to the satisfaction of this Court .
In other words , the majority erroneously holds that the agency is not only permitted , but required , to continue administering unlawful programs that it inherited from a previous administration .
I respectfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court should have ruled that the original program also violated the APA and put an end to this — and forced Congress to deal with its failures .
Where does this leave Trump and the administration ?
They can go through the rulemaking process again , this time dotting Is and crossing Ts more explicitly , to end DACA .
That would put the effort square in the middle of an election , however , and it would only end up back in court again .
That would be a lot of risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this might be more valuable for Trump as an election-year argument .
He could blame the courts for blocking his efforts to fix immigration issues and making the judiciary even more of a campaign focus than it would otherwise be .
If voters really want immigration and law-and-order policies implemented correctly without judicial activists blocking progress , Trump can argue , voters need him in place to pick the next two or three SCOTUS justices when those openings occur .
Plus , Trump can argue , he needs a Republican-controlled Senate to confirm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a big lemon today .
It ’ s up to Trump to make lemonade out of it .
Update : Trump is already squeezing the lemon : And , somewhat more whimsically :

Can an executive order bind a successor? The Supreme Court decided that it can, at least under certain circumstances, in its widely anticipated decision on the Trump administration’s attempts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In a 5-4 decision and opinion authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court ruled that Donald Trump’s policy countering the Barack Obama prosecutorial discretion EO that created DACA was “arbitrary and capricious,” but also left the option open to try again:
JUST IN: The Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration's attempt to end DACA, an Obama-era program that protects hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the US as children from deportation. https://t.co/twC7s2LMXj pic.twitter.com/6mdHzrH7QM — CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) June 18, 2020
The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a blow to President Trump’s immigration agenda, ruling the administration’s attempt to dismantle an Obama-era program that protects young undocumented immigrants from deportation was unlawful. With its ruling, the high court provided a lifeline to nearly 700,000 immigrants whose future in the United States hung in the balance while a yearslong legal battle over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program moved through the courts. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the opinion for the court, writing that the Trump administration’s decision to unwind the program was “arbitrary and capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Note well that this leaves the issue of DACA itself undecided. “We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies,” Roberts wrote in what is the crux of this hair-splitting exercise. The administration is free to reverse the prosecutorial discretion policy, but the Department of Homeland Security has to comply with the APA first regardless of whether Trump ordered it or not through an EO:
We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action. Here the agency failed to consider the conspicuous issues of whether to retain forbearance and what if anything to do about the hardship to DACA recipients. That dual failure raises doubts about whether the agency appreciated the scope of its discretion or exercised that discretion in a reasonable manner. The appropriate recourse is therefore to remand to DHS so that it may consider the problem anew.
That alarmed Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who wanted the court to block any attempt to roll back DACA permanently on the basis of “disproportionate impact”:
Next, the plurality minimizes the disproportionate impact of the rescission decision on Latinos after considering this point in isolation. Ante, at 28 (“Were this fact sufficient to state a claim, virtually any generally applicable immigration policy could be challenged on equal protection grounds”). But the impact of the policy decision must be viewed in the context of the President’s public statements on and off the campaign trail. At the motion-to-dismiss stage, I would not so readily dismiss the allegation that an executive decision disproportionately harms the same racial group that the President branded as less desirable mere months earlier.
What, pray tell, would be the disparate impact of a policy of prosecution of immigration cases — and how does that differ from the disparate impact of non-prosecution? Both are executive policy decisions on prosecutorial discretion, and both involve the same group of people. This argument isn’t a judicial objection — it’s an argument of political advocacy. Sotomayor wants a particular policy outcome, and wants to permanently make one president’s policy decision binding on successors to do it.
Justice Clarence Thomas points out this hypocrisy in his dissent. He offers a warning about the “perverse incentives” that this decision will have on outgoing administrations that want to create mischief in transitions, especially when the presidency changes parties:
DHS created DACA during the Obama administration without any statutory authorization and without going through the requisite rulemaking process. As a result, the program was unlawful from its inception. The majority does not even attempt to explain why a court has the authority to scrutinize an agency’s policy reasons for rescinding an unlawful program under the arbitrary and capricious microscope. The decision to countermand an unlawful agency action is clearly reasonable. So long as the agency’s determination of illegality is sound, our review should be at an end. Today’s decision must be recognized for what it is: an effort to avoid a politically controversial but legally correct decision. The Court could have made clear that the solution respondents seek must come from the Legislative Branch. Instead, the majority has decided to prolong DHS’ initial overreach by providing a stopgap measure of its own. In doing so, it has given the green light for future political battles to be fought in this Court rather than where they rightfully belong—the political branches. Such timidity forsakes the Court’s duty to apply the law according to neutral principles, and the ripple effects of the majority’s error will be felt throughout our system of self-government. Perhaps even more unfortunately, the majority’s holding creates perverse incentives, particularly for outgoing administrations. Under the auspices of today’s decision, administrations can bind their successors by unlawfully adopting significant legal changes through Executive Branch agency memoranda. Even if the agency lacked authority to effectuate the changes, the changes cannot be undone by the same agency in a successor administration unless the successor provides sufficient policy justifications to the satisfaction of this Court. In other words, the majority erroneously holds that the agency is not only permitted, but required, to continue administering unlawful programs that it inherited from a previous administration. I respectfully dissent in part.
Indeed. The court should have ruled that the original program also violated the APA and put an end to this — and forced Congress to deal with its failures.
Where does this leave Trump and the administration? They can go through the rulemaking process again, this time dotting Is and crossing Ts more explicitly, to end DACA. That would put the effort square in the middle of an election, however, and it would only end up back in court again. That would be a lot of risk for little immediate reward.
However, this might be more valuable for Trump as an election-year argument. He could blame the courts for blocking his efforts to fix immigration issues and making the judiciary even more of a campaign focus than it would otherwise be. If voters really want immigration and law-and-order policies implemented correctly without judicial activists blocking progress, Trump can argue, voters need him in place to pick the next two or three SCOTUS justices when those openings occur. Plus, Trump can argue, he needs a Republican-controlled Senate to confirm them.
The Supreme Court handed Trump a big lemon today. It’s up to Trump to make lemonade out of it.
Update: Trump is already squeezing the lemon:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1273633632742191106
And, somewhat more whimsically:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1273634152433188865


hotair--2020-06-18--Shocker: Chicago fraudulent unemployment claims spike

As with most states , Illinois has seen a massive increase in unemployment claims since the lockdowns began and business were forced to close and send their workers home .
This was particularly true in the densely populated city of Chicago .
The system was quickly overwhelmed , with newly unemployed workers complaining that they couldn ’ t get through either the online system or by phone to submit a claim .
Because of the massive backlog , the government essentially abandoned its normal verification process and began approving claims as soon as they were submitted in an effort to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you guess what happened next ?
Incidents of unemployment fraud quickly shot through the roof .
And that ’ s only the ones they ’ ve managed to identify so far .
( CBS Chicago ) In its rush to get money into the hands of unemployed workers , the state of Illinois is skipping the verification process , resulting in an increase in unemployment fraud , according to officials at one company that verifies unemployment claims for businesses .
CBS 2 Investigator Dorothy Tucker reports employed workers like Reginald Fitzgerald and Kristen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but received letters from the Illinois Department of Employment Security verifying unemployment claims .
Traci Weathers is another—she was approved for $ 1,084 a week after IDES OKd money she didn ’ t need .
This isn ’ t the first time this problem has shown up .
There have already been reports of massive unemployment fraud in Washington State .
Chicago and much of the rest of Illinois are repeating the same pattern .
Most , though not all of the fraudulent claims are being filed via identity theft .
Under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were handled primarily via snail mail using paper checks for benefits , these sorts of schemes would have been nearly impossible .
But today you can file online and request your payments to be made through PayPal and similar online transaction services .
Anyone who has hacked the identity of a worker can file a claim and have payments begin showing up in their account rapidly and they will continue until the “ error ” is reported and the claim gets canceled .
Meanwhile , PayPal assets can be quickly transferred into gift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most of the hackers are coming from Asia , Africa , and eastern Europe , hopes for catching them and recovering the money are slim .
It ’ s easy to have some sympathy for the state government in this case , at least to a degree .
They were faced with a choice of properly vetting each of the claims and having tens of thousands of unemployed workers raising the roof when they couldn ’ t pay their rent .
The only other realistic option was to do what they did and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible .
One company that processes claims for the state ( NSN Employer Services ) said that the number of claims had increased by a factor of five over normal volumes in a matter of days .
They also reported that they normally average one or two fraud claims per week .
Now it ’ s between 30 and 40 .
The Illinois unemployment system was obviously out of date and neither robust nor flexible enough to handle this sort of surge .
What will be truly unforgivable is if we come out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they don ’ t quickly move to correct those issues .
This isn ’ t going to be our last pandemic .
And that means that it won ’ t be our last massive economic shutdown .
Every state needs to be ready for this to happen again or those elected officials should stand ready to be held accountable .

As with most states, Illinois has seen a massive increase in unemployment claims since the lockdowns began and business were forced to close and send their workers home. This was particularly true in the densely populated city of Chicago. The system was quickly overwhelmed, with newly unemployed workers complaining that they couldn’t get through either the online system or by phone to submit a claim. Because of the massive backlog, the government essentially abandoned its normal verification process and began approving claims as soon as they were submitted in an effort to clear the backlog.
Can any of you guess what happened next? Incidents of unemployment fraud quickly shot through the roof. And that’s only the ones they’ve managed to identify so far. (CBS Chicago)
In its rush to get money into the hands of unemployed workers, the state of Illinois is skipping the verification process, resulting in an increase in unemployment fraud, according to officials at one company that verifies unemployment claims for businesses. CBS 2 Investigator Dorothy Tucker reports employed workers like Reginald Fitzgerald and Kristen Jeske did not apply for unemployment, but received letters from the Illinois Department of Employment Security verifying unemployment claims. “I’m still working,” Fitzgerald said. Traci Weathers is another—she was approved for $1,084 a week after IDES OKd money she didn’t need.
This isn’t the first time this problem has shown up. There have already been reports of massive unemployment fraud in Washington State. Chicago and much of the rest of Illinois are repeating the same pattern. Most, though not all of the fraudulent claims are being filed via identity theft.
Under the old, traditional unemployment system where things were handled primarily via snail mail using paper checks for benefits, these sorts of schemes would have been nearly impossible. But today you can file online and request your payments to be made through PayPal and similar online transaction services. Anyone who has hacked the identity of a worker can file a claim and have payments begin showing up in their account rapidly and they will continue until the “error” is reported and the claim gets canceled. Meanwhile, PayPal assets can be quickly transferred into gift cards or offshore accounts. And since most of the hackers are coming from Asia, Africa, and eastern Europe, hopes for catching them and recovering the money are slim.
It’s easy to have some sympathy for the state government in this case, at least to a degree. They were faced with a choice of properly vetting each of the claims and having tens of thousands of unemployed workers raising the roof when they couldn’t pay their rent. The only other realistic option was to do what they did and pump the claims through as quickly as possible. One company that processes claims for the state (NSN Employer Services) said that the number of claims had increased by a factor of five over normal volumes in a matter of days. They also reported that they normally average one or two fraud claims per week. Now it’s between 30 and 40.
The Illinois unemployment system was obviously out of date and neither robust nor flexible enough to handle this sort of surge. What will be truly unforgivable is if we come out the other side of this crisis and they don’t quickly move to correct those issues. This isn’t going to be our last pandemic. And that means that it won’t be our last massive economic shutdown. Every state needs to be ready for this to happen again or those elected officials should stand ready to be held accountable.


hotair--2020-06-18--Baltimore admits Trump was correct. Most murders went unsolved

During his remarks on police reform on Tuesday , President Trump pointed to Baltimore , Maryland as an example of why police departments need more support and resources .
He noted that no arrests were made in a majority of the murder cases recorded in the city last year .
Generally , when Trump tosses out a statistic to support his arguments , the press falls all over themselves to fact check him and point out any possible errors to undermine the case he ’ s making , but this time they seemed to fall strangely silent .
The reason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report from CBS Baltimore .
They checked with the Baltimore PD and were informed that the President was indeed correct .
In a year where Charm City set an all-time record for the most per capita murders , a significant majority of them remain unsolved .
Baltimore City police confirmed the president ’ s statistic Tuesday saying they had a 31 % homicide clearance rate , or rate of closing cases , in 2019 .
A spokesperson said since Commissioner Michael Harrison arrived in 2019 , the department has re-assessed assets and invested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new investigators .
Now , the department is focusing on staffing and reduction in caseloads for homicide .
Additionally , the department is investing into accountability tools being put into place and the unit is building on Consent Decree policies and training .
Thus far this year , the homicide clearance rate has improved , but only slightly .
The Baltimore PD is reporting a 45 % clearance rate through the first five months of 2020 .
While that ’ s a significant improvement over 31 % , it ’ s still pretty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” of the murders are still going unsolved .
Approaching the halfway point in the annual calendar , the city has recorded 146 murders in 2020 .
That puts them on track to be at or above the 300 mark on the year yet again .
Of course , the rate always goes up during the hotter summer months , so 300 may be a lowball number .
Before we ’ re too hasty in laying the blame for the low clearance rates entirely on the shoulders of the police , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factors in play here .
When murders take place in less urban or rural communities , it ’ s frequently for a reason .
The police can often determine some sort of motive , helping to narrow down the field of possible suspects .
The vast majority of Baltimore ’ s murders are examples of gang violence and turf wars .
That makes the PD ’ s job significantly more difficult .
Also , police departments in other areas frequently receive more help from the community when gathering information on serious crimes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ literally famous for its “ no snitching mentality ” and the idea that “ snitches get stitches.
” Even locals who might be inclined to help the cops solve a murder are often fearful of doing so because they could face serious or even fatal retaliation from the gangs .
( We should once again point out that the HBO series The Wire turned out to be a documentary more than a drama . )
Then there is the scope of the problem as compared to the resources available to combat it to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ composed of roughly 3,200 officers dealing with more than three hundred murder cases per year .
Compare that to New York City , which has more than 36,000 cops and recorded fewer murders than Baltimore last year .
The Baltimore PD is simply overwhelmed .
Police are further hampered by their own state and municipal governments .
Every time tougher laws against gun crimes have been proposed , they ’ ve been shut down cold .
Ironically , even the bills of that type proposed at the state level were defeated largely by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even when the cops do manage to catch gang members and obtain a conviction , they complain of the revolving door that the criminals pass through .
But now there is a new mayor on the way in next year and he has vowed to get the city ’ s murder rate under control .
Based on Tuesday ’ s announcements , he should be getting some help from the federal government in beefing up the police force .
While I hesitate to get my hopes up , perhaps there is some light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .

During his remarks on police reform on Tuesday, President Trump pointed to Baltimore, Maryland as an example of why police departments need more support and resources. He noted that no arrests were made in a majority of the murder cases recorded in the city last year. Generally, when Trump tosses out a statistic to support his arguments, the press falls all over themselves to fact check him and point out any possible errors to undermine the case he’s making, but this time they seemed to fall strangely silent. The reason for that is found in a follow-up report from CBS Baltimore. They checked with the Baltimore PD and were informed that the President was indeed correct. In a year where Charm City set an all-time record for the most per capita murders, a significant majority of them remain unsolved.
Baltimore City police confirmed the president’s statistic Tuesday saying they had a 31% homicide clearance rate, or rate of closing cases, in 2019. A spokesperson said since Commissioner Michael Harrison arrived in 2019, the department has re-assessed assets and invested into the homicide unit, including 14 new investigators. Now, the department is focusing on staffing and reduction in caseloads for homicide. Additionally, the department is investing into accountability tools being put into place and the unit is building on Consent Decree policies and training.
Thus far this year, the homicide clearance rate has improved, but only slightly. The Baltimore PD is reporting a 45% clearance rate through the first five months of 2020. While that’s a significant improvement over 31%, it’s still pretty dismal, and “more than half” of the murders are still going unsolved. Approaching the halfway point in the annual calendar, the city has recorded 146 murders in 2020. That puts them on track to be at or above the 300 mark on the year yet again. Of course, the rate always goes up during the hotter summer months, so 300 may be a lowball number.
Before we’re too hasty in laying the blame for the low clearance rates entirely on the shoulders of the police, it’s worth considering some of the other factors in play here. When murders take place in less urban or rural communities, it’s frequently for a reason. The police can often determine some sort of motive, helping to narrow down the field of possible suspects. The vast majority of Baltimore’s murders are examples of gang violence and turf wars. That makes the PD’s job significantly more difficult.
Also, police departments in other areas frequently receive more help from the community when gathering information on serious crimes. By contrast, Charm City is quite literally famous for its “no snitching mentality” and the idea that “snitches get stitches.” Even locals who might be inclined to help the cops solve a murder are often fearful of doing so because they could face serious or even fatal retaliation from the gangs. (We should once again point out that the HBO series The Wire turned out to be a documentary more than a drama.)
Then there is the scope of the problem as compared to the resources available to combat it to consider. Baltimore has a police force composed of roughly 3,200 officers dealing with more than three hundred murder cases per year. Compare that to New York City, which has more than 36,000 cops and recorded fewer murders than Baltimore last year. The Baltimore PD is simply overwhelmed.
Police are further hampered by their own state and municipal governments. Every time tougher laws against gun crimes have been proposed, they’ve been shut down cold. Ironically, even the bills of that type proposed at the state level were defeated largely by legislators from the Baltimore County region. Even when the cops do manage to catch gang members and obtain a conviction, they complain of the revolving door that the criminals pass through.
But now there is a new mayor on the way in next year and he has vowed to get the city’s murder rate under control. Based on Tuesday’s announcements, he should be getting some help from the federal government in beefing up the police force. While I hesitate to get my hopes up, perhaps there is some light at the end of the tunnel this time.


hotair--2020-06-18--Atlanta PD stage walkout while mayor asks them to "keep their commitment"

Atlanta got its first brief look at what abolishing the police looks like after their officers walked off the job overnight in protest of charges in the Rayshard Brooks killing .
Entire shifts reportedly walked out and neighboring jurisdictions reportedly refused to assist Atlanta except to back up officers on the job , although the city tried to downplay the wildcat action : That ’ s not what the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last night , and it ’ s not what those listening to police scanners heard , either .
A reporter from the local CBS affiliate said her sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t seem interested in downplaying it , anyway : Vince Champion , Southeast regional director for the International Brotherhood of Police Officers , told the AJC he could not confirm which police zones were affected.
“ There are officers walking off , ” Champion said Wednesday evening .
There are officers saying they are not going to leave the precinct unless to help another officer .
Some are walking off and sitting in their personal vehicles.
” Champion said he has been told APD was attempting to get back-up support from adjacent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some agencies declined to help .
“ Why would you put your officer in Fulton County and take the chance of this happening ?
” Champion said .
“ You have an officer who just heard what Paul Howard said , saying he ’ s going to be in prison for the rest of his life or put to death , and now he ’ s got to surrender.
” My friend Rob O ’ Donnell , president of Brothers Before Others , said his sources in the Atlanta PD also confirmed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yesterday , the Fulton County DA charged two police officers with felony murder for shooting Brooks after he resisted arrest for a DUI and took one officer ’ s Taser from him .
The released body-cam footage shows that officers fired when Brooks pointed the Taser back at them as he was running from them , which makes the charges questionable .
What makes them even more questionable is that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation , the agency with jurisdiction in the case , hadn ’ t finished its investigation of the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew it yesterday afternoon , too : The state agency responsible for conducting an independent investigation of the death of a Black Atlanta man during an encounter with white police officers in the parking lot of an Atlanta fast food restaurant said it was surprised by the announcement that those officers would face charges .
On Wednesday , Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced that fired Atlanta Police officer Garrett Rolfe would be charged with murder and 10 other counts following the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks Friday .
Rolfe ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three charges in connection to the shooting .
It ’ s an announcement that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said caught the agency off guard .
In a statement posted moments after the charges were announced , the GBI said it was neither made aware of the press conference before it happened , nor was it “ consulted on the charges filed ” by the District Attorney ’ s office .
In other words , at least to police , this looks like a politically motivated railroad job by Howard .
The DA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a threat ” to officers , but surveillance video of the encounter ( at the AJC link ) shows Brooks pointing the Taser back at the officers just before getting shot .
That ’ s a curious way to describe someone who just wrestled a Taser away from a police officer while resisting arrest , and a Taser is apparently designated as a potentially lethal weapon in Georgia to boot .
Rob O ’ Donnell provides the freeze frame from the surveillance camera : That ’ s why the rounds fired by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Was that use of force justified under the circumstances ?
The GBI was supposed to look at all the evidence and make that determination before the investigation got short-circuited by the DA .
It still might be an actionable shooting , but full-on murder is a very , very strange call in this case .
Police made their unhappiness known last night with their feet .
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms scolded them to “ keep their commitment to our communities ” and show up for work , but admitted that Atlanta ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wake of these charges : “ There ’ s a lot happening in our cities and our police officers are receiving the brunt of it , quite frankly , ” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN ’ s Chris Cuomo .
She said the city has committed to the officers through a big pay raise , and “ we expect that our officers will keep their commitment to our communities.
” She said she thinks morale is down tenfold .
“ We do have enough officers to cover us through the night , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t be any less safe because of the number of officers who called out .
But it is just my hope again that our officers will remember the commitment that they made when they held up their hand and they were sworn in as police officers.
” Perhaps Bottoms can start by asking the Fulton County DA why he proceeded with charges against the two officers before the investigation had concluded .
That sounds less like keeping a commitment to all of the communities of Atlanta and more of a case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the GBI finds something very different at the end of their process , then the DA isn ’ t going to have much of a case — and if he sticks with it , Atlanta might find itself with a dismantled PD without having defunded it at all .

Atlanta got its first brief look at what abolishing the police looks like after their officers walked off the job overnight in protest of charges in the Rayshard Brooks killing. Entire shifts reportedly walked out and neighboring jurisdictions reportedly refused to assist Atlanta except to back up officers on the job, although the city tried to downplay the wildcat action:
Earlier suggestions that multiple officers from each zone had walked off the job were inaccurate. The department is experiencing a higher than usual number of call outs with the incoming shift. We have enough resources to maintain operations & remain able to respond to incidents. — Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) June 18, 2020
That’s not what the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last night, and it’s not what those listening to police scanners heard, either. A reporter from the local CBS affiliate said her sources confirmed the walkout:
Breaking: Sources confirm Atlanta Police officers in zone 6 have walked out. Sources say they drove back to their precinct, turned in their keys and went home. Officers in zone 3 are allegedly doing the same. @CBS46 #ContinuingCoverage #Atlanta #BlueFlu pic.twitter.com/kgLuNwDalP — shon gables cbs46 (@shongables) June 18, 2020
The union didn’t seem interested in downplaying it, anyway:
Vince Champion, Southeast regional director for the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, told the AJC he could not confirm which police zones were affected.“There are officers walking off,” Champion said Wednesday evening. There are officers saying they are not going to leave the precinct unless to help another officer. Some are walking off and sitting in their personal vehicles.” Champion said he has been told APD was attempting to get back-up support from adjacent law enforcement agencies. But he said some agencies declined to help. “Why would you put your officer in Fulton County and take the chance of this happening?” Champion said. “You have an officer who just heard what Paul Howard said, saying he’s going to be in prison for the rest of his life or put to death, and now he’s got to surrender.”
My friend Rob O’Donnell, president of Brothers Before Others, said his sources in the Atlanta PD also confirmed the job action:
My contacts in the Atlanta Police Department inform me that members from evening shift Zone 4 walked off the job shortly followed by Officers in Zone 3 and 6. The good members of the @Atlanta_Police will not stand for @FultonCountyDA’s activism in place of applying the law. https://t.co/PDWZNgFeXb — Rob O'Donnell (@odonnell_r) June 17, 2020
Why the walkout? Yesterday, the Fulton County DA charged two police officers with felony murder for shooting Brooks after he resisted arrest for a DUI and took one officer’s Taser from him. The released body-cam footage shows that officers fired when Brooks pointed the Taser back at them as he was running from them, which makes the charges questionable. What makes them even more questionable is that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the agency with jurisdiction in the case, hadn’t finished its investigation of the case yet. And they made sure everyone knew it yesterday afternoon, too:
The state agency responsible for conducting an independent investigation of the death of a Black Atlanta man during an encounter with white police officers in the parking lot of an Atlanta fast food restaurant said it was surprised by the announcement that those officers would face charges. On Wednesday, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced that fired Atlanta Police officer Garrett Rolfe would be charged with murder and 10 other counts following the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks Friday. Rolfe’s partner, Devin Brosnan, also faces three charges in connection to the shooting. It’s an announcement that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said caught the agency off guard. In a statement posted moments after the charges were announced, the GBI said it was neither made aware of the press conference before it happened, nor was it “consulted on the charges filed” by the District Attorney’s office.
https://www.facebook.com/Georgia.Bureau.of.Investigation/posts/1507677376060888
In other words, at least to police, this looks like a politically motivated railroad job by Howard. The DA claimed that Brooks “never presented himself as a threat” to officers, but surveillance video of the encounter (at the AJC link) shows Brooks pointing the Taser back at the officers just before getting shot. That’s a curious way to describe someone who just wrestled a Taser away from a police officer while resisting arrest, and a Taser is apparently designated as a potentially lethal weapon in Georgia to boot.
Rob O’Donnell provides the freeze frame from the surveillance camera:
Except for that moment he turned and fired a deadly weapon (as defined by Georgia state statute) at an Officers face and fired it. https://t.co/bvZlvThqch pic.twitter.com/Qvnzn4kSNu — Rob O'Donnell (@odonnell_r) June 18, 2020
That’s why the rounds fired by police hit Brooks in the back. Was that use of force justified under the circumstances? The GBI was supposed to look at all the evidence and make that determination before the investigation got short-circuited by the DA. It still might be an actionable shooting, but full-on murder is a very, very strange call in this case.
Police made their unhappiness known last night with their feet. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms scolded them to “keep their commitment to our communities” and show up for work, but admitted that Atlanta’s police have a morale problem in the wake of these charges:
“There’s a lot happening in our cities and our police officers are receiving the brunt of it, quite frankly,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN’s Chris Cuomo. She said the city has committed to the officers through a big pay raise, and “we expect that our officers will keep their commitment to our communities.” She said she thinks morale is down tenfold. “We do have enough officers to cover us through the night,” she said. “Our streets won’t be any less safe because of the number of officers who called out. But it is just my hope again that our officers will remember the commitment that they made when they held up their hand and they were sworn in as police officers.”
Perhaps Bottoms can start by asking the Fulton County DA why he proceeded with charges against the two officers before the investigation had concluded. That sounds less like keeping a commitment to all of the communities of Atlanta and more of a case of pandering to mob action. If the GBI finds something very different at the end of their process, then the DA isn’t going to have much of a case — and if he sticks with it, Atlanta might find itself with a dismantled PD without having defunded it at all.


hotair--2020-06-18--Cuomo: Police forces are optional

Cuomo: Police forces are optional

New York is well and truly on its way to taking a knee in the face of spreading unrest , protests and rioting .
That message is coming from the top down this week , with the state ’ s Governor telling NPR that “ If a community doesn ’ t want its police force , they shouldn ’ t have it.
” Andrew Cuomo made this mind-boggling statement shortly after signing a series of executive orders commanding all of the state ’ s police forces to be “ redesigned.
” And how will that be accomplished ?
We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t offer any specifics .
( Free Beacon ) New York governor Andrew Cuomo ( D. ) told NPR on Monday that if a community doesn ’ t want its current police force , “ they shouldn ’ t have it.
” “ What the community is now saying , all across this nation , ‘ We don ’ t want this type of police force.
’ And if they don ’ t want it , they shouldn ’ t have it , ” Cuomo said .
Last week , Cuomo signed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests over racism and police brutality spurred by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody .
Before getting to the substance ( or lack thereof ) in the Governor ’ s remarks , we should first take a look at the vague nature of these most recent executive orders .
One of them demands that local governments “ redesign their police departments based on community input.
” The plans for reimagining the police force must be presented for public comment and then be approved by local councils or legislatures .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen to be living in a sane part of the world .
But what if a majority of the community has overdosed on MSNBC and their input is to say that they want all of the cops to quit and be replaced with “ social justice engineers ?
” According to the governor ’ s statements in the interview , they can get their wish , assuming the county legislature or the city council approve the scheme .
And these reform plans must be put in place by April 1st of next year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the police forces being “ defunded.
” It ’ s somehow fitting that the deadline to “ reform ” all of the police forces in the state is falling on April Fool ’ s Day .
Unfortunately , the joke is going to be on the law-abiding citizens of the state .
The Governor is throwing around the phrase “ police brutality ” as if it ’ s some sort of epidemic rather than some isolated incidents that need to be dealt with on a case by case basis .
For most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have been a problem .
Asking most any citizen if they felt the need for law enforcement to keep them safe and remove the criminal element from their community would produce a resounding answer in the affirmative .
But now the mainstream media has been spoonfeeding this madness to the masses for so long that there may actually be communities where a majority will buy this horse hockey and decide to try forgoing the local police .
Of course , a non-criminal proponent of abolishing the police is simply a liberal who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or otherwise assaulted yet .
When the time comes and you dial 911 only to be informed that a Social Reengineering Specialist will be coming out to see you at the next available opportunity , your vote will change pretty quickly .
Let ’ s just hope that you survive to make it to the next City Council meeting .
At some point , we have to decide whether or not there are any adults left in the room .
An idea that should clearly be seen as an insane proposal is now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant number of people .
And the madness has spread to the highest levels of the state government .
I ’ ve frequently suggested that any of the remaining sane people in New York City flee the place if they have the means to do so .
At this point , we may have to expand that advice to cover the entire state .

New York is well and truly on its way to taking a knee in the face of spreading unrest, protests and rioting. That message is coming from the top down this week, with the state’s Governor telling NPR that “If a community doesn’t want its police force, they shouldn’t have it.” Andrew Cuomo made this mind-boggling statement shortly after signing a series of executive orders commanding all of the state’s police forces to be “redesigned.” And how will that be accomplished? We have no idea because the order doesn’t offer any specifics. (Free Beacon)
New York governor Andrew Cuomo (D.) told NPR on Monday that if a community doesn’t want its current police force, “they shouldn’t have it.” “What the community is now saying, all across this nation, ‘We don’t want this type of police force.’ And if they don’t want it, they shouldn’t have it,” Cuomo said. Last week, Cuomo signed a package of legislation on police reform following protests over racism and police brutality spurred by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
Before getting to the substance (or lack thereof) in the Governor’s remarks, we should first take a look at the vague nature of these most recent executive orders. One of them demands that local governments “redesign their police departments based on community input.” The plans for reimagining the police force must be presented for public comment and then be approved by local councils or legislatures.
That all sounds well and good if you happen to be living in a sane part of the world. But what if a majority of the community has overdosed on MSNBC and their input is to say that they want all of the cops to quit and be replaced with “social justice engineers?” According to the governor’s statements in the interview, they can get their wish, assuming the county legislature or the city council approve the scheme. And these reform plans must be put in place by April 1st of next year. Failure to do so will result in the police forces being “defunded.”
It’s somehow fitting that the deadline to “reform” all of the police forces in the state is falling on April Fool’s Day. Unfortunately, the joke is going to be on the law-abiding citizens of the state. The Governor is throwing around the phrase “police brutality” as if it’s some sort of epidemic rather than some isolated incidents that need to be dealt with on a case by case basis. For most of modern history, this wouldn’t have been a problem. Asking most any citizen if they felt the need for law enforcement to keep them safe and remove the criminal element from their community would produce a resounding answer in the affirmative. But now the mainstream media has been spoonfeeding this madness to the masses for so long that there may actually be communities where a majority will buy this horse hockey and decide to try forgoing the local police.
Of course, a non-criminal proponent of abolishing the police is simply a liberal who hasn’t been robbed, raped or otherwise assaulted yet. When the time comes and you dial 911 only to be informed that a Social Reengineering Specialist will be coming out to see you at the next available opportunity, your vote will change pretty quickly. Let’s just hope that you survive to make it to the next City Council meeting.
At some point, we have to decide whether or not there are any adults left in the room. An idea that should clearly be seen as an insane proposal is now being reported and taken seriously by a significant number of people. And the madness has spread to the highest levels of the state government. I’ve frequently suggested that any of the remaining sane people in New York City flee the place if they have the means to do so. At this point, we may have to expand that advice to cover the entire state.


hotair--2020-06-18--Hoo boy: New Fox News poll is almost as bad for Trump as that terrible CNN poll

The CNN poll , which was so ominous that it drew an empty threat from Trump ’ s campaign legal team , had the race 55/41 .
Biden by 14 .
The new one from Fox that dropped this afternoon has it 50/38 .
Biden by 12 .
The president hasn ’ t tweeted about it yet as I write this at 6:30 ET but it ’ s coming .
This could be the final straw that leads him to abandon Fox entirely and give OAN his full endorsement as the news network of Trumpublicans everywhere .
I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just shut down their polling bureau by now .
True , it ’ s a respected outfit and conducting one ’ s own polls is a prestige thing for an American news network , but the grief they get from the president and his base whenever they drop a new bunker-buster on him just can ’ t be worth it to them .
They ’ re expected to be On The Team and 99 percent of the time they are , especially in primetime .
Then out trots the polling bureau once a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a crowbar .
One of the first comments about the poll on Fox ’ s website tried to grapple with the massive cognitive dissonance this way : “ I suspect Fox is trying to lull Democrats into complacency with these polls.
” Sure , let ’ s go with that .
Whatever you need to tell yourself .
As Josh Jordan points out , the most arresting detail in the new survey is the fact that POTUS ’ s job approval is several points higher than his head-to-head number against Biden .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his approval rating ; that drops to 38 percent against Sleepy Joe because a small but meaningful share of women , blacks , and Latinos ( among others ) who say that they at least “ somewhat ” approve of Trump ’ s performance shift to Biden when given a choice between the two .
That ’ s worrisome in that it implies that Trump getting his job approval up towards 46 , 47 , or 48 percent by Election Day might not be enough to lock down reelection .
Some voters who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good job prefer Biden anyway .
There are more familiar but no less worrisome trends in the head-to-head polling as well : Biden ’ s lead comes from the backing of black voters ( +79 points over Trump ) , those under age 30 ( +37 ) , suburban areas ( +22 ) , women ( +19 ) , and voters ages 65+ ( +10 ) .
Trump , on the other hand , is underperforming his vote share among key groups , such as white evangelical Christians ( +41 points ) and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 , he won white evangelicals by 64 points and rural areas by 27 .
Moreover , amid the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests against police brutality , more voters see Biden as empathetic and respectful .
Forty-seven percent say the phrase “ cares about people like me ” describes Biden compared to 37 percent who say it fits Trump .
Biden ’ s big leads among women and suburbanites are giving him a cushion and he continues to maintain a sizable margin among seniors , a group that went decisively for Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gap ” is important too .
I ’ ve written about empathy before as an area of unusually sharp contrast between Biden and Trump : It ’ s one of the few things Biden does well as a politician and something Trump does notoriously badly .
And Trump happens to be saddled right now with two major crises ( three , really ) that are well-suited to empathetic politicians .
One is the COVID catastrophe that ’ s left more than 100,000 families bereaved with many more to come , the other is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grappling with after the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests .
Trump ’ s chief reaction to the human toll from coronavirus has been to push people to get back to work ; his chief reaction to civil unrest over Floyd ’ s killing was to threaten to send U.S. troops into the streets against Americans .
The GOP should probably be happy he ’ s only down 12 .
The empathy gap may explain the odd disconnect between his approval rating here and his share of the vote against Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters may believe he ’ s doing well enough at the nuts and bolts of the job under the circumstances but just can ’ t stomach his lack of empathy .
Give them a choice between him and Biden and they ’ ll take grandpa , who at least seems able to relate to other people .
Quote : People just like Biden more than Trump ( and Hillary ) .
Interestingly , they don ’ t like him a ton : Just 31 percent of Biden supporters say they ’ re voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for him versus 63 percent who say they prefer him because they fear a Trump second term .
With Trump the numbers are reversed , with 62 percent of supporters saying they ’ re voting for him out of enthusiasm and 33 percent saying they favor him due to fear of Biden winning .
But that ’ s not necessarily a good position for Trump to be in .
In 2016 , Fox notes , more Trump voters said they voted out of fear of the other candidate than Clinton voters did .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
POTUS needs more people to fear a Biden presidency than do so now or else he ’ s cooked .
What the enthusiasm metrics for each candidate are telling us is that right now the election is a referendum on Trump .
And that ’ s not what the GOP wants given the state of the economy , the pandemic , and race relations .
Just to show you how heavily Biden is investing in themes of empathy and caring , check out the ad he dropped early this morning .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; there are lots of shots here of him in close conversation with others as a visual symbol of empathy .
In lieu of an exit question , one more strange but true fact from the Fox poll : Mitt Romney now has a higher favorable rating among black Americans ( 43/40 ) than he does among Republicans ( 37/51 ) .
We ’ re a long way from 2012 .

The CNN poll, which was so ominous that it drew an empty threat from Trump’s campaign legal team, had the race 55/41. Biden by 14.
The new one from Fox that dropped this afternoon has it 50/38. Biden by 12.
The president hasn’t tweeted about it yet as I write this at 6:30 ET but it’s coming. This could be the final straw that leads him to abandon Fox entirely and give OAN his full endorsement as the news network of Trumpublicans everywhere.
I don’t know why Fox hasn’t just shut down their polling bureau by now. True, it’s a respected outfit and conducting one’s own polls is a prestige thing for an American news network, but the grief they get from the president and his base whenever they drop a new bunker-buster on him just can’t be worth it to them. They’re expected to be On The Team and 99 percent of the time they are, especially in primetime. Then out trots the polling bureau once a month and smacks Trump upside the head with a crowbar.
One of the first comments about the poll on Fox’s website tried to grapple with the massive cognitive dissonance this way: “I suspect Fox is trying to lull Democrats into complacency with these polls.” Sure, let’s go with that. Whatever you need to tell yourself.
As Josh Jordan points out, the most arresting detail in the new survey is the fact that POTUS’s job approval is several points higher than his head-to-head number against Biden. He’s at 44 percent in his approval rating; that drops to 38 percent against Sleepy Joe because a small but meaningful share of women, blacks, and Latinos (among others) who say that they at least “somewhat” approve of Trump’s performance shift to Biden when given a choice between the two. That’s worrisome in that it implies that Trump getting his job approval up towards 46, 47, or 48 percent by Election Day might not be enough to lock down reelection. Some voters who think he’s doing a reasonably good job prefer Biden anyway.
There are more familiar but no less worrisome trends in the head-to-head polling as well:
Biden’s lead comes from the backing of black voters (+79 points over Trump), those under age 30 (+37), suburban areas (+22), women (+19), and voters ages 65+ (+10). Trump, on the other hand, is underperforming his vote share among key groups, such as white evangelical Christians (+41 points) and rural voters (+9). In 2016, he won white evangelicals by 64 points and rural areas by 27. Moreover, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests against police brutality, more voters see Biden as empathetic and respectful. Forty-seven percent say the phrase “cares about people like me” describes Biden compared to 37 percent who say it fits Trump.
Biden’s big leads among women and suburbanites are giving him a cushion and he continues to maintain a sizable margin among seniors, a group that went decisively for Trump four years ago. The “empathy gap” is important too. I’ve written about empathy before as an area of unusually sharp contrast between Biden and Trump: It’s one of the few things Biden does well as a politician and something Trump does notoriously badly. And Trump happens to be saddled right now with two major crises (three, really) that are well-suited to empathetic politicians. One is the COVID catastrophe that’s left more than 100,000 families bereaved with many more to come, the other is the racial reckoning the country’s grappling with after the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests. Trump’s chief reaction to the human toll from coronavirus has been to push people to get back to work; his chief reaction to civil unrest over Floyd’s killing was to threaten to send U.S. troops into the streets against Americans. The GOP should probably be happy he’s only down 12.
The empathy gap may explain the odd disconnect between his approval rating here and his share of the vote against Biden, in fact. Some segment of voters may believe he’s doing well enough at the nuts and bolts of the job under the circumstances but just can’t stomach his lack of empathy. Give them a choice between him and Biden and they’ll take grandpa, who at least seems able to relate to other people. Quote:
Over half of seniors (52 percent) and a plurality of women (46 percent) think “cares” describes Biden. Larger numbers of both groups say it does not apply to Trump (57 percent seniors and 60 percent women). Suburban women, in particular, give Biden the edge on “cares” (48 vs. 30 percent for Trump) and respecting racial minorities (55 vs. 27 percent).
Relatedly:
This says it all about the difference between 2016 and 2020, from the Fox poll: FAV/UNFAV: Biden 53/44 (+9)
Trump 43/56 (-13)
Clinton 41/56 (-15) Even now, Clinton's net fav worse than Trump's.https://t.co/072vaQWdUG — Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) June 18, 2020
People just like Biden more than Trump (and Hillary). Interestingly, they don’t like him a ton: Just 31 percent of Biden supporters say they’re voting for him due to enthusiasm they feel for him versus 63 percent who say they prefer him because they fear a Trump second term. With Trump the numbers are reversed, with 62 percent of supporters saying they’re voting for him out of enthusiasm and 33 percent saying they favor him due to fear of Biden winning. But that’s not necessarily a good position for Trump to be in. In 2016, Fox notes, more Trump voters said they voted out of fear of the other candidate than Clinton voters did. Fear is a good incentive to vote! POTUS needs more people to fear a Biden presidency than do so now or else he’s cooked.
What the enthusiasm metrics for each candidate are telling us is that right now the election is a referendum on Trump. And that’s not what the GOP wants given the state of the economy, the pandemic, and race relations.
Just to show you how heavily Biden is investing in themes of empathy and caring, check out the ad he dropped early this morning. It’s not just the voiceover either; there are lots of shots here of him in close conversation with others as a visual symbol of empathy. In lieu of an exit question, one more strange but true fact from the Fox poll: Mitt Romney now has a higher favorable rating among black Americans (43/40) than he does among Republicans (37/51). We’re a long way from 2012.


hotair--2020-06-18--Stacey Abrams cashes in: Amazon buys her voting rights documentary

Stacey Abrams is the James Comey of the voting rights movement .
She is unable to accept the results of elections that don ’ t go her way , she is a perpetual victim using a phony narrative , and she has a knack for finding a way to profit from her political activism .
She and Comey both have very large egos that must be fed .
Amazon has purchased the rights to a documentary made by Stacey Abrams .
For now , it is unnamed .
She is breaking into the entertainment industry as a documentary maker and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the documentary .
There is a distinct tone to the press coverage – voter suppression is rampant and if the presidential election in November goes sideways for Democrats , you know it is what they will blame .
In other words , America has always been bad , you see .
Make no mistake , Amazon is being upfront that the decision to buy the Abrams documentary is because this is a presidential election year .
It ’ s a “ critical election year ” .
I would argue that every presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is important for Democrats to blame Trump and his voters for the voter suppression .
Said Jennifer Salke , head of Amazon Studios , “ In this critical election year , Stacey ’ s expertise and fearless stance against voter suppression will resonate strongly with audiences everywhere and can inspire positive change in supporting all Americans ’ right to cast their vote.
” “ Working with Stacey Abrams is the honor of a lifetime , ” Garbus and Cortés added .
“ The story of voting rights is not just one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s a story for right now .
It ’ s a monster movie where you think you ’ ve mortally wounded the beast , but it keeps rearing its ugly head , as last week ’ s primary in Georgia so painfully demonstrated .
And nothing less than democracy is at stake.
” “ Raising the alarm about voter suppression is critical to the integrity of our democracy , ” Abrams said .
“ The failure of state leaders in Georgia and other states across the country to protect the rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 election and 2020 primaries , must be exposed and it must be stopped .
Justice in our criminal justice system and the sacred right to vote are not equal for all Americans and we must find a way to change these systematic inequalities .
As the 2020 election approaches , this documentary will help voters realize the power of their voices , and it will inspire them to overcome the obstacles of voter suppression.
” Here ’ s the problem I have with the incessant sniveling coming from Stacey Abrams about voter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her premise that voter suppression was the reason for her loss in the 2018 gubernatorial election in Georgia .
The reason for her loss was that 55,000 more voters voted for the other guy than for her .
Georgia had a record turnout of voters , too – no one was being suppressed .
Nonetheless , she , just like Hillary Clinton , latched onto this excuse for losing elections .
Now she , like other Democrats , wants to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic and have all states go to mail-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Most states aren ’ t set up for only mail-in voting and she knows that .
“ Vote by mail is the safest way to vote , ” Abrams recently told MNSBC .
“ I would say almost every state has the capacity to vote by mail .
The challenge is that in a lot of states you have to have an excuse .
In fact , Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama , today or yesterday , said that she wasn ’ t in favor of removing the excuse .
The reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We need to be certain that even if things have tampered down by then , we have to prepare for it not to be so .
That means we have to start planning now for the November election.
” Alleged voter suppression isn ’ t a national issue – it is a local issue .
Long lines at polling places are often called voter suppression .
What long lines point to , though , is incompetence at the hands of local officials .
States are developing multi-point plans to accommodate in-person voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Houston ) Texas , for example , there were problems with long lines in some polling locations during the March primary .
For July primary run-off elections , a plan has been put into place to make the process run smoother .
“ The way to do that is do better allocate machines to make sure that the number of machines that are in each polling location match the traffic that ’ s expected there , ” Hollins said .
Hollins said his office has mapped out the process in order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Also , more machines were bought from other counties .
Now , they ’ re adjusting their plan because of the pandemic .
That includes 57 early voting sites , five more than during the March early-voting period .
“ We ’ re taking extra precautions around floor markers and spacing out the machines , plexiglass , ” Hollins said .
They ’ ll also offer hand sanitizer and personal protective equipment for voters and workers .
“ ( We ’ re ) providing masks for anyone who needs them , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a voter can come in and operate that machine without physically touching it , ” he said .
The documentary will first have a theatrical run , then it will be released on Amazon Prime Video later this year .
I ’ m sure the timing will coincide with a heightened interest in the presidential election by the general public , probably after Labor Day .

Stacey Abrams is the James Comey of the voting rights movement. She is unable to accept the results of elections that don’t go her way, she is a perpetual victim using a phony narrative, and she has a knack for finding a way to profit from her political activism. She and Comey both have very large egos that must be fed.
Amazon has purchased the rights to a documentary made by Stacey Abrams. For now, it is unnamed. She is breaking into the entertainment industry as a documentary maker and she will be credited as a producer of the documentary. There is a distinct tone to the press coverage – voter suppression is rampant and if the presidential election in November goes sideways for Democrats, you know it is what they will blame.
The documentary examines the often overlooked yet insidious issue of voter suppression in the United States in anticipation of the 2020 presidential election. The film interweaves personal experiences with current activism and historical insight to expose a problem that has corrupted American democracy from the very beginning, offering an insider’s look into laws and barriers to voting that most people don’t even know are threats to their basic rights as citizens of the United States.
In other words, America has always been bad, you see. Make no mistake, Amazon is being upfront that the decision to buy the Abrams documentary is because this is a presidential election year. It’s a “critical election year”. I would argue that every presidential election is critical but this year it is important for Democrats to blame Trump and his voters for the voter suppression.
Said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, “In this critical election year, Stacey’s expertise and fearless stance against voter suppression will resonate strongly with audiences everywhere and can inspire positive change in supporting all Americans’ right to cast their vote.” “Working with Stacey Abrams is the honor of a lifetime,” Garbus and Cortés added. “The story of voting rights is not just one of the civil rights movement and the 1960s. It’s a story for right now. It’s a monster movie where you think you’ve mortally wounded the beast, but it keeps rearing its ugly head, as last week’s primary in Georgia so painfully demonstrated. And nothing less than democracy is at stake.” “Raising the alarm about voter suppression is critical to the integrity of our democracy,” Abrams said. “The failure of state leaders in Georgia and other states across the country to protect the rights of voters, as seen in the 2018 election and 2020 primaries, must be exposed and it must be stopped. Justice in our criminal justice system and the sacred right to vote are not equal for all Americans and we must find a way to change these systematic inequalities. As the 2020 election approaches, this documentary will help voters realize the power of their voices, and it will inspire them to overcome the obstacles of voter suppression.”
Here’s the problem I have with the incessant sniveling coming from Stacey Abrams about voter suppression – she is just wrong about her premise that voter suppression was the reason for her loss in the 2018 gubernatorial election in Georgia. The reason for her loss was that 55,000 more voters voted for the other guy than for her. Georgia had a record turnout of voters, too – no one was being suppressed. Nonetheless, she, just like Hillary Clinton, latched onto this excuse for losing elections. Now she, like other Democrats, wants to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic and have all states go to mail-in voting. What could possibly go wrong? Most states aren’t set up for only mail-in voting and she knows that.
“Vote by mail is the safest way to vote,” Abrams recently told MNSBC. “I would say almost every state has the capacity to vote by mail. The challenge is that in a lot of states you have to have an excuse. In fact, Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama, today or yesterday, said that she wasn’t in favor of removing the excuse. The reality is everyone has an excuse — COVID-19. We need to be certain that even if things have tampered down by then, we have to prepare for it not to be so. That means we have to start planning now for the November election.”
Alleged voter suppression isn’t a national issue – it is a local issue. Long lines at polling places are often called voter suppression. What long lines point to, though, is incompetence at the hands of local officials. States are developing multi-point plans to accommodate in-person voting in November. Here in Harris County (Houston) Texas, for example, there were problems with long lines in some polling locations during the March primary. For July primary run-off elections, a plan has been put into place to make the process run smoother.
“The way to do that is do better allocate machines to make sure that the number of machines that are in each polling location match the traffic that’s expected there,” Hollins said. Hollins said his office has mapped out the process in order to get the results to central counting faster. Also, more machines were bought from other counties. Now, they’re adjusting their plan because of the pandemic. That includes 57 early voting sites, five more than during the March early-voting period. “We’re taking extra precautions around floor markers and spacing out the machines, plexiglass,” Hollins said. They’ll also offer hand sanitizer and personal protective equipment for voters and workers. “(We’re) providing masks for anyone who needs them, and we’re providing finger covers so that a voter can come in and operate that machine without physically touching it,” he said. The July 14 runoff will feature 107 voting centers.
The documentary will first have a theatrical run, then it will be released on Amazon Prime Video later this year. I’m sure the timing will coincide with a heightened interest in the presidential election by the general public, probably after Labor Day.


hotair--2020-06-19--Cuomo on Trump rally: I would never allow a mass gathering like that in New York

Host Anderson Cooper asked , “ We ’ re seeing this now , this rally this weekend in Oklahoma , the president ’ s going to , theoretically , pack 19,000 people into an indoor arena .
Doesn ’ t seem like there ’ s any social distancing .
No one ’ s required to wear a mask , though they ’ ll probably hand them out .
Would you allow a large political rally in New York , in these circumstances , in this time ?
” Cuomo responded , “ No , no .
Look , the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a political position .
His position was , you know , this is a virus , it ’ s a flu , don ’ t worry about it , reopen the economy , reopen the economy , reopen the economy .
He believes his re-election is correlated to the economy .
I don ’ t even think that ’ s right politically .
I think it ’ s correlated to leadership , not to the Dow Jones stock market index .
But that ’ s always been his position , just reopen the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that are seeing the virus go up and seeing their hospitals fill up , and their ICU beds fill up , and that ’ s going to , not only hurt the economy , it ’ s also going to cause more Americans to die.
” You would think he ’ d feel enough humility about the apocalypse his state just endured , largely due to his own incompetence , to at least emphasize the key difference between Trump ’ s rally and the endless massive demonstrations that New York has hosted since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that Trump ’ s rally will be held indoors .
Or , failing that , he might distinguish the two by noting that he doesn ’ t have much power to stop people from getting together in the streets but does have considerable power to close off buildings .
He doesn ’ t make either point .
Either this guy doesn ’ t compute that the woke protests do qualify as mass gatherings for purposes of coronavirus guidelines or he ’ s so accustomed to being handled with kid gloves by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bothered to draw a conceptual line between the Floyd protests he ’ s tolerated and the Trump rally he abhors .
There ’ s no evidence so far that the protests have triggered a new wave of infections , but don ’ t rule out the possibility yet .
They might be starting to pay off in terms of rising infections .
The latest daily numbers from Nate Silver : 32,000 confirmed cases is a *big* number , the largest since May 1 .
Deaths are still ( relatively ) low , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roof off in testing over the past 24 hours , which is great .
But the positivity rate is inching upward and we ’ re a long way off the 20,000 daily cases we ’ d been averaging on weekdays for much of the last month .
Something is driving an increase in infections .
Is it an inevitable byproduct of states reopening and people in retail spaces or is it a direct result of the mass demonstrations ?
Possibly relevant : Florida just recorded its largest single-day number of infections , surpassing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a spike happening there .
But the fine print is important .
The protesters trend younger , but I ’ d assume that consumers taking the fullest advantage of reopening ( by attending bars , restaurants , and so on ) also trend younger .
The rise in cases nationally might be a double-barreled thing where reopening and protesting is producing a wave among younger Americans , which would also explain why the death toll isn ’ t rising .
More people are getting the disease , but fortunately those people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Which isn ’ t to say that deaths won ’ t start to rise .
The death spike might be on its way , merely delayed for the moment .
Young adults aren ’ t going to expire from COVID-19 ( usually ) but the people they ’ re infecting right now might .
Those infections may be just starting to percolate , with hospitalization and death still weeks away .
July 4th this year might be ugly .
By the way , Fox News has a new poll out tonight about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Here ’ s where the public ’ s at as the president prepares to step to the podium tomorrow : Fully 80 percent of the public , including 68 percent of Republicans , have a favorable opinion of people who wear face masks even though Trump was mocking Biden for it in interviews today .
I don ’ t think the campaign or the GOP fully understands what a political disaster it ’ ll be if tomorrow ’ s rally seeds an outbreak in Tulsa .
The public already believes that Trump didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early on .
If he turns around now and actually contributes to the spread by not taking it seriously enough again , he may not recover from it .
Let ’ s hope for everyone ’ s sake that things go off uneventfully tomorrow night .
Here ’ s the clip of Cuomo , where he ’ s allowed to strut nearly uninterrupted for four minutes about what a tough-minded hard-ass he ’ s been in imposing containment measures in New York .
Parts of the media have finally caught up to him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with Pro Publica doing an especially good job .
The WSJ dropped this bomb on him last week .
Other papers are noting that New Yorkers are so shellshocked from disease and the resulting economic collapse that they ’ re looking to relocate .
But on CNN , where his brother is buds with everyone , he ’ s allowed to puff himself up unchallenged as Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta look on admiringly .
He shouldn ’ t be interviewed on this network anymore .
They can ’ t do it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it at all .

Governor, I have bad news.
Host Anderson Cooper asked, “We’re seeing this now, this rally this weekend in Oklahoma, the president’s going to, theoretically, pack 19,000 people into an indoor arena. Doesn’t seem like there’s any social distancing. No one’s required to wear a mask, though they’ll probably hand them out. Would you allow a large political rally in New York, in these circumstances, in this time?” Cuomo responded, “No, no. Look, the president’s position all along has been a political position. His position was, you know, this is a virus, it’s a flu, don’t worry about it, reopen the economy, reopen the economy, reopen the economy. He believes his re-election is correlated to the economy. I don’t even think that’s right politically. I think it’s correlated to leadership, not to the Dow Jones stock market index. But that’s always been his position, just reopen the economy. The states that are doing that are seeing the virus go up and seeing their hospitals fill up, and their ICU beds fill up, and that’s going to, not only hurt the economy, it’s also going to cause more Americans to die.”
You would think he’d feel enough humility about the apocalypse his state just endured, largely due to his own incompetence, to at least emphasize the key difference between Trump’s rally and the endless massive demonstrations that New York has hosted since George Floyd’s death — namely, that Trump’s rally will be held indoors. Or, failing that, he might distinguish the two by noting that he doesn’t have much power to stop people from getting together in the streets but does have considerable power to close off buildings.
He doesn’t make either point. Either this guy doesn’t compute that the woke protests do qualify as mass gatherings for purposes of coronavirus guidelines or he’s so accustomed to being handled with kid gloves by the press that he couldn’t be bothered to draw a conceptual line between the Floyd protests he’s tolerated and the Trump rally he abhors.
There’s no evidence so far that the protests have triggered a new wave of infections, but don’t rule out the possibility yet. They might be starting to pay off in terms of rising infections. The latest daily numbers from Nate Silver:
US daily numbers via @COVID19Tracking: Newly reported deaths
Today: 650
Yesterday: 695
One week ago (6/12): 775 Newly reported cases
T: 32K
Y: 27K
6/12: 23K Newly reported tests
T: 579K
Y: 466K
6/12: 583K Positive test rate
T: 5.5%
Y: 5.8%
6/12: 4.0% — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) June 19, 2020
32,000 confirmed cases is a *big* number, the largest since May 1. Deaths are still (relatively) low, which is good, and we blew the roof off in testing over the past 24 hours, which is great. But the positivity rate is inching upward and we’re a long way off the 20,000 daily cases we’d been averaging on weekdays for much of the last month. Something is driving an increase in infections. Is it an inevitable byproduct of states reopening and people in retail spaces or is it a direct result of the mass demonstrations?
Possibly relevant: Florida just recorded its largest single-day number of infections, surpassing the previous record set yesterday. There’s a spike happening there. But the fine print is important.
In briefing, Florida's governor and Miami's mayor emphasize that new #COVID19 cases are primarily in younger, asymptomatic people: in the week of June 7, 62% of FL's new cases were in people under 45, @GovRonDeSantis says, noting "erosion in social distancing" by younger people https://t.co/Ri6LVp9Xp7 — Meg Tirrell (@megtirrell) June 19, 2020
The protesters trend younger, but I’d assume that consumers taking the fullest advantage of reopening (by attending bars, restaurants, and so on) also trend younger. The rise in cases nationally might be a double-barreled thing where reopening and protesting is producing a wave among younger Americans, which would also explain why the death toll isn’t rising. More people are getting the disease, but fortunately those people are more able to shake it off.
Which isn’t to say that deaths won’t start to rise. The death spike might be on its way, merely delayed for the moment. Young adults aren’t going to expire from COVID-19 (usually) but the people they’re infecting right now might. Those infections may be just starting to percolate, with hospitalization and death still weeks away. July 4th this year might be ugly.
By the way, Fox News has a new poll out tonight about coronavirus, masks, and rallies. Here’s where the public’s at as the president prepares to step to the podium tomorrow:
Fully 80 percent of the public, including 68 percent of Republicans, have a favorable opinion of people who wear face masks even though Trump was mocking Biden for it in interviews today. I don’t think the campaign or the GOP fully understands what a political disaster it’ll be if tomorrow’s rally seeds an outbreak in Tulsa. The public already believes that Trump didn’t take the pandemic seriously enough early on. If he turns around now and actually contributes to the spread by not taking it seriously enough again, he may not recover from it. Let’s hope for everyone’s sake that things go off uneventfully tomorrow night.
Here’s the clip of Cuomo, where he’s allowed to strut nearly uninterrupted for four minutes about what a tough-minded hard-ass he’s been in imposing containment measures in New York. Parts of the media have finally caught up to him and begun to tear down that image, with Pro Publica doing an especially good job. The WSJ dropped this bomb on him last week. Other papers are noting that New Yorkers are so shellshocked from disease and the resulting economic collapse that they’re looking to relocate. But on CNN, where his brother is buds with everyone, he’s allowed to puff himself up unchallenged as Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta look on admiringly. He shouldn’t be interviewed on this network anymore. They can’t do it effectively so they shouldn’t do it at all.


hotair--2020-06-19--In Venezuela, 'enforced disappearance' is used by the regime to keep people in line

Earlier this week I wrote about the continued deterioration of democracy in Venezuela .
Specifically , the Maduro loyalists on Venezuela ’ s packed Supreme Court announced they were handing control of two opposition parties to individuals who had previously left the parties and joined the Maduro regime .
But today a human rights group has published a report documenting how “ politicallly-motivated detentions ” have become a major tool of repression in Venezuela .
The numbers are staggering : From January 1 , 2014 , to August 31 , 2019 , Foro Penal recorded 15,160 politically-motivated detentions in Venezuela @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important to mention that there have also been numerous cases of torture and other cruel , inhuman , and degrading treatment .
The Bolivarian regime releases groups of detainees as it detains others in similar numbers in order to maintain a constant number of detainees and not to draw attention to the overwhelming number of arbitrary detentions .
Foro Penal has labeled this tactic the “ revolving door.
” Beyond the detentions often associated with protesters , the regime has increasingly turned to what the report calls “ enforced disappearances.
” This tactic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the military to keep them in line : Overall , the number of total cases of enforced disappearance increased in 2019 ( 524 cases ) compared to 2018 ( 200 cases ) .
However , with regard to civilians , the percentage of detentions that resulted in enforced disappearances decreased from approximately 33 % in 2018 to 23 % in 2019 .
Similarly , the percentage of civilians subjected to enforced disappearance who were tortured fell from around 29 % in 2018 to under 5 % in 2019 .
In contrast , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of enforced disappearance and torture significantly increased in 2019 .
While approximately 68 % of military personnel detained were also forcibly disappeared in 2018 , this percentage increased to 72.15 % in 2019 .
Moreover , torture was reported in 83.6 % of the cases of military official forcibly disappeared in 2018 , but in 2019 , military personnel , once forcibly disappeared , had a nearly 95 % chance of also being tortured .
The difference between these percentages and those of civilians suggests that , first , enforced disappearances of military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that in 2019 the regime was more harshly repressing people linked to the military sector .
On the group ’ s website they highlight stories of some of the disappeared individuals , such as Ariana Granadillo ( pictured above ) : Ariana Granadillo became a victim of enforced disappearance by pursuing her dream to become a doctor and beginning a medical internship .
The then 21-year-old from a rural area in Monagas state was staying at the home of an uncle who lived close to the Caracas hospital where she was working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three times and forcibly disappeared twice .
General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence ( DGCIM ) officials arrested her and took her away because of her close relationship with her uncle , a retired army colonel being investigated by police for alleged conspiracy .
In detention , lawyers say , officers beat her , groped her , placed a bag over her head and tied her hands behind her back .
The first arrest occurred in February 2018 .
Durnig the second arrest , in May , Granadillo ’ s mother and father were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clandestine detention center for nine days and unable to speak to their lawyers .
They were only released after a social media campaign by Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal .
The second time she was “ disappeared ” a female agent held a plastic bag over her head and nearly suffocated her : After being interrogated and struck , she said , she spent the night in a cell below the stairs .
The next day , agents gave her water and a bit of food and “ stressed that no one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
Then a female agent came close .
“ She looked me in the eyes and without a word took a bag from her fist and placed it over my face , covering it completely , ” she said .
“ One of the men held my legs and my hands were tied behind my back.
” Unable to breathe under the plastic , she recalled , “ I became desperate so fast that in seconds I felt asphyxiated.
” A week later she was released and she and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colombia .
But others described in the report were not so lucky : A 31-year-old deputy of the Venezuelan National Assembly , a husband and father of two young children , Juan Requesens has been held in the country ’ s infamous political prison El Helicoide for more than 600 days .
Requesens , a student leader at the Central University of Venezuela before his election as a deputy of the Venezuelan National Assembly in 2015 , was attacked by law enforcement during protest marches in 2014 and 2017 .
In the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broken .
In the second , he was thrown down a sewer drain .
On August 7 , 2018 , Requesens and his sister , Rafaela , were detained by the Bolivian National Intelligence Service ( SEBIN ) for allegedly participating in an assassination attempt on President Nicolás Maduro three days earlier .
That same day , Requesens gave an Assembly speech blaming Maduro for causing unrest in the nation , saying “ I refuse to give up , I refuse to kneel in front of those who want to break our morale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , tomorrow I do not know .
What I want to reaffirm is that we are going to continue doing everything we can to take Nicolás Maduro out of power.
” Requesen ’ s arrest and detention were illegal .
Under the Venezuelan Constitution , deputies are given parliamentary immunity .
After his arrest , he was forcibly disappeared for nine days , before a video surfaced on social media showing him in his underwear in El Helicoide , with clear signs of cruel , inhumane and degrading treatment .
Venezuela stopped being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now just a failed state in which a gang of communist thugs use enforced disappearance , torture and intimidation to silence dissent and punish those who dare to oppose them .
All of this is in addition to the thousands of murders that are also carried out by Maduro ’ s intelligence forces .

Earlier this week I wrote about the continued deterioration of democracy in Venezuela. Specifically, the Maduro loyalists on Venezuela’s Supreme Court announced they were handing control of two opposition parties to individuals who had previously left the parties and joined the Maduro regime. Today a human rights group has published a report documenting how “politicallly-motivated detentions” have become a major tool of repression in Venezuela. The numbers are staggering:
From January 1, 2014, to August 31, 2019, Foro Penal recorded 15,160 politically-motivated detentions in Venezuela. In this regard, it is important to mention that there have also been numerous cases of torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. The Bolivarian regime releases groups of detainees as it detains others in similar numbers in order to maintain a constant number of detainees and not to draw attention to the overwhelming number of arbitrary detentions. Foro Penal has labeled this tactic the “revolving door.”
Beyond the detentions often associated with protesters, the regime has increasingly turned to what the report calls “enforced disappearances.” This tactic has been particularly used against members of the military to keep them in line:
Overall, the number of total cases of enforced disappearance increased in 2019 (524 cases) compared to 2018 (200 cases). However, with regard to civilians, the percentage of detentions that resulted in enforced disappearances decreased from approximately 33% in 2018 to 23% in 2019. Similarly, the percentage of civilians subjected to enforced disappearance who were tortured fell from around 29% in 2018 to under 5% in 2019. In contrast, with regard to the military, the rates of enforced disappearance and torture significantly increased in 2019. While approximately 68% of military personnel detained were also forcibly disappeared in 2018, this percentage increased to 72.15% in 2019. Moreover, torture was reported in 83.6% of the cases of military official forcibly disappeared in 2018, but in 2019, military personnel, once forcibly disappeared, had a nearly 95% chance of also being tortured. The difference between these percentages and those of civilians suggests that, first, enforced disappearances of military members were generally planned, and second, that in 2019 the regime was more harshly repressing people linked to the military sector.
On the group’s website they highlight stories of some of the “disappeared” individuals, including as Ariana Granadillo (pictured above):
Ariana Granadillo became a victim of enforced disappearance by pursuing her dream to become a doctor and beginning a medical internship. The then 21-year-old from a rural area in Monagas state was staying at the home of an uncle who lived close to the Caracas hospital where she was working in 2018, when she was arrested three times and forcibly disappeared twice. General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) officials arrested her and took her away because of her close relationship with her uncle, a retired army colonel being investigated by police for alleged conspiracy. In detention, lawyers say, officers beat her, groped her, placed a bag over her head and tied her hands behind her back. The first arrest occurred in February 2018. Durnig the second arrest, in May, Granadillo’s mother and father were also taken away, detained in a clandestine detention center for nine days and unable to speak to their lawyers. They were only released after a social media campaign by Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal.
The second time she was “disappeared” a female agent held a plastic bag over her head and nearly suffocated her:
After being interrogated and struck, she said, she spent the night in a cell below the stairs. The next day, agents gave her water and a bit of food and “stressed that no one even knew that we had been kidnapped,” she said. Then a female agent came close. “She looked me in the eyes and without a word took a bag from her fist and placed it over my face, covering it completely,” she said. “One of the men held my legs and my hands were tied behind my back.” Unable to breathe under the plastic, she recalled, “I became desperate so fast that in seconds I felt asphyxiated.”
A week later she was released and she and her family eventually fled the country to Colombia. But others described in the report were not so lucky:
A 31-year-old deputy of the Venezuelan National Assembly, a husband and father of two young children, Juan Requesens has been held in the country’s infamous political prison El Helicoide for more than 600 days. Requesens, a student leader at the Central University of Venezuela before his election as a deputy of the Venezuelan National Assembly in 2015, was attacked by law enforcement during protest marches in 2014 and 2017. In the first attack, his nose and jaw were broken. In the second, he was thrown down a sewer drain. On August 7, 2018, Requesens and his sister, Rafaela, were detained by the Bolivian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) for allegedly participating in an assassination attempt on President Nicolás Maduro three days earlier. That same day, Requesens gave an Assembly speech blaming Maduro for causing unrest in the nation, saying “I refuse to give up, I refuse to kneel in front of those who want to break our morale. Today I can speak from here, tomorrow I do not know. What I want to reaffirm is that we are going to continue doing everything we can to take Nicolás Maduro out of power.” Requesen’s arrest and detention were illegal. Under the Venezuelan Constitution, deputies are given parliamentary immunity. After his arrest, he was forcibly disappeared for nine days, before a video surfaced on social media showing him in his underwear in El Helicoide, with clear signs of cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.
Venezuela stopped being a democracy years ago. It is now just a failed state in which a gang of communist thugs use enforced disappearance, torture, and intimidation to silence dissent and punish those who dare to oppose them. All of this is in addition to the thousands of murders that are also carried out by Maduro’s intelligence forces.