Ongoing U.S Police Brutality and Corruption Discussion Thread

copwatchnyc.org, who monitor and document police in public areas during especially busy times of day

thanks io!

http://www.salon.com/2015/04/29/where_is_joseph_kent_social_media_erupts_after_cameras_capture_activists_suspicious_looking_arrest/
this is some kafkaesque shit here

Joseph K, huh?

wow @ whole foods

pumped for Turkey & Cheese

enough with "thugs": http://www.splicetoday.com/politics-and-media/stop-using-the-word-thugs

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/28/hector-morejon-police-shooting_n_7165106.html

I also thought Obama was more casually eloquent than I've seen him in months. Through the boilerplate the sentences were sharp and smart.

this blew my mind:

"But how does that justify what they did?" Burnett said. "I mean, that's a sense of right and wrong. They know it's wrong to steal and burn down a CVS and an old person's home. I mean, come on." "Come on?" Stokes said. "So calling them thugs — just call them niggers. Just call them niggers." "When you say 'come on,' come on what?" he added. "You wouldn't call your a child a thug if they did something which was not what you'd expect them to do." "I would hope I would call my son a thug if he ever did such a thing," Burnett shot back.

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a34673/thugs-are-in-the-eye-of-the-pundit/

If state power wants people to follow the law they need to set and follow their own example first.

can news rebloggers refrain from using phrases like "zipped merrily through the Intertoobz" just this once

I'm oddly tempted to have "thug" tattooed on my arm this week

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDux2RJVEAIigZ4.png

only seen this point mentioned once, halfway through this one story, but worth repeating in light of the oft-repeated 'they torched an old folks' home' point:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/the-paradox-at-the-heart-of-police-brutality-protests/391637/

The problem with taking news reports at face value became apparent as the night wore on, when a senior home across the city in East Baltimore caught on fire. Initially, it was believed to be connected to the unrest—reporters even spoke with residents who were aghast that the violence had moved to their neighborhood. Yet the fire department later told The Washington Post the fire was not related to protests and seemed to be an unfortunately timed construction mishap.

&

Eyewitnesses: The Baltimore Riots Didn't Start the Way You Think
Baltimore teachers and parents tell a different story from the one you've been reading in the media.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/04/how-baltimore-riots-began-mondawmin-purge

The senior center fire is still under investigation. They haven't officially linked it to the riots. That caught my eye too, when I saw it, but when I went to the Washington Post to confirm I couldn't find anything.

The Sun has consistenly been better on the protests and riots, and I am no fan of the Sun.

eyes out on stalks moment for Britishers there till they remember the Baltimore Sun.

that took maybe 0.3 seconds tbf

http://news.yahoo.com/baltimore-gangs-unite-call-for-peace-171200004.html

almost 2000 comments in 5 hours

ughhhh my cousin just shared the line of people "protecting the police" image. "Step 1, in taking their city back!" glsdkgjsldkgjg

Forgive my ignorance, but what was actually going on there?

they weren't 'protecting the police' so much as keeping a de-escalated presence between the guys with guns and the crowd--more 'keep em separated' than 'leave our cops alone.'

photos from the front tend to play as 'protecting the cops,' i've seen others from the space between the line and the cops played as 'WE TURN OUR BACKS ON THEM', its a neutral enough gesture for people to be able to do what they want with it.

Just really really loathe the implication that all 'real' Americans love the police, that only some inexplicable outsiders oppose them, that people aligning with the police would be ''taking back 'our' streets,'' the whole bit. barf. granted i did not expect different from these particular cousins but still

Guy I know noted that the most pro cop / anti rioter people on his Fb feed were the same ones who are most vocal about needing assault rifles in case they need to violently oppose an oppressive police state.

this was good:

http://www.upworthy.com/he-shows-how-the-news-talks-about-black-people-by-talking-about-white-people-instead?c=upw1&u=6206655180e9c2cf20d464c46b928ee930e7caa8

Watch the Hayes clip.

lol @ upworthy's awkward effort to switch their headline style up

https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/7315/donate_page/ows-bail-fund

Bail fund for NYC arrests btw

wow. Fuck CNN

“I have to say, you’re a leader and so many people have said don’t say it in rap, don’t say it so loosely, don’t assume you can say it because you’re one color and another color can’t. It’s just so painful to hear it no matter what color we are and I’m glad you decided not to use it on this show.”
http://gawker.com/white-cnn-anchor-scolds-black-baltimore-councilman-for-1701025065

fucking moron

omg that Hayes thing is awesome

It took less than 24 hours for the lie that Freddie Gray had a pre-existing back injury to become accepted CW among the FOX news/Beetbort crowd. Amazing.

Would like the media to shut up about how the culture is to blame when they are defining that culture themselves dumb-heads.

I don't get it has the internet destroyed all history or do these people need to go back to school and learn about the history of power structures?

It's a mixture of ignorance and cynical disingenuousness but I'm not sure of the ratio.

It makes sense from a corporate/state standpoint. Hype up the influence of the media over people while simultaneously deflecting any blame for the results of its actions (like running violent murders on daytime TV) or the actions of the powers it represents. It's probably a tactic developed by insurance adjusters.

These people are astounded at the destruction of private property rather than real violence done to humans because to them money is more valuable than human life.

From how people talk, I don't think they see it as money vs humanity? I think they see the money/property part as the result of someone's else's hard work & success, a person who must have "followed the rules" to get where they are, who must deserve their success. And now that store or those items are now synonymous with that person? Are imbued with their deservingness? So attacking their...holdings? Possessions? Is the same as attacking their person.

can we call this phenomenon "Ozymandius by proxy"

Well, and people who have to work at that store or fill their prescriptions there.

uh I think its because some people dont consider the people rioting to be 'humans' like they are

Well, and people who have to work at that store or fill their prescriptions there.

Yeah but honestly if the those who talk shit about "riots and looting" actually cared about the people who work in the stores or live in low-income and primarily Black communities, they'd be showing that in how they live, vote, and talk about other issues as well. Concern trolling about how seniors will fill their prescriptions is just a convenient angle for them to use to respectability-shame Black people and discredit popular uprising.

^^^

I want to like the last in orbit post a hundred times

I'd like to think that a lot of it is actual concern, rather than concern trolling, but no doubt a lot ddrddddddddddddddddddddd666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666t6 t 6666 y

A rain drop fell on my phone and hit submit post for me.

post interrupted by passing satan train

I was concerned that someone burned down the drugstore where you get your medication.