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FM123's JournalWatch This 10 Year-Old Rip Thru Rage Against the Machine's 'Guerrilla Radio' for Black Lives Matter
South Florida congresswoman urges Biden to pick Val Demings as running mate
(South Florida Sun Sentinel via msn) Congresswoman Lois Frankel said Wednesday she would like presidential candidate Joe Biden to pick her Central Florida colleague, Congresswoman Val Demings, as the Democratic candidate for vice president.
“Val Demings is the best choice for Joe Biden’s VP. Why? She’s a true leader, experienced, and uniquely qualified to address the changes we need to end police brutality against black Americans,” Frankel wrote on Twitter, adding the hashtags #ValforVP and #BidenDemings.
Demings, a former Orlando police chief serving her second term in the U.S. House, was catapulted to the national stage as one of the House impeachment managers who presented the case against President Donald Trump to the Senate earlier this year.
She’s been talked about for months as a possible Biden running mate pick, especially since Biden promised to pick a female running mate.
In recent days, as a black former police chief, Demings has received added national attention, including an interview on the NBC “Meet the Press” program, in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
As black former police chief, she’s been on cable TV — and on the NBC “Meet the Press” program — in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd.
Outside her Central Florida base, voters don’t know Demings well. A May 15 Florida Atlantic University poll found 4% of Florida Democrats surveyed favored her as Biden’s running mate.
Florida is a critical state in the presidential election. It awards 29 electoral votes, more than 10% of the 270 needed to win. And its statewide elections are often decided by razor-thin margins. In 2016, for example, Trump won 49% of the vote statewide to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 47.8%.
But vice presidential candidates historically haven’t made a difference in determining the outcome, with the exception of John F. Kennedy’s running mate Lyndon Johnson in 1960.
Frankel represents most of Palm Beach County, including West Palm Beach, where she once served as mayor. She was Democratic leader of the Florida House of Representatives during the contentious aftermath of the 2000 presidential election featuring George W. Bush and Al Gore.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/south-florida-congresswoman-urges-biden-to-pick-val-demings-as-running-mate/ar-BB14ZcuD?li=BBnb7Kz
Today is Blackout Tuesday
(Wikipedia) Blackout Tuesday is a collective action originally started by elements of the music industry to protest racism and police brutality.
The action, organized in response to the killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor,is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Businesses taking part are encouraged to abstain from releasing music and other business operations.
The call to action was initiated by music executives Brianna Agyemang and Jamila Thomas, Senior Director of Marketing at Atlantic Records.
Businesses are participating in different manners. Black Americans are asked to not buy or sell on this day to show economic strength and unity. Spotify announced it would be adding a 8-minute and 46-second moment of silence to certain podcasts and playlists for the day.
On Instagram, users participate by posting a single photo of a black square alongside the hashtag #blackouttuesday.
Organizations supporting Blackout Tuesday suggest this day can be an opportunity for reflection on racism and the effects of it on society. Others suggest it is an opportunity to take time from work to focus on helping others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackout_Tuesday
Gregg Popovich: 'The System Has to Change'
(TheNation) The legendary San Antonio Spurs coach is past done with Donald Trump’s inability to rise to this moment.
People from across the sports world have spoken out, raised money, and taken part in demonstrations following the police murder of George Floyd. The one voice that we haven’t heard yet has been perhaps President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critic in the wide world of sports, as well as someone who has never shied away from speaking about institutionalized racism or police brutality, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.
Late last night my phone rang, and it was Coach Pop. He was ready to say something.
“The thing that strikes me is that we all see this police violence and racism, and we’ve seen it all before, but nothing changes. That’s why these protests have been so explosive. But without leadership and an understanding of what the problem is, there will never be change. And white Americans have avoided reckoning with this problem forever, because it’s been our privilege to be able to avoid it. That also has to change.”
“It’s unbelievable. If Trump had a brain, even if it was 99 percent cynical, he would come out and say something to unify people. But he doesn’t care about bringing people together. Even now. That’s how deranged he is. It’s all about him. It’s all about what benefits him personally. It’s never about the greater good. And that’s all he’s ever been.”
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In the end, what we have is a fool in place of a president, while the person who really runs the country, Senator Mitch McConnell, destroys the United States for generations to come. McConnell has destroyed and degraded our judicial system. He has tried to destroy health care. He’s destroyed the environment. He’s the master and Trump’s the stooge, and what’s funny is that Trump doesn’t even know it. Trump’s always wanted to be part of the in-group, but McConnell is an in-group of one and Trump plays the fool.”
“He’s not just divisive. He’s a destroyer. To be in his presence makes you die. He will eat you alive for his own purposes. I’m appalled that we have a leader who can’t say ‘black lives matter.’ That’s why he hides in the White House basement. He is a coward. He creates a situation and runs away like a grade-schooler. Actually, I think it’s best to ignore him. There is nothing he can do to make this better because of who he is: a deranged idiot.”
(Read More)
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/gregg-popovich-george-floyd-protests/
'I need white mamas to come running'
(CNN) Christy Oglesby is a senior producer at CNN. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. Read more opinion on CNN.
Mama.
That's the sweetest name in the world to me. Ever since I was three, I yearned for that title and privilege. Year after year during my childhood, I asked for the same Christmas presents -- a doll, a stroller, a set of dishes. I wanted a way to show my child the world and introduce the world to my child. When I got my dishes and doll, I crafted elaborate table settings for my mud pie meals so the "baby" would know how much I treasured her. Years later, I'm blessed to have become Mama. Drew, my black son, my gift, knows I cherish him.
snip
So he was who I thought of when tears burst from my eyes listening to George Floyd, a man in Minneapolis. His final minutes in the custody of the police were captured in a devastating video, as he screamed "Mama." Floyd was pleading with the officers -- one of whom held a knee to his neck -- that he couldn't breathe, to the growing alarm of bystanders, one of whom recorded the scene. Floyd's mother is deceased. But in his cry -- "Mama!" -- I heard a twisted combination of hope and horror. Hope because in that moment he hoped the person who gave him life could save his life even in death. She'd undoubtedly done it before when she was alive. And horror because that's never how a black mama wants to hear her sacred title.
Mama!
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But I'm tired. I'm tired of being scared for him. I'm tired of reading about Ahmaud, Travis, George and so many others. The list never stops. I need the white mamas to share this burden. I need my white friends to love me and mine enough to come running, too.
Mama! Mama!
I need them to hear that cry and to tell their sons and daughters that my child is a human. I need them to declare and believe that he's in danger, that I can't protect him by myself and that his life matters to me and to them. I need them to tell their white friends' children, too. My child's life is sacred. My child is not dangerous.
(Read more)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/28/opinions/george-floyd-cry-for-mama-hits-home-oglesby/index.html
Peaceful Coral Gables protest against police brutality ends with prayer
Just south and west of downtown Miami there was another protest held...(Local 10 News) CORAL GABLES, Fla. – While the protest in Coral Gables comes after the death of George Floyd, the people gathering Saturday said the reason they showed up was because of something larger. They say this is all about people of color in this country.
Chanting "I Can't Breathe," large crowds gathered near Coral Gables City Hall then hundreds of people marched down Miracle Mile with signs reading "Black Lives Matter" and "Justice for George."
"I think enough is enough," protester Libby Stone said. "Our country has to stand up together and say 'We respect each other's lives and we won't tolerate this injustice.' "
They are calling for justice for Floyd and all four Minneapolis police officers, but more importantly, to stop the the senseless killings of black and brown lives.
"It is not just about George Floyd; it is about all black people. It is about all people of color in this country," Kelcy Grant, one of the Coral Gables protesters, said.
While in downtown Miami, the protest started off peaceful and turned destructive, Coral Gables had no reported incidents.
(video at link below)
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/05/31/coral-gables-protesters-demonstrate-without-incident/
Kind words from folks in Canada....
Just found this tweet, kinda broke my heart and soothed it at the same time....To the United States of America. I know you are going through a lot right now. Thinking other Countries are watching you and laughing. Right now, we are not. Right now we are worried, sad, and scared for you. Right now, we are thinking, how can such a great country be going 1/
through this. Your Government failed you, Politics failed you, money failed you but we will not fail you! We will stand with you and support you and carry you as far as you need. We are your friends we are your cousins, we are here for you. Your voice is our voice your fear is 2/
·
our fear. Canada and the US have been beside each other for everything. This is no different You are fighting a war, a war within your own country, in your home land We have seen other countries around the world do the same. We were there for them, and now we are here for you. 3/
I know people are feeling hopeless, that the cloud of doom surrounds them. But, I am here to say, you are not alone in this fight. This will get better because Americans are strong, and Americans are brave! Americans are not alone. We stand with you.
https://twitter.com/CanadianReports/status/1266555513715605504
Trayvon Martin's mother running for local office in Miami-Dade County: 'It took my son being shot
Trayvon Martin's mother running for local office in Miami-Dade County: 'It took my son being shot down in order for me to stand up'
She says she wants to turn her "family's tragedy into something positive."
Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, announced over the weekend she is joining the race to become a Miami-Dade County commissioner, following suit with other mothers who have lost their sons to gun violence and sought public office.
"My time as a public servant began 30 years ago at Miami-Dade County. Since 2012, I have advocated tirelessly to empower our communities and make them safer. But the work is not done. I am proud to announce that I will run to represent District 1 on the county commission," Fulton wrote on Instagram Sunday.
"At first I didn't want to be the voice for Trayvon after he died but I decided I have no choice," she says in a video posted to her Instagram Monday. "Now, I'm called to act and called to serve. It became clear to me there's an opportunity to turn our family's tragedy into something positive for many other families. It took my son being shot down in order for me to stand up. But I'm standing now."
(read more) https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trayvon-martins-mother-running-local-office-miami-dade/story?id=63152592
How to Safely and Ethically Film Police Misconduct
*When a friend sent me this article, I was surprised to see it came from Teen Vogue - good on them!
The human rights organization WITNESS provides guidance on exposing violent and discriminatory policing.
snip
At the human rights organization WITNESS, where I work as the senior U.S. program coordinator, we’ve learned that video has a greater chance of making an impact when it’s filmed ethically and strategically, and released in coordination with advocacy and legal efforts. Using the camera in your pocket can be a valuable way to ensure the world bears witness to abusive policing and systemic racism, help hold authorities accountable, and advocate for the real safety of our communities. To help you film safely, ethically, and effectively, see the guidance below:
1. Safety first
The most important thing to consider when filming a police interaction is safety — your own and of the person you are filming. Filming or witnessing can escalate a situation, and sometimes bystanders become the target of police violence. The risk to your safety can depend on your identity — your background, race, gender, ethnicity, and so on — so it’s important to think about whether or not you feel comfortable filming before you press record. There are important ways to bear witness even if you don’t film, including standing in solidarity to let the person being targeted know they are not alone, or by taking notes. No footage is ever worth your safety.
2. Know your rights
In the United States, you have a 1st Amendment right to record law enforcement in public spaces as long as you don’t interfere — even during COVID-19. But remember:
Whether or not you are interfering is totally up to the police officer in the moment (and later up to a judge or jury), so it’s best to keep at least six feet of distance (or a car’s length) between you and the incident while filming, especially during social distancing.
If the police officer tells you to back up, comply with their orders. You can even film your feet as you’re backing up and say aloud, “I’m complying with orders.”
If the police officer tells you to stop filming, you can assert your right to film if you feel comfortable doing so.
You can stay safe and still film critical footage from a distance, like from a window, balcony, rooftop, or fire escape.
(Many more tips at link) https://www.teenvogue.com/story/how-to-film-police-safely
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