posted June 03, 2020 04:28 PM            

These kids did nothing wrong, and were pulled out of a car and attacked. That's one of many links I have open, and don't think I've posted - because it doesn't matter. The story is that all of the protesters deserve it, and the police have done nothing wrong. They're out there running their cars into people, because they deserve it. Shooting rubber bullets and tear gas at reporters and the people with the cameras, even when they've shown their credentials - that's perfectly fine. The woman who was blinded in one eye, can still do her job, only because it wasn't her "camera eye", and she thanked the protesters for helping her to get medical attention. There was a woman who was shoved hard by a policeman, hit her head and had a seizure. That's perfectly okay, right? The police can do no wrong, even though it's been captured all over the country, on video.

posted June 03, 2020 05:04 PM            

A conversation with President Obama: Reimagining Policing in the Wake of Continued Police Violence

It hasn't started yet.

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President Obama joins local and national leaders in the police reform movement, to discuss the tragic events of recent weeks, the history of police violence in America, and specific action steps needed to transform a system that has led to the loss of too many lives. Get engaged at: https://www.obama.org/anguish-and-act....

President Obama joins Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, President of Color of Change Rashad Robinson, Minneapolis City Council Representative Phillipe Cunningham, and MBK Columbus Youth Leader Playon Patrick, in a conversation moderated by Campaign Zero co-founder Brittany Packnett Cunningham.

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posted June 03, 2020 05:07 PM            

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With dried pepper spray tears on my shirt, I am shaken, saddened and angry. I’m angry that racist violence against black people seems to change its form but never ends. I’m shaken at the feeling of powerlessness experienced by so many when they see visceral racism. And when folks try to grasp power and take to the streets, they face hundreds of police officers maintaining order while reinforcing the violence inherent in police powers.

I’m saddened that for many watching from the comfort of their homes, the violence of a few on the fringe will give yet one more excuse to do nothing to challenge the status quo of racism in America.

I will never forget the burning blindness of indiscriminate pepper spray as I stood with U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty and Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce trying to keep the crowd on the sidewalks. I’m not a natural protestor. I like to sit around a table to hash out policies and plans. But I felt I needed to show up as a black man because George Floyd should be alive. Breonna Taylor should be alive. Ahmaud Arbery should be alive. Tyre King should be alive.

Our residents in Columbus and citizens across the nation are speaking out in a thousand ways to say we need immediate action. The people are speaking. I hear them. Now we must get to a shared table and use this powerful voice to make change real. We cannot do that if the table is on fire.

As a black, gay city council president of America’s 14th largest city, I know my story is possible only because of protests past. The beatings, dogs and hoses used through the South during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s marches and the Stonewall riots. We must stand against oppression.

Despite real reasons for anger, I do not excuse the few who walk amongst the protestors and choose to be destructive. Many of these folks come from outside of Columbus with their own agendas and are not seeking real constructive change. These are not the protestors I know and am happy to work with.

I also want to acknowledge that our police officers are tired. Many have been out for days and days, sporting bruises from where they were hit with rocks and frozen water bottles. Protestors are bruised from wooden bullets and more. Both sides need time to rest and heal.

We must use this civil unrest to accelerate progress on real, specific reforms to fight systematic racism.

On Monday, Columbus City Council passed a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis. Franklin County has already led the way on this cause, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther concurs, and we are all united in calling on other levels of regional and state government to join hands with us in honestly addressing the negative impacts of racism.

Today I also call on local leaders to help make policing reforms real this year. We must make concrete moves on the 80 recommendations from the Community Safety Advisory Commission ranging from recruitment, training, diversity and inclusion, community engagement and independent investigations.

Columbus needs to establish independent investigations into police use of force, including negotiating a Civilian Review Commission into the next police contract. The Fraternal Order of Police has long opposed such a move, and I call on them to join us at the table to get this done.

Having experienced it first hand, I know we need to change the use of crowd dispersal techniques and stop spraying tear gas into peaceful crowds. The negative impacts far outweigh the temporary control it gives officers.

We must diversify our safety divisions and train cultural competency for the dozens of diverse international communities that call Columbus home.

Our police chief is working for internal reforms. I want him and every officer to know that we want him to succeed. But we will not accept the status quo or those who cover up for egregious past acts of violence on duty.

Fighting racism is imperative in every part of our society, not just policing. Through race-conscious policymaking, we’ve got to unwind the generations of racist policies in housing, public health, education and elsewhere. On corporate boards and in the philanthropic sector we need to see clear, measured strategies to combat racial disparities.

I do truly believe that things can get better. As a Christian, I’ve been thinking a lot about grace over the past couple of days. It’s something we need to extend to one another now more than ever. And with that renewed goodwill towards one another, we can move forward with resolve and create a more just Columbus.

Shannon Hardin is president of Columbus City Council.

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posted June 03, 2020 08:11 PM            

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Originally posted by Randall:
Can we take a moment to honor the life of 77-year-old David Dorn? A black man. His family will never see him again. His grandchildren will never grow up with him. He's gone forever. Shot by a looter and left to bleed out on the street where no one helped him, no one called an ambulance, and where his last breath took place on Facebook live. Killed over a tv. They killed him and filmed it. Who shot him? Who knows? There is a bail fund of $20 million dollars funded by celebrities. Maybe he is already out of jail. Did his life matter? Will we just forget him? Where is his justice?

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posted June 04, 2020 09:58 AM            

I have seen b=verified videos where cops stop peaceful protestors, then like a sucker punch suddenly pepper spray them in the eyes.

Even a child was not spared. A prisoner was repeatedly pepper sprayed in his cell by Guards.

One my earlier fears is coming true: Pluto Return. A madness to brutalize unarmed for satisfying personal Power Trips is taking root in the Police, Prison Guards, possibly Military, Gun Owners etc.

posted June 04, 2020 11:02 PM            

“a video from when we took the BIKE TRAIL back to our cars after police advised us to because of the amount of people standing by the street with their bats and guns.. these men followed us- if the cops weren’t there i genuinely don’t know what would have happened.”

posted June 07, 2020 03:06 PM            

Fox News put up a graphic showing how the beatings or murders of black men had positively affected the stock market. ???

posted June 19, 2020 04:48 PM            

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Originally posted by Randall:
If you watched real news, you would see how much looting is going on. Yes, Biden finally left his basement for a photo op. What a trooper!

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posted June 21, 2020 11:46 AM            

While the slogan “Black Lives Matter” is seemingly being shoved down everyone’s throats at every turn, whether it’s logging on to Facebook, or your Fitbit app, or emails, the slogan is not quite as popular as the more inclusive “All Lives Matter”, according to a Rasmussen survey of 1,000 likely voters.

Interestingly, as reported in Breitbart, the poll showed that this was true even among African Americans, with 47 percent choosing “All Lives Matter,” while 44 percent of that same demographic chose “Black Lives Matter.”..........