Howard University Engineering Student Killed in Baltimore Last Week

By artappraiser on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 3:36am |

https://t.co/kaIPEd4Fv0
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) June 6, 2020

URL:

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/bs-md-ci-cr-aaron-sutton-20200601-k45pxxgb6rfflmxiah7xnh4c3m-story.html

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There have been 135 homicides in Baltimore this year. Thirty-eight in the past month.
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) June 6, 2020

by artappraiser on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 4:00am

Cities Ask if It’s Time to Defund Police and ‘Reimagine’ Public Safety

Calls to defund, downsize or abolish police departments are gaining new traction, with advocates arguing that many police tasks would be better left to others.
The calls to redirect money away from the police come as local governments face the economic fallout from the coronavirus.
7h ago @ NYTimes.com

On Twitter, there's #DefundThePolice and #DefundPolice. Also #AbolishPolice.

by artappraiser on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 4:07am

Yeah, I hear privatizing security and detention services is the way to go. Perhaps Erik Prince or Blackwater are available.

by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 6:53am

Getting police off the streets and replacing them with 'public safety' public, not private,employees who are as accountable as other public employees is the objective.

Cops and cop unions have so many laws, SCOTUS decisions, arbitration boards, job protection clauses and procedures, legal and financial backing from unions, that it takes years to get one fired. Reversing all that is basically impossible. Cops would still be around, but higher quality and far less military hardware, and in less numbers. You create a new system with employees who don't handle every call by aggressive abuse or murder inflicted on the public.

by NCD on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 8:42am

You still need some police, and the unions wont just go away

by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 10:28am

I'm a little irked by the amount of "abolishpolice" hyperbole I am seeing that is pretty much naive kumbaya stuff about how police are really the cause of all the crime. From supposedly smart lefties. I.E. police do most of the rapes, yadda yadda. Whatever happened to #Metoo and the horrific domestic violence during lockdown thing? Just don't mention that for now-that in the Wild West without a sheriff, the strong preyed on the weak is a taboo thing to bring up right now. The police of the world cause all the troubles in the world is a real strong meme right now because it's popular with the kids. Sssh, don't bring up that environmental regulation has to be policed...

Really, much of the MSM is helping to sell this meme by dropping nearly all other coverage. As if crime had disappeared because everyone was finally protesting police brutality. So I was glad to see the Baltimore Sun publish this little reminder that black lives are being snuffed out in inner cities every day without any police help. I get the fear of authoritarian thing, I really do and it's important to try to get rid of that so that people have decent lives. But dead is dead, whether by an authoritarian or a homie, let's have some perspective here.

There is an extremely valid argument to reduce their workload and get them back to working on actual crime. But so much delusional nonsense is being promoted that is going to eventually backfire big time with voters who happen to like security in society if it keeps up.

Even then, I saw in the article about the homeless family that the wife had called the cops about the husband hitting her at one time. Would abused women really like it if they didn't have that option anymore? If they had to work with social services when assaulted by the man in their lives?

by artappraiser on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 12:17pm

Yeah, i hadnt heard much about Baltimore, but after watching The Wire, every news report out of Baltimore seemed to be straight out of the series. Wild nasty shit. Sure, just turn the corners over to the criminals - what could go wrong?

by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 12:42pm

"I'm a little irked by the amount of "abolishpolice" hyperbole I am seeing that is pretty much naive kumbaya stuff"

Yeah, cut the police force in half and in a month the screams for more police will drown out the protests we're having now. And black people will scream just as loud. During the crime wave when Clinton funded more cops most black people were as supportive of increased police presence and stricter penalties as the whites.

It's the same crap I've been hearing from the left about abolishing the Border Control cops. It's a ridiculous idea.

by ocean-kat on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 1:35pm

From your link

The Clintons quite likely were motivated by political expediency -- appealing to white voters with "tough on crime" measures; however it is clear black leaders were simply desperate to rid communities of the gang violence terrorizing their communities. The crime wave was real with rapes, assaults, and murders at never before seen levels, especially in inner-cities.

They didn't have the benefit of knowing what we do now: that the death penalty would be disproportionately administered to black defendants; that many imprisoned didn't pose a serious threat; that many of the "criminals" had actually been victims of childhood lead poisoning which studies show link to "impulsivity, behavioral problems, hyperactivity, and impaired cognition, all of which are associated with crime."

We can't repeat the same thing and expect a different result.

by rmrd0000 on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 5:52pm

Your comment has nothing to do with the "abolish the police hyperbole," and since no one is suggesting we do the same thing that Clinton tried you're just having another of your arguments with the strawman you created. SOP for you.

by ocean-kat on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 6:21pm

Your post included:

And black people will scream just as loud. During the crime wave when Clinton funded more cops most black people were as supportive of increased police presence and stricter penalties as the whites.

You provided the link. Black people did support increased policing. After seeing the results, as noted in the article, they no longer view the police as the only solution. The reluctance is a direct result of the damage done to communities by mass incarceration. Your link. My response on how it relates to the discussion.I merely responded to your post

Also of note, less policing may not result in an increase in crime in certain situations.

While there is no contemporary example of defunding in the US, there are studies suggesting that less policing could mean less crime. In 2014 and 2015, New York officers staged a “slowdown” to protest the mayor, arguing that if they did less police work, the city would be less safe. But the opposite turned out to be true. When the officers took a break from “broken windows policing”, meaning targeting low-level offenses, there was a drop in crime. Researchers posited that aggressive policing on the streets for petty matters can ultimately cause social disruption and lead to more crime. Policing that punishes poverty, such as hefty traffic tickets and debts, can also create conditions where crime is more likely. When New York ended “stop and frisk”, crime did not rise.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/05/defunding-the-police-us-what-does-it-mean

by rmrd0000 on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 6:41pm

As the "only" solution? Christ, the Clinton program was *after* Rodney King.
You don't even know what you're arguing anymore.
Yes, more cops but fair cops - including in the projects to protect people but *not* terrorize citizens.
The equation's not that tough. As Jesus said, "Don't taze me, Bro"

by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 9:06pm

I know exactly what I am arguing

1992 Rodney King

1994 Crime Bill supported by the majority of the Congressional Black Caucus

Including the man running for the seat of the late Elijah Cummings, Kweisi Mfume

We got mass incarceration, not fairer cops

We got militarized police departments

Now we are here with emboldened unions and impossible to remove cops

In the midst of the pandemic and after George Floyd, the mayor of LA says he's cutting $150M from the LAPD.

Edit to add:

The equation is not easy, obviously

by rmrd0000 on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 10:02pm

This tweeter supports abolition -- and notes that a major obstacle to that goal is older black people constantly demanding more police protection pic.twitter.com/qm8tqKGSL1
— Wesley Yang (@wesyang) June 7, 2020

by artappraiser on Sun, 06/07/2020 - 3:42am

From my experience (my parents/relatives) it's going to be nigh impossible to get blacks who lived through the crack epidemic to even consider de-funding the police, much less abolition. https://t.co/SnFKukeb00
— Donald Moore (@DonEMooreJr) June 7, 2020

Donald Moore is Reporter for Bloomberg News.

by artappraiser on Sun, 06/07/2020 - 4:40am

Coronavirus exposed deficits in the health care. It is heard to believe no changes will occur

“We spend too much on an institution that fails to advance and often undermines safety and security in the community. And we spend too little on structures that actually cultivate community safety and economic success,” says Rao.

Rao co-authored a 2017 CPD report that examined police funding in 12 jurisdictions across the country. Oakland spent 21.1 percent of its total operating budget on police—more than housing, parks, workforce development, and human services combined; Floyd’s adopted hometown of Minneapolis spent more than 11 percent of its budget on policing—1.5 percent went to the Health Department.

http://dagblog.com/comment/reply/31514/282851

Governor Cuomo wants to pass the "Say Their Name "

The 'Say Their Name' Reform agenda includes:

Allow for transparency of prior disciplinary records of law enforcement officers by reforming 50-a of the civil rights law;

Banning chokeholds by law enforcement officers;

Prohibiting false race-based 911 reports and making them a crime; and

Designating the Attorney General as an independent prosecutor for matters relating to the deaths of unarmed civilians caused by law enforcement.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-renews-call-passage-say-their-name-agenda-police-have-do-their-jobs-they-dont

by rmrd0000 on Sun, 06/07/2020 - 9:57am

Mayor de Blasio cuts school funding but keeps police budget intact

City schools and summer programs are taking a devastating budget hit amid the coronavirus fiscal crisis.

Mayor de Blasio proposed cutting more than $600 million in education spending next fiscal year and axing the city’s free youth summer programming as part of an effort to save more than $6 billion amid the pandemic.

https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-20200416-uwy5hrp5sbfvldej7lqbuzumdu-story.html

by rmrd0000 on Sun, 06/07/2020 - 10:06am

At least most cities have figured out to drop the curfews, it just gives cops open season on their favorite targets, harmless citizens.

Maybe choking people will be outlawed, somehere or everywhere.

I noted they are now talking about "drugs in the system" of Floyd. I think when cops kill somebody they should have immediate blood tests to determine the drugs in their system. They are basically never tested after hiring, in most of the 16,000 police departments, in only some are they are tested after use of a gun, or after a traffic accident.

Findlaw, are cops drug tested?:

Although the reasons for drug testing cops are different than those for testing athletes, they are arguably more compelling. King also links the high rate of steroid use among officers and the high rate of domestic violence involving police officers -- the highest among any profession.

by NCD on Sun, 06/07/2020 - 12:49pm

Yes.

But that also me makes me think about how miraculously much of the country behaved under isolation, an incredible historic and awful experience of shutting down economies for months--people self policed, no big looting problems until now

I.E., Manhattan empty, was not for the most part boarded up though valuables were removed from shop windows--and no looting for months. I don't know about other large cities worldwide, but Italy is one example where everyone laid back. Basically the only rise in crime being domestic abuse (and that was serious and little could be done about it.) And profiteering concerning basic needs, of course-that's always there in the worst times.

This is why people are getting the idea that we don't need police: because we didn't need them much for a couple months. Why does most criminal behavior stop when a society is stressed to the max by certain things?

I have to admit to myself that I think it is because the criminals are afraid just the same as the law abiding citizens. Right after 9/11 it was like that, too because no one was sure what else would come. So they want some of that civilization thing too?

As much as I don't like saying it, maybe one has to give the fear factor this one?

by artappraiser on Sun, 06/07/2020 - 1:19pm

Police murder Freddie Gray. Police stop bus services, trapping young people. A riot results.

Police murder George Floyd. Riots occur.

Riots occur after a Ferguson officer kills Michael Brown.

Each police department had a reputation for mistreating black and poor citizens.

The true miracle is that uprising were so uncommon.

Police are needed, but they have to accept citizen control.

Looters are arrested immediately

Police are not arrested immediately.

Police are rarely convicted.

Unless laws regarding police abuse are changed, we will be back here again.

But protests erupted just 24 hours after Floyd’s death, with demonstrators calling for structural change, recognizing this as the latest in a long history of black people killed at the hands of the police, chanting, “No justice, no peace” and “I can’t breathe.” Activists criticized the mayor for increasing funds to the Minneapolis Police Department: They demanded cuts to the department’s budget and reinvestment in community infrastructure.

Such protests have become common in a country where more than 1,000 people annually are killed by police, with black people three times as likely as whites to be the victims. Also common is what happened soon after demonstrators gathered to protest Floyd’s death: Police in riot gear shot tear gas canisters into the crowds and fired stun grenades and “nonlethal projectiles” at demonstrators, injuring many. It was stunningly easy to point to the same department’s gentle treatment weeks ago against white anti-lockdown protesters while those protesting against police violence were met with militarized violence.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/05/28/explaining-militarized-police-response-protesters-after-killing-george-floyd/

Step One. Reform the police.

by rmrd0000 on Sun, 06/07/2020 - 3:06pm

Funding the police did not prevent this tragic homicide. Crime in Baltimore was headed down until the funeral of Freddie Gray. The conditions for the uprising were created by the Baltimore police department. There were no convictions of any of the officers involved in the homicide. A special task force of the department turned its talents to robbing people instead of removing guns. The police department is funded, crime increase. Perhaps there is an alternative.

NYT The Tragedy of Baltimore

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/12/magazine/baltimore-tragedy-crime.html

There are current protests in Baltimore focused on police abuse that are peaceful. Perhaps too many funds go to police.

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2020/06/george-floyd-protest-baltimore-freddie-gray-police-violence/612685/

by rmrd0000 on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 3:20pm

In the News

Russia plays weak hand in Palestine
Russia plays weak hand in Palestine

submitted by PeraclesPlease 11 months ago

The intra-Palestinian meeting in Moscow has precedent

Russia's hosted such meetings in the past, most recently Feb 2019

Russia has long lamented the US' "monopolization" of the peace process & tried to carve out a niche for itself: mediating among the disunited Palestinians/2
— Hanna Notte (@HannaNotte) February 29, 2024

Read the article at https://twitter.com/HannaNotte/status/1763116222256701787

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Mother Jones is Reaching out to Alternative Party Voters
Mother Jones is Reaching out to Alternative Party Voters

submitted by HSG 11 months ago

Here's what I told them: https://halginsberg.com/vote-for-jill-stein-again/

Read the article at https://halginsberg.com/vote-for-jill-stein-again/

2 comments

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Controversial Brazil law curbing Indigenous rights comes...
Controversial Brazil law curbing Indigenous rights comes into force

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

Controversial Brazil law curbing Indigenous rights comes into force https://t.co/pCoDg05irX
— Gareth Harris (@garethharr) December 28, 2023

Read the article at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/28/brazil-law-indigenous-land-rights-claim-time-marker?CMP=share_btn_tw

1 comment

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Security Alert: U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince, Haiti (...
Security Alert: U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince, Haiti (December 25, 2023)

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

Location: U.S. Embassy and residential compounds

Events: Heavy gunfire is occuring around the area of the U.S. Embassy and residential compounds adjacent to the Trutier area of Tabarre. All Embassy personnel have been instructed to remain indoors and shelter-in-place until further notice. All others should avoid the area.

Actions to take:

Avoid the area;

Avoid demonstrations and any large gatherings of people;

Do not attempt to drive through roadblocks; and

If you encounter a roadblock, turn around and get to a safe area.

Read the article at https://ht.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-port-au-prince-haiti-december-25-2023/

3 comments

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Pakistan Is Creating the World’s Next Refugee Crisis
Pakistan Is Creating the World’s Next Refugee Crisis

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

By The Editorial Board @ Bloomberg.com, December 8, 2023

A mass expulsion of Afghan migrants could destabilize the region and fuel radicalization. The West should pressure Islamabad to change course.

Read the article at https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-12-08/pakistan-s-expulsion-of-afghan-refugees-risks-another-crisis

6 comments

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Internet shut down in Chad
Internet shut down in Chad

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

All eyes on #Chad right now
Chad has two internet trunks coming into the country: One from the Red Sea via Sudan; the other from Cameroon. Not possible for the totality of the country's internet network to be shut unless done centrally. A lot of rumors swirling; few facts. https://t.co/N6bDJZ2ixO

Read the article at https://x.com/_hudsonc/status/1732891968709992511?s=20

2 comments

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[Economy] where Joe's success falls short
[Economy] where Joe's success falls short

submitted by PeraclesPlease 1 year ago

Read the article at

3 comments

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[CRIME News] 3 loss-prevention employees in Macy’s across...
[CRIME News] 3 loss-prevention employees in Macy’s across the street from Philadelphia City Hall stabbed

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

BREAKING: Three loss prevention employees in Macy’s across the street from Philadelphia City Hall stabbed, one of them has died from stab wounds, @PhillyPolice sources tell me. Police converged on the store as the three workers were rushed to Jefferson Hospital. pic.twitter.com/4U1eKycL4W

Read the article at https://x.com/KeeleyFox29/status/1731713272942940365?s=20

38 comments

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Former U.S. Ambassador Arrested, Charged With Working As...
Former U.S. Ambassador Arrested, Charged With Working As Secret Agent For Cuba

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

Former US Ambassador Arrested, Charged With Working As Secret Agent For Cuba https://t.co/LDwo4ZJI1K
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) December 4, 2023

Read the article at https://www.huffpost.com/entry/manuel-rocha-ambassador-arrested-cuba_n_656d1e2ae4b028b0f3d07478

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[War in Israel, Chapter II] UNRWA under scrutiny
[War in Israel, Chapter II] UNRWA under scrutiny

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

[Chapter I news is HERE, Oct. 7 til today]

You don’t get it.
It’s not about an UNRWA teacher who held an Israeli kid hostage in his house.
It’s all about how for 75 years you have destroyed the future of generations of Palestinians, including my family.
My cousins in Arab countries are still not citizens - not even the… https://t.co/nv6anubGhc
— George Deek (@GeorgeDeek) December 2, 2023

Note 'Community Notes' attached to UNWRA's statement.

Read the article at https://x.com/GeorgeDeek/status/1731020551328579863?s=20

58 comments

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Maduro, Under Pressure, Holds Vote to Annex Territory From...
Maduro, Under Pressure, Holds Vote to Annex Territory From a Neighbor

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

Imperialism for me but not for thee?

It's wild that Venezuela is now holding a vote on whether 2/3 of Guyana actually belongs to them! Analysts suggest that Modoru may want military action to pump up his sinking popularity.

Could we have a war in South America?!?

"The people who live in Essequibo are largely… pic.twitter.com/QvMEjkkgwy

Read the article at https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/03/world/americas/maduro-vote-essequibo-guyana.html

6 comments

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[Where is the GOP headed?] Divisions leave Florida’s House...
[Where is the GOP headed?] Divisions leave Florida’s House Republicans powerless

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

The lack of a cohesive delegation has allowed attention-seeking lawmakers to act on their own.

McCarthy: “You have [Rep. Matt] Gaetz, who belongs in jail…”

Gaetz: “Tough words from a guy who sucker punches people in the back. The only assault I committed was against Kevin’s fragile ego.”https://t.co/LctPuz6Pcf

Read the article at https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/29/divisions-leave-floridas-house-republicans-powerless-00129200

10 comments

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‘She got so mad at me’: book on the ‘Squad’ details AOC-...
‘She got so mad at me’: book on the ‘Squad’ details AOC-Pelosi clashes

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

By Martinn Pengelly in Washington DC for TheGuardian.com, Nov. 30

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells Ryan Grim life in Congress ‘completely transformed’ after Democratic leader stepped down

Read the article at https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/30/squad-book-aoc-nancy-pelosi?CMP=share_btn_tw

15 comments

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US health insurers Humana, Cigna in talks to merge -source
US health insurers Humana, Cigna in talks to merge -source

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

@ Reuters, Nov. 29

Read the article at https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/us-health-insurers-humana-cigna-talks-merge-wsj-2023-11-29/

3 comments

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Central Africa’s dinosaur regimes and the art of coup-...
Central Africa’s dinosaur regimes and the art of coup-proofing

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

"Both the AU and the intl community place more weight on whether elections are held than whether they are free and fair. Sanctions/expulsions occur when there is a coup but not necessarily when elections are rigged or if an “institutional coup” occurs." https://t.co/m9dNimJP0D
— Cameron Hudson (@_hudsonc) November 28, 2023

Read the article at https://africanarguments.org/2023/11/central-africas-dinosaur-regimes-and-the-art-of-coup-proofing/

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