Amy-Strange
Amy-Strange's JournalHow To Use White Privilege To Defend Black Bodies
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How To Use White Privilege To Defend Black Bodies
White privilege doesn’t mean you’re rich. White privilege doesn’t mean you engage in overt racism. White privilege is a status granted to those who inherit physical traits that don’t appear threatening to other white people. If you’re a white person, or a person who’s often identified as being white based on outward appearances, you immediately qualify as one who benefits from this particular privilege. Recognize it. Admit it.
Now, this isn’t to shame you about your privilege. You had no choice in the matter of what body you were born into. Black and brown people have that in common with you; none of us had a say about what body we’d be born into, yet we all inherited the histories of our ancestors anyway.
In America, history tells black and brown people that their bodies are always in danger. From slavery, to lynchings, to medical mistreatment, to police brutality, to being shot for walking or jogging in a certain neighborhood, violence against black bodies by white hands has become normalized. Educate yourself on the history of the African-American experience.
While white parents have the privilege of expecting police officers to protect their kids, black parents harness constant anxiety about how law enforcement may perceive their children. Too many parents of color have to remind their school-aged children not to speak, dress, or move in a way that may threaten white people, including the police.
For instance, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where George Floyd was killed in May by a cop who kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes, the New York Times reported that police are seven times more likely to use force on black people in that city than they are on white people. On the subject of law enforcement, if you’re one to quickly argue that there’s potential for danger “on both sides,” check your biases. All lives can't matter until Black Lives Matter just as much as yours does.
[SNIP]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/how-to-use-white-privilege-to-defend-black-bodies/ar-BB15mu4r?ocid=msedgntp
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Far-Right Groups Push Back as Protesters Rally in Europe
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Far-Right Groups Push Back as Protesters Rally in Europe
LONDON — Thousands of people rallied against police brutality and racism in European cities like London and Paris on Saturday, punctuating a week of protests across the continent that included destruction of statues linked to slavery and demands for a reckoning with racial discrimination.
As European protesters have shown solidarity with demonstrators in the United States in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month, they have also denounced their own countries’ problems and urged the authorities to address them.
But even as protesters gathered en masse to demand stronger measures against racism, far-right groups and protesters, most of them white, have fiercely pushed back, leading to chaotic episodes of violence on Saturday.
The situation grew especially tense in London, where crowds of white male counterprotestors clashed repeatedly with the police, who had imposed restrictions on the anti-racism marches because of concerns about the potential for violence.
[SNIP]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/far-right-groups-push-back-as-protesters-rally-in-europe/ar-BB15qHIF?ocid=msedgntp
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'He just doesn't get it': has Trump been left behind by America's awakening on racism?
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'He just doesn't get it': has Trump been left behind by America's awakening on racism?
Longtime observers of Donald Trump have often compared him to an old man sitting at the end of a bar, holding forth with crazed opinions, overwhelming self-assurance and taboo-busting shock value guaranteed to draw a crowd.
Now, perhaps for the first time, it seems the US president may have lost the room.
Trump’s sixth sense for striking populist notes appears to have deserted him in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an African American man killed when a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, sparking Black Lives Matter protests nationwide.
Over the last three weeks the president has found himself on the wrong side of public opinion – and history – on everything from police reform to symbols of the Confederacy which fought a civil war to preserve slavery 150 years ago. Even a sport synonymous with his base, Nascar (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), is on a different wavelength having banned the Confederate flag from its events.
[SNIP]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/he-just-doesn-t-get-it-has-trump-been-left-behind-by-america-s-awakening-on-racism/ar-BB15qe7z?ocid=msedgntp
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TOP-TEN REASONS why Trump should start smoking pot...
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10) All Republicans will finally disagree with him
9) he won't remember that he's President
8) the DEA will arrest him
7) "What wall? What are you talking about?"
6) his base will desert him
5) He'll tell everyone that MAGA really means Make America Green Again
4) He'll be spending a lot more time in the bunker smokin... umm, inspecting it.
3) all that green will turn his hair blue
2) he'll demand that everyone start call him, "Mr. Pants On Fire!"
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AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON Trump should smoke pot is (drumroll please):
1) he'll start making sense!!!
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Trump is reportedly looking to blame Mexico for new coronavirus spikes in the US
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Trump is reportedly looking to blame Mexico for new coronavirus spikes in the US
Returning to one of his most consistent political ploys, President Donald Trump is reportedly looking to scapegoat Mexico for spikes in US coronavirus cases.
The messaging strategy of blaming Mexico instead of states reopening businesses was discussed at length during a recent White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting, according to the Associated Press.
Two administration officials told the AP that the idea was bandied about at the task force's Thursday meeting in the White House Situation Room, with attempts made to tie Mexico to outbreaks as far north as North Carolina.
Non-essential travel between the two countries is still banned under a joint agreement from March.
The virus has taken a much less severe toll on Mexico, with the country seeing only around 133,000 cases and 16,000 deaths compared to more than 2 million cases and 115,000 deaths stateside.
Scapegoating Mexico is nothing new for Trump.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-is-reportedly-looking-to-blame-mexico-for-new-coronavirus-spikes-in-the-us/ar-BB15pcZe?ocid=msedgdhp
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Unemployment benefits: Washington state calls in the National Guard to help with claims
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Unemployment benefits: Washington state calls in the National Guard to help with claims
Washington state is summoning the National Guard to battle its backlog of unemployment claims.
The state is still struggling to process tens of thousands of unemployment applications amid a massive fraud attack, as well as a surge in filings triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Washington flagged 190,000 claims in mid-May as possible "imposter fraud," where criminals using stolen personal information sign up for benefits. The state unemployment agency, which temporarily paused payments while it validated all claims, is giving special attention to these suspect applications.
About 50 National Guard members will arrive next week and undergo training, which should take one or two days, said Nick Demerice, a spokesman for the state's Employment Security Department. They will focus on verifying the identity of the 42,000 residents who fell into the suspect batch but were receiving benefits before mid-May.
Another 36,000 applications have other issues that have to be addressed, Suzi LeVine, the agency's commissioner, said at a news briefing Thursday. The rest have been resolved.
[SNIP]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/unemployment-benefits-washington-state-calls-in-the-national-guard-to-help-with-claims/ar-BB15pgHU?ocid=msedgdhp
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Biden hits Senate Republicans over relief bill: 'They're so damn stupid'
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Biden hits Senate Republicans over relief bill: 'They're so damn stupid'
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday said Senate Republicans were "so damn stupid" for not passing House Democrats' $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill.
"The Republican Senate need to do its job and pass the HEROES Act," Biden said on a call with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
"It passed through the House. Get state and local governments the funding they need to keep millions of people on the job. Because, here's the-they're so damn stupid, darn stupid. If you don't have people on the job dealing with controlling the virus, then it's just going to get worse," Biden said.
The House-passed bill secures $915 billion for state and local governments. The bill is a top priority for AFSCME, which represents public-sector workers, President Lee Saunders said on the call. The organization endorsed Biden in March.
"We gotta stop playing the political game with the HEROES Act," Biden said.
[SNIP]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-hits-senate-republicans-over-relief-bill-they-re-so-damn-stupid/ar-BB15pfEC?ocid=msedgdhp
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Police disciplinary records are largely kept secret in US
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Police disciplinary records are largely kept secret in US
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Officer Derek Chauvin had more than a dozen misconduct complaints against him before he put his knee on George Floyd's neck. Daniel Pantaleo, the New York City officer who seized Eric Garner in a deadly chokehold, had eight. Ryan Pownall, a Philadelphia officer facing murder charges in the shooting of David Jones, had 15 over five years.
But the public didn't know about any of that until the victims' deaths.
Citizen complaints against police across the U.S. are largely kept secret, either under the law or by union contract — a practice some criminal justice experts say deprives the public of information that could be used to root out problem officers before it's too late.
In recent years, there have been dozens of examples of officers who had numerous complaints against them of excessive force, harassment or other misconduct before they were accused of killing someone on duty.
Confidentiality “makes it really tough for the public to know just who it is they are dealing with and to know whether their department or any particular officer is one they would want out in the streets,” said David Harris, a University of Pittsburgh law professor who studies police behavior.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/police-disciplinary-records-are-largely-kept-secret-in-us/ar-BB15p4Yb?ocid=msedgdhp
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The Republican congressman who could get booted for officiating a gay wedding
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The Republican congressman who could get booted for officiating a gay wedding
A small universe of Republican Party activists will drive through the parking lot of a central Virginia church on Saturday to decide the fate of Rep. Denver Riggleman.
A one-term congressman with a libertarian streak, Riggleman has found himself locked in a fierce intraparty battle after he enraged local officials in his district by officiating a same-sex marriage last year. His reelection prospects are further hampered by Virginia’s insular election system, which allows a paltry number of GOP delegates to choose the nominee at a convention.
By Sunday morning, he may become the third House incumbent to fall in the 2020 cycle.
Riggleman’s opponent, former Campbell County supervisor and Liberty University employee Bob Good, is running as a staunch social conservative. He’s campaigning on his belief in a traditional view of marriage, ending birthright citizenship and opposing abortion for any reason — even if the mother’s life is in danger.
“The Republican Party, when you look at the creed to protect civil liberties and religious liberties, could be the most inclusive party in the country,” Riggleman said in an interview. “And you know, why aren’t we a big-tent party? Why aren’t we looking at liberties first? Why aren’t we allowing people to live the way they want to live and stopping the government from reaching into every aspect of our lives?”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-republican-congressman-who-could-get-booted-for-officiating-a-gay-wedding/ar-BB15nMuP?ocid=msedgdhp
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This Michigan Restaurant Is Using Ghosts to Enforce Social Distancing
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This Michigan Restaurant Is Using Ghosts to Enforce Social Distancing
In order to help scare up some business during a challenging time, one Michigan restaurant embraced Halloween-style flair. Specifically, Trattoria Pizzeria da Luigi in Royal Oak has divided its space into" guest seating" and "ghost seating". Michigan's current regulations limit restaurants to 50 percent of their usual capacity. Owner Luigi Cutraro felt that simply removing half of the tables would make his restaurant look lonely and deserted. So that's where a bunch of "ghosts" (aka anthropomorphized tablecloths draped over chairs) come in. Cutraro felt the ghosting of his dining room was a fun way to welcome back guests at a weird time.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/video/this-michigan-restaurant-is-using-ghosts-to-enforce-social-distancing/vi-BB15pxxQ?ocid=msedgdhp
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Profile Information
Name: Dave AyotteGender: Male
Hometown: Plainfield, CT
Home country: USA
Current location: Tukwila, WA
Member since: Mon Oct 21, 2019, 12:03 AM
Number of posts: 854
