Have you heard of anything good coming out of the protests?

Yup Trump sent the National Guard home from DC, guess the mayor sent him the bill for putting the troops up in the Marriott !

Yes, the Minneapolis City Council is disbanding th police department. Long overdue good news.

People are energized to do positive things all over. That is good news.

@Tropical_Willie Thanks for the laugh!!! Trump International Hotel is just 5 blocks from the White House. I’m surprised that he didn’t just move them there so he could charge DC at his full rate.

No! Not 1 thing.

@zenvelo That is the worst thing I have read.

“rising like a Phoenix out of the ashes”

This implies that the protests are all riots. Also little anecdotes about one person are cute but miss the entire point. It’s like saying MLK’s march on Washington was a success because somebody helped a little old lady cross the street.

Minneapolis is disbanding its police force, and starting fresh, which is what Camden NJ did years ago. Crime in Camden fell and this past week Camden was not a battleground.

Republicans are finally speaking out loudly and clearly that Trump is a disaster. Mitt Romney and George W. Bush say they don’t want him re-elected. High-ranking retired military leaders have called his actions unacceptable.

^ I’m glad I don’t look at life the way you do. I found this story to be encouraging. Where there’s one, there are more

I’d say that MLK’s march on Washington was successful because he helped to get Rosa Parks off the back of the bus. In my mind, that’s better than helping her to cross the street

No.
This bull crap about disbanding and unfunding police forces, if implemented, would free up the anarchists into getting their way to total lawlessness and general mayhem. A total breakdown of society and civilization. What a world that would be! And some think it’s bad now…

@kritiper I think that’s the point.

Our most dangerous cities are abolishing their law enforcement.

My city (Memphis) is not disbanding the police, but is eliminating riot gear. Those on the front lines controlling the riots, arson, and looting will therefore be killed or seriously injured / disabled.

I see a large amount of peaceful protesters, all over the world, lending support. True, unity…

I’m totally for the de-militarization of police forces. It was a mistake in the first place when the ‘war on drugs’ and further the ‘war on terrorism’ were used to terrorize regular citizens.
No police force needs more than one squad of SWAT-trained personnel, for those rare occasions that the perps are heavily armed.

I am concerned with the current levels of gun usage that compromises police safety in general (never mind the hazard to regular folks) that’s a big reason for police to have skittish trigger fingers and it’s hard to blame them for being on edge without proper de-escalation training.

Yes, in a backwards sort of way.

The good news is that Trump is basically a coward trapped in the White House, behind a couple of layers of chain link fence. He has made himself a royal palace (he thinks) when in fact the coward has built himself a prison.

Once again, Trump does something and it goes exactly the opposite way that he wanted.

People, “disbanding” the police in this case is not referring to doing away with police departments. It refers to restructuring the department, retraining the department, changing up the leadership from the top down. It’s not a terrible thing, @kritiper, @si3tech, @Yellowdog.

If we want to start a movement to De-Fund the IRS, I could get behind that. De-Funding the police however, sounds way beyond stupid.

I’d say that MLK’s march on Washington was successful because he helped to get Rosa Parks off the back of the bus

The Montgomery bus boycott took place in 1955.

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was in 1963.

@jca2 That’s wishful thinking.

The mayor of Minneapolis says, instead of calling the police, people can call a friend, or trusted social worker.

Here is what disbanding the police looks like…

WUSA9 – June 4, 2020 – This department’s approach to stopping systemic racism could be a blueprint for America

“In 2012, their police department disbanded. The new police force has become the gold standard for police and community relations.

“Mr. Floyd should have never died at the hands of an officer,” Camden County Captain Zsakheim James said.“That should have never happened that way, the sanctity of life is what we are sworn to protect.”

Captain James will tell you, they just do things differently in Camden County. But it hasn’t always been that way.

“[10 years ago] we were running from gunshot to gunshot,” he said.

The county had a reputation for being one of the most violent areas in the country. The police and community relationship wasn’t great either. There were more than 60 excessive force complaints annually.

Until things changed in 2012.

“Everybody was laid off,” he explained. “Everyone was given the opportunity to join the new department.”

The new Camden County police department trained officers in a completely different manner.

“Every officer that graduates the police department immediately goes on a foot beat and gets introduced to the community,” Capt. James said. “We knocked on doors, we introduced our selves to the community as the guardians we are.”

Camden County Officers continually undergo implicit bias training. They revamped the department’s “Use of Force” policy.

“The sanctity of life is paramount,” Capt. James explained. “Our use of force policy says we use the minimal amount of force to obtain our law enforcement objectives.”

That all sounds great. But, does it work?

In less than 10 years the department went from more than 60 excessive force complaints down to just three. This decrease in complaints has helped in other areas.

“We’ve dropped crime to a record low. A 40 percent low. It’s the lowest it’s been in 50 years.”

@Yellowdog: Cut and pasted from source www.Reuters.com:

WCCO caught up afterwards with Frey, who told the television station he favored “massive structural reform to revise a structurally racist system.” But he added, “I’m not for abolishing the entire police department. I will be honest about that.”

“structurally racist system.

This actually goes back as far as the Boston Tea Party. Google “Crispus Attucks”, a free black man, who was the first person killed by British troops (aka the police department of the time) during that act of civil disobedience.

I do not believe the USA is a racist country. Far from it. Do you know that the politicians who want to de-fund the police are the very same people who incite these riots? And according to a people poll 16% of the people, that is sixteen percent of the people want the police de-fund the difference between a protest and a riot is like night and day. Riot, violence, looting do not fall under the category of “protest” AT ALL. We have a right to peaceful protest. We do NOT have a right to riot, damage property, loot stores.

THEY ARE RESTRUCTURING NOT DISBANDING.

There will be new management and funding for “Fun things” like rocket launchers and machine guns for pepper spray will end.

Do you know that the politicians who want to de-fund the police are the very same people who incite these riots?

If you believe that, name the politicians and what have they done to incite riots. Be specific.

CNBC – June 8, 2020 – IBM gets out of facial recognition business, calls on Congress to advance policies tackling racial injustice

“IBM CEO Arvind Krishna called on Congress Monday to enact reforms to advance racial justice and combat systemic racism, while announcing the company was getting out of the facial recognition business.

“The decision for IBM to get out of the facial recognition business comes amid criticism of the technology, employed by multiple companies, for exhibiting racial and gender bias.

“The company decided to announce its decision as the death of George Floyd brought the topic of police reform and racial inequity into the forefront of the national conversation.”

ESPN – June 5, 2020 – NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says NFL was ‘wrong’ not to listen to its players about racism

“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people,” he said. “We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all players to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe that black lives matter.

“Goodell went on to say that he would begin connecting with players who are making their voices heard and added: “Without black players, there would be no National Football League, and the protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff.”

So what has protesting accomplished?

Within 10 days of sustained protests:

* Minneapolis bans use of choke holds.

* Charges are upgraded against Officer Chauvin, and his accomplices are arrested and charged.

* Dallas adopts a “duty to intervene” rule that requires officers to stop other cops who are engaging in inappropriate use of force.

* New Jersey’s attorney general said the state will update its use-of-force guidelines for the first time in two decades.

* In Maryland, a bipartisan work group of state lawmakers announced a police reform work group.

* Los Angeles City Council introduces motion to reduce LAPD’s $1.8 billion operating budget.

* MBTA in Boston agrees to stop using public buses to transport police officers to protests.

* Police brutality captured on cameras leads to near-immediate suspensions and firings of officers in several cities (i.e., Buffalo, Ft. Lauderdale).

* Monuments celebrating confederates are removed in cities in Virginia, Alabama, and other states.

* Street in front of the White House is renamed “Black Lives Matter Plaza.”
Military forces begin to withdraw from D.C.

* Today Minneapolis City Council Votes to disband police department after years of discrimination and corruption. Instead, they will implement more effective public safety systems.

Then, there’s all the other stuff that’s hard to measure:

* The really difficult public and private conversations that are happening about race and privilege.

* The realizations some white people are coming to about racism and the role of policing in this country.

* The self-reflection.

* The internal battles exploding within organizations over issues that have been simmering or ignored for a long time. Some organizations will end as a result, others will be forever changed or replaced with something stronger and fairer.

Globally:

* Protests against racial inequality sparked by the police killing of George Floyd are taking place all over the world.

* Rallies and memorials have been held in cities across Europe, as well as in Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

* As the US contends with its second week of protests, issues of racism, police brutality, and oppression have been brought to light across the globe.

* People all over the world understand that their own fights for human rights, for equality and fairness, will become so much more difficult to win if we are going to lose America as the place where ‘I have a dream’ is a real and universal political program,” Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to the US, told the New Yorker.

* In France, protesters marched holding signs that said “I can’t breathe” to signify both the words of Floyd, and the last words of Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old black man who was subdued by police officers and gasped the sentence before he died outside Paris in 2016.

* Cities across Europe have come together after the death of George Floyd:

* In Amsterdam, an estimated 10,000 people filled the Dam square on Monday, holding signs and shouting popular chants like “Black lives matter,” and “No justice, no peace.”

* In Germany, people gathered in multiple locations throughout Berlin to demand justice for Floyd and fight against police brutality.

* A mural dedicated to Floyd was also spray-painted on a stretch of wall in Berlin that once divided the German capital during the Cold War.

* In Ireland, protesters held a peaceful demonstration outside of Belfast City Hall, and others gathered outside of the US embassy in Dublin.

* In Italy, protesters gathered and marched with signs that said “Stop killing black people,” “Say his name,” and “We will not be silent.”

* In Spain, people gathered to march and hold up signs throughout Barcelona and Madrid.

* In Athens, Greece, protesters took to the streets to collectively hold up a sign that read “I can’t breathe.”

* In Brussels, protesters were seen sitting in a peaceful demonstration in front of an opera house in the center of the city.

* In Denmark, protesters were heard chanting “No justice, no peace!” throughout the streets of Copenhagen, while others gathered outside the US embassy.

* In Canada, protesters were also grieving for Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old black woman who died on Wednesday after falling from her balcony during a police investigation at her building.

* And in New Zealand, roughly 2,000 people marched to the US embassy in Auckland, chanting and carrying signs demanding justice.

* Memorials have been built for Floyd around the world, too. In Mexico City, portraits of him were hung outside the US embassy with roses, candles, and signs.

* In Poland, candles and flowers were laid out next to photos of Floyd outside the US consulate.

* And in Syria, two artists created a mural depicting Floyd in the northwestern town of Binnish, “on a wall destroyed by military planes.”

Before the assassination of George Floyd some of you were able to say whatever the hell you wanted and the world didn’t say anything to you…

THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT, AN AWAKENING…MANY OF YOU ARE BEING EXPOSED FOR WHO YOU REALLY ARE. #readthatagain

Don’t wake up tomorrow on the wrong side of this issue. Its not to late to SAY,

“maybe I need to look at this from a different perspective.

Maybe I don’t know what its like to be Black in America…

Maybe, just maybe, I have been taught wrong.”

There is still so much work to be done. It’s been a really dark, raw week. This could still end badly. But all we can do is keep doing the work.

Keep protesting.

WE ARE NOT TRYING TO START A RACE WAR; WE ARE PROTESTING TO END IT,
PEACEFULLY.

How beautiful is that?

ALL LIVES CANNOT MATTER UNTIL YOU INCLUDE BLACK LIVES.

YOU CANNOT SAY ‘ALL LIVES MATTER’ WHEN YOU DO NOTHING TO STOP SYSTEMIC RACISM & POLICE BRUTALITY.

YOU CANNOT SAY ‘ALL LIVES MATTER’ WHEN BLACK PEOPLE ARE DYING AND ALL YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT IS THE LOOTING.

YOU CANNOT SAY ‘ALL LIVES MATTER’ WHEN YOU ALLOW CHILDREN TO BE CAGED, VETERANS TO GO HOMELESS, AND POOR FAMILIES TO GO HUNGRY & LOSE THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE.

DO ALL LIVES MATTER? YES. BUT RIGHT NOW, ONLY BLACK LIVES ARE BEING TARGETED, JAILED, AND KILLED EN MASSE- SO THAT’S WHO WE’RE FOCUSING ON.

* * BLACK LIVES MATTER* *

IF YOU CAN’T SEE THIS, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.

Copied & pasted from another. Feel free to copy and paste to share.

@Zaku, thank you. GA!

@Zaku <3

@Zaku. Nice post but the street in front of the White House was not renamed. Check Snopes.

@Dutchess Close enough.. Black Lives Matter Plaza is the section of 16th Street that ends at Lafayette Square. Standing on it you look south across the square at the White House.

@si3tech I do not believe the USA is a racist country.

With respect, I would surmise that you are not looking past your bubble of experience.

As a society, the US is built upon the backs of 400 years of that peculiar instution.