All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[XPac]

I see what you're saying, but there's more nuance to the situation than some folks are giving it. The looting doesn't hurt the cops or affect systemic racism, but depending on where it's done it does hurt minority communities. Target or whoever as a corporation will be fine. But if you're an old person in an underserved neighborhood and that Target was your main source of goods, you're now at a great disadvantage. If your the minority owner of a barber shop that got ransacked, sure you didn't get killed but your life is probably ruined. Fewer businesses are willing to open in that area and this results in money and resources leaving the community.

But never fear. I'm sure there's always a rich developer ready to put up condos in their place.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I see what you're saying, but there's more nuance to the situation than some folks are giving it. The looting doesn't hurt the cops or affect systemic racism, but depending on where it's done it does hurt minority communities. Target or whoever as a corporation will be fine. But if you're an old person in an underserved neighborhood and that Target was your main source of goods, you're now at a great disadvantage. If your the minority owner of a barber shop that got ransacked, sure you didn't get killed but your life is probably ruined. Fewer businesses are willing to open in that area and this results in money and resources leaving the community.

I agree, it is a tragic loss. But its a consequence of police who abuse their authority and have for years.

I understand the rage that leads to looting. It's far easier to empathize with, than the police brutality that spawned it.

But I don't, and the BLM buddys I've seen, don't condone the actions of any of the looters.

People seem to act as if understanding and condoning are one in the same.

[Godzilla2099]

George Zimmerman still breathing offends me

Likewise (10 char)

[PwrdOn]

I see what you're saying, but there's more nuance to the situation than some folks are giving it. The looting doesn't hurt the cops or affect systemic racism, but depending on where it's done it does hurt minority communities. Target or whoever as a corporation will be fine. But if you're an old person in an underserved neighborhood and that Target was your main source of goods, you're now at a great disadvantage. If your the minority owner of a barber shop that got ransacked, sure you didn't get killed but your life is probably ruined. Fewer businesses are willing to open in that area and this results in money and resources leaving the community.

I feel like this is sort of an indication of why simply opening more minority owned businesses isn't truly a path to economic self sufficiency, because they remain forever at the mercy of white capital, and any investment can be withdrawn the minute that the colored folks start getting too uppity. No amount of hard work or perseverance is ever going to make up the racial wealth gap in this country, and until this disparity is addressed then minority owned businesses are always going to be the first to fall in any crisis, and the last to be built back up in the recovery.

[XPac]

Likewise (10 char)

That guy was a freaking piece of work. He actually sold the freaking gun he killed Martin with for $250 thousand bucks. It's all kinds of messed up.

[aja_christopher]

Republican leadership.



"Fact check: Trump glosses over racial disparities in jobs numbers while invoking George Floyd"

"Trump invoked Floyd's memory to tout the jobs report, which showed a drop in overall unemployment but also highlighted lingering racial disparities in the US economy. 

"Hopefully, George is looking down right now and saying, 'There's a great thing that's happening for our country,'" Trump said on Friday. "There's a great day for him. It's a great day for everybody. There's a great day for everybody. This is a great, great day in terms of equality."

Trump later suggested his work on the economy was the centerpiece of his efforts to address racial inequality, though he didn't offer specifics about how he'd rein in abuses by law enforcement, which is the key issue fueling peaceful protests and violent unrest across the nation.

Facts First: Trump's comment about "equality" is out of sync with reality -- the jobs report says white unemployment dropped, but black unemployment ticked up slightly, and was already at a disproportionately high level. As for Trump's comments regarding Floyd having a "great day," activists and pundits have already begun weighing in on the wisdom and propriety of that comment. Floyd died on May 25, killed in police custody in what has been ruled a homicide.

Trump's victory lap came after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 2.5 million jobs were created in May, clawing back some of the 20.7 million jobs that were lost in April. But the job gains weren't spread proportionately across races. While the white unemployment rate fell from 14.2% to 12.4%, unemployment among blacks essentially remained steady at 16.8%. 

About the jobs figures, CNN political correspondent Abby Phillip pointed out on Twitter, "The trend continues: black Americans are the first to lose their jobs and the last to regain them." CNN Business analyzed the data, which shows that white and Hispanic Americans are starting to feel the recovery, while many African Americans are joining the labor force but not getting hired.

Friends have said Floyd was one of the millions of black Americans whose livelihood was hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Associated Press, he lost his job as a bouncer at a Minneapolis restaurant and nightclub after the state's stay-at-home orders forced the establishment to temporarily close. 

Later during his Rose Garden appearance, Trump  shushed a black reporter  who asked why he hasn't rolled out a plan to deal with systemic racism in America. "You are something," Trump retorted, adding to the string of fights he has had with PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor. Trump insisted that his efforts on the economy would improve race relations, and that African Americans would benefit from the law he signed Friday to ease limits on federal small business loans.

He ignored questions about what he would do specifically to address systemic racism. "

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/05/polit...eck/index.html

Edit: The unemployment rate ticked up for African-Americans and Asians.

"The unemployment rate for black workers edged up to 16.8% in May from 16.7% in April and for Asian workers it rose to 15% from 14.5%.

In contrast, unemployment for white workers fell to 12.4% in May from 14.2% in April, a record drop."

[Maine Starfish]

I’ve seen recent potential VP nomination lists now include the the mayors of Atlanta and DC, or maybe they’ve always been in the list. I’m not very familiar with either, other than their roles during the protests this last week. Both seem like interesting picks, though I have no idea where they stand on policies.

[Mister Mets]

Saw it on Twitter, but no confirmation in the news or elsewhere.

There isn't much confirmation on twitter, either.

It's more wishful thinking.

This moment does seem to reflect a weird homophobic attitude that someone who isn't conventionally masculine has to be gay, and then also into weirder stuff.

[Tami]

I’ve seen recent potential VP nomination lists now include the the mayors of Atlanta and DC, or maybe they’ve always been in the list. I’m not very familiar with either, other than their roles during the protests this last week. Both seem like interesting picks, though I have no idea where they stand on policies.

The 11 most logical picks for Joe Biden’s vice president, ranked

The only one of this list that I'm against (nothing personal, just think she'd be a bad pick) is Amy Klobuchar.

[Farealmer]

It's all kinds of messed up.

Then you don't know America as well as you think you do.

[XPac]

Then you don't know America as well as you think you do.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. But it's still pretty messed up.

[Tami]

Mayor de Blasio, Open Your Eyes. The Police Are Out of Control.

Hundreds of protesters walked toward Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn on Wednesday night around 9 o’clock. Encountering a line of New York City police officers in riot gear, they chanted peacefully, hands in the air. Officers responded by beating them with nightsticks.

Similar scenes have played out across New York in recent days. Even as the police struggle to prevent looting and other illegal activity, the city has sent scores of armored officers to contain and confront peaceful protesters. Video footage shows officers pushing, punching and beating people, pepper-spraying people, hitting people with police vehicles.

New Yorkers have taken to the streets of the city to demand an end to police brutality, to express their pain and their hope that their voices will be heard — that their rights will be respected. All too often, the police have responded with more violence.

New York's mayor, Bill de Blasio, is responsible for the city’s failure to protect the safety of its residents. As evidence of police abuse has mounted, he has averted his eyes, insisting Thursday that the Police Department uses as “light a touch as possible.”

De Blasio is seeing his last term as mayor, his performance is very poor.

[Maine Starfish]

The 11 most logical picks for Joe Biden’s vice president, ranked

The only one of this list that I'm against (nothing personal, just think she'd be a bad pick) is Amy Klobuchar.

yeah I don’t think Klobuchar is a good pick either. Policy wise Warren is my top pick. Though again some I’m just not familiar at all with like the mayor of Atlanta

[j9ac9k]

A huge chunk of Buffalo police resign in protest. This is to support the cop that pushed down the elderly man.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...TJXx7vXk8&cf=1

If this sticks then good. We dont need cops that are openly supporting brutality.

The worst thing is how none of them even tried to help him once they saw he was on the ground and bleeding. (one seemed to radio it in, but that's the bare minimum human response)

[Tami]

These 4 charts describe police violence in America

The data from Mapping Police Violence is sourced from three databases — killedbypolice.net, fatalencounters.org and the U.S. Police Shootings Database — as well as original research focused on social media, obituaries, criminal records databases, police reports and other sources, according to the group.

Three charts below characterize violence attributed to police, while a fourth depicts attacks carried out against police.