Will America Embrace or Reject Fascism in 2020? #ThomHartmann

 Will America Embrace or Reject Fascism in 2020?

Fascists build walls, like they did around East Germany. Donald Trump is building a new, unscalable wall around the White House today, and the Republican party has spent the past four years celebrating a wall on our southern border.

Fascists divide and imprison people based on ideology and race. Trump and the Republicans have put children in cages after tearing them away from their mothers, and built out a private for-profit prison system to hold refugees of color.

Fascists don’t believe in free and fair elections, and Donald Trump and the Republican party have spent years fighting to make it harder for Americans to vote and have their vote counted. Right now, they are launching hundreds of lawsuits and other efforts across our nation to prevent people from voting or to block already-cast votes from being counted.

Fascists support the power of very wealthy people and the corporations that make them rich; after all, the definition of fascism is “the merger of corporate and state interests.“ Trump and the Republican Party have shoveled over 3 trillion dollars to the wealthiest Americans, and work every day to gut protective regulations.

Fascists use threats and intimidation to get their way politically, and Trump and his Republican allies are openly encouraging the American Taliban to harass Democratic politicians and voters on our roads and highways, in our cities, and at our polling places.

Fascist use the power of government to corruptly reward their friends and twist the law to punish their enemies. Trump and the Republicans he’s put in charge of the Justice Department and DHS have openly pursued politically motivated investigations, while giving giant corporations a pass and trying to block prosecutions and convictions of Trump’s criminal cronies.

Fascist pervert the justice systems of their nations by packing their court systems with rightwing ideologues. Trump and the Republicans have spent four years packing our federal court system with often-openly-unqualified rightwing lawyers.

The world is watching, as the Republican Party has spent the last 20 years pushing America in an openly fascistic direction.

Last week, a group of more than 80 of America’s and the world’s top scholars and experts on authoritarianism and fascism wrote an open letter to the American public, saying, “We have seen all of these patterns in our study of the past, and we recognize the signs of a crisis of democracy... We need to turn away from the rule by entrenched elites and return to the rule of law. We must replace the politics of ‘internal enemies’ with a politics of adversaries in a healthy, democratic marketplace of ideas.”

They warn that “[I]f we don’t, we will indeed face dark days ahead.“

It’s a cliché to point out that after the Constitutional Convention in 1787 Ben Franklin said that they had created “a republic, if you can keep it,“ but he was right.

Vote.

Thom Hartmann

God Bless our Veterans and the USPS!

 The next time your neighborhood USPS delivers your mail, please take a moment to thank him or her for their services. I just received my mail at 9:50pm and thankfully my address was the last on his route. He's finishing an 11 hr day and won't receive overtime because that inept, POS postmaster general deliberately made cuts within the USPS and is holding back the mail.

He actually apologized to me for not delivering yesterday and for being so late today. That saddened me right there. I gave him a fist bump and said, Thank you very much for your service and Please do not apologize for something you can't control. I never post anything political on FB, but this pissed me off.

Fyi, my postman served 8 yrs in Afghanistan.
God Bless our Veterans and the USPS!

Abortion here to Stay!

 if Abortion ever becomes illegal, i recommend All Mistresses dating Rich Married Political men, to have that baby and get paid -and All teens to get prego no matter what your rich parents say -lets see how long it takes for it to become legal again

Randi Rhodes: BEST OF SHOW 9-7-20 - SUBSCRIBE YA BASTIDS!

Randi Rhodes Number-one ranked progressive radio talk show host, political commentator, entertainer, and writer. The Randi Rhodes Show was broadcast nationally on Air America Radio, and Premiere Radio Networks from 2004–2014. Rhodes represents aggressively independent media. The Miami Herald described her as "a chain-smoking bottle blonde, part Joan Rivers, part shock jock Howard Stern, and part Saturday Night Live’s ‘Coffee Talk’ Lady. But mostly, she's her rude, crude, loud, brazen, gleeful self." Rhodes and her show won numerous awards for journalism and broadcasting, including Radio Ink’s Most Influential Woman, Radio Ink’s Most Influential Women’s list (multiple years), TALKERS magazine’s Woman of the Year, and the Judy Jarvis Memorial Award for Contributions to the Talk Industry by a Woman.

Everyone knows Louis Dejoy is guilty of high crimes. Pass it on.

Everyone knows Louis Dejoy is guilty of high crimes. Pass it on. pic.twitter.com/OOhJNOSnit

— Really American 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) September 7, 2020

So, if "blue lives matter," why does Trump not call out right-wing extremists like boogaloo, white nationalists, and armed militias undertaking vigilante justice?

 So, if "blue lives matter," why does Trump not call out right-wing extremists like boogaloo, white nationalists, and armed militias undertaking vigilante justice?

Air Force Sgt Steven Carrillo used anti-police-brutality peaceful protests as a cover for his own right-wing anti-government criminal activity ... with deadly consequences for law-enforcement officers. From the LA Times:

"Carrillo is accused of spraying bullets across a guard shack May 29 in front of a federal courthouse in Oakland, killing 53-year-old David Patrick Underwood and wounding another official.

"A week after the shooting in Oakland, Carrillo allegedly ambushed sheriff’s deputies in Santa Cruz County who were responding to a report of a van containing firearms and bomb-making materials. Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was killed and several other law enforcement officials were wounded, according to authorities and court records."

The Trump administration, DOJ, and Congress have been repeatedly warned by homeland security specialists that the greatest threat to US national security comes from domestic terrorism, particularly from white nationalist groups. But now Trump fans the flames and gives his "blessing" and support to such groups, while ignoring the racial injustices that people of color continue to face, and against which there is rising national outrage.

Trump is not a "Law and Order" President; he is a "Chaos and Disorder" President. And apparently there is nothing he won't do to cheat his way into another four years in office.

Each of us has to vote like our life depends on it. Because it does.

Carol Tutzauer

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/us/politics/trump-homeland-security-extremism.html?fbclid=IwAR0c-48TnEEf_vj8ij8vFNeDNQlCHueDkR0gbTwZCHegtUCLkumCjLZ7pQU

This lovely Seaside small business is now caught in the crossfire. Shameful.

 Seaside Brewing Company

3d · 

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CRAFT BEER COMMUNITY, THE TOWN OF SEASIDE, THE STATE OF OREGON, AND TO AMERICA.

On August 8th a group of armed men and women staged a rally in Seaside, Oregon, directly across from our brewery and brewpub. This rally was political in nature, and many of the participants of this rally were openly carrying loaded AR-15 style assault weapons, sidearms, bats, swords, knives, etc. There was no counter rally or protest at this location. As the rally continued and the honking and noise and activity increased, many families became concerned for their safety and began leaving the area we had created outside in our parking lot, designed to provide a safer environment for people to eat outside with their families during a difficult pandemic summer at the coast. Many of these families remarked they would not be returning again to Seaside because of the assault rifles they were seeing paraded up and down the street. One of these men with an assault rifle in front of our brewery was actually arrested for shooting at protesters in Portland just days later.
As a result of these events, we felt deep concern for the safety of our staff and customers, and at the next city council meeting we voiced those concerns. We did not take a political stance. We believe everyone can believe what they will, and that includes us. We did however, take a stand that we do not think marching through the streets of a small family friendly coastal town with loaded assault rifles is a good idea. It is in fact, an awful idea. Families were terrified, and left. It was proposed by us, that we as a community begin a conversation to figure out how to prevent armed groups from marching in our streets with loaded assault weapons. We asked that the council help us find a way to keep our community safe, our police force and first responders safe, and that we do something quickly to keep the reputation of our small coastal town intact so that families could feel safe when they come here as well.
The next day the local paper wrote an article, detailing parts of that discussion at the council meeting, and almost immediately, the phone and internet threats began pouring in from this group and its supporters. An event was posted by this particular group from the rally threatening us and called for an open carry rally to take place at our brewery this upcoming Sunday in an obvious effort to intimidate, terrorize, and punish the brewery for speaking up for our community's safety and exercising our 1st Amendment rights to free speech. We now are forced to take to the internet and make sure people understand that WE ARE NOT HOSTING THIS EVENT. We contacted Facebook and reported that the event was not ours, but they responded by saying that though they regret that we may have been offended by this event listing us as the location for their rally, it didn't meet their standards for removal. Our response to Facebook will be coming later and it won't be pretty. We did not ask for these groups to come to our brewery or to target us. We didn't target them at the council meeting. We simply asked for help from the city council to help resolve what was CLEARLY becoming a serious problem in our community, namely loaded assault rifles around children and families.
So just in case anybody out there is confused what we are about, let us be clear. We are a community based business. We are an inclusive business. We love all our employees regardless of their race, sexual orientation, gender, or political affiliation. We are NOT ok with racism in any form. We do NOT promote or accept fascism in any form. We ARE conscientious allies of any conversation furthering any productive discussions surrounding racial equality, and reform of any system that does not provide that for every single person in our community. We do not know, or belong to, or speak for any Antifa group. We do not know, belong to, or speak for BLM. We are not gun rights advocates OR opponents of the 2nd amendment. However, we do NOT appreciate nor will we accept, or remain silent, or be intimidated or terrorized by groups with guns or other weapons in our community. We reject any characterizations to the contrary these groups may try to paint us with.
We brew beer, we smoke BBQ, we promote our amazing community, we love the beach, and we are excellent to each other. We don't know what this rally will look like on Sunday. We ask that everyone do everything they can to stay safe, and to avoid any confrontation with these groups who are clearly looking for a fight. We refuse to buy into the anger. As Americans, we have always had a rich history of spirited debate and dialogue with each other. It's part of who we are. We should be able to yell at each other, stand across the street and shout, get nose to nose, hug it out, argue with each other some more, and find a way to love each other at the end of it all, without making each other fear for our lives or safety. None of those things are possible when loaded assault rifles and other weapons are involved in that exchange. An exchange that helps define what we need to do to move the ball forward as a community, and helps strengthen and support the foundations of our democracy through conversation, and subsequently, understanding of each other. Let's keep the dialogue going. Let's leave the guns at home. Let's not hurt each other. And let's remember that community is all we have, and remember that the definition of community means ALL of us. All we want is for us to have a safe place where good people can gather and have a pint of really good beer and good food and be able to connect with each other. That's it. That is all. If you can get down with that, we can provide the space. If you can't, pick somewhere else to go, and let us drink our beer in peace.
Everybody take a breath. Everybody remember that we all need each other, especially right now at this point in our history as a nation, and that we all want the same thing... Safety and opportunity for our families, our friends, and ourselves. Don't let them divide us. Put the guns down. Grab a beer. Let's talk.

Cheers~
Jimmy Griffin
Seaside Brewery

17yr old kids - similar stories, different outcome - WHY? READ ON......

 

Carol Tutzauer

5d

UPDATE: Author identified (Ryan Douglas). Thanks, Ryan, for the great words. Original link provided at end of this post.
***

“Y’all called Trayvon Martin a criminal and said he shouldn’t have fought back. Y’all said he shouldn’t have been out that late...in his parent’s fucking neighborhood. Y’all called him a thug.

Y’all said Tamir Rice shouldn’t have been playing with a toy gun. Y’all said he shouldn’t have been at the park alone...forgetting that MOST of OUR childhoods were spent playing in various places without adult supervision.

Y’all said Ahmaud Arbery shouldn’t have been in that neighborhood, shouldn’t have been in the construction site. Y’all said he should have complied with the men who literally ran him down like a dog and murdered him in the street.

Y’all said Breonna Taylor shouldn’t have known the man that police were looking for, the same man they already had. Y’all said her boyfriend shouldn’t have fired shots after their door was busted down in the middle of the night with no indication who was coming into their house.

Y’all said Amber Guyger was justifiably scared when she went into the wrong apartment and murdered Botham Jean.

Y’all said George Floyd deserved to die for past crimes that he already served his sentences for.

Y’all said Philando Castile shouldn’t have had the gun that he legally purchased, carried, and informed the officer of when that officer told him to reach for his ID and then murdered him.

When the Central Park 5 maintained their innocence, y’all said they were obviously guilty. When the man who would become the President demanded they remain in jail AFTER they were exonerated, y’all applauded him.

Every time a black man, woman, or child dies at the hand of some bitch trigger happy cop or some asshole piece of shit white person, y’all will extrapolate, insinuate, and justify as much as you can why that person should be dead. Y’all will place the blame on the victim and exonerate the murderer.

But when a 17 year old kid crosses state lines with a weapon he is not legal to possess, intentionally places himself within the protest, shoots someone, runs away, and then shoots two more people who attempted to subdue him for shooting the first person, then walks calmly right by police, and goes back home to another state after taking someone’s life, y’all call him a hero. Y’all say he did nothing wrong. Y’all say it was self defense. Even though HE illegally crossed state lines with a weapon, even though HE intentionally went looking for trouble, even though HE fully intended to pull the trigger, y’all are willing to defend him.

Y’all never said he should have complied with the people chasing him, like you said about Ahmaud Arbery. Y’all never said he shouldn’t have been there, like you did about Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin. Y’all never said he shouldn’t have had a gun, like you did about Philando Castile.

This is why we say Black Lives Matter. This is why we take to the street and demand accountability. We never said other lives didn’t also matter. We said our lives don’t matter to you. Because they don’t. Y’all prove that every day. Y’all reinforce it every time you defend a murderer. Y’all make it widely known that when the black life is lost, they somehow deserved it. Y’all are quick to invoke abortion, but you don’t even care about the black lives that are already here, standing right next to you, let alone the ones yet to be born into a society that applauds the murder of black lives.

All my life, I have had to watch black men and women be profiled, harassed, beaten, unjustly arrested/incarcerated, and murdered, much of it on live tv. I have had to listen to/see white people all around me justify the continuous murder of black lives at the hand of callous and cowardly white people, police and civilian alike. I have had to restrain myself when I’m told that we should just comply, because y’all refuse to see and understand that whether we are innocent or guilty, whether we comply or not, our lives are forfeit and we are condemned.

Our blackness is an automatic target from the day we are born. And yet we are regularly told how much America has changed. We are regularly told how racism isn’t that big a problem...while actively being subjected to it. We are regularly told, by people who have never experienced it, who have never been subjected to it, who have never had to fight against it, that it isn’t real. And then we are told to trust and respect the same people who display it against us.

We are supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. We are supposed to have the right to due process. But the repeated murders of unarmed black lives by police and the subsequent justification in the court of public opinion proves that we are not privy to those rights. Kyle Rittenhouse will live to see his trial. He will be protected. He will get adequate legal defense for the crimes he stands accused of. Eric Garner didn’t. George Floyd didn’t. Philando Castile didn’t. Sandra bland didn’t. So many others didn’t. Too many others didn’t. Many more wont.

If you have never had to discuss with the mother of your mixed child how sadly glad you are that your son has more of her physical features than your own, so that he will not have that target on his back in this society, then you have zero room to speak to me on racial issues.

I do not say this for debate. I will not debate it. I will not answer any ignorant ass questions demanding an explanation of my words or experiences. They are clear enough and if you cannot understand them, then you are part of the problem. I will not expend what little energy I have left repeatedly explaining the same things over and over again to people who only seek to discredit black lives.

We fought a whole civil war and had a whole civil rights movement and the sad fact of the matter is that this country is the same as it ever was. It just hides its true face better.”

Original post link:

https://www.facebook.com/11901542/posts/10101147233980820/…

“This is what I wore to work today. On my way to get a burrito before work, I was detained by the police.

 Jim Trainer

May 17

“This is what I wore to work today. On my way to get a burrito before work, I was detained by the police.

I noticed the police car in the public lot behind Centre Street. As I was walking away from my car, the cruiser followed me. I walked down Centre Street and was about to cross over to the burrito place and the officer got out of the car.

"Hey my man," he said.

He unsnapped the holster of his gun.

I took my hands out of my pockets.

"Yes?" I said.

"Where you coming from?"

"Home."

Where's home?"

"Dedham."

How'd you get here?"

"I drove."

He was next to me now. Two other police cars pulled up. I was standing in from of the bank across the street from the burrito place. I was going to get lunch before I taught my 1:30 class. There were cops all around me.

I said nothing. I looked at the officer who addressed me. He was white, stocky, bearded.

"You weren't over there, were you?" He pointed down Centre Street toward Hyde Square.

"No. I came from Dedham."

"What's your address?"

I told him.

"We had someone matching your description just try to break into a woman's house."

A second police officer stood next to me; white, tall, bearded. Two police cruisers passed and would continue to circle the block for the 35 minutes I was standing across the street from the burrito place.

"You fit the description," the officer said. "Black male, knit hat, puffy coat. Do you have identification."

"It's in my wallet. May I reach into my pocket and get my wallet?"

"Yeah."

I handed him my license. I told him it did not have my current address. He walked over to a police car. The other cop, taller, wearing sunglasses, told me that I fit the description of someone who broke into a woman's house. Right down to the knit cap.

Barbara Sullivan made a knit cap for me. She knitted it in pinks and browns and blues and oranges and lime green. No one has a hat like this. It doesn't fit any description that anyone would have. I looked at the second cop. I clasped my hands in front of me to stop them from shaking.

"For the record," I said to the second cop, "I'm not a criminal. I'm a college professor." I was wearing my faculty ID around my neck, clearly visible with my photo.

"You fit the description so we just have to check it out." The first cop returned and handed me my license.

"We have the victim and we need her to take a look at you to see if you are the person."

It was at this moment that I knew that I was probably going to die. I am not being dramatic when I say this. I was not going to get into a police car. I was not going to present myself to some victim. I was not going let someone tell the cops that I was not guilty when I already told them that I had nothing to do with any robbery. I was not going to let them take me anywhere because if they did, the chance I was going to be accused of something I did not do rose exponentially. I knew this in my heart. I was not going anywhere with these cops and I was not going to let some white woman decide whether or not I was a criminal, especially after I told them that I was not a criminal. This meant that I was going to resist arrest. This meant that I was not going to let the police put their hands on me.

If you are wondering why people don't go with the police, I hope this explains it for you.

Something weird happens when you are on the street being detained by the police. People look at you like you are a criminal. The police are detaining you so clearly you must have done something, otherwise they wouldn't have you. No one made eye contact with me. I was hoping that someone I knew would walk down the street or come out of one of the shops or get off the 39 bus or come out of JP Licks and say to these cops, "That's Steve Locke. What the FUCK are you detaining him for?"

The cops decided that they would bring the victim to come view me on the street. The asked me to wait. I said nothing. I stood still.

"Thanks for cooperating," the second cop said. "This is probably nothing, but it's our job and you do fit the description. 5' 11", black male. One-hundred-and-sixty pounds, but you're a little more than that. Knit hat."

A little more than 160. Thanks for that, I thought.

An older white woman walked behind me and up to the second cop. She turned and looked at me and then back at him. "You guys sure are busy today."

I noticed a black woman further down the block. She was small and concerned. She was watching what was going on. I focused on her red coat. I slowed my breathing. I looked at her from time to time.

I thought: Don't leave, sister. Please don't leave.

The first cop said, "Where do you teach?"

"Massachusetts College of Art and Design." I tugged at the lanyard that had my ID.

"How long you been teaching there?"

"Thirteen years."

We stood in silence for about 10 more minutes.

An unmarked police car pulled up. The first cop went over to talk to the driver. The driver kept looking at me as the cop spoke to him. I looked directly at the driver. He got out of the car.

"I'm Detective Cardoza. I appreciate your cooperation."

I said nothing.

"I'm sure these officers told you what is going on?"

"They did."

"Where are you coming from?"

"From my home in Dedham."

"How did you get here?"

"I drove."

"Where is your car?"

"It's in the lot behind Bukhara." I pointed up Centre Street.

"Okay," the detective said. "We're going to let you go. Do you have a car key you can show me?"

"Yes," I said. "I'm going to reach into my pocket and pull out my car key."

"Okay."

I showed him the key to my car.

The cops thanked me for my cooperation. I nodded and turned to go.

"Sorry for screwing up your lunch break," the second cop said.

I walked back toward my car, away from the burrito place. I saw the woman in red.

"Thank you," I said to her. "Thank you for staying."

"Are you ok?" She said. Her small beautiful face was lined with concern.

"Not really. I'm really shook up. And I have to get to work."

"I knew something was wrong. I was watching the whole thing. The way they are treating us now, you have to watch them. "

"I'm so grateful you were there. I kept thinking to myself, 'Don't leave, sister.' May I give you a hug?"

"Yes," she said. She held me as I shook. "Are you sure you are ok?"

"No I'm not. I'm going to have a good cry in my car. I have to go teach."

"You're at MassArt. My friend is at MassArt."

"What's your name?" She told me. I realized we were Facebook friends. I told her this.

"I'll check in with you on Facebook," she said.

I put my head down and walked to my car.

My colleague was in our shared office and she was able to calm me down. I had about 45 minutes until my class began and I had to teach. I forgot the lesson I had planned. I forget the schedule. I couldn't think about how to do my job. I thought about the fact my word counted for nothing, they didn't believe that I wasn't a criminal. They had to find out. My word was not enough for them. My ID was not enough for them. My handmade one-of-a-kind knit hat was an object of suspicion. My Ralph Lauren quilted blazer was only a "puffy coat." That white woman could just walk up to a cop and talk about me like I was an object for regard. I wanted to go back and spit in their faces. The cops were probably deeply satisfied with how they handled the interaction, how they didn't escalate the situation, how they were respectful and polite.

I imagined sitting in the back of a police car while a white woman decides if I am a criminal or not. If I looked guilty being detained by the cops imagine how vile I become sitting in a cruiser? I knew I could not let that happen to me. I knew if that were to happen, I would be dead.

Nothing I am, nothing I do, nothing I have means anything because I fit the description.

I had to confess to my students that I was a bit out of it today and I asked them to bear with me. I had to teach.

After class I was supposed to go to the openings for First Friday. I went home.”
-Steve Locke
https://www.stevelocke.com/blog/i-fit-the-description

Sheep in Wolfe Clothing - don`t buy the hype!

 Funny to see a fellow fetish producer who i called my friend for over 20years - told him my deepest/darkest/emotional/vulnerable troubles - now he having another tantrum online about his marriages/relationships/career woes - mirroring many of my own that i confided in him with - only for him to become a 'marriage meddler' - be a warrior for my troubled ex - to help my ex battle in divorce court against me - but before that meddle in my marriage and make things worse for me as i was trying hard to salvage my marriage --- this fetish producer who is claiming his honesty --- threatened my life in many way, he even posted violent videos, photos, posts of women being abused stating how sad if this happens to me, etc  - threatened my job, by contacting my boss to have me fired - he threatened my home, by contacting my property management to get me kicked out - threatened to get between me and Fetishcon by trying to get me to sell the domain - threatened my youtube and social media by flagging videos and bringing it to the attention of my soon to be ex husbands lawyer - creating MANY online accounts to bash me, bully me, threaten me, intimidate me, smearing my reputation - he recruited his friends to do all of the mentioned to me as well ----- i never warranted or expected this from him, i was blindside - he helped my ex-husband in his attempt to destroy me in all ways possible, physically, mentally, financially, forever ---- ALL IN SEALED DIVORCE DOCUMENTS AS PROOF FOREVER!! -  i did NOTHING to him but be his friend and introduce him to my then husband --- he still comes to my door --- he still attempts to hang out with my friends and neighbors --- he makes fun and is very condescending to women and other fetish producers, who he feels are below him -  i cry no tears for him -- i see right thru him - he is NOT honest, as he protest he is - he is what he calls others - a victim of himself -- projection - he don`t fool me - no wool over these eyes ever again - a sheep in 'Wolfe' clothing he is!  

Again, all I ask is that you read it. Maybe it will sink in, maybe not, but these posts won’t stop any time soon.

Again, all I ask is that you read it. Maybe it will sink in, maybe not, but these posts won’t stop any time soon.

Copied from a friend. A wonderfully written explanation and summary about our country’s history…

400 years ago Black people were kidnapped and white people forcibly brought them here to enslave them. And sold them. And treated them as less than human. For 250 years. While white men formed the country and created its laws and its systems of government. While 10-15 generations of white families got to grow and flourish and make choices that could make their lives better.
And then 150 years ago white people "freed" black people from slavery. But then angry white people created laws that made it impossible for them to vote. Or to own land. Or to have the same rights as white people. And even erected monuments glorifying people who actively had fought to keep them enslaved. They also lynched thousands of black men and women and were rarely if ever prosecuted/convicted for it even when whole towns witnessed the lynchings. All while another 5, 10 generations of white families got to grow and accumulate wealth and gain land and get an education.

And then 60 years ago we made it "legal" for black people to vote, and to be "free" from discrimination. But angry white people still fought to keep schools segregated. And closed off neighborhoods to white people only. And made it harder for black people to get bank loans, or get quality education or health care, or to (gasp) marry a white person. And found ways to write and enforce laws that would punish black people more harshly than white people for essentially the same crimes. All while another 2-3 generations of white families got to grow and pass their wealth down to their children and their children's children.

And then we entered an age where we had the technology to make PUBLIC the things that were already happening in private-- the beatings, the stop and frisk laws, the unequal distribution of justice, the police brutality (police began in America as slave patrols designed to catch runaway slaves).

And only now, after 400+ years and 20+ generations of a white head start, are we STARTING to truly have a dialog about what it means to be black in America.

White privilege doesn't mean you haven't suffered or fought or worked hard. It doesn't mean white people are responsible for the sins of their ancestors. It doesn’t mean you can’t be proud of who you are.

It DOES mean that we need to acknowledge that the system our ancestors created is built FOR white people.

It DOES mean that we aren't disadvantaged because of the color of our skin and it DOES mean that we owe it to our neighbors-- of all colors-- to acknowledge that and work to make our world more equitable🖤

BLACK LIVES MATTER🙏🖤🙏
(Copied and pasted, please do the same)

Video shows Black man pinned to tree in what he calls 'attempted lynching' at Indiana lake

this happens more then you think -I have witness similar in my life -sickening -pisses the fuck out of me -I wanna exterminate this racist crap so bad! Video Black man pinned to tree in what he calls 'attempted lynching' at Indiana lake https://news.yahoo.com/video-shows-black-man-pinned-to-tree-in-what-he-calls-attempted-lynching-at-indiana-lake-222244516.html?soc_src=hl-viewer&soc_trk=tw   via

@YahooNews

Found this out earlier! FULL info on assaulters and negligent cops: This includes the named and badge numbers of the negligent officers !! Someone posted this. I hope it doesn't get lost in all the comments
** Ian James Cherco (white hat) **
** Jerry Cox (fat shirtless tattoos) **
** Sean Purdy (red shirt) **
They all three work at Matthew Masonry and Restoration LLC.
The business phone number is 317-892-0311. Most of them have taken down their FB pages but it’s much too late for them.
** Pass it on!! Everyone keep copy and pasting this so they can get what they deserve!!
Scumbags. The mailbox is full but they open at 8am tomorrow morning.
*Negligent Officers:
Kurt Kinser (K2704)
Tim Beaver (B9371)
File complaints with local, state and INTERNAL AFFAIRS most importantly.
***** COPY AND PASTE SO THIS DOESN’T GET LOST IN THE COMMENTS *****

a Message to my White friends......

Ok friends, especially white friends, I’m about to lay some hardcore truth on you right now, and many of you are not going to like it (take a breath if you need to and just read... think... don’t just react). Some of you are going to get immediately defensive. But before you comment from an emotional place, I encourage you to stop, re-read this post, do a little bit of research about casual racism and white privilege and then come back and re-read the post again. After that, if you still want to comment, please feel free.
Ok, here we go....

Many of you are the problem. Yes, you read that right. Many of you are the reason why these riots are happening. Many of you are the reason why it’s come to this. This is especially true if you’ve ever (but especially in the last week) said any of the following;

1. “It’s awful but...” - No. No buts. In the English language, the word “But” is often used to deflect or to justify behavior. Police murdering black people in the street is awful. Period. End of discussion.

2. “I support the movement but not these disruptive protests...” - No, you don’t. Right now, the movement is taking the form of disruptive protests. They’re the same thing. You either want police to stop murdering black people in the street, or you don’t. If you do, then support the protests — even if you find them disruptive and frustrating — because that’s black people fighting for their lives.

3. “All lives/White lives matter too..” - no one said they didn’t. The conversation is specifically about black lives right now because police are murdering them in the street. Until police stop doing that, and White people stop dismissing it, it’s not “All lives matter,” it’s “MOST lives matter.” It’s not “ALL Lives” until Black Lives Matter too. Stay focused.

4. “There are good cops...” - No one said there weren’t. There are three categories of cops; Good cops, bad cops and complacent cops. Good cops are marching with the protesters. They’re sharing the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. They’re trying to change the system from within the system. There are many levels of Bad cops. The most obvious one is those officers that are murdering black people in the street. Bad cops are also sharing the hashtags “blue lives matter.” Bad cops are trying to shift the focus. Bad cops don’t stop their colleagues when they murder black people in the streets. Complacent cops just show up, follow orders and try not to take sides. Complacent cops are bad cops.

5. “I don’t support the looting and destruction...” - no one says you have to, but please stop acting like looting nullifies the entire protest. And definitely stop acting like looting is “just as bad.” That’s like comparing someone stealing your car to someone murdering your child. They’re not equally bad. Stop pretending they are. Police murdering black people in the street is definitely worse than robbing a Target.

6. “Just because I’m white doesn’t mean my life has been easy...” Of course not. Everyone struggles. But being white has never been one of those struggles. Being poor has been a struggle. Being a woman has been a struggle. Being gay has been a struggle. But being white has never been a struggle. The same can’t be said for people of color. I could go on and on about white privilege, but it would be so much easier if you educated yourself instead. This isn’t about how you have suffered in your life. This is about police murdering black people in the street. Stop trying to make it about you.

7. “I really wish they would protest peacefully...” - of course you do. They’re easier to ignore that way. People of color have been peacefully protesting for hundreds of years. It hasn’t been all that successful. The reason riots and violent demonstrations work is because it makes people — especially white people — uncomfortable. We can’t ignore them when they’re waving torches in our faces. It scares us. It puts us on edge, which is precisely where we need to be. People only pay attention to the extreme. If you have trouble recalling a single one of the hundreds of peaceful protests that BLM held across North America last year, but you can still recall, with crystal clarity, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, then you’ve just proved my point.

8. “I don’t see color...” — Congratulations, you’re lying to yourself. Of course, you see color. And that’s good! Black people want you to see their color. Their colors are beautiful and the very foundation of who they are. If you don’t see their color, then you also don’t see their culture. If you don’t see color, then you erase their very identity. If you don’t see their color, then you also can’t see the pattern of violence they’re confronted with every day. If you don’t see color, then you’re blind to more than just racial injustice. You’re blind to the world.

9. “They shouldn’t have committed a crime...” - This one is a big one for me. Consider me triggered. A boy who steals a can of pop from a 7-11 does not deserve to be shot in the back three times. A man illegally selling CD’s on a street corner doesn’t deserve to be shot to death in front of a record store. A man who runs a red light does not deserve to be shot while reaching for his registration. This isn’t about their crimes; this is about bad policing. Stay on topic.

10. “Black people kill white people too...” yes, murderers exist in every race and walk of life. But that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking police brutality, and the reality is, black officers are not murdering unarmed white men in the street. That seems to be almost exclusively white officer behavior. Stop gaslighting.

11. “Black people kill other black people...” - Yes, they do, just like white people kill other white people and Latinos kill other latinos etc. Crime related violence does not adhere to any imaginary racial boundaries or allegiances. But, we’re not talking about criminal violence right now. We’re not discussing drug violence or gang violence or sexual violence or domestic violence or bar brawls or whatever random type of violence you’d like to bring up. The conversation is specifically about POLICE BRUTALITY. Say it with me. Police. Brutality. Any other form of violence you bring up is entirely irrelevant. Please stay on topic.

12. “I support black people, but I can’t support the violence...” — In other words, you would prefer people of color continue to be murdered by police, rather than have them rise up violently against their oppressors. Got it. That’s not support.

13. “It’s not about race. We are all human beings...” yes, except people of color often aren’t treated like human beings. For instance, they’re being murdered in the streets like animals. On video. While people watch. While people do nothing.

14. “The looting and arson distract from their message. It’s their fault for not controlling it...” If you’d like to lay blame, how about we start by blaming the police who frequently murder unarmed people of color. If they didn’t frequently murder unarmed people of color, the protest wouldn’t be necessary. The protest wouldn’t have turned into a riot, the riot wouldn’t have turned violent, and looting wouldn’t have happened. Blaming the oppressed for not better “controlling” their social unrest is asinine.

15. “More white people are killed by cops than black people. Here are the statistics....” - I love when people do research! Thank you for that! But those stats that you’re proudly flashing around aren’t an accurate reflection of the issue. According to data, there are approx. 234,370,202 white people In the United States. Comparatively, that same data states that there are 40,610,815 “Black” Americans. So, when your stats show 1,398 white people have been killed by officers since 2017 and only 543 Black people, what those statistics really show is .0005% of white people were killed by police in those 3.5 years, while .0011% of black people were killed by police. That means black people were killed at a higher rate. 220% higher, to be exact.Math has no racial bias. Those aren’t great stats. Stop using them to defend your position.

16. “Black people commit more crime...” - Do they really, though? According to data released in 2017, there were 475,900 black prisoners in state and federal prisons and 436,500 white prisoners. That’s a difference of about 9%. So for argument's sake, let’s say those numbers are an accurate reflection of the amount of crime committed. If people of color commit only 9% more crime, why are they killed by police at a rate of 220% higher?

17. “Well, the same stats you mentioned shows that even though they’re only 12% of the population, they commit 54% of the crime.” - Good Catch! You’re right. But those numbers don’t actually reflect the amount of crime committed. That’s why I said to assume they’re correct. Those numbers only reveal how many people are incarcerated. The reality is, while those numbers are all we have to go on, they don’t tell the complete story either. In the United States specifically, socioeconomic racism, which was designed to keep POC in poverty through district redlining, lower quality of education and other systemic obstacles, is a huge component.Thanks to redlining (look it up) and other zoning and banking practices, the quality of education in “black” neighborhoods are significantly lower, which means the average income for POC in those neighbors is lower and the unemployment much higher. Also, thanks to redlining, the unemployment rate, and lower-income rates, crime in those neighborhoods tends to be higher. That means those neighborhoods are patrolled by police more often. Thanks to racial bias, POC are followed, stopped, harassed and arrested more frequently than the white people who live in those same neighborhoods. What all of this means is that, when POC are arrested more frequently, they often can’t afford fancy lawyers to help them. They usually end up with Public Defenders, who are often overworked, and they often encourage POC to plead guilty in exchange for less time. Then there’s the fact that, because white people make up 73% of the population, they also tend to make up a bigger percentage of jurors. There’s lots of factors to consider. So don’t assume that just because they make up 54% of the people in jail, that they make up 54% of the crime. The entire system is broken. That’s part of the problem.

18. “You’re promoting violence and destruction, shame on you...”. - I don’t remember encouraging anyone to riot. I also don’t remember encouraging anyone to loot or commit arson. The truth is, looting and arson is certainly not my preferred form of protest. But it’s important to remember that protesters haven’t committed most of the violent behavior. Civil unrest tends to cause chaos and confusion. That chaos provides the perfect opportunity for poor-intentioned people to do poor-intentioned things. That doesn’t mean the civil unrest should stop. I don’t condone the violence. I just don’t think it should dominate the conversation. If you want to focus on the violence, try focusing on those officers who’ve killed POC in the street. You’re focusing on the wrong violence.

If any of you are guilty of saying any of the above, then I have unsettling news for you. YOU are the reason it’s come to this.
YOU are the reason peaceful protests haven’t worked.
They haven’t worked because YOU haven’t been listening.
YOU haven’t been learning.
These violent riots are happening because YOU have left people of color no other choice.
These riots are happening because no matter how people of color have said it - taking a knee, marching the streets, bumper stickers, banners, signs, or chants, YOU still don’t get it.
That doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.
That doesn’t mean you’re racist. It only means you’re white. And that’s not a crime, any more than being black is.
The difference is, police aren’t going to shoot you in the street for it.

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#ITryToDoGoodButCanAlwaysDoBetter