OT: Cops kill George Floyd

[j4remi]

how? there are too many of us. we're too individualized and reliant on individual (social media) streams. organization is a big enough challenge before the chaos. now, i don't know how you get collective messages out and effectively rally people at this point. i think your best best with organizing is still grassroots, person-to-person, in the community. kind of hard to pull that off in a lot of places now. and it requires time and strategy.

not trying to be a pessimist. trying to think through it.

I'm big on community groups and person to person work too. My biggest struggle in this particular case has been trying to figure out the best ways to respond while also being mindful about the COVID-19 dangers. I'm both inspired by the amount of support for protest we've seen this time around and also a bit worried that this is a handicap match...authoritarian behavior on the backdrop of a highly contagious virus that disproportionately has impacted out black and brown communities.

One concrete action item that's worth looking at:

Read on Twitter

On another note, I always look to electoral strategies since it's a good bridge strategy for connecting with moderates. I think this is a point in time where we should highlight the importance and influence of DA's; if we can get more good DA's in important places, we might see some concrete improvements.

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[thebuzzardman]

Very much worth a read:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/6/2/21277438/police-officer-george-floyd-patrick-skinner-interview-militarization

Patrick Skinner spent a decade running counterterrorism operations overseas for the CIA. He worked in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Jordan; met with kings and presidents; rose through the ranks. But he came to believe he was part of the problem, that the very premise of the work was flawed. So he came home, and joined the police force in Savannah, Georgia, where he grew up.

I first learned about Skinner in a New Yorker profile. Then a friend mentioned his Twitter feed to me: There, Skinner reflects, in a thoughtful, continual stream, on the work of policing, the importance of treating your neighbors like neighbors, the daily work of deescalation, and the behavior of his menagerie of pets.

Skinner has been particularly outspoken in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. “We have to change our profession,” he wrote. “We aren’t warriors. We aren’t at war with our neighbors.”

Ezra Klein
What did you see when you watched the video of George Floyd’s death?

Patrick Skinner
A murder. No semantics. No justification. They just killed that guy. I drove home and in a six-minute commute, I was in tears. And it was that I saw the other cops in the video. One of them even looked like me. They were stopping the bystanders, telling them to get back. It’s not just that this cop did this. The other cops stopped anyone from stopping him.

Ezra Klein
What should they have done?

Patrick Skinner
They should have arrested the cop! Ideally, you’d just push the cop off. Tell him to knock it off. That would’ve ended it. When people have handcuffs on, they are legally in your custody. You have to care for them. What happens to them is your fault. If someone is kicking the windows out of the car, which I’ve had done, you need to take them out of the car. You need to do something. But this wasn’t that. And even if there had been, there was no justification. He just sat on his back. Floyd said he was dying, and he died.

Patrick Skinner
It looks like what we designed. I’m a big believer that the police shouldn’t act like the military. We shouldn’t dress like the military. We shouldn’t have military weapons. When you can’t tell the difference between the police and the National Guard, that’s a big problem. But police have been militarized. This is the result of that. And I’m sympathetic to the police. When a protest tips into a riot, when you have thousands of people who’re screaming, and it’s a visceral, pulsing thing, it’s terrifying. But the whole point is you can defuse it. And the time for deescalation is years ahead of that. And a lot of places aren’t doing that.

So the police are now in a terrible position. Ninety-nine percent of the people are protesting. And it’s a protest, not a parade. For anything to change, there has to be annoyance and conflict. I get that. But the people who are throwing rocks and bricks and setting fires, that’s a big deal. And then the focus will quickly be on how to handle people setting fires. It’s sad. It’s already happening. We’re already talking about the response to the riots, not the cause of the protests.

Ezra Klein
You did counterinsurgency work overseas for a decade, as part of the CIA. how much of that thinking do you see here? How much are American communities treated like an internal insurgency that needs to be restrained?

Patrick Skinner
I see it 100 percent. It’s the same thing. I got more hazard pay over there, I guess. We spent so much money to do so much damage. We kept saying we needed the community on our side, but everything we did made sure we wouldn’t get the community on our side. We put all our efforts and money into whoever supported us. We go for the leader or alleged leader who agrees with us most. We’re trying to say we’re in a war zone, but they should like us. The answer overseas was to leave. If you don’t want to be seen as an occupying army, don’t occupy the country. But we live here. We can’t leave.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Very much worth a read:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/6/2/21277438/police-officer-george-floyd-patrick-skinner-interview-militarization

Spoiler:

Patrick Skinner spent a decade running counterterrorism operations overseas for the CIA. He worked in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Jordan; met with kings and presidents; rose through the ranks. But he came to believe he was part of the problem, that the very premise of the work was flawed. So he came home, and joined the police force in Savannah, Georgia, where he grew up.

I first learned about Skinner in a New Yorker profile. Then a friend mentioned his Twitter feed to me: There, Skinner reflects, in a thoughtful, continual stream, on the work of policing, the importance of treating your neighbors like neighbors, the daily work of deescalation, and the behavior of his menagerie of pets.

Skinner has been particularly outspoken in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. “We have to change our profession,” he wrote. “We aren’t warriors. We aren’t at war with our neighbors.”

Ezra Klein
What did you see when you watched the video of George Floyd’s death?

Patrick Skinner
A murder. No semantics. No justification. They just killed that guy. I drove home and in a six-minute commute, I was in tears. And it was that I saw the other cops in the video. One of them even looked like me. They were stopping the bystanders, telling them to get back. It’s not just that this cop did this. The other cops stopped anyone from stopping him.

Ezra Klein
What should they have done?

Patrick Skinner
They should have arrested the cop! Ideally, you’d just push the cop off. Tell him to knock it off. That would’ve ended it. When people have handcuffs on, they are legally in your custody. You have to care for them. What happens to them is your fault. If someone is kicking the windows out of the car, which I’ve had done, you need to take them out of the car. You need to do something. But this wasn’t that. And even if there had been, there was no justification. He just sat on his back. Floyd said he was dying, and he died.

Patrick Skinner
It looks like what we designed. I’m a big believer that the police shouldn’t act like the military. We shouldn’t dress like the military. We shouldn’t have military weapons. When you can’t tell the difference between the police and the National Guard, that’s a big problem. But police have been militarized. This is the result of that. And I’m sympathetic to the police. When a protest tips into a riot, when you have thousands of people who’re screaming, and it’s a visceral, pulsing thing, it’s terrifying. But the whole point is you can defuse it. And the time for deescalation is years ahead of that. And a lot of places aren’t doing that.

So the police are now in a terrible position. Ninety-nine percent of the people are protesting. And it’s a protest, not a parade. For anything to change, there has to be annoyance and conflict. I get that. But the people who are throwing rocks and bricks and setting fires, that’s a big deal. And then the focus will quickly be on how to handle people setting fires. It’s sad. It’s already happening. We’re already talking about the response to the riots, not the cause of the protests.

Ezra Klein
You did counterinsurgency work overseas for a decade, as part of the CIA. how much of that thinking do you see here? How much are American communities treated like an internal insurgency that needs to be restrained?

Patrick Skinner
I see it 100 percent. It’s the same thing. I got more hazard pay over there, I guess. We spent so much money to do so much damage. We kept saying we needed the community on our side, but everything we did made sure we wouldn’t get the community on our side. We put all our efforts and money into whoever supported us. We go for the leader or alleged leader who agrees with us most. We’re trying to say we’re in a war zone, but they should like us. The answer overseas was to leave. If you don’t want to be seen as an occupying army, don’t occupy the country. But we live here. We can’t leave.

thanks, buzz. and knowing that you served our country that way, this means a lot coming from you. you have a perspective on this those of us who haven't don't.

[thebuzzardman]

Hey, not meaning to deflect from the racism and how the police intersect with that. But this book is really worth a read.

Rise Of The Warrior Cop

Watch on YouTube

That's a video discussing it.

It's disgusting that the book is at least 9 years old. That video itself is 4 years old. If only people listened.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Hey, not meaning to deflect from the racism and how the police intersect with that. But this book is really worth a read.

Rise Of The Warrior Cop

Watch on YouTube

That's a video discussing it.

It's disgusting that the book is at least 9 years old. That video itself is 4 years old. If only people listened.

thanks, again. i think it's fully relevant to the current situation and helpful information. i don't think it's a deflection to talk about this problem openly. in fact, i think so many of us who are so angry and hurt right now want to address this very issue. i know militarized police forces is very high on my list of things that i want to see changed.

[thebuzzardman]

Full video where the clip is taken from: https://www.c-span.org/video/?314154-1/rise-warrior-cop

[Thepaintismine]

These riots won't end anytime soon because this is not about George Floyd or police brutality.
This is about millions of unemployed and out of school young people with no opportunities for the foreseeable future. Martial law is the only solution.

Things were looking SO GOOD with black and minority unemployment B4 the Rona came.
Now, to add to Rona, we gotz Antifa thugs infiltratin peaceful protests.
Lot o black folk speakin out on that though, so I hope it calm down soon ya'll. (Great videos B on Twitter there.)
Wizer heads will (eventually) win I think.

Are you sure it was ANTIFA and not some alt-right groups?

I've spoken to some people, seen quite a few videos and then there R those arrest records (saw some on Twitter).
Antifa stand out like, you know. There B a reason why Antifa is a terrorist org. That said, If they B alt right, or whatever, then arrest them. Make no diff to me.

Luckily they been followed a while now, a few years most likely and names taken. Now there B more resources to FBI and police to get at em.

The media B protecting Antifa groups. Callin riots protests with fire and shizz like that.
Why aren't the Mayors ending this Ya'll? Call in their guard and protect peoples houses and businesses.
And the media, mostly CNN B feeding this fear and hate

Peace Ya'll.

[Thepaintismine]

Antifa isn't an organization. It just means anti fascists and of course they stand for nothing they're just a bunch of individual anarchists against fascism.

B certain of one thing - Antifa has been watched and infiltrated since at least Back to 2016 ya'll. We gots their top level people.
But I got you, they are loosely organized, a bit like other terrorist groups. But the organizers will do down, give et sum time.

They say they are against facism but right now you gots white Antifa infiltrating peaceful protests and burnin shizz down.
That B WRONG!

They're not "loosely organized". They're not an organization. Like not at all on any level.

All that said, insurance exists for a reason. Hell call it job creation, I really don't give a single damn about stores burning. As long as homes and shelters are safe, it's all good.

I looked it into more, they are more than loosely organized. IT B reported that what went on at the White House the other day was very organized and with advanced tactics. We know they B funded. A few videos of them being paid for their rioting. Where you think that money comes from? Why are stars paying to get rioters out of prison? Not protestors Ya'll, I talkin rioters. That B wrong.

All for protests though and if someone hurt you, you get them, not where your neighbors shop. That make no sense.
It B wrong to burn stores in your or anyone's neighborhood, you be hurtin your self man.
I get the anger, but not against yourself - It B infiltration. There B plenty of videos of black folk telling these Antifa
thugs to take their paint or bricks back, they don't want them white folk hurting their neighborhood (or black folk for that matter.)

[Capn'O]

The Police Chief of Houston is having a moment to shine:

Read on Twitter

[nedleeds]

Hey, not meaning to deflect from the racism and how the police intersect with that. But this book is really worth a read.

Rise Of The Warrior Cop

Watch on YouTube

That's a video discussing it.

It's disgusting that the book is at least 9 years old. That video itself is 4 years old. If only people listened.

This stuck out to me

“We aren’t warriors. We aren’t at war with our neighbors.”

How can we cultivate situations where more police are comfortable living in the neighborhoods and zones they police? This to me is a huge problem when it comes to establishing empathy from both cops and residents.

We probably all agree cops can't earn a decent wage in most cities where they work. We probably all agree more time off, or time spent in doing community outreach to get right mentally would help policing. We probably all agree more frequent usable training would help policing.

[nedleeds]

The Police Chief of Houston is having a moment to shine:

Read on Twitter

Dude has **** spirit. Now take that same speech and go to your union head and tell him that he will not tolerate unjustified violence against civilians.

[Context]

The Police Chief of Houston is having a moment to shine:

Read on Twitter

WOW!

[movingon]

Voilà, false flag smear campaign vilifying antifa:
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/twitter-takes-down-washington-protest-disinformation-bot-behavior-n1221456

[Fat Kat]

I'll say this much for Dolan: He'd make a great NFL owner.

Man, I truly do feel bad that you guys have to deal with this idiot. You can fire, trade or cut pretty much everyone, but there's nothing you can do about a bad owner. NYC and the NBA deserves so much better.

Oh STFU. Don’t try to derail this thread with bullchit

Not my intent at all. I love New York, and the NBA is better when the Knicks are good and MSG is rocking. I mean that sincerely.

No problem. Didn’t mean to snap at you.

[Fat Kat]

Read on Twitter

Teams know that knucklehead fans like hearing the lip service, and could give a damn about tangible actions and practices. Same people were bashing Kaepernick.

[NY 567]

Harsh mandatory minimums for violent cops would pretty much solve all of this. Sad that our leaders aren't interested in that. All that said, dudes need to chill out with the violent stuff geared towards innocents, it's wrong, it isn't going to work, its going to get people killed and going to result in the military being used.

[Fat Kat]

Read on Twitter

[Pointgod]

Read on Twitter

Teams know that knucklehead fans like hearing the lip service, and could give a damn about tangible action me and practices. Same people were bashing Kaepernick.

The NFL has some **** balls to pretend like they stand up against racism when they **** blackballed Kaepernick and their owners kiss Trumps ass and bow to him every time they get.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Read on Twitter

they been with the schidts.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Read on Twitter

Teams know that knucklehead fans like hearing the lip service, and could give a damn about tangible action me and practices. Same people were bashing Kaepernick.

The NFL has some **** balls to pretend like they stand up against racism when they **** blackballed Kaepernick and their owners kiss Trumps ass and bow to him every time they get.

i mean... the nerve.

they know they have to, but it's so disingenuous and clearly to appear on the right side of things and avoid backlash. the NFL made its stance very clear.