Category Archives: Black Lives Matter

Any large social movement is shaped by the technology available to it and tailors its goals, tactics, and rhetoric to the media of its time. On the afternoon of Sunday, March 7, 1965, when voting-rights marchers in Selma, Alabama, were run down by policemen at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the WATS lines were in heavy use. (Here come the white hoodlums, an activist said from a corner pay phone at 3:25 pm.) But the technology that was most important to the movements larger aims was not in activists hands at all: It was in a set of film canisters being ferried past police blockades on Highway 80 by an ABC News TV crew, racing for the Montgomery airport and heading to New York for an evening broadcast. That night, 48 million Americans would watch the scene in their living rooms, and a few days later Martin Luther King Jr. would lay bare the movements core media strategy. We will no longer let them use their clubs on us in the dark corners, he said. Were going to make them do it in the glaring light of television.

The tools that we have to organize and to resist are fundamentally different than anything thats existed before in black struggle.

It was a rare admission, writes media historian Aniko Bodroghkozy. King and other civil rights organizers seldom acknowledged their own self-conscious use of the mass media. Todays African-American civil rights organizers, by contrast, talk about the tools of mass communication all the timebecause their media strategy sessions are largely open to everyone on the Internet.

If youre a civil rights activist in 2015 and you need to get some news out, your first move is to choose a platform. If you want to post a video of a protest or a violent arrest, you put it up on Vine, Instagram, or Periscope. If you want to avoid trolls or snooping authorities and you need to coordinate some kind of action, you might chat privately with other activists on GroupMe. If you want to rapidly mobilize a bunch of people you know and you dont want the whole world clued in, you use SMS or WhatsApp. If you want to mobilize a ton of people you might not know and you do want the whole world to talk about it: Twitter.

And if, God forbid, you find yourself standing in front of the next Michael Brown or Walter Scott, and you know the nations attention needs to swerve hard to your town, your best bet might be to send a direct message to someone like DeRay Mckesson, one of a handful of activists who sit at the apex of social networks that now run hundreds of thousands strong. The thing about King or Ella Baker is that they could not just wake up and sit at the breakfast table and talk to a million people, says Mckesson, a former school district administrator who has become one of the most visible faces of the movement. The tools that we have to organize and to resist are fundamentally different than anything thats existed before in black struggle.

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How Black Lives Matter Uses Social Media to Fight the ...

Austin, TX, August 27, 2021 A Keller Independent School District (ISD) teacher, Dan Grunewald, was asked to leave school on Tuesday for the day after parents and students raised concerns about a Black Lives Matter (BLM) poster that he has hanging in his room.

According to a report by WBAP, Grunewald refused to remove the poster saying, There are rules. It was a directive to take the sign down, and by not, Im going against that directive. But its wrong. Its wrong of my schools administration, my principal, and my district to side with racism.

He also pointed out that he has a poster supporting LGBTQ in his classroom but said that no one has asked him to remove it.

Grunewald teaches animation, audio/video production, and arts of communication at Timber Creek High School.

In response to the situation with Grunewald, Keller ISD released the following statement: Keller ISD does not discuss individual personnel matters. District Board Policy EMB Local states that teachers shall not use the classroom to transmit personal beliefs regarding political or sectarian issues, and the District has routinely asked employees to remove items posted on classroom walls that are considered expressions of personal beliefs. Keller ISD and Timber Creek High School encourage our teachers to create a classroom culture that respects diversity of our school community through a culture of understanding, and it is our expectation that they do so without visual representations of their own personal beliefs on classroom walls.

Kellers student handbook indicates that it has adopted a standard complaint policy, which generally requires complaints to be filed with the principal, then escalated to the superintendent, and finally the school board as necessary.

Some critics of those who oppose the BLM poster in Grunewalds classroom assert that another teacher at Timber Creek High School has a Thin Blue Line flag hanging in her classroom.

Keller ISD parent Christine Molloy has two students at Timber Creek. She supports the poster being removed. I would like to see us keep politics and personal beliefs out of the classroom, I just want my kids just want to go to school, learn, and be with their friends, she told The Texan.

Timber Creek student body president Zoe Mukendi started a petition on Change.org to support Grunewalds display of the BLM poster. Help me help the teacher that needs tremendous support right now and share everywhere you can, it says. So far the petition has over 2500 signatures. The petition also features the Timber Creek logo.

Additionally, some students are planning a blackout in support of Grunewald and Black Lives Matter. A graphic is being circulated on social media among students at Timber Creek that asks them to wear ALL BLACK on Friday, 8/27, in support of the teacher who[se] job was put on the line for my equality.

No group or names are listed on the graphic as the organizers of the protest.

According to the student handbook, if a student wishes to distribute more than 10 copies of non-school materials, he is supposed to get prior approval from the principal or designee. This includes petitions and handbills not developed under the oversight of the school. Further, the materials must include the name of the sponsoring person or organization.

This section of the student handbook does not directly address social media posts that are the electronic equivalent of handbills, but Molloy believes that digital distribution should be handled similarly to physical distribution and following the same guidelines. Her children received information about the blackout on SnapChat.

Instead of participating in the blackout, Molloy has encouraged her kids to show unity with everyone at Timber Creek by wearing their school colors. She would like to see a Falcon Friday where the students at Timber Creek can focus on what they have in common.

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Keller ISD Teacher Asked to Remove BLM Poster from Classroom Refuses - The Texan

DAYTON There is a new campaign in Dayton that is working to raise vaccination awareness in the local Black community.

According to the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation less than half of the Black population in 33 states have been vaccinated. The Shot for Life campaign, started by the Black Lives Matter Dayton Organization, hopes to raise the vaccination numbers the Dayton area.

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I am frustrated because this is a preventable infection, Dr. Andre Harris, who is partnered with Shot for Life, said.

Dayton-Montgomery County Public Health provided WHIO vaccination rate numbers, which showed that 38 percent of the Black community are fully vaccinated. 48 percent of the White community were fully vaccinated.

Dr. Harris, Chief Medical Officer of Atrium Medical Center, told News Center 7s Michael Gordon that he wanted to use his 20 years of medical experience to support BLM Dayton, raise awareness and fight back against online vaccine disinformation.

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People are teetering. By getting more information and hearing from physicians it will put them in a place where they can make a solid decision to move forward with vaccination, Dr. Harris said.

While Dr. Harris knows some minds cannot be changed, he said encouraging some to get the shot can make a big difference.

The first Shot for Life event will be next Sunday, Sept. 5, at Mcintosh Park. Vaccinations and testing will be available, as well as a bookbag giveaway.

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Dayton Gets Real: Dayton Black Lives Matter start Shot for Life vaccination campaign - WHIO Radio

An Ohio home of Black Lives Matter supporters was spray-painted on Aug. 20 with the words "All Lives Matter," according to security footage.

The house belongs to Mary and Ralph Piunno, who said this isn't the first time they have experienced negative reactions to their beliefs. The couple has multiple Black Lives Matter signs and flies a pride flag.

Primarily because I live in a diverse neighborhood, and I want people to know where I stand, Mary Piunno said.

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The couple removed the graffiti and called those responsible "very small-minded."

"I think that theyre people who have a very narrow view of what equality means in this country," Mary Piunno said. "Frankly, I think theyre losers. Theyre hurting their cause more than theyre hurting mine."

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The couple said they respect everyone's right to free speech and expect more negative reactions to come from their signs.

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Black Lives Matter supporters' house spray-painted with the words 'All Lives Matter' - Washington Examiner

The aircraft watched protests in Washington, DC, in June last year and also flew over Baltimore in 2015 after Freddie Grays death.

Last updated on August 26, 2021, at 12:07 p.m. ET

Posted on August 24, 2021, at 1:08 p.m. ET

The FBI's Cessna Citation jet

An advanced FBI spy plane that was used to watch Black Lives Matter protests in Washington, DC, last year is now up for sale.

A listing for the Cessna Citation jet has appeared on a website run by the General Services Administration to sell surplus federal government property. The aircraft carries a Wescam MX-20 camera turret, which is designed for high-altitude, persistent surveillance. With infrared sensors, it can monitor targets day and night, and in recent years has been used for some of the FBIs most important surveillance missions.

In June 2020, a BuzzFeed News review of flight tracking data provided by the website Flightradar24 linked the plane to high-profile raids including the capture of gang members on drug and weapons charges in Northern California in 2018, drug trafficking busts in Puerto Rico in 2018 and 2019, and drug, firearms, and money laundering arrests in Alabama in 2019.

And though the FBI says it does not monitor activity protected by the First Amendment, BuzzFeed News also tracked the plane circling Washington, DC, in June 2020 during Black Lives Matter protests after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. We also found that the plane circled Baltimore in April and May 2015 following the death of Freddie Gray from injuries sustained in police custody.

This reporting was subsequently cited by three Democratic members of Congress in a letter to the federal Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, asking it to investigate federal government surveillance of Black Lives Matter protests.

Flights by the FBI's Cessna Citation jet last year from June 1 to 6

Since 2003, the Cessna Citation aircraft has been registered to the National Aircraft Leasing Corporation, identified as a front for the FBI by Matthew Aid, a former intelligence analyst, in his 2012 book Intel Wars. The address given in its registration with the Federal Aviation Administration is a UPS store in Greenville, Delaware.

Most of the FBIs fleet of more than 120 surveillance aircraft, similarly registered to fictitious companies, are smaller propeller-driven planes that usually fly at altitudes of around 5,000 feet. The Cessna Citation jet is the only aircraft of its type registered to known FBI fronts, and it typically watched its targets from 15,000 feet or more, making it harder to spot from the ground.

The contact given for questions about the sale is Earl McEwen, an FBI special agent who testified in court about using an FBI plane to surveil the 2014 Bundy standoff, an armed encounter between federal agents and supporters of a Nevada rancher who refused to pay fees for grazing his cattle on federal land.

McEwen declined to answer any questions about the aircraft sale from BuzzFeed News.

The FBI declined to answer queries raised by BuzzFeed News, including whether there would be restrictions placed on who they would sell the surveillance aircraft to and whether the jet is being replaced. It is unclear why the agency is now selling the plane.

Although the existence of its fleet of aircraft is well known, the FBI has revealed little information about individual planes and their activities. In 2016, the agency denied a Freedom of Information Act request from BuzzFeed News for flight and evidence logs from 27 of its planes, refusing even to confirm or deny whether the records existed. In September 2018, a federal judge ruled against our attempts to overturn that decision.

At the time of publication, no bids for the aircraft had yet been recorded on GSA Auctions, the website where the plane is listed for sale. The listing indicates that the plane is being sold with the Wescam MX-20, which could complicate the sale because it is deemed a sensitive technology covered by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which requires approval from the State Department before it can be exported. It is unclear what other equipment remains on the aircraft, although a photograph of the interior suggests that controls for the camera have been removed from the cabin.

The plane could continue to be used for surveillance. But some prospective buyers may be more interested in converting it into a private jet, currently in hot demand as the COVID pandemic has driven wealthy people away from airlines. Jets of that age and model can retail for $1.2 million, according to Albert Heidinger, president of Raptor Aviation, a company in Port St. Lucie, Florida, that sells aircraft including ex-military planes. But he said it was hard to say what a buyer would offer the FBI for the plane given the high costs of refitting it for use as a private jet.

This market is crazy, so no telling what it will actually bring, Heidinger said.

Aug. 26, 2021, at 16:08 PM

This story has been updated to include that the FBI declined to comment.

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The FBI Is Selling A Surveillance Plane It Used On Black Lives Matter Protests - BuzzFeed News

Swimming star Ellie Simmonds believes reality television and the Black Lives Matter movement have each contributed to improving the image of the Paralympics.

Simmonds is preparing to lead her country into Tokyo 2020 after being chosen as one of Great Britains flagbearers for Tuesdays opening ceremony alongside archer John Stubbs.

The 26-year-old, who has bone growth disorder achondroplasia, will compete at her fourth Games having already won eight medals, including five golds, across appearances in Beijing, London and Rio.

She feels the perception of disability has changed significantly during that time, citing mainstream exposure of Para athletes and the rise of protest campaigns demanding equality as major factors.

Even before Beijing, people thought I was going to special Olympics; the Paralympics and disabilities were still under wraps really, said Simmonds, who was just 13 when she made her debut in China in 2008. People didnt really know what it was.

Disabilities and especially the Paralympics were brought into height in London 2012 and the Paralympic movement and disability has just crept up and its just amazing to see its been showcased and its amazing.

Its not just achondroplasia or different disabilities in sport but its also now in other things: you had Jonnie (Peacock), you had Lauren (Steadman), you had Will (Bayley) in Strictly (Come Dancing), you had Hollie (Arnold) in Im a Celebrity (Get Me Out of Here).

Theres so many athletes out there with disabilities in reality TV and thats so good for all different disabilities.

And not just in those types of reality TV (programmes) but seeing it on TV, so kids growing up are more aware that there are so many different people.

I think also weve seen the rise about it being OK to be different, the likes of Black Lives Matter, the acceptance of all that, the change, the protest and the awareness of there are so many different people out there.

Story continues

Simmonds arrived in Japan as defending champion in the 200m individual medley.

The S6 swimmer will bid for a third-successive title in that event on Thursday and is also scheduled to enter the 100m breaststroke and 400m freestyle.

She admits even the prospect of joining the exclusive list of British flagbearers made her teary eyed before being left speechless on Sunday when she received confirmation from chef de mission Penny Briscoe.

My performance director Chris (Furber) rang me before coming out to the holding camp into the (athletes) village and asked if I would like to be nominated, because every sport normally nominates an athlete who they think would like to carry the flag, she said.

I was just like, Oh my gosh, yes. I was driving hands-free, of course but really a bit teary to be honest.

Equestrian star Sir Lee Pearson was ParalympicsGBs flagbearer at Rio 2016 (Adam Davy/PA)

I was just a bit emotional that I even got asked because in the past, Ive seen the greats like Chris Hoy carrying the flag in London 2012 and Lee Pearson in the Paralympics and all those amazing athletes, who are great athletes and who have carried the flags the best of the best.

(When it was confirmed), I was just in awe and just didnt have any words. Its been a challenging year and to be carrying the flag for absolutely everyone, its just a huge honour.

Simmonds has established herself as one of the countrys most recognisable Paralympians during the past 13 years.

However, despite her vast experience and hefty haul of medals, she says the burden of competing at elite level is greater than ever.

As an older woman now, I feel the pressure more, I feel all those different aspects, Im more aware of that, she said.

Whereas as a 13-year-old, as a 17-year-old, you just do swimming, youre just doing it as sport where you dont really think of all the outside bits.

Im more aware of those types of challenges now and I work with the psychologist really well.

For me, these Games are just about going out there, racing, enjoying it, doing the best I can and just being happy and soaking it all in.

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Ellie Simmonds: Reality TV and Black Lives Matter help with image of Paralympics - Yahoo Sports

From running her own clothing brand to making moving about the challenges Caribbean people face, Fiona Compton is a woman of many talents and successes.

As a cultural ambassador representing NHC, the 39-year-old has spoken to MyLondons sister website 2Chill about the true meaning behind the festival.

The first time Fiona attended Notting Hill Carnival was in 2005, when she was only a spectator.

As somebody coming from the Caribbean islands to London, seeing my culture on this big platform but not being part of it was hard, she recalls.

I felt I could never do this again, standing behind this partition between myself and my culture, so I started by joining what we call bands where you wear customs, and then helping with the production processes.

Since then, Fiona has never missed a single year. She says: We compared it to Mecca. It's a rite of passage that you have to do every year. Its something like a reset button.

For people, especially those from the Caribbean diaspora, that one weekend of celebration or the week of events it leads up to is an absolutely precious time allowing them to reconnect to themselves, their extended Caribbean families and their culture.

One of the most powerful memories Fiona created for herself and the carnival community was the Not Asking For It movement she started in 2016.

She says: The Mayor of Trinidad made some very irresponsible comments after a masquerader was murdered in the heart of carnival in the country. He implied that the murder was helped because she wore a costume and people drunk alcohol.

Such comments blew up in a big way and inspired Fiona to start the initiative.

She adds: The essence of carnival is freedom. Its a sign of freedom of black people from the plantations, and a celebration of our ability to sing, dance and play the drum. For women to not feel safe in this space is the antithesis of what carnival means.

Dressing in different clothing whether its a fancy costume, t-shirt or a pair of jeans people spontaneously put on placards in front of their chests, with some reading not asking for it and how I dress does not mean yes in Fionas Not Asking For It section.

That day in 2016, she and her band performed at the judging point in the parade and took centre stage to showcase what they stood for: protecting women and creating a safe space for the community.

This collective voice of women and some men as well, coming together to share the same messages, moved Fiona.

To sit back and see people supporting that message was really beautiful, she says. It showed people that carnival was not just a place to come and get wasted, but it was also a community of empowerment, freedom and family.

As the carnival grew ever more prominent, so did the inclusion of commercial business. Music houses packed the street while news of big brand sponsorship splashed the front page.

When the fleeting moment of euphoria of Britishs Afro-Caribbean people celebrating the carnival diminishes, and many go back to leading quiet and segmented lives, carnivalists start to reflect on the true meaning of carnival today.

Fiona admits: There are certain moments in carnival where I feel that we are the minority in the very thing that we created. Commercialisation has taken over certain aspects of carnival. I dont see the mystique about NHC that many are attracted to the generation of 150million a year in London resonate back into the community.

Think designers who spend months making all kinds of costumes and steelpan orchestras who practise every week for the parade, these are not the people who are getting that money.

The carnival has changed in that sense, and it concerns me. We're starting to feel marginalised. People see less and less value in the masquerade, the creativity and artistry of craftsmanship. Theyre more interested in going to the sound systems or going to see particular DJs.

In the world of Snapchat and Instagram, where information is presented in ways that must grab attention in an instant, it might be hard for the young generation to engage in the more obscure, historical aspects of carnival, but Fiona believes there is a way to strike a balance between having fun at the festival and appreciating its roots.

She says: The essence of the carnival was informed by the enslaved who, on the plantations, were banned from playing the drums because it was illegal. Now you see people playing steel pan in the streets, and that in itself is resistance from oppression.

Everybody loves having Jerk chicken at the carnival, but some dont know that it exists because the enslaved Africans liberated themselves in the plantations, then went up into the mountains and developed the Jerk.

We took to the streets to sing and dance because our ancestors used to be despised as heathens and demons because of that.

Then our community went through a very volatile, George Floyd-like period in the 1950s and early 60s, people once again took to the streets to sing, dance. They also incorporated social and political commentaries while bringing joy to their lives.

Carnival is the ultimate Black Lives Matter march. Its a march that has existed for more than two centuries.

Its not that young people dont care about the essence of NHC, because in the past 18 months, we saw that they do care. Theres a need among young people to express themselves and be heard.

And thats what the carnival is about. If you know the history behind it, youd connect to it instantly.

Continued here:

Notting Hill Carnival is the ultimate Black Lives Matter march - My London

Afghan withdrawal completely bungledWhat in the world was he thinking? Or was he thinking at all?While Im certainly not an expert in military tactics, I think anyone of sound mind would know enough to remove the Americans and the Afghan allies (and as many women and girls) first, and then remove the troops after everyone was out safely.Of course, theres also the many gifts we left as well, like our tanks, munitions, helicopters, etc.Im sure the Taliban is grateful for our generosity, not to mention our stupidity!I fear we may have gone from bad to worse.Frances StauntonTroy

Black Lives Matter has racist undertoneRecently I went by a school that had a sign in front that said, BLACK LIVES MATTER.It struck me that I had been seeing this almost every day for at least a year now.Never once did I see GUAYANESE LIVES MATTER or PUERTO RICAN LIVES MATTER or WHITE LIVES MATTER or ASIAN LIVES MATTER.Yet I am sure this school teaches any one of these ethnicities.I find this behavior just as racist as what has happened to Black persons in history. Have we learned anything?A school which is supposed to be all inclusive is giving the message that only Black lives matter by only using that verbiage. I find this prejudicial and offensive.I wonder if this letter will be printed.Barbara McBrideSchenectady

Why does Stefanik let Trump off hook?Elise Stefanik has no business holding Andrew Cuomo accountable when she doesnt hold Donald Trump accountable for his abuse of women and his handling of COVID-19.Rita SmithSchenectady

America lives and dies by the BeastOnce it was OK when Washington led America. When individualism, states rights and the right of free/open speech without the real fear of reprisal truly existed.Washington led America, and the country was on fertile ground; the experiment in freedom was like a budding fruit tree in its first season of flowering. So much promise.That was when George Washington led us through victory in a revolutionary war that changed the world. But that time has long passed. Washington the Beast is now leading America.Washington the Beast leads America, and swamp creatures who could not make it in any other job run our states and our towns.Washington leads America, and we get dinosaurs that have spent their entire lives feeding off D.C. as our leaders. Washington leads America with a quick on ramp to central control and entry into the Club of World Marxism.But we cant seem to get off the dirt roads (a world away), where bodies lay broken and charred clinging to an idea.America, this IS the country you have voted for. The first American revolution was led by a Washington who was simply emblematic of Americans ideals of freedom. This American revolution is being led by the Beast. The slow drip of peoples attitudes divorced from freedom of responsibility is the new emblem of Americans whove surrendered their commitment to an ideal and have simply lost a gift.RIP America: youre not coming back and you aint gonna love your new leaders.John GentileDuanesburg

Why doesnt GOP also condemn TrumpIn response to Clair Pelletier-Hoblocks Aug. 21 letter (Stefanik is holding Cuomo accountable,), I must ask if you call Andrew Cuomo to the carpet for his dastardly deeds, which he denies are true, how can you not call the much more despicable Donald Trump to your moral carpet along with Elise Stefanik?As a member of the GOP, she betrayed her supposed moral beliefs.As I sit in the white color of my beloved flag, I condemn both Cuomo and Trump for their evil doings.After the Cuomo investigation, most Democrats and Republicans called for Cuomos resignation.After the Trump investigation, no Republicans called for Trumps resignation.Ten GOP members, following their moral beliefs, voted to impeach President Trump, crossing party lines. Evidently, by actions of most GOP members, they are not the moral right. They are the moral wrong. Shame on them.Ive watched for 55 years the policy trends of both parties and believe we have never been a true democracy, but instead became an oligarchy after World War II.I may have to fly my flag upside-down to indicate the direction this country is headed. We are supposed to be a democratic republic where the common people are watched over, not big business and the wealthy.Jeff PelkyBroadalbin

Police should check for criminal activityI read the Aug. 19 article in your paper (Cops called on woman campaigning) with some interest, as several years ago when I was running for elected office in my town, I had a similar thing happen to me.I was going door to door to introduce myself to town residents, and while doing so, I was stopped by a local police officer who inquired what I was doing.Now I am an over-60-year-old white male, so my life experiences are certainly different from this woman in that article. I didnt think much of this encounter, and in fact was rather pleased to realize that the police are diligently doing their jobs and asking questions of potentially suspicious persons when required.I guess my point is that every encounter with the police is not to needlessly harass someone, be they a member of a minority group or otherwise going about their legal business, but is to ascertain that criminal activity is not occurring or about to occur.Tom McGarryNiskayuna

Exercise peace over verbal retaliationOne day after the pandemic lockdown, I attended a focus group about a marketing campaign set to launch later this year, 2021.The hosts had expressed complaints similar to social media content creators. They wanted our assistance in finding resolutions.At the end of that focus group, all participants were allowed one last closing question. I asked one of the moderators: Why doesnt the company just start a platform that will rival existing social media platforms?My question was never answered that day. But in the months to come, verbal attacks on my character grew from typical hate by some people online, to me becoming public enemy number one.A source shared the intense conversations about me that are circulating between people through emails and private messenger chats.A lack of clarity has turned sparks into forest fires that may burn in the spirits of some people for days to come. There is a global responsibility people have that is to exercise peace. I dont retaliate with divisive words. Peace, be still and effective.Kurtis MillerSchenectady

Biden chose easy over common sense

We may not admire his wisdom, but we must admire President Bidens chutzpah for cutting short his vacation time and addressing the situation in Afghanistan.Yes, it would always have been difficult. But if you are a powerful country, do you not follow rules of common sense? First, we remove all the men, women and children who are American citizens. Second, we remove the people who worked with us and are now in danger. To do this we must hold the air base, the equipment and the men and women in the armed services to complete this operation. Third we remove our equipment. The base is still open so while a great endeavor, it is possible. Then we close the embassy, take down our flag and fly the remaining personnel home. He did it in reverse, whatever was easiest.Geraldine KrawitzSaratoga Springs

Hall & Oates music, wife aging beautifullyOn March 4, 1974, I took my beautiful girlfriend, Laura, to a Bee Gees concert at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, New York City.The opening act was a young duo named Hall and Oates. I remember them singing Sara Smile, an early hit. Forty-seven years and many hits later, on Aug. 15, Laura and I saw Hall and Oates again at SPAC in Saratoga. They sang Sara Smile again and Laura is more beautiful than ever. Its good to know that some things not only endure but get better with time.Rich AngehrSchenectady

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Letters to the Editor Saturday, Aug. 28 - The Daily Gazette

Black Lives Matter Movement

In 2013, three female Black organizers Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi created a Black-centered political will and movement building project calledBlack Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter beganwith a social media hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martinback in 2012. The movement grew nationallyin 2014 after the deaths of Michael Brown in Missouri and Eric Garner in New York. Since then it has established itself as a worldwidemovement, particularly after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, MN. Most recently, #Black Lives Matter has spearheaded demonstrations worldwide protesting police brutality and systematic racism that overwhelmingly effects the Black community.

According to the Black Lives Matterwebsite theywere "founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martins murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives."

BLM's #WhatMatters2020 Campaign: This 2020 Election-focused campaign focuses on promoting voter registration "among Millennials, Generation Z, the Black community, and allies" and education voters about a wide range of issues including "racial injustice, police brutality, criminal justice reform, Black immigration, economic injustice, LGBTQIA+ and human rights, environmental injustice, access to healthcare, access to quality education, and voting rights and suppression."

Local BLM Chapters: Local chapters of BLM in many areas of the country, including theDMV,have their own social media accounts to facilitate engagement in civil action close to home.

Follow Black Lives Matter onTwitter,FacebookandInstagram

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The Black Lives Matter Movement - A Brief History of Civil ...

The federal government deliberately targeted Black Lives Matter protesters via heavy-handed criminal prosecutions in an attempt to disrupt and discourage the global movement, according to a new report. David Goldman/AP hide caption

The federal government deliberately targeted Black Lives Matter protesters via heavy-handed criminal prosecutions in an attempt to disrupt and discourage the global movement, according to a new report.

The federal government deliberately targeted Black Lives Matter protesters via heavy-handed criminal prosecutions in an attempt to disrupt and discourage the global movement that swept the nation last summer in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, according to a new report released Wednesday by The Movement for Black Lives.

Movement leaders and experts said the prosecution of protesters over the past year continues a century-long practice by the federal government, rooted in structural racism, to suppress Black social movements via the use of surveillance tactics and other mechanisms.

"The empirical data and findings in this report largely corroborate what Black organizers have long known intellectually, intuitively, and from lived experience about the federal government's disparate policing and prosecution of racial justice protests and related activity," the report stated.

The report, which was first shared with The Associated Press, argues that as the uprisings in the summer of 2020 increased, so did police presence, the deployment of federal agents and prosecution of protesters.

Titled "Struggle For Power: The Ongoing Persecution of Black Movement By The U.S. Government," the report details how policing has been used historically as a major tool to deter Black people from engaging in their right to protest and weaken efforts to draw attention to issues impacting Black Americans. It also drew a comparison to how the government used Counterintelligence Program techniques to "disrupt the work of the Black Panther Party and other organizations fighting for Black liberation."

Demonstrators protest near the White House over the death of George Floyd. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

Demonstrators protest near the White House over the death of George Floyd.

"We want to really show how the U.S. government has continued to persecute the Black movement by surveillance, by criminalizing protests, and by using the criminal legal system to prevent people from protesting and punishing them for being engaged in protests by attempting to curtail their First Amendment rights," said Amara Enyia, The Movement for Black Lives' policy research coordinator.

"It is undeniable that racism plays a role," Enyia said. "It is structurally built into the fabric of this country and its institutions, which is why it's been so difficult to eradicate. It's based on institutions that were designed around racism and around the devaluing of Black people and the devaluing of Black lives."

In the report, published in partnership with the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility clinic at City University of New York School of Law, The Movement for Black Lives is calling for amnesty for all protesters involved in the nationwide protests.

The group, also known as M4BL, is demanding reparations from the government that includes an acknowledgment and an apology for the long history of targeting movements "in support of Black life and Black liberation." It also is pushing for passage of the BREATHE Act, proposed federal legislation that would radically transform the nation's criminal justice system, and ending the use of Joint Terrorism Task Forces in local communities.

The report also points to the stark difference in how the government handled the COVID-19 protests against local government shutdowns and mask mandates amid the pandemic during the same period. It analyzes 326 criminal cases initiated by U.S. federal prosecutors over alleged conduct related to protests in the wake of Floyd's murder and the police killings of other Black Americans, from May 31, 2020, to Oct. 25, 2020.

Demonstrators march in honor of George Floyd on Ashland Avenue in Chicago. Nam Y. Huh/AP hide caption

Demonstrators march in honor of George Floyd on Ashland Avenue in Chicago.

A key finding of the report was that the push to use federal charges against protesters came from top-down directives from former President Donald Trump and former Attorney General William Barr. M4BL and the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility clinic, also known as CLEAR, found that in 92.6% of the cases, there were equivalent state level charges that could have been brought against defendants.

Among those cases where comparable state level charges could have been brought, 88% of the federal criminal charges carried more severe potential sentences than the equivalent state criminal charges for the same or similar conduct.

"We saw U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr overnight go from expressing some level of sympathy for racial justice protesters to labeling them as radical and violent agitators with absolutely no basis for that sort of characterization," said Ramzi Kassem, founding director of CLEAR and a law professor at the City University of New York, adding that Barr and Trump used the arrests and prosecutions to justify the "hostile rhetoric" aimed at protesters. "All of this was very transparently aimed at disrupting a Black-led movement for social justice that was happening both spontaneously and in an organized fashion nationwide."

Race data was only available for 27%, or 89 of the defendants. And of that number, 52% were identified as Black. Of the Black defendants, 91% were identified as male.

"The known proportion of Black defendants compared to the proportion of Black people in the United States, per the latest census data, indicates that Black defendants were dramatically overrepresented," the report stated.

Seventy-two cases, or 22.1%, involved charges with mandatory minimum sentences. And 67 cases, or 20.6%, involved offenses where defendants are alleged to "have attempted, conspired, or aided and abetted an underlying crime without having actually committed the underlying criminal conduct."

Portland, Oregon, led in the number of charges brought for protest-related activity, making up 29% of federal charges. Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis followed.

Richard Wallace, founder of Equity and Transformation in Chicago, said over the past summer he witnessed overly aggressive policing by law enforcement officers who levied accusations of rioting and looting at protesters who were peacefully protesting. Wallace said he is deeply concerned for those who have been charged.

"Coming from Chicago, where (Black Panther Party leader) Fred Hampton was killed and where, Martin Luther King came and said this is one of the most segregated cities he ever saw, we have a very keen historic lens as it relates to state violence, and Black movement," said Wallace, whose organization, also known as EAT, was founded by and for formerly incarcerated and marginalized Black people and focuses on individuals who operate within the informal economy.

"What we saw in Illinois and across the country was this reverberation of Black power. And so, at all costs, the state is about dismantling that right, dismantling that in every possible way," he said.

The report also raises concerns about the involvement of Joint Terrorism Task Forces and found 20 cases that explicitly referenced task force involvement. The government "greatly exaggerated" the threat of violence from protesters, the report says.

Makia Green, a liberation organizer and co-conductor of the Washington D.C.-based group Harriet's Wildest Dreams, fully supports the report's findings and calls for action. Green believes President Joe Biden needs to fulfill his campaign pledges of supporting Black Americans and addressing the root causes of white supremacy, by pushing for amnesty for protesters. Green said Congress also needs to support legislation to overhaul the criminal justice system.

"Regardless of how we are often painted, activists are people who have the audacity to believe that we can live in a better world, where people are safe, where people are not afraid of being murdered by the police," Green said. "There are attempts to stifle our movement but it is truly a reflection to our supporters, to our allies, and to the folks who showed up in the streets last year, of how beautiful and powerful this movement is."

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Feds Deliberately Targeted Black Lives Matter Protesters, A Report Says - NPR