Are You Showing Support for Black Lives Matter in Second Life?

[Beth Macbain]

I’m sorry, y’all, but it must be done.

 

[Pixie Kobichenko]

2 hours ago, Blake1111Coverdale said:

 

the "knee on the neck" tactic is part of the approved modern police officer training in almost every part of the USA.

I’ve googled “are officers trained in the hold that killed George Floyd”

Google quickly returned results that seem to say that no, they are not.

https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/500323-head-of-minnesota-police-chiefs-association-simply-not-the-case

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/28/us/george-floyd-knee-to-neck-excessive-force-trnd/index.html   

& in what seems to be too horrific to be true, but it is- this isn’t the first time Minneapolis police killed someone like this https://www.npr.org/2020/05/29/865341322/minneapolis-police-were-sued-a-decade-ago-in-similar-restraint-case

So it’s clear the move is being taught at some point, tho I’ve read speculation that the hold is taught in Judo.  I really do not know. 
But It’s clear things have got to change. 

Edited June 4, 2020 by Pixie Kobichenko

[FairreLilette]

48 minutes ago, Jordan Whitt said:

So are you standing for them?

Viruses aren't racist.  It isn't just seeking out the people of colour.  71% of our covid cases were people of European descent (white people).  

 

 

No, it's seeking all colors of skin tones except it does seem to be that more Blacks are dying compared to Caucasians.  

Your number of 71% above is because there are more Caucasians than Blacks most likely.   So, say there are 1,000 people in your country.  Now, let's say 900 of them are Caucasian and 100 of them are black.  So, now let's say for the 900 Caucasians 90 died and let's say out of the 100 Blacks 50 died.  You have to take into account the number of each ethnicity to get an actual read and understanding of this.  If your "our" as you wrote is mostly made up of Caucasians, it will appear that more Caucasians are dying if you don't understand the reality in regards to the far, far fewer blacks in your country.  

Edited June 4, 2020 by FairreLilette

[Jordyn McGregor]

8 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

I'm sorry, I'm not actually getting your point here.

And you just made mine.  

[Jordyn McGregor]

6 minutes ago, FairreLilette said:

No, it's seeking all colors of skin tones except it does seem to be that more Blacks are dying compared to Caucasians.  

Your number of 71% above is because there are more Caucasians than Blacks most likely.   So, say there are 1,000 people in your country.  Now, let's say 900 of them are Caucasian and 100 of them are black.  So, now let's say for the 900 Caucasians 30 died and let's say out of the 100 Blacks 50 died.  You have to take into account the number of each ethnicity to get an actual read and understanding of this.  If your "our" as you wrote is mostly made up of Caucasians, it will appear that more Caucasians are dying if you don't understand the reality in regards to the far, far fewer blacks in your country.  

The majority of New Zealand's population is of European descent (70 percent), with the indigenous Māori being the largest minority (16.5 percent), followed by Asians (15.3 percent), and non-Māori Pacific Islanders (9.0 percent). Demographics of New Zealand - Wikipedia

As of July 2016, White Americans are the racial majority. African Americans are the largest racial minority, comprising an estimated 12.7% of the population. Hispanic and Latino Americans are the largest ethnic minority, comprising an estimated 17.8% of the population.  Race and ethnicity in the United States - Wikipedia

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

As much as I enjoy a good derail, I'm not seeing the point in trying to turn this into a thread arguing about Covid-19. What exactly do these statistics being spouted have to do with BLM? 

[MoiraKathleen]

(I haven't watched the video of the George Floyd killing, so correct me if I'm wrong)  but I've heard that he wasn't struggling when he was on the ground, and that he was handcuffed.  So, even if the technique was one that was taught, it would seem to me that if it was going to be used at all*,  it should only be used when trying to restrain someone on the ground until another officer puts cuffs on the subject.  What point does it serve to continue it after the subject was handcuffed (particularly for the length of time it was used), unless it was to kill him?     And that has a similarity to it being a public lynching.  

 

 

* rhetorical point - I don't believe that the technique should be used at all, ever

Edited June 4, 2020 by Moira Timmerman
used a better word

[Beth Macbain]

This is a bit old now but...

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

4 minutes ago, Moira Timmerman said:

(I haven't watched the video of the George Floyd killing, so correct me if I'm wrong)  but I've heard that he wasn't struggling when he was on the ground, and that he was handcuffed.  So, even if the technique was one that was taught, it would seem to me that if it was going to be used at all*,  it should only be used when trying to restrain someone on the ground until another officer puts cuffs on the subject.  What point does it serve to continue it after the subject was handcuffed (particularly for the length of time it was used), unless it was to kill him?     And that has a similarity to it being a public lynching.  

 

 

* rhetorical point - I don't believe that the technique should be used at all, ever

Exactly. I challenge anyone to lie on the ground face down (so, it's already hard to breathe), with your hands cuffed behind your back, and see how much you can do from there. Answer: not freaking much, and certainly not enough to justify what we saw in the video (I have seen it).

The cop stayed on George Floyd's neck for almost 9 minutes, which was something like 3 minutes past the point that the victim was responsive/talking. There simply was no legitimate point to it at all.

[Beth Macbain]

9 minutes ago, Sylvia Tamalyn said:

As much as I enjoy a good derail, I'm not seeing the point in trying to turn this into a thread arguing about Covid-19. What exactly do these statistics being spouted have to do with BLM? 

We know the protests are not solely about police brutality, and that systemic racism is all over the US and affects literally everything, including access to healthcare.

Some apparently don’t know, or don’t believe, that.

[FairreLilette]

An Historic Moment Just Happened in Los Angeles County:   Los Angeles City Council Members to Cut At Least 100 Million in Spending for the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department)

Officials said the legislation would "reprioritize public safety dollars in order to reinvest funding for other vital services, including those to uplift disenfranchised communities," according to a news release.

The legislation would cut between $100 million and $150 million in funding from the LAPD's 2020-21 budget.

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez and Councilmembers Herb Wesson, Curren Price and Monica Rodriguez introduced the legislation, which was seconded by Paul Krekorian.

The proposal to reduce LAPD funding has support from the entire City Council and Mayor Eric Garcetti, officials said.

The City's Budget and Finance Committee will meet on June 8 to begin budget deliberations, including the proposed cuts to LAPD funding.

Sen. Kamala Harris: Courts need tougher standards

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/amid-protests-la-city-council-members-introduce-legislation-to-cut-at-least-100-million-in-lapd-funding/ar-BB1500HP?ocid=hplocalnews

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

4 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

We know the protests are not solely about police brutality, and that systemic racism is all over the US and affects literally everything, including access to healthcare.

Some apparently don’t know, or don’t believe, that.

I think I'm mostly confused by the insistence that if someone cares about BLM, they don't care about victims of Covid-19. I mean... where does that logic even come from?

[Beth Macbain]

Keeping with the BLM theme, this just dropped:

Cheeto Mussolini is going to be verrrrrrry unhappy when he tries to sic the military on the protesters and the Joint Chiefs stage a coup in the Oval.

[Gatogateau]

Since many people have said one way to help in RL is to donate to organizations that can, you know, help. The email came in my mail tonight, from PureWow. com . I did not vet the list. I can't vouch for any of them (disclaimer, etc.)  Usually there is a link to a url, but this time it was a clickable email so of course I can't share that with you, but I've done the best I can with cut and paste. Let me know if any of the links are messed up.

go to LOVELAND

go to The Bail Project

go to LDF

 

go to Know Your Rights

 

go to Fair Fight

 

go to Reclaim the Block

go to Communities

go to Black Table Arts

go to Campaign Zero

go to Color of Change

go to Brooklyn CBF

go BLM

[Gatogateau]

5 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

Keeping with the BLM theme, this just dropped:

Cheeto Mussolini is going to be verrrrrrry unhappy when he tries to sic the military on the protesters and the Joint Chiefs stage a coup in the Oval.

Source?

[Gatogateau]

The choke hold used on Mr. Floyd was technically legal at the time but the police officers have not been trained for years in how to do it. The murderer is a 19 year veteran police officer, so he had the training. Many police departments are forbidding this practice, but not all. This was a very interesting article in the NY Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/us/knee-neck-george-floyd-death.html  (and the NYT didn't make me log in or subscribe to read it this time).

Edited June 4, 2020 by Gatogateau

[Beth Macbain]

9 minutes ago, Gatogateau said:

Source?

 

[Lyssa Greymoon]

40 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

Cheeto Mussolini is going to be verrrrrrry unhappy when he tries to sic the military on the protesters and the Joint Chiefs stage a coup in the Oval.

Hopefully they're better at upholding their oaths than the police are.

Edited June 4, 2020 by Lyssa Greymoon

[Beth Macbain]

Tonight’s Louisville protest has been peaceful marching, with a stop outside the federal courthouse where blacks teens took turns on the megaphone telling their stories about police interactions and some bad ass slam poetry, and a stop outside the cemetery where Ali is buried where the group leaders schooled everyone about his civil rights campaigns.

Police and National Guard have stayed way back monitoring with binoculars and the helicopter because of threats from white nationalists to interrupt the protest.

Both the protesters and the police department are demanding the mayor’s resignation.

I’m pretty proud of my city after a couple bad nights.

I hope I didn’t just jinx it by saying that.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 hour ago, Jordan Whitt said:

And you just made mine.  

Customarily, Jordan, when I engage in discussions with people, they involve an exchange of views, and accompanying information . . . not just cryptic and somewhat hostile quips.

I explained that I didn't understand your point because, well, I didn't understand your point. I don't think that this is because I'm stupid. I don't understand why you think that caring about systemic racism and the death of black people at the hands of law enforcement officials somehow must mean that we don't care about Covid-19. This is palpably not true, as a quick search on this forum would reveal: many of the people posting here, including me, have also posted about the pandemic and the various government responses to it.

So, I'll ask again, in the hope that perhaps you'll actually elaborate an answer . . . why do you think we cannot be just as concerned about the pandemic as we are about the murder of black people at the hands of the police?

[Coffee Pancake]

53 minutes ago, Lyssa Greymoon said:

Hopefully they're better at upholding their oaths than the police are.

Which is why they can't be depended on to act against him, much like the rest of the political establishment.

[Evah Baxton]

This police chase just ended about an hour ago in Chicago and here is what this guy caught on police scanner when it was over. I've been flipping through livestreams all night and came across this right before the end of the chase.

[The original livestream (which is still streaming as of this post) is on YouTube. Channel name is in the top right of my screen capture below if you want to go back and see how it all went down. Not a recommendation of that channel FYI.]

[Why would those cops be so unprofessional? Is it appropriate at all to be calling people "bi*** a** protestors"?]

Here is my [screen capture] of [the police talking after the chase]:

 

Edited for clarity.

My point being that they say a bunch of things that just seem terribly unprofessional. Sounds like someone with authority comes in at the end to tell them to "shut their mouths". Is this normal?

Edited June 4, 2020 by Evah Baxton

[Parhelion Palou]

7 minutes ago, CoffeeDujour said:

Which is why they can't be depended on to act against him, much like the rest of the political establishment.

The military cannot act against the president. That would be unconstitutional. Everyone working for the federal government must swear to defend the Constitution. (I don't think anybody except perhaps the Secret Service swears to defend the president.) The military can and has refused to obey the Cheeto. The problem is the Republican side of the Senate is acting as if their oath was to the president and is refusing to do their Constitutional duty to be one of the checks and balances. Now they're trying to stack the judiciary. If successful, the US may be done for.

[Lindal Kidd]

2 hours ago, CoffeeDujour said:

Front-line workers will be the last to get any vaccine. 

The essential worker at your local big box store, or amazon delivery, or food processing plant, or elderly care worker, or nurse, or trash-food restaurant of choice aren't at work by choice. They are there because they earn just enough to make it to the next paycheck, they are the least able to afford any vaccine (because lets be real, healthcare is a capitalized commodity and the first company to a vaccine will make billions)

The developer of an effective vaccine is entitled to make money from it.  That does NOT mean that it should be, or will be, limited to individuals who can pay a stiff price.  The annual flu vaccine is an example...the makers get paid for it, but that comes out of the various health care programs (private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid).  People won't have to pay, not directly.  It's a public health necessity that the population gets vaccinated.

[Jordyn McGregor]

4 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Customarily, Jordan, when I engage in discussions with people, they involve an exchange of views, and accompanying information . . . not just cryptic and somewhat hostile quips.

 

Oh I am not hostile in the slightest.  I am just really sad that (now) almost 110,000 of your people have died from this virus, and as it was pointed out, the majority of them black people, and the only time their lives seem to matter is when it's trending or at the hands of your police force.  

If you are going to stand for black lives, then why aren't you outraged that so many have died, perhaps unnecessarily, in this pandemic for whatever reasons - vulnerable due to health reasons, being essential low income workers, no access to healthcare etc.  Because according to some, racism is at fault here too.  To only be outraged when a black man dies at the hands of the police force, the same police force you would call when someone is breaking into your home, just smacks of hypocrisy, virtue signalling and jumping on the bandwagon to get clout.  

And at least I am not posting silly memes calling you a "Karen".

I have said all I want to on this topic, so will take myself elsewhere and stop reading replies.  Maybe I have given you something to think about.  Regardless, I wish you all a good evening and hope you stay safe at home, or at least remain socially distanced and protected with masks and sanitiser during your protests.

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by Jordan Whitt