HAPPY JUNETEENTH & THE PROGRESS OF BLM

[Janet Voxel]

 

[Selene Gregoire]

https://www.ea.com/news/ea-actions-against-racial-injustice

[MoiraKathleen]

The city I live in has announced this week that the City Council approved a review of the City's policies and practices to achieve greater equality along with a plan for community engagement after our Mayor recently signed the My Brothers Keeper Pledge.  

I was impressed with the proposed community engagement components. A section of the email communication to city residents:

Step 1: The City Council will adopt a resolution condemning racism, inviting the community to share their experiences with fellow community members, and making the My Brother’s Keeper pledge with respect to police use of force policies.

Step 2: Conduct a series of listening sessions to collect stories and experiences from our residents of unequal or unfair City policies and practices. The meetings should be combined with other opportunities to share stories and experiences such as email, mail, and social media platforms. Seek out leaders of the Black, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native American communities to gain input and hear experiences regarding City policies and practices.

Step 3: Document the stories and experiences and input from Step 2 and publish a report for community review.

Step 4: Reform policies found to be causing an unequal or unfair experience.  

=============================

I think the sharing of stories has been/will be very important.

I did see some local complaints on social media that these steps above are not enough, but I think they are a very good start, acknowledging that a dialogue with the affected communities needs to start, and that those of us not in those affected communities need to hear those stories.  Without that occurring first, I don't think meaningful and lasting change is possible.  

[Ceka Cianci]

10 minutes ago, Janet Voxel said:

 

I think the main reason was, they still hadn't lost the war yet..

The emancipation proclamation was 1863,  April 9, 1865 is when General Lee surrendered..

I'm not really that up on Texas itself.. But if they were still fighting then they more than likely didn't go by union laws yet..

 

Now Tennessee on the other hand I do know because I'm finding history all around me just laying around on the ground..hehehe

Where we live.. Our land we have all kinds of history from the civil war..The north and the south troops traveled in my back yard up in the mountains on devils back bone..I find all kinds of stuff when I go riding my horse up in the mountains..

Tennessee is one of the more interesting states when it comes to the civil war as well as the emancipation proclamation.. Tennessee was actually exempted from the emancipation proclamation by Lincoln..

It was a heavy battleground state..

If you want an interesting read, this is pretty good..

Slavery Ends In Tennessee

[LexxiXhan]

1 hour ago, LyricalBookworm said:

My Universalist Quaker Group have been building a  "Quaker Anti-Racist Reading List" they made available to all members. Open discussions on the book list are planned as well for those members wishing to have open dialogue. I believe although a very tiny occurance, this is on topic. ☺

 

Quakers in the UK have shown zero tolerance for transphobia or other bigotry at key moments in recent years, and I have a feeling that's a consistent and precious quality that might be shared by Quakers in general.

[Luna Bliss]

A documentary from 2016 about the rise of Black Lives Matter by one of the co-founders:

https://documentaries.io/the-rise-of-black-lives-matter-vpro-documentary-2016/

Also, I'm starting to be concerned about the Trump rally in Tulsa tomorrow, especially due to his bizarre warning tweet:

"Any protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes who are going to Oklahoma please understand, you will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle, or Minneapolis. It will be a much different scene!" Trump tweeted Friday morning.

[Drakonadrgora Darkfold]

just a song that sort of fits the current times of today.. listen to it.. then do so again and maybe you will understand why I think this.

[Luna Bliss]

45 minutes ago, Drakonadrgora Darkfold said:

a song

In honor of the Irish Dolores of the Cranberries, who left us too soon, an Irish love song that cures all zombies:

 

Edited June 20, 2020 by Luna Bliss

[Selene Gregoire]

Btw, for those who don't know, AIM is still alive and fighting.

 

Thread:

 

[Beth Macbain]

4 hours ago, Velk Kerang said:

I could be wrong.

This will be shocking to literally no one who has ever read one of your posts, but you are wrong.

This psychopathic jackass calls his method "Killology". No, seriously, he does. He has been one of the most popular police trainers and motivational speakers in the country.

Killology. 

[Selene Gregoire]

https://franklywrite.com/2020/06/01/a-white-woman-racism-and-a-poodle/

[MoiraKathleen]

1 hour ago, Selene Gregoire said:

Btw, for those who don't know, AIM is still alive and fighting.

 

Thread:

 

The California State Legislature announced earlier this week that the statue of Columbus and Queen Isabella will be removed from the State Capital.    Earlier this week Sutter Hospital in Sacramento removed a statue of John Sutter from in front of their building. 

[LyricalBookworm]

4 hours ago, LexxiXhan said:

Quakers in the UK have shown zero tolerance for transphobia or other bigotry at key moments in recent years, and I have a feeling that's a consistent and precious quality that might be shared by Quakers in general.

I would never presume to speak for any other Quaker but myself, but my experience growing up among Friends has been the same.

[Pixie Kobichenko]

Several entertainment distribution companies have made many historically significant movies available outside their paywalls in honor of Juneteenth.  

https://ew.com/tv/when-they-see-us-13th-free-netflix-juneteenth/

[Velk Kerang]

1 hour ago, Beth Macbain said:

This will be shocking to literally no one who has ever read one of your posts, but you are wrong.

This psychopathic jackass calls his method "Killology". No, seriously, he does. He has been one of the most popular police trainers and motivational speakers in the country.

Killology. 

Well I know that was pretty much meant as a jab as about every single comment you've ever made to me is. So now that you've taken your swing and you missed and in the interest of moving on as I stated before I did not know how far different their training would deviate from mine. I can say if the clips of the officers actions in that video are any indication of his actual training program then he is training them to react in a war time situation, hence the term warrior mindset, much as solders are trained if terrorists have infiltrated a military base which is not the correct training for dealing with civilians. When dealing with civilians your required to have more of a guardian mindset.

I never met this man. Heck I never even heard of him until now. He didn't train with me and I did not ever sit in one of his seminars. I also will not comment one way or the other on his actual training until I've actually heard his entire training seminar. Posting extremely low quality videos of shootings on top of a short clip and uploading it to Youtube doesn't exactly prove the actions taken by those officers were a direct result of that mans training. In fact each shooting would need to be examined further in order to determine why they took place. There is simply not enough information present on that video to have an actual informed opinion. It was edited and designed to provoke an emotional response and judging by the Youtube comments on the video mission accomplished. The reality is you don't see everything on that video and there is no real way to know what the officers seen first hand in actually being there or even experienced that made them react the way they did.

Now that having been said from the outside looking in from the birds eye perspective view sure they seemed way entirely to trigger happy and they need to be off the streets. Going by the clips only that would indeed be the case. However what is not shown in that video is what type of area they are in, how often they get shot at in that location that would in turn cause them to react in such a manner to be jumpy and quick on the draw, or what may have came up when they ran the license plates while pulling them over, what actions transpired prior to the shootings on top of a whole other buffet of variables that lead up to the few seconds of violence clipped in to this video. In short this video proves absolute dip. It served it's purpose though. I'll give it that.🙄

Now please understand that is not me necessarily disagreeing with you or dismissing what you said because for all I know you can be calling it right on the money and this guy is a dirty ace. That is me saying if you have any real actual detailed information on anything contained in that video then by all means please feel free to share it and I will be more then happy to look it over. I'd particularly be interested in a video of his entire seminar if one exists so I can hear exactly what it is he is actually teaching in a full on session to the officers who attend. Until then I have no comment on the video one way or the other.😎

[Beth Macbain]

1 hour ago, Velk Kerang said:

Until then I have no comment on the video one way or the other.

Your other 572 words disagree with you, but okay.

[Pixie Kobichenko]

37 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

Your other 572 words disagree with you, but okay.

I started to create a response with various links that pop up for a search of Dave Grossman but figured why bother.  If Velk really wanted to learn more about him & his doctrine of killology he has the same access to the same information.  

I thought this was pretty telling tho:  https://www.insider.com/bulletproof-dave-grossman-police-trainer-teaching-officers-how-to-kill-2020-6

Killing is not a big deal & can lead to great sex.
 

Edited June 20, 2020 by Pixie Kobichenko

[LyricalBookworm]

5 hours ago, Beth Macbain said:

This will be shocking to literally no one who has ever read one of your posts, but you are wrong.

This psychopathic jackass calls his method "Killology". No, seriously, he does. He has been one of the most popular police trainers and motivational speakers in the country.

Killology. 

Thank you for sharing this. I've never heard of this and it's quite disturbing. A society that is fearful and distrustful of its own law enforcement, is sadly a failed society. Personally, I feel we are witnessing this very thing now in our own society. I know from my own perspective as an extremely petite female (4'11) who is deaf and in a wheelchair, I'm frightened of them. They don't make me feel safe with their actions that are speaking quite loudly. This is only my own perspective and of course I'm not speaking for others, but I feel this man and his ilk are exactly why we have much to be concerned about, much to fear and much to distrust.

[Beth Macbain]

Bey dropped a new song for Juneteenth. I’m still mad at her for not kicking Jay to the curb when he cheated on her with Becky, but this is an awesome song.

 

[Cindy Evanier]

[Alwin Alcott]

1 hour ago, Velk Kerang said:

 because you have absolutely indeed reminded me of why the official SL forums completely and totally suck. Take care all. lol 😎

hey ... there are still (quite) normal people here too!! .. including some who support BLM. Exept for  2 or 3 there's absolutely no way to talk to or get a reasonable response. It must be something of guilt... perhaps always approached others as trash or something like that and few others finally the possibility to lift their racism on the wings of BLM. Still it are only words, in real they do nothing ( they'r to much time on these forums to do so)
Big shouters never do a lot.. it are empty politician slogans. It's the ones that keep silent or leave this useless discussions who are the better  ...they do their thing as normally in RL, accepting their neighbours for who they are, greeting refugees when meeting in shops...help them with little things in daily life.... nó need to get that fist in the air.

These here are full of hate against themself, and project it on people who see things differently.

[Innula Zenovka]

More on police trainers, which I came across completely coincidentally, as I read a news today about Tulsa and the background to today's election rally on behalf of the Republican candidate:

Quote

 Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man on his way to church, was fatally shot by a Tulsa police officer after his truck stalled in the middle of a road. As a police helicopter hovered above the scene, an officer in the helicopter could be heard saying, “That looks like a bad guy,” moments before Crutcher was shot.

The Sept. 16, 2016, shooting of Crutcher, 40, was captured on video and drew national attention and protests. Tulsa’s district attorney filed a “heat-of-passion” manslaughter charge against the officer who shot him, Betty Shelby. Protesters gathered at the courthouse and shouted: “No justice. No peace. No racist police.” Shelby was acquitted in the shooting and later hired to train police.

Black leaders in Tulsa are outraged by Trump’s planned rally during a pandemic

[Lyssa Greymoon]

2 hours ago, Jackson Redstar said:

it is a good time to remember that it was Republicans that fought to end slavery, and Democrats who fought for the right to own slaves. It was also Democrats that created the KKK, Jum Crow laws, fought against school de-segregation and against the Civil Rights Act

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_strategy

 

[Pixie Kobichenko]

55 minutes ago, Innula Zenovka said:

More on police trainers, which I came across completely coincidentally, as I read a news today about Tulsa and the background to today's election rally on behalf of the Republican candidate:

Black leaders in Tulsa are outraged by Trump’s planned rally during a pandemic

 Terence Cruther is another casualty of police brutality in Oklahoma.  Another similar case is Luis Rodriguez- he was murdered by a Moore ((suburb of okc) police officer in 2014.  He was held on the ground by several officers and called out that he could not breathe.  That officer was  cleared of manslaughter.

https://kfor.com/news/luis-rodriguezs-family-files-lawsuit-against-moore-pd-warren-theatre-others/amp/

 It’s horrifying.  If not for the actions of that officer the man would not have died.  Seems clear to me.  
& it just keeps happening.

But back to the rally- the Tulsa mayor, GT Bynum did not want this to happen in Tulsa.  Injunctions were filed to stop it.  One was filed as an appeal to move it to an outdoor venue in light of the virus.  Just the audacity to plan it originally on the Juneteenth observance day, coupled with the 99th anniversary of the Black Wall Street Murders.  Just.  Wow.  

I live ten miles maybe as the crow flies from the BOK center where the rally will be taking place.  I don’t know anyone up here other than my neighbors since I am mostly home bound.  We are collectively holding our breath in fear of what might happen today with 18,000 in the arena & a projected 40,000 in the streets outside.  CNN already aired footage of people outside the venue yesterday trying to antagonize the reporters physically & screaming at the camera.  Ive read on local news pages on social media where people are claiming they are from out of state in Missouri, Kansas & Arkansas who plan on coming downtown fully armed (I suspect Boogaloo movements supporters) who plan on God knows what ...  well I’ll just upload it.  It’s the comments in a thread that the Tulsa PD posted in regards to curfews & security around the arena for today.  This thread is from Thursday.  
 

I hope things go smoothly today but I’m scared it’s going to be bad.

 

Edited June 20, 2020 by Pixie Kobichenko

[Ceka Cianci]

The Republicans didn't fight to end slavery.. I just grabbed this first part from google real quick..

The presidency of Abraham Lincoln began on March 4, 1861, when he was inaugurated as the 16th President of the United States, and ended upon his assassination and death on April 15, 1865, 42 days into his second term. Lincoln was the first member of the recently-established Republican Party elected to the presidency.

So he wasn't a Republican when the war started.. The reasons for both sides were established beforehand when his first term started.

EDITED to add: Well,This first part I stand corrected as I misunderstood it as him becoming Republican in his second term when it was in fact his first..

Still, the reasons remain as to why the two sides fought.. But yea, I hate when i do that..hehehehe

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Each side had it's reason for the war rather than there just being one reason for the war..Lincoln and the North fought to preserve the Union,That was it.. The south fought to defend the institution of slavery.

The southern states felt they had the constitutional right to secede and Lincoln pointed out to them that they legally didn't.

Lincoln considered the Union as the worlds last hope, compared to other types of governments in the world..

Lincoln had one goal with the civil war..Get the states back into the union..

 

Just a side note.. The Emancipation Proclamation was made so that when the union invaded an area that had slaves, They could legally free the slaves that were considered someones property..

He needed to make slavery illegal in those states to actually legally do that. He hadn't even really taken office when the first wave of states started to secede..

They seceded because of his platform as he was running ,which was to abolish the expansion of slavery in the territories..

Also, the south was using slaves to fight the north.. But so was the union..So in turn any slaves knowing this and in the fight, seeing freedom just right over there on the other side of the battle..it might put some thoughts in their head..

Also it helped to build up the union army as they progressed and freed slaves..

 

Lincolns 5 points for opposing the secession.

1. Physically the states cannot separate.

2. Secession is unlawful.

3. A government that allows secession will disintegrate into anarchy.

4. That Americans are not enemies, but friends.

5. Secession would destroy the world's only existing democracy, and prove for all time, to future Americans and to the world, that a government of the people cannot survive.

 

Here is a pretty famous letter of his that goes into what he would do to preserve the union..

Executive Mansion,
Washington, August 22, 1862.

Hon. Horace Greeley:
Dear Sir.

I have just read yours of the 19th. addressed to myself through the New-York Tribune. If there be in it any statements, or assumptions of fact, which I may know to be erroneous, I do not, now and here, controvert them. If there be in it any inferences which I may believe to be falsely drawn, I do not now and here, argue against them. If there be perceptable in it an impatient and dictatorial tone, I waive it in deference to an old friend, whose heart I have always supposed to be right.

As to the policy I "seem to be pursuing" as you say, I have not meant to leave any one in doubt.

I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was." If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views.

I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men every where could be free.

Yours,
A. Lincoln.

The south fought to defend slavery, which those that argue about why the war started will say,  it was about States rights..

Yes it was..The right to own another human.

 

Damn, I'm out of tea! \o/

Well I'm off to the kitchen!

hehehe

Edited June 20, 2020 by Ceka Cianci
because it is my freedom to do so.. that and a typo..0o