Choose America or Trump
Trump/Barr fascists are saying and/or implying that:
It is unlawful dangerous thugs who are protesting instead of the peaceful protesters in all 50 states (and around the world)
Protesters are paid for by George Soros and these thugs are ANTIFA
It is a hoax, fake news and no tear gas or rubber bullets have been used
And of course no police brutality is used against black Americans and peaceful protesters
Truth:
@Ken Olin
He has a bunker, the secret service, the D.C. police department, the National Guard, the US military, and now a steel fence, standing between him and the American People. #BarricadeBaby is one pitiful coward.
Tear Gas Canisters Found at Park Cleared for Trump U.S. Park Police said they didn't fire tear gas Monday, but tear gas cannisters were found at the scene via
4 four-star generals have publicly rebuked Donald Trump: 1. Jim Mattis 2. John Allen 3. Mark Milley 4. John Kelly
FBI found NO evidence of ANTIFA
FACT: The use of the term "Antifa" by Trump, Barr, etc., is them trying to brand anyone who stands against fascists as terrorists. This is, of course, is completely false, but also identifies Trump, et. al. as fascists.
The FBI trips up Bill Barr’s “Antifa-is-evil” disinformation campaign.
Barr Blames Antifa, FBI Disagrees: Watch as Bill Barr's disinformation campaign is exposed. Please retweet liberally to unmask how Barr manipulates facts and circumstances to demonize the left and hide misdeeds of alt-right hate groups.
via
Donald Trump proved this week after ordering tear gas and rubber bullets fired at peaceful protesters for his photo op that there is no bottom to his behavior.
Another journalist @michaelharriot has been arrested for covering protests. This crackdown on journalists across the country is very dangerous for democracy and common in authoritarian states
Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr’s reported deployment of the Secret Service and United States Park Police to violently remove protesters calling for justice for George Floyd requires critical investigation. White House footage of Trump’s walk to pose in front of a historic church appears to be a propaganda video or Trump campaign ad, all at the expense of protestors who were violently removed for the production of the video. The public needs to know whether the internal policies of the Secret Service and Park Police were followed, and whether these policies permit the violent dispersal of peaceful protestors.
Fences around the White House
OUR HOUSE
DC
DC Mayor Bowser is kicking the Utah National Guard out of all DC hotels tomorrow. More than 1200 troops from 10 states are being evicted.
Good News
Minneapolis City Council President says that the Minneapolis Police Department will be dismantled and replaced with a ‘transformative new model of public safety’.
SF
Following the arrest of dozens of peaceful protesters last night, District Attorney
@chesaboudin announced today: “We will not prosecute peaceful protest.” Thank you to our DA for protecting civil liberties.
DC
US Constitution. #ThirdAmendment -'No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.' Bye troops in DC!
Police State
There must never be a secret police in the United States. Who are the heavily armed men with no identification, no badges, no markings. Who refuse to identify themselves. This is an urgent matter. Who are they ? asks Steve Schmidt
I join @maddow@MSNBC in asking: Who are the #BlackShirts with no insignia, no identification and no comment? Trumpence palace guard? Republican storm troopers? Blackwater thugs for rent?
via @mother jones
Trump flooded DC with law enforcement officers who won't identify themselves. Democrats are demanding answers.
White House security blocked Washington's Episcopalian bishop from holding a vigil at her church. via @motherjones
Rep. Ted Lieu
I urge the American people to continue to exercise their First Amendment rights until
trump commits to police reforms. Government must stop murdering Black Americans.
A badge is not a license to murder. Stop doing police brutality at the police brutality protest.
One of the characteristics of a dictatorship is that a peacefull protest about excessive use of force and police brutality ends with excessive use of force and police brutality. #TrumpsBananaRepublic
I researched countless protests for my first book. I’ve written about many since. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve never seen the widespread, deliberate targeting of journalists by police that we’ve seen over the last few days. Something has changed.
LAPD officers seen striking protesters with batons in Fairfax district confrontation https://abc7.la/3dzg9qX
Gov. Cuomo says:
Peaceful protest is a sacred American right. No peaceful protestor deserves to be hit with a baton and no self-respecting police officer would defend that. I've asked
@NewYorkStateAG to investigate last night's incidents as part of her ongoing investigation.
New York is suspending habeas corpus
NYS Judge James Burke rules NYPD can now keep anyone (peaceful protestors arrested for curfew and criminal looters) detained for over 24 hours given these are extraordinary times. “It’s a crisis within a crisis", he said. "All writs are denied, BK, BX and manhattan"
Law says the government has to charge people or release them. COVID-19 means they can't safely get people in front of judges as they're arresting them.
So what do they do?
These protests are about police brutality, police overreach ignoring basic human rights and endangering people.
because the cops are arresting people faster than the judges can see them, they're throwing out basic Constitutional rights in a way that is endangering the lives of the arrested protesters (and anyone caught up with them).
There's an extra fence around the White House and DC is patrolled by unidentified goons.
They could instead slow or suspend arrests. New York City has a thing called a Desk Arraignment Ticket which is basically you get a summons for an appointment to be arraigned later. They could be doing those.
They've got other options up to and including just chilling and dialing things down a notch, de-escalating, but they're not considering those options and they don't want anyone else to consider them, either.
The suspension of liberty is being phrased as a necessity.
If the government is allowed to detain people without charging them then it doesn't matter who breaks the law or who doesn't. There is no difference as far as being held without charges. One person breaks into a store. What's their charge? Nothing! Hey, *YOU* did nothing, too!
The whole concept of civil liberties is very familiar to the so-called patriot crowd.
President Obama talked about setting up a civilian service, like a peace corps/volunteer thing that would sort of parallel the military service and the right-wing hate machine acted like he was planning his private army.
What's Trump doing?
The Trump campaign is fundraising off people being in the "Trump Army" and selling camouflage hats.
"YOU are the President’s first line of defense when it comes to fighting off the Liberal MOB."
On one level, he's just selling hats and preying on his followers' gullibility and bloodthirstiness by acting like the hat is both some exclusive member perk and a badge of membership in his actual personal army to make actual bloody war on their fellow citizens.
Even if he personally wanted nothing more than to dupe his followers out of money, the story he's using to sell it still gets us to a point where a bunch of camo-hatted "patriots" are looking to murder people.
We've already seen people who buy hats from him being willing to take him at his word when he talks about enemies and civil war and all that. Now he's getting even more explicit, while building a private army in view of the public in DC.
The NYPD already IS a private army. They're not his, they're brigands. Mercenaries out for themselves. But willing to support him as he supports them.
If there's the kind of constitutional crisis that involves military power or an argument about who is actually president, the military's number one priority will be, "Whatever happens, it can't look like we *picked* the president for the country."
I care about habeas corpus in New York City because of COVID-19, and because of the likelihood that this one civil rights abuse will enable others, and also because of the general trendline of how the norms around policing are disappearing and merging with military stuff
@AlexandraErin
Police Brutality
NYC: Kettle protestors before 8, don't let them leave, so you can then arrest them after 8 A violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. Lawlessness
Call 716-853-2222, the Buffalo PD, regarding the assault by Buffalo police officer Aaron Torgalski. Officer Torgalski has been suspended by the Buffalo, NY PD. Will probably be fired. Will probably not be prosecuted. The PD will use the "bad apple" excuse, and Torgalski will probably get a job with another PD.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood has ordered the suspension of both officers involved in viral video in Niagara Square tonight @wkbw
Man Pushed By Police in Buffalo in "Serious But Stable Condition"
National Guards Rushed to His Aid
AOC
How injustices compound: Many protestors are people who‘ve lost health insurance during COVID.
After being beaten, tear gassed, or badly hurt, many are afraid to seek medical care to check for bleeds, fractures, or head injuries because they are newly uninsured.
We the people are on the right side of history.