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'I am outraged': DC bishop denounces Trump's church visit after police clear protesters with tear gas
WASHINGTON — The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington condemned President Donald Trump on Monday for his visit to St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House after law enforcement officers used tear gas to clear protesters from the area.
"Let me be clear: The president just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese without permission as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our churches stand for," Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde told CNN.
"And to do so... he sanctioned the use of tear gas by police officers in riot gear to clear the church yard. I am outraged," Budde said.
Budde is the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese Washington, overseeing more than 80 Episcopal congregations, including St. John's. She is the first woman to serve in her position.
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Nineteen Facts About American Policing That Will Blow Your Mind
With all the protests and anger and violence across the country, a justified discussion about policing has begun on our corporate media airwaves. (I would say the discussion is overdue, but in fact we’ve had it roughly every three years for the past 40 years.) However, despite all the coverage, a deeper debate sits ignored – A debate about why our American police system exists at all, how it works (or doesn’t), and where it came from.
The following 19 facts about American policing will change everything you think you know. First let’s start with the sheer amount of murder.
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Black protester who was critically injured by police in protest is identified, student newspaper reports
Austin police shot a 20-year-old black man with a "less-lethal" weapon Sunday, and he is in critical condition in an Austin hospital, police Chief Brian Manley said. His family identified him as Justin Howell, a Texas State University student.
Austin police critically injured a 20-year-old black protester Sunday when an officer shot him with "less-lethal" ammunition during a weekend filled with Texas demonstrations and violence, according to police Chief Brian Manley. Video also shows officers shooting at the people trying to get medical attention for the protester, identified as Justin Howell by The Battalion, Texas A&M's student newspaper.
Howell's brother, who works for The Battalion, wrote in an op-ed that doctors have told his family that Howell, a political science student at Texas State University, has a fractured skull and brain damage.
Demonstrations nationwide were sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck until he lost consciousness and for minutes afterward. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has since been fired and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three officers who were with him were also fired. In Austin, protesters also demonstrated for Michael Ramos, an unarmed black man who was shot to death by an Austin police officer in late April.
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U.S. police have attacked journalists more than 100 times in the past four days
A number of efforts are underway to try to track the attacks on journalists, which are often first documented on Twitter. Bellingcat senior investigator Nick Waters had documented 101 incidents by Monday evening — with #101 occurring outside the White House, when federal law enforcement attacked a group with tear gas in order to clear a path for the president to walk to a photo opportunity in which he held a Bible in front of St. John’s Church. A story on Bellingcat’s site, “U.S. Law Enforcement Are Deliberately Targeting Journalists During George Floyd Protests,” provides more insight into some of the incidents, and notes:
Although in some incidents it is possible the journalists were hit or affected accidentally, in the majority of the cases we have recorded the journalists are clearly identifiable as press, and it is clear that they are being deliberately targeted. This pattern of violence against journalists is replicated in several cities, but appears most intense in Minneapolis.
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Louisville police chief fired after fatal shooting of David McAtee
Police failed to have their body cameras on at the scene.
A police chief has been fired and two officers are on administrative leave after a barbecue business owner in the West End of Louisville, Kentucky, was shot dead by law enforcement trying to enforce curfew amid protests over a previous police shooting, officials said.
David McAtee, who owned YaYa's BBQ, was shot and killed early Monday morning in the parking lot of Dino's Food Mart on 26th and Broadway, where he normally set up his stand.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement that the Louisville Metro Police Department and National Guard were dispatched to the lot to disperse a crowd when they were fired upon and subsequently returned fire, killing McAtee.
McAtee's mother, Odessa Riley, described him to the Courier-Journal as a "community pillar" who would feed police for free. Those who knew him told the publication he would often cook for community events as well.
McAtee's death comes amid protests in Louisville for Breonna Taylor, a licensed EMT, who was shot eight times while sleeping in her home by police executing a "no-knock" search warrant on March 13. The FBI are investigating Taylor's death.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In the end, it was one mistake too many for embattled Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad.
On Monday afternoon, Mayor Greg Fischer fired Conrad, effective immediately, after learning that officers at the fatal shooting of popular eatery owner David McAtee did not have their body cameras turned on.
"This type of institutional failure will not be tolerated," said Fischer, who later added that "an immediate change in leadership is required."
Both LMPD officers and National Guard soldiers fired their weapons early Monday morning, killing McAtee, the owner of YaYa's BBQ in western Louisville, after officials said someone shot at LMPD officers from a parking lot at 26th and Broadway.
The incident is under state, federal and local police investigation.
Conrad, who served as chief for eight years, had said last month he would retire at the end of June amid increasing pressure in the wake of a different fatal police shooting: that of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old ER technician who was killed March 13 in her apartment.
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Illinois Man Matthew Rupert Charged With Rioting, Possessing Explosives In Minneapolis, Chicago George Floyd Protests
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The U.S. Attorney’s office has charged Galesburg, Illinois resident Matthew Lee Rupert, 28, with causing civil disorder, a riot and possessing unregistered explosive devices in an effort to stoke chaos Friday night during protests for George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The criminal complaint says Rupert posted to Facebook Friday, saying, “I’m going to Minneapolis tomorrow who coming only goons I’m renting hotel rooms.” Then Saturday, he posted a cellphone video of himself in Minneapolis, giving out explosive devices to people and pushing for others to throw the explosives at law enforcement. He is also shown in the video damaging property, and engaging in arson and looting businesses.
“They’ve got SWAT trucks up there … I’ve got some bombs if you all want to throw them back,” Rupert said in the video. “Bomb them back … here I got some more … light it up and throw it.”
He is also seen in the video asking people for lighter fluid before he enters a Sprint store.
“I lit it on fire,” Rupert says in the video, before going into an Office Depot and looting merchandise.
On Saturday, Rupert posted to Facebook again, this time looking for people to join him in Chicago for similar activities. He then posted videos early Sunday morning of himself roaming the city with other accomplices.
“Let’s start a riot,” Rupert said in a video. “I’m going to start doing some damage.”
Rupert and his companions were arrested at about 2:21 a.m. Sunday by Chicago police officers for violating curfew. Police found explosives, a flash light, a hammer and cash inside his car.
Anyone with information about people committing similar crimes during protests, including violence, destruction and arson, are urged to called FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI (5324).
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Lawmakers Begin Bipartisan Push to Cut Off Police Access to Military-Style Gear
The effort to end a program transferring surplus military equipment from the Pentagon to the police reflects a revived bipartisan concern about excessive use of force by law enforcement.
WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats in Congress have begun a new push to shut down a Pentagon program that transfers military weaponry to local law enforcement departments, as bipartisan urgency builds to address the excessive use of force and the killings of unarmed black Americans by the police.
With protests turning violent across the country, lawmakers are scrutinizing the Defense Department initiative — curtailed by former President Barack Obama but revived by President Trump — that furnishes police departments with equipment such as bayonets and grenade launchers. The move comes after several nights when officers wearing riot gear have been documented using pepper spray and rubber bullets on protesters, bystanders and journalists, often without warning or seemingly unprovoked.
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George Floyd death homicide, official post-mortem declares
The death of George Floyd, which triggered widespread protests across the US, has been declared a homicide in an official post-mortem examination.
The 46-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest while being restrained by Minneapolis police, the report found.
It listed Mr Floyd's cause of death as "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression"
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Protesters in Nashville, Tennessee tore down the statue of a white supremacist.
The statue is of Edward Carmack, a racist politician who in his newspaper called for the firebombing of Ida B. Wells when she advocated for an end to lynching.
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Gangs are uniting in the uprising against racist police violence.
Bloods, Crips and other gangs in Newark tied their bandanas together at a protest, indicating a truce.
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"Cup Foods owner on George Floyd: ‘I wish the police were never called"
Minneapolis has a state policy that requires businesses to call the police when they receive counterfeit money. The day George Floyd allegedly used a fake $20 to purchase cigarettes at Cup Foods was no different.
The only difference is the owner, Mahmoud Abumayyaleh, now says that he wishes that phone call to police was never made.
“We want to share our feelings about what transpired and led to the death of George Floyd. He was murdered and executed in cold blood. Thankfully, it was recorded and there needs to be some accountability of those officers who were involved,” Abumayyaleh told theGrio.
Abumayyaleh says that because of what happened to Floyd, Cup Foods will no longer call the police on customers and will focus instead on non-violent tactics that do not require police involvement. This information was released in a statement by Cup Foods this week.
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Conflicting reports of looting at Soho Rolex store
Looters broke into a Soho Rolex store during rioting and stole $2.4 million worth of watches, police sources said Monday, but the store’s management contradicted the report.
Video shows throngs of people making their way through the front door of the Greene Street store before fleeing a short time later.
“The Rolex store is empty,” a police source said. “They stole like $2.4 million in Rolexes.”
But the store’s spokesman said “no watches of any kind were stolen, as there weren’t any on display in the store. There were simply windows broken and some vitrines smashed.”
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