More Than A Magazine, A Movement
You’ve probably seen the images on TV or social media or in the newspaper. Portland is in chaos. Portland is being destroyed nightly by rioters and looters. According to right wing media, Portland needs federal intervention because local officials have lost control of the city.
But what’s actually happening on the ground in Portland?
Since their arrival in Portland, the federal officers deployed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have sparked national attention and outrage. The officers, along with the Trump administration, have entirely disregarded the desires of local officials, and have threatened the safety of numerous Portland protesters.
“We don’t have a secret police in this country. This is not a dictatorship” said Gov. Kate Brown (D-Ore.). “And Trump needs to get his officers off the streets.”
This week: Trump wishes Ghislaine Maxwell—a sex trafficker and close associate of Jeffrey Epstein—well. And says Epstein—a man accused of raping girls as young as 14 and operating a sex trafficking ring—is a “terrific guy” and “a lot of fun to be with.”
Republicans argue unemployment aid deters individuals from returning to work (at their jobs that no longer exist).
And Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) is retiring this year, leaving his misogynist comments as a final goodbye.
As protesters continue to demand reform and accountability for officers, it is increasingly important and necessary to understand the legal right citizens and the press have to record and publish videos of police activities.
Cue: The NYU First Amendment Watch last month released “A Citizen’s Guide to Recording Police”—which breaks down the legal precedent behind our right to record law enforcement officers.
Sandra Bland died five years ago. Breonna Taylor died four months ago. Why has so little changed?
There are valid reasons to be concerned about mass protests emerging during an ongoing pandemic, but the discourse must shift to recognize the systematic violation of public health mandates by police, even in the absence of violence and arrests, as well as harm reduction practices within the protest movement.
Black and brown people are too often killed with impunity by police. Now may be a tipping point and we should not squander this opportunity to make fundamental changes in policing.
The fact is that women in law enforcement respond differently. We are not talking about a few token women—but when gender parity is realized, policing fundamentally changes.
We have the statistics right in front of us, proving police are not an adequate defense or solution for responding to sexual violence. Anti-abolitionists and white supremacists use these statistics to claim that we need our current system to ensure the safety of women—but shouldn’t these statistics prove that our current system is not working? Why would a system that fails at least one person every 73 seconds be used as grounds for upholding said system?
Three sworn officers of the Minneapolis Police Department—all adult men—were in a position to interrupt their fellow officer’s abusive behavior and save Floyd’s life. But none did. Why?
How do norms in male-dominated peer cultures like police departments operate to keep men silent, even when they know something is wrong?
June 5 marks what would have been Breonna Taylor’s 27th birthday. Activists and members of Taylor’s community urge individuals to #SayHerName—a campaign created to raise awareness about the number of women and girls that are killed by law enforcement officers.
