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xtruss · 3 years

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Cancel Culture: Boston Emancipation Memorial of Abraham Lincoln and Freed Slave Taken Down

Many monuments and memorials referring to American historical figures have been threatened with demolition as the anti-racist movement associates them with racial injustice. Even Abraham Lincoln, who abolished slavery, seemed to be in danger.

The Emancipation Memorial was dismantled in downtown Boston on Tuesday. The cultural site portrayed a freed slave on one knee next to Abraham Lincoln, who is holding a copy of his Emancipation Proclamation.

The monument, erected in 1879, commemorated the emancipation of slaves in America, depicting Archer Alexander, who escaped slavery, helped the Union Army, and was the last person to be caught under the Fugitive Slave Act.

In June, after heated debate, city officials agreed to demolish the statue, claiming that the sculpture may cause "discomfort" despite the fact that the monument is noted by many to be dedicated to emancipation and was funded by former slaves.

Boston's public arts commission voted for the removal following a petition signed by over 12,000 people. The monument's adversaries reportedly perceived the man, who gets to his feet and frees himself from shackles, as kneeling before Lincoln. According to the commission statement, the statue “perpetuated harmful prejudices and obscured the role of Black Americans in shaping the nation’s freedoms”.

The sculpture is a miniaturized reproduction of an original monument installed in Washington DC. The latter drew attention last summer, when Black Lives Matter activists and other protesters noted that the Emancipation Memorial inappropriately depicts African Americans, distorting their contribution to liberation from enslavement. Some activists threatened to demolish the sculpture, forcing police to enclose the monument with a fence to prevent vandalism.

The Boston Emancipation Memorial demolition falls in line with a recent trend of so-called 'cancel culture' that has gained momentum amid widespread social unrest erupting shortly after an unarmed African American, George Floyd, was killed by white police officers in May 2020.

Against the backdrop of fighting racial injustice, police brutality and other forms of discrimination, so-called 'justice fighters' and other activists have appeared to some to have become extraordinarily sensitive to alternative points of view regarding art and commemorative public sculpture.

Cancel culture implies that a person, group or concept (names, images, etc.) representing past 'cultural wrongdoing' should be boycotted until the message of "harm" is undone.

Someone's not that excited to celebrate Columbus Day

Calls for cancellation during the past year have seen a variety of social and cultural phenomena changed, including the names of sport teams, foodstuffs and other goods, leading to criticism by some of movies and TV series, and, at least on one instance, a call for reconsidering superheroes.

Cultural sites dedicated to historic figures have also been targeted by protesters (either statues have been toppled or vandalised "beyond repair") who suggest that former Confederate generals, slave-owning presidents, key historic personas like Christopher Columbus or Frederick Douglass should be cancelled due to values they represent "being wrong".

Some public figures and influencers advocate the preservation of historical heritage, regardless of whether their actions of the past would be unacceptable in the present day. In June, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect the country's commemorative cites from vandalism.

"We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children or trample on our freedoms", he declared in an address at the White House on 4 July.

In a 4 July speech at Mount Rushmore, POTUS directly blamed George Floyd protesters for waging "a merciless campaign to wipe out our history", "defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children".

— Sputnik | December 30, 2020 | By Alexandra Kashirina

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newyorkprelawland-blog · 4 years

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A New Name For Washington, D.C. NFL Team

By Samantha Pasternak, Cornell University Class of 2021

August 14, 2020

The past few months have been an extremely active time for the Black Lives Matter movement. Numerous protests have occurred after the fatal arrest of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During this turmoil, a football team’s name came back up for debate. FedEx, the team sponsor of the NFL Team formerly known as the Washington Redskins, threatened to withdraw funding for the team if the team did not change its name. The name has been scrutinized for years due to it being a racist description of Native Americans. Therefore, the football team announced on July 13th that it would change its name after 87 years of being represented as the Washington Redskins [1].

Creating a new logo and name is not as simple as one might assume. There is constant deliberation over what the rebranding should be. Therefore, the team announced that it would play the upcoming season under the name “Washington Football Team” so that it could spend 12-18 months properly rebranding. The trademark for “Washington Football Team” was filed on July 23rd with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with an application number of 90069568.

Trademarking is necessary to ensure that the brand name and logo are protected for use on goods and services. Therefore, the football team will be able to produce jerseys, t-shirts, and other fan favorites with certain fonts or colors and others will not be able to unfairly profit off of their work by creating knock-offs.

The Washington NFL Team’s name has been a matter of debate for years. In 2014, the Washington Redskins trademark was voided because it was found to be a violation of the Lanham Act under the disparagement clause. The disparagement clause prohibited trademarks that "may disparage or falsely suggest a connection with persons, living or dead, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols, or bring them into contempt or disrepute” [2]. After that ruling, the name of the NFL Team was still standing due to freedom of speech, but there was no longer a trademark. Three years after this decision, however, in 2017, the Supreme Court deemed the disparagement clause unconstitutional as a violation of the First Amendment. Therefore, the Washington Redskins had their previous trademarks reinstated.

While the Washington Redskins may have regained their trademark, they have decided it is time to officially change their name. Three fan favorites for a name change include Washington Warriors, Red Wolves, and Redtails[3]. A man named Martin McCaulay has been applying for trademarks for the past 6 years. It started as a hobby and with the trademark “Washington Pigskins.” The NFL trademark attorneys contacted him and allowed his trademark to be approved, and he has since applied for 44 names. While not all have been accepted, he currently holds dozens of registered trademarks in the USPTO. Alternatives that have been approved by the office include Washington Veterans, Monuments, Renegades, Americans, and more. McCaulay has reached out to the NFL and offered to let the Washington Football Team use one of his trademarks for free. He has yet to receive a response, but he says that his top pick for a new name is the “Washington Pandas” [4].

Perhaps one of McCaulay’s trademarks will be the NFL Team’s new name. We will find out in 12-18 months.

________________________________________________________________

[1] “Washington, DC NFL Team Files Trademark for ‘Washington Football Team.’” California Trademark Attorneys, 28 July 2020, www.mandourlaw.com/blog/washington-dc-nfl-team-files-trademark-for-washington-football-team/.

[2] Edmonds, Niki. “Matal v. Tam: SCOTUS Rules Disparagement Clause in Lanham Act Unconstitutional.” Harvard Journal of Law & Technology, 5 Oct. 2017, jolt.law.harvard.edu/digest/matal-v-tam.

[3] Smith, Michael T. “Washington, D.C. NFL Team Loses Race to the Trademark Office: Does It Matter?” IPWatchdog.com | Patents & Patent Law, 23 July 2020, www.ipwatchdog.com/2020/07/24/washington-dc-nfl-team-loses-race-trademark-office-matter/id=123450/.

[4] McCarthy, Kelly. “Man Says He Offered NFL Dozens of Free Trademarks for Possible DC Team Names.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 17 July 2020, abcnews.go.com/Sports/man-offered-nfl-dozens-free-trademarks-dc-team/story?id=71843133.

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persianicole · 4 years

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Black Lives Matter Protesters Call For #BlackOutDay On 4th of July

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

Many people don’t feel like there’s much to celebrate this year especially when it comes to America! How can we celebrate the life of a Country that doesn’t celebrate black lives? There has been numerous people and activist that have called for change and a lack of celebration on this 4th with a #BlackOutDay. #BlackOutDay is a nationwide campaign that aims to…

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janepwilliams87 · 4 years

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Protests Drive DC Psychedelics Decriminalization Signatures As Activists Launch Major Mailer Campaign

Protests in the nation’s capital have helped drive about 5,000 new signatures for a local Washington, D.C. psychedelics decriminalization measure over the past week, organizers say. And now, activists are announcing on Tuesday that they are mailing petitions to every registered voter in the city as part of their campaign to place the initiative on the November ballot.

The proposal, I-81, would make enforcement of laws against various entheogenic substances such as psilocybin, ayahuasca and ibogaine among the city’s lowest law enforcement priorities. Decriminalize Nature D.C. (DNDC) has until July 6 to submit about 30,000 valid signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot.

Activists encountered a serious challenge when they had to suspend in-person signature gathering due to the coronavirus pandemic, but local lawmakers gave them a boost when the D.C. Council approved emergency legislation allowing for alternative collection methods. DNDC then launched a test, sending 10,000 petitions to residents across the city and asking them to sign and return them.

A campaign representative told Marijuana Moment that in the four weeks since that initial mailing, about 7.4 percent have been returned with valid signatures—and they anticipate that rate to continue to tick up. The test encouraged them to repeat the process on a greatly expanded basis by mailing packets containing the petition to about 220,000 addresses—that’s every household in the city that has at least one registered voter living there.

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Help reform police priorities in the District of Columbia! If you are registered to vote in DC, we need YOUR help to put Initiative 81 on the November ballot. ⠀ ⠀ –> Download an official petition TODAY. Then, print, sign, scan (or take a picture) and return the signed petition by email! Get the petition here: https://decrimnaturedc.org/petition.pdf⠀ ⠀ #DecrimNature #PlantMedicine #Democracy #ReformPolice #LocalDemocracy #DemandReform #EndtheWaronDrugs #PoliceRefrom #Initiative81 #BallotInitiative #ChangetheLaw

A post shared by Decriminalize Nature DC (@decrimnaturedc) on Jun 9, 2020 at 4:45am PDT

Because of delays in mail processing—and the potential for errors on petitions that would need to be identified, returned, corrected and resubmitted—they’re asking voters to send in their signature sheets by June 26.

The COVID-19 outbreak certainly hit the campaign hard, but organizers have seen a significant, positive response during recent protests against police violence, where they have been able to station tents along main streets and collect signatures with social distancing measures in place.

Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) was approached by a campaign volunteer at a recent protest. But while she held the petition and looked at it, she declined to sign. About 5,000 others did take the opportunity to sign at the events in the span of a week, however.

Im standing by the blue tent with @DecrimNatureDC which has collected over 5,000 signatures in the past week. #I81 is the only police priorities initiative to be on the ballot in DC this year. This is “Direct Democracy” proposed by #DCMOM @MelissaMNDC #BLM #DrugWar #PlantMedicine pic.twitter.com/rFhXvWLohm

—

Adam Eidinger

(@aeidinger) June 8, 2020

The nature of the demonstrations has led DNDC to emphasize in their messaging the role of the drug war in racial injustices that protestors are targeting.

“As a campaign of concerned DC citizens focused on reforming police priorities and enacting this small step to end the war on drugs in the District of Columbia, Initiative 81 compliments policing reforms demanded at ongoing Black Lives Matter protests which DNDC has attended and supports,” the group said in a press release.

pic.twitter.com/Xty7FLp7zQ

— DecrimNatureDC (@DecrimNatureDC) June 5, 2020

Melissa Lavasani, DNDC’s chief petitioner, said that “in these uncertain times, engagement with local democracy is key to enacting real reform.”

“When you receive a petition in the mail, it is an invitation to both make a positive change in DC laws and to support local democracy by giving DC voters the opportunity to vote on Initiative 81 in November,” she said.

Cops need to take #mushrooms! #Healing #plantmedicine #BLM #BlackLivesMatter #Initiative81 #entheogen #EndTheRacistDrugWar #DC #WashingtonDC #SignThePetition #DirectDemocracy #icantbreathe #georgefloyd #psilocybinmushrooms #psilocybe #psilocybin pic.twitter.com/CFjD6d5052

— DecrimNatureDC (@DecrimNatureDC) June 7, 2020

The cost of sending the 220,000 mailers is estimated to be about $160,000, the campaign said. That puts them over budget, but activists are confident that it will give them the push needed to make the ballot. Even if the valid signatures don’t come in ahead of the July 6 deadline, however, the group will be positioned to push ahead for the 2022 primary election—or a special election if something warrants that in the interim.

Though it only covers a small fraction of their costs to date, DNDC says it has brought in about $5,000 in donations after sending out handmade masks featuring various entheogenic plants. The activist company Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps has also donated substantial funds to the effort.

California Governor Says Marijuana Legalization Is A ‘Civil Rights’ Matter Amid Mass Protests Over Racial Injustice

Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype and Apollo.

The post Protests Drive DC Psychedelics Decriminalization Signatures As Activists Launch Major Mailer Campaign appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

from Updates By Jane https://www.marijuanamoment.net/protests-drive-dc-psychedelics-decriminalization-signatures-as-activists-launch-major-mailer-campaign/

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womenofcolor15 · 4 years

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The Only Responses You Need To See From Trump’s Klan Rally-Esque RNC Speech + 4 People Who Attended The RNC In Charlotte Test Positive For COVID-19

At least four people who attended the first day of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte have tested positive for COVID-19. Last night, Trump delivered a very Klan rally-esque speech to accept the Republican nomination for the 2020 presidential race and we’ve rounded up the only responses you need to see inside….

The Coronavirus has invaded the Republican National Convention just like it did at Trump’s Tulsa rally back in June. It was revealed that six staffers on the Trump campaign tested positive for the coronavirus after attending the Tulsa rally. Weeks after the rally, COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma also surged.

Now, it’s happening again.

Two attendees and two staffers working at the RNC in Charlotte tested positive for the Coronavirus, according to local health officials. Day 1 of the RNC kicked off Monday in Charlotte with hundreds of delegates in attendance.

Mecklenburg County leaders say those who tested positive at the event were immediately isolated.

2 attendees & 2 event support people tested positive for COVID-19 at the Republican National Convention. All were immediately isolated.

62 County residents at higher education institutions outside the County have tested positive for COVID-19.

New data » https://t.co/5rNN6zpuRU pic.twitter.com/ckthd9s7qL

— Mecklenburg County (@MeckCounty) August 28, 2020

According to the Charlotte Observer, around 792 Coronavirus tests were administered to attendees and people providing support to the RNC in Charlotte.

“Of these, 2 attendees and 2 individuals supporting the event tested positive for COVID-19. These individuals were immediately issued isolation instructions and any known close contacts were notified and issued quarantine instructions by Mecklenburg County Public Health (MCPH),” County leaders said.

Hardly anyone attending the event had on a mask and they were packed like sardines on the White House lawn. Approximately 1,800 people were in attendance.

It’s reported there are 24,952 cases of COVID-19 and 290 virus-related deaths have been reported in Mecklenburg County as of Thursday evening.

As of Thursday evening, there are 24,952 cases of novel coronavirus and 290 virus-related deaths among Mecklenburg County residents.

We’re sure Trump will lie and say it’s “fake news”, much like the lies he spewed last night during the last night of the RNC, which was held outside on the South Lawn of the White House. Get this, it’s against the law to have a partisan political event – like the RNC – at any federal building like the White House, which is why no other president has ever done this. Yet, he did it anyway.

President Barack Obama’s former chief official White House photographer Pete Souza made note of Trump’s unethical and illegal event. Check it:

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The White House is the people’s house. Annual public events and many historic events have taken place on the South Lawn. It was a disgrace–not to mention unethical and illegal–for IMpotus to use the people’s house for a political speech (riddled with lies) at his political convention. To see campaign signs on the South Lawn is the hallmark of a monarchy. To see a super-spreader event on live television was disgusting. Last night demonstrated that his presidency is nothing but a reality show, and that corruption is being committed out in the open in front of the whole world. #VOTETheWayYOUSeeIt because our democracy is in fact in jeopardy.⁣ ⁣

A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on Aug 28, 2020 at 5:31am PDT

Journalists were also shocked the White House would host such an openly political event:

.@jonkarl: “I’m practically speechless, here. I have been covering the White House on and off for two decades … Here we have the entire South Lawn of the White House transformed into the hall, the venue, for a national political convention.” https://t.co/Y3Txz0cFHU #RNC2020 pic.twitter.com/E9jFPeZEAI

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 28, 2020

If you want a full break down of Trump’s Klan rally-esque speech - where every lie he told was fact checked - click here.

Twitter was on fire last night during the RNC and here are the only responses you need to see about it all:

Trump’s DC fireworks display. One woman commented “it looks like the end of the world.” #DCProtests #RNC2020 pic.twitter.com/xxprCbiZtC

— Jane Recker (@janerecker) August 28, 2020

No mention of Republican Herman Cain, who died in July after contracting COVID-19. You’ll recall, Cain became ill after attending Trump’s Tulsa rally without wearing a mask.

Herman Cain was not remembered during the RNC nor at its mask-less, Super Spreader finale on the WH lawn. Maybe it was because Cain likely contracted the COVID-19 that killed him at a mask-less, Super Spreader, Trump event in Tulsa in June.#Incovenient pic.twitter.com/vzKa6gsECa

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) August 28, 2020

Herman Cain shucked so Ben Carson could jive.

— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) August 28, 2020

1) I hate how Rudy Giuliani says "Black Lives Matter" 2) I hate how Rudy Giuliani says "All Black Lives Matter" 3) The way Rudy Giuliani says "Black Lives Matter" lets me know he doesn't think "All Black Lives Matter" 4)I'm shocked he got through that speech without saying Nigga.

— Charlamagne Tha God (@cthagod) August 28, 2020

Many People Are Saying that Trump is incompetent and unfit for the presidency.

— Maya Harris (@mayaharris_) August 28, 2020

“Good evening. I’m Ivanka Trump, but you can call me Karen.”

— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) August 28, 2020

I ain’t trying to start trouble, but did he just touch his sweat and then wipe that shit on ole girl? https://t.co/pjQHjNBK77

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) August 28, 2020

President Trump's first mention of Kenosha, Wisconsin is to condemn "rioting, looting, arson and violence."

He has yet to mention the name of Jacob Blake, the black man who was shot seven times in the back by a police officer and who is now paralyzed, according to his family.

— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) August 28, 2020

After the RNC, Republican Sen. Rand Paul and his wife Kelley Paul were escorted by police from the event as protesters followed them. Many of them confronted the lawmaker from Kentucky to acknowledge the shooting death of Breonna Taylor.

Check it:

Rand Paul just got chased by a crowd back to his hotel, after leaving the White House from Trump’s Republican Party Nomination #DC #DCProtests pic.twitter.com/h1kPcZG1jh

— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) August 28, 2020

I think protesters are confronting ... Rand Paul pic.twitter.com/aBLRnP5WgQ

— Justin Wm. Moyer (@justinwmmoyer) August 28, 2020

D.C. police officers had to escort @RandPaul to the Hotel Washington as dozens of demonstrators followed and jeered him. At least one person is being treated by protest medics for what appears to be an OC spray injury. pic.twitter.com/fOrKQ2C29D

— Clarence Williams (@nu1wcf) August 28, 2020

Of course, Rand Paul hopped on Twitter and acted as if the protesters were 2 seconds from taking his life. Stahhhp it, sir.

Just got attacked by an angry mob of over 100, one block away from the White House. Thank you to @DCPoliceDept for literally saving our lives from a crazed mob.

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) August 28, 2020

Hey Rand, how about you "Be Best" like Melania Trump says and take action in the Breonna Taylor case! Was she not your Kentucky constituent?!

Photo: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/08/28/4-people-who-attended-the-rnc-in-charlotte-test-positive-for-covid-19-the-only-responses-

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ladystylestores · 4 years

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US grapples with Confederate past after protests – Live updates | USA News

The police killing of George Floyd has triggered anti-racism protests around the world. A number of monuments with links to colonialism and slavery have either been defaced or pulled down in Europe and the United States as protests continue for racial justice.

Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, testified before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, along with family lawyer Ben Crump and 10 others at the first congressional hearing to examine the social and political undercurrents that have fuelled weeks of protests nationwide and overseas.

The death of Floyd, who died after a policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, has sparked nationwide calls for policing reforms.

Wednesday, June 10:

22:10 GMT – US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demands statues of 11 men linked to the Confederacy removed from US Capitol

Pelosi sent a letter to the House-Senate panel in charge of the National Statuary Hall collection in the Capitol to take down the likenesses of 11 Confederate soldiers and officials that she said “pay homage to hate, not heritage”.

Calling the halls of Congress “the very heart of our democracy” ahd said the statues should embody Americans’ “highest ideals” not men “who avocated cruelty and barbarism to achieve such a plainly racist end”.

The statues which fill the halls of Congress should reflect our highest ideals as Americans. Today, I am once again calling for the removal from the U.S. Capitol of the 11 statues representing Confederate soldiers and officials. These statues pay homage to hate, not heritage.

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 10, 2020

The letter is the latest move in the wake of global protests over racism, to remove statues of those associated with perpetrating it. Across the United States and internationally, statues have been toppled, removed or covered.

21:23 GMT – NASCAR to ban Confederate flags at events

US professional stock car racing league NASCAR announced it will ban Confederate flags at future events, the Washington Post has reported.

“The presence of the Confederate flag … runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry,” NASCAR said in a statement.

The decision comes two days after Bubba Wallace, the only African American driving in the NASCAR Cup Series, requested NASCAR ban the flag viewed as a symbol of hate for many.

Wallace used a #BlackLivesMatter livery on his Richard Petty Motorsport Chevrolet for a race at Martinsville Speedway on Wednesday.

pic.twitter.com/GzkbpEAROM

— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 7, 2020

“I think it’s going to speak volumes for what I stand for, but also what the initiative that NASCAR, the whole sport, is trying to push”, Wallace said ahead of the decision.

19:15 GMT – White House says it is finalising proposals on police reform

The White House said it is putting the finishing touches on proposals to reform the police, and that reducing immunity for cops is a “non-starter.”

Speaking at a White House briefing, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said administration plans to address protester concerns about police brutality are reaching “final edits,” and said the proposals could be made public in the “coming days.”

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany addressing a first press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House [Carlos Barria/Reuters]

19:00 GMT – Trump rules out renaming US bases named for Confederate leaders

President Donald Trump rejected any proposal to rename US military bases that are named for Confederate leaders from the 1860s civil war.

As many as 10 bases carry the names of Confederate leaders, including Fort Bragg in North Carolina, one of the largest in the United States, and Fort Hood in Texas. Discussions about renaming them emerged as a way of racial reconciliation.

“The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars. Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations…” Trump wrotee in a tweet.

…history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom. The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars. Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 10, 2020

17:45 GMT – Boston to offer COVID-19 testing to protesters

Boston is offering those participated in street protests following the death of Floyd access to coronavirus testing.

Mayor Marty Walsh said in a news conference that his administration is reaching out to organisers of the demonstrations and is working to create a mobile pop-up testing site in the Boston neighborhood of Roxbury that will be open to everyone, whether or not they are showing signs of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

“There is no special screening or requirements,” Walsh said. “As people lift their voices to fight racism and injustice, we want to make sure that we keep them safe as well.”

16:35 GMT – Thousands attend Black Lives Matter demo in Amsterdam

Thousands of people demonstrated in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in a park in Amsterdam named for South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.

It was the latest in a series of protests in Dutch cities that have erupted in recent days.

“We are here to hold up a fist against the global pandemic of racism,” protester Mitchell Esajas told the crowd.

Thousands of people demonstrate in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in a park in Amsterdam, the Netherlands [Peter Dejong/AP Photo]

Public debate about racism, discrimination and historical links to the slave trade have intensified in the Netherlands since Floyd’s death.

A Dutch human rights organization called on the government to appoint a coordinator to help tackle what it called “structural discrimination” in the Netherlands.

15:45 GMT – Minneapolis police chief takes on union, promises reform

The Minneapolis Police Department will withdraw from police union contract negotiations, Chief Medaria Arradondo said as he announced the first steps in what he said would be transformational reforms to the agency.

Arradondo said a thorough review of the contract is planned. He said the contract needs to be restructured to provide more transparency and flexibility for true reform. The review would look at matters such as critical incident protocols, use of force, and disciplinary protocols, including grievances and arbitration.

He said it is debilitating for a chief when there are grounds to terminate an officer and a third-party mechanism works to keep that person on the street.

Security forces take position during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US [Lucas Jackson/Reuters]

“This work must be transformational, but I must do it right,” Arradondo said of changes to the department.

He also promised new research and strategies to spot and intervene with problem officers.

“We will have a police department that our communities view as legitimate, trusting and working with their best interests at heart,” he said, adding that the department has to address issues of racism head-on.

15:00 GMT – ‘Teach them what necessary force is’: George Floyd’s brother calls for police reforms

Lawmakers heard urgent pleas from George Floyd’s brother who called for reforms and better training for police officers.

“Teach them what necessary force is,” he said “Teach them that necessary force should be used rarely, and only when life is at risk.”

He also reminded the panel that police were called because his brother had allegedly used a counterfeit $20 bill.

George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd giving his opening statement during the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Policing Practices and Law Enforcement Accountability at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, [Michael Reynolds/Pool via Reuters] [Daylife]

“George wasn’t hurt anyone that day. He didn’t deserve to die, over $20. I’m asking you. Is that what is that what a black man is worth? $20? This is 2020. Enough is enough. The people watching in the streets are telling you enough is enough,” he said.

The Judiciary panel is preparing to shepherd a sweeping Democratic package of legislation aimed at combating police violence and racial injustice, to the House floor by July 4, and is expected to hold further hearings next week to prepare the bill for a full House vote.

14:40 GMT – ‘I’m tired, I’m tired of the pain,’ George Floyd’s brother says

George Floyd’s brother testified Wednesday at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on issues of racial profiling, police brutality and lost trust between police departments and the communities they serve.

“I’m tired. I’m tired of the pain I’m feeling now and I’m tired of the pain I feel every time another black person is killed for no reason,” Philonise Floyd said during his testimony.

“I’m here today to ask you to make it stop. Stop the pain. Stop us from being tired,” Floyd said. “George’s calls for help were ignored. Please listen to the call I’m making to you now, to the calls of our family, and to the calls ringing out in the streets across the world.”

“If his death ends up changing the world for the better. And I think it will. I think it has. Then he died as he lived. It is on you to make sure his death isn’t in vain,” he said.

Read more here.

14:35 GMT – White House defends Trump’s conspiracy theory tweet on Buffalo protester

The White House on Wednesday defended President Donald Trump’s promotion of an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about a 75-year-old protester injured by police in Buffalo, saying it was Trump’s “prerogative” to raise questions about the incident.

The protester, Martin Gugino, was shoved by police and critically injured when he approached them during a march against racism and police brutality in an incident that was captured on video and led to criminal charges against the officers involved.

Trump, offering no evidence, tweeted on Tuesday that Gugino’s fall could be a “set up” with ties to the anti-fascist movement antifa.

Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2020

“The president was just raising some questions, some legitimate ones, about that particular interaction. And it’s his prerogative to do so,” White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News on Wednesday.

A lawyer for Gugino called Trump’s statement “dark, dangerous, and untrue,” according to media reports. Gugino told USA TODAY he had “no comment other than Black Lives Matter” and that he has been released from intensive care and “should recover eventually.”

Buffalo Police Officers Aaron Torgalski, 39, and Robert McCabe, 32, face felony assault charges over the incident.

14:30 GMT – Twitter, Square to make June 19 a holiday to support racial diversity

Jack Dorsey, the chief executive of Square Inc and Twitter Inc, said June 19, popularly known as ‘Juneteenth’, would be a permanent company-wide holiday in the United States to show support for racial diversity.

Both Twitter and Square are making #Juneteenth (June 19th) a company holiday in the US, forevermore. A day for celebration, education, and connection.https://t.co/xmR3fWMiRs

— jack (@jack) June 9, 2020

June 19 commemorates the US abolition of slavery by President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which was belatedly announced in the state of Texas on June 19, 1865, after the end of the Civil War.

14:25 GMT – US top doctor expresses concerns about protests spreading coronavirus

The US top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci expressed concern that recent mass protests against police brutality and racism would spread the novel coronavirus because of a lack of social distancing.

Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert and member of the White House coronavirus task force, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” he isn’t surprised that members of the Washington, DC, National Guard who mobilized in response to the protests had tested positive, but he called the development “disturbing.”

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci speaking during a Coronavirus Task Force news conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, DC [Al Drago/Pool via EPA]

“The issue of physical separation is important. Masks can help, but it’s masks plus physical separation, and when you get congregations like we saw with the demonstrations, like we have said – myself and other health officials – that’s taking a risk,” Fauci said. “Unfortunately, what we’re seeing now is just an example of the kinds of things we were concerned about.”

14:15 GMT – Netflix launches Black Lives Matter collection for viewers

Streaming service Netflix announced that it is promoting a new “Black Lives Matter” collection to US subscribers, featuring over 45 movies, television shows and documentaries about racial injustice and the experience of Black Americans.

The collection includes Da 5 Bloods, 13th, When They See Us, Mudbound, Orange Is the New Black, Dear White People, as well as Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning Moonlight.

When we say “Black Lives Matter,” we also mean “Black storytelling matters.”

With an understanding that our commitment to true, systemic change will take time – we’re starting by highlighting powerful and complex narratives about the Black experience.

— Netflix (@netflix) June 10, 2020

“When we say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ we also mean ‘Black storytelling matters,'” Netflix said in a tweet. “With an understanding that our commitment to true, systemic change will take time – we’re starting by highlighting powerful and complex narratives about the Black experience.”

12:50 GMT – George Floyd’s brother to address US House panel on police reforms

One of the brothers of George Floyd is due to speak to a Democratic-led congressional panel as lawmakers take on the twin issues of police violence and racial injustice.

Philonise Floyd speaking during his brother’s funeral at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston, Texas, US [Godofredo A Vasquez/Pool via Reuters]

Philonise Floyd, 42, will testify before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, along with family lawyer Ben Crump and 10 others at the first congressional hearing to examine the social and political undercurrents that have fuelled weeks of protests nationwide and overseas.

The Judiciary panel is preparing to shepherd a sweeping package of legislation, aimed at combating police violence and racial injustice, to the House floor by July 4, and is expected to hold further hearings next week to prepare the bill for a full House vote.

12:45 GMT – Confederate monument in Virginia covered with rubbish bags

Protesters in Portsmouth, Virginia, covered a Confederate monument in the city with rubbish bags and sheets, several hours after the city’s council members had a meeting to figure out ways to relocate it.

A white sheet that read “BLM” – the acronym for Black Lives Matter – covered the fence in front of the monument hours after the Portsmouth city council met to discuss who owns the figure, a local TV channel reported. The question about who owns the monument has been the main roadblock in the city’s years-long quest to remove it.

In Richmond, Virginia, a statue of Christopher Columbus was torn down by protesters, set on fire and then thrown into a lake on Tuesday. The statue was toppled less than two hours after protesters gathered in the city’s Byrd Park chanted for the statue to be taken down, news outlets reported.

12:40 GMT – Corrections officer among group that mocked Floyd’s killing as protesters marched by

A white man seen in a video circulating on social media mocking George Floyd’s death included a corrections officer in South Jersey, local media reported.

The man – whose identity has not been verified – was filmed kneeling on another man, recreating how Floyd died on May 25, while Black Lives Matter protesters marched by.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections confirmed in a statement that the man in the video was a corrections officer at Bayside State Prison and that he has been suspended while the agency conducts an investigation.

“We have been made aware that one of our officers from Bayside State Prison participated in the filming of a hateful and disappointing video that mocked the killing of George Floyd,” an NJ Department of Corrections statement said.

Catch up on Tuesday’s updates here.

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Trump said he intends to declare antifa as a terrorist organization. Here's what we know about the decades-old, leaderless group.

The leaderless, non-hierarchial organization has existed for decades but has grown to greater prominence since Trump's election in 2016 and after the violent 2017 white supremacist rally and its counterprotests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

— By Michelle Mark and Connor Perrett | June 2, 2020 | Businesses Insider

Hundreds of protesters gather at Government Center including a protester with an antifa flag draped over his shoulders during a rally in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in Boston on May 31, 2020. Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

President Donald Trump and other Republicans have blamed antifa, which stands for anti-fascist, for ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd.

The president said amid the protests that he intends to declare antifa as a terrorist organization.

The group has represented a boogeyman of sorts for Trump, who previously threatened to classify the group as a terrorist organization in July 2019 after a clash between members of antifa and far-right group the Proud Boys.

Members of the group are known for clashing with members of the far-right and decrying white supremacy, though the group has drawn criticism in the past for its willingness to use violence.

President Donald Trump on Sunday announced plans to designate a left-wing group known as antifa as a "terrorist organization," blaming the group and other unidentified "radical left-wing" organizations for ongoing civil unrest following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd.

Floyd, a black man, died while in police custody on May 25. Video of the incident showed that a white police officer held his knee to Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes, even after Floyd lost consciousness. That officer, Derek Chauvin, was fired and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Three other Minneapolis police officers present have been fired but have not been charged with a crime.

Floyd's death has sparked protest — many peaceful but some violent — in Minneapolis and other major cities throughout the US, including New York, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta. Over the past week, some protests have resulted in the looting of business, destruction of property, and death.

"I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters, but in recent days our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters, criminals, rioters, antifa, and others," Trump said at a June 1 press briefing.

Other Republican leaders joined Trump in claiming that protests are the result of antifa, a leaderless, non-hierarchial organization that has existed for decades.

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton called ongoing protests the work of "antifa terrorists" in a June 1 tweet, echoing the president's rhetoric. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz similarly equated antifa with terrorists and said the members should be "hunt them down like we do those in the Middle East."

The group has represented a boogeyman of sorts for Trump, who in July 2019 similarly threatened to classify the group as a terrorist organization after a clash between members of antifa and far-right group the Proud Boys in Portland led to the assault of a conservative journalist.

While the group has existed for decades, its name seems to have entered mainstream vernacular after a white supremacist rally and counterprotests clashed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. Trump was most likely referring to antifa activists when he blamed "many sides" for the violence in his initial statement on the Charlottesville violence. At a press conference later that week, Trump criticized what he called the "alt-left" for "charging with clubs."

In and around Portland, Oregon, activists with the organization smashed windows and hurled smoke bombs during a series of riots following Trump's election. In August last year, 13 people were arrested in a clash between members of antifa and far-right groups.

It's not exactly clear how many demonstrators at ongoing protests are members of antifa.

"The radical left is much bigger than antifa, much, much bigger, and the number of people who are participating in the property destruction are much, much bigger than the radical left," Mark Bray, a historian at Rutgers University who authored "Antifa: The Anti-Facist Handbook," told the Associated Press.

Here's what you need to know about the activist movement:

What is antifa?

A counterprotester with an antifa sign outside the Boston Commons and the Boston Free Speech Rally in Boston in 2017. Reuters/Stephanie Keith

Antifa, short for "anti-fascist," describes a decentralized, leaderless movement dedicated to combatting right-wing authoritarianism and white supremacy. It has existed for decades but gained prominence after the election of President Donald Trump in 2016, and has continued to be associated with clashes and protests since.

Its members include a mixture of anarchists, socialists, communists, and other far-left activists. It's unclear how many people count themselves as members, but local, autonomous chapters or cells exist in major cities across the US, in many cases accompanied by sizable online followings.

The movement's adherents reject the notion that white supremacy can be quashed by any government apparatus and believe it instead must be eradicated through direct action.

Bray said the group lacks hierarchical structure or universal set of tactics that would make it recognizable. Its members often to espouse revolutionary and anti-authoritarian views, he said.

Sometimes their action consists of traditional community-organizing efforts like peacefully protesting or fundraising. In other cases, Antifa activists have staged doxxing campaigns to expose suspected white supremacists to their employer or landlord and have sometimes used violence to clash with those they view as fascist.

Antifa activists believe that legislative efforts or action from law enforcement are not only insufficient in expunging racist or fascist viewpoints but perpetuate them.

These beliefs were put on full display during the Charlottesville, Virginia, rally, when counterprotesters complained that the police had neglected to protect them from violence. It was antifa, instead, that had physically defended vulnerable counterprotesters and prevented further bloodshed, they argue.

"The police didn't do anything in terms of protecting the people of the community, the clergy," Cornel West, a prominent academic and activist, told The Washington Post. "If it hadn't been for the anti-fascists protecting us from the neo-fascists, we would have been crushed like cockroaches."

The origins of antifa lie in subcultures that emerged to counter fascism in the 1900s.

Antifa protesters at a rally on June 4 in Portland, Oregon. Getty Images/Natalie Behring

Antifa's origins are sometimes attributed to European movements in the 1930s against Nazis in Germany and Blackshirts in Italy, though a more direct and contemporary ancestor of the movement would be the far-left activists who opposed British neo-Nazis in the 1970s and 1980s during the height of the punk-rock subculture's popularity.

In the US and Canada, the Anti-Racist Action Network sprang up around the same time in the 1980s in a similarly loose and decentralized state that Antifa exists in today.

America's oldest antifa group that still operates is Rose City Antifa, which formed in 2007 in Portland, Oregon, according to Bray.

Bray previously wrote in The Washington Post that these early Antifa adherents typically faced outright animosity from the mainstream left for their attention to what was then seen as fringe, racist groups instead of tackling "more large-scale, systemic injustices."

"Years before the alt-right even had a name, antifascists were spending thankless hours scouring seedy message boards and researching clandestine neo-Nazi gatherings," Bray wrote. "They were tracking those who planted the seeds of the death that we all witnessed in Charlottesville."

'You need violence in order to protect nonviolence': Antifa, in its members' own words

Anti-fascist counterprotesters outside Emancipation Park on August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla

Antifa members don't hesitate to describe their movement as one that uses any means necessary to oppose fascism.

A 2017 manual for organizing local antifa groups published on It's Going Down, an Antifa-supporting journal, advises prospective members to stay anonymous, track and document "white nationalist, Far Right, and fascist activity," and organize demonstrations to counter events held by white nationalists or members of the so-called alt-right.

The manual warns against accepting "people who just want to fight," adding that "physically confronting and defending against fascists is a necessary part of anti-fascist work, but is not the only or even necessarily the most important part."

"No, I did not behave peacefully when I saw a thousand Nazis occupy a sizable American city," one activist wrote in a letter published on It's Going Down. "I fought them with the most persuasive instruments at hand, the way both my grandfathers did. I was maced, punched, kicked, and beaten with sticks, but I gave as good as I got, and usually better. Donald Trump says that 'there was violence on both sides.' Of course there was."

The necessity of violence in the face of what they perceive as a growing fascist threat is a sentiment expressed by many antifa adherents, who emphasize that white nationalists often cannot be reasoned with or otherwise opposed.

"You need violence in order to protect nonviolence," Emily Rose Nauert, an antifa member best known for being punched in the face by a white nationalist during a clash at Berkeley in April 2017, told The New York Times. "That's what's very obviously necessary right now. It's full-on war, basically."

Antifa's critics on the right have pushed back on the group's use of force

President Donald Trump makes a statement to the press in the Rose Garden about restoring "law and order" on June 1, 2020 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Right-wing critics of antifa have long expressed concerns about the chilling effect the group has on their First Amendment rights. Conservatives have also decried the groups sometimes violent and confrontational tactics.

Conservatives have long complained of censorship and infringement on their freedom of speech — particularly on college campuses, where predominantly left-wing student bodies and faculties have often succeeded at shutting or shouting down controversial right-wing speakers and events.

Among the most prominent of such instances was Berkeley's cancellation of Ann Coulter's campus speech in 2017 out of fear that far-left activists and antifa members would respond with violence. The American Civil Liberties Union denounced the cancellation as a "heckler's veto," a legal term in which the government suppresses speech out of fear it will prompt a violent reaction.

In 2019, clashes between antifa members and far-right groups turned violent, leading to 13 arrests in August. In July, conservatives targeted the group after right-wing blogger Andy Ngo said he had been attacked by antifa members.

The GOP's yearslong calls for antifa to be labeled a terrorist organization have been amplified amid the ongoing protests surround Floyd's death and police brutality.

In statements about protests over Floyd's death , Attorney General William Barr described "antifa-like tactics" by out-of-state agitators and said antifa was instigating violence and engaging in "domestic terrorism."

The right-wing media has also fixated on the antifa movement, portraying it as an example of violence inherent in left-wing ideology. Fox News' Jesse Watters even attempted to confront a purported antifa member on the air — a stint that backfired when it emerged that the purported antifa member was really an 18-year-old YouTuber apparently pulling a prank.

Trump and his supporters have reacted to antifa violence with zeal, drawing parallels between the movement and the neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members who antifa oppose.

Trump was possibly referring to antifa when he gave his now-infamous press conference at Trump Tower, during which he slammed what he called the alt-left — a term created by white nationalists that no actual left-wing group self-identifies under — as being equally to blame for violence in Charlottesville.

"What about the 'alt-left' that came charging at the, as you say, the 'alt-right'?" Trump said in 2017. "You had, you had a group on one side that was bad. And you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. And nobody wants to say that, but I'll say it right now."

The movement has sparked criticism, amusement, and discussion among the left.

A counterdemonstrator using a lighted spray can against a white nationalist demonstrator at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017. Associated Press/Steve Helber

Liberals have generally been slow to acknowledge antifa. While some have lamented the violence at recent protests, others have reacted with amusement at certain antifa antics.

"Their presence at a protest is intended to intimidate and dissuade racists, but the use of violent measures by some antifa against their adversaries can create a vicious, self-defeating cycle of attacks, counter-attacks and blame," the Anti-Defamation League said of antifa. "This is why most established civil rights organizations criticize antifa tactics as dangerous and counterproductive."

One of the most-witnessed instances of antifa violence came on Trump's January 2017 Inauguration Day, when an activist punched avowed white nationalist Richard Spencer in the face as he was giving an interview. A video clip of the encounter immediately went viral, to the cheers of prominent mainstream liberals.

The incident and its viral response prompted a debate over whether it's moral to "punch a Nazi" and whether broad acceptance of that behavior could increase ambiguity over which people can be accurately described as Nazis and who has the right to decide.

"No, it's not OK to punch a Nazi," Brian Levin, the directer of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University at San Bernardino, told CNN. "If white nationalists are sophisticated at anything, it's the ability to try to grasp some kind of moral high ground when they have no other opportunity, and that's provided when they appear to be violently victimized."

Levin continued: "That's the only moral thread that they can hang their hats on. And we're stupid if we give them that opportunity."

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