Today's News (2020/7/7): Everything Else edition
Donkeyballs Donald continues to ramp up the racism.
Meanwhile, the giant slough of evictions is starting now, and the Republicans who control the Senate show no sign of budging on aid. This will get riotously ugly in the next couple of months.
----- 1 -----
Facebook says threat to throw gay people to their deaths does not violate its standards
LGBT+ campaigners in Middle East and North Africa demand Facebook acts against endemic hate.
01 Jul 2020
https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/facebook-says-threat-to-throw-gay-people-to-their-deaths-does-not-violate-its-standards/
Facebook is turning away complaints against LGBT+ hatred on its platform, even when its users clearly advocate murder.
Now, LGBT+ campaigners from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are demanding the company acts.
They complain that hate speech is increasing on the platform. And it comes as Facebook faces unprecedented commercial pressure to tackle hatred.
Around a third of big advertisers, with a buying power of around $100billion, are planning to boycott Facebook for a month. The Stop Hate for Profit boycott insists Facebook must tackle hate speech.
So far, most of the debate has, understandably, been around racist hate on Facebook. But the LGBT+ campaigners from the Middle East and North Africa say homophobic and transphobic hate is endemic in their region.
One post they highlighted to GSN reads (translated):
‘If you think it’s your right to act on sodomy/ homosexuality, then it’s my right to throw you off the roof.’
- Abdullah's Facebook post.
Racist and homophobic images
The campaigners complained to Facebook about the post. However, the social media giant replied that ‘it doesn’t go against our community standards, including hate speech’.
----- 2 -----
Blue Lives Matter meets Black Lives Matter in Gustine in confrontation that gets physical
By Andrew Kuhn
June 30, 2020 07:08 PM , Updated July 01, 2020 01:24 PM
https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/article243914827.html
Blue Lives Matter supporters and Black Lives Matter supporters squared off Sunday afternoon in Gustine in a confrontation that got physical.
No one was detained or arrested, Gustine police Lt. Sam Joseph said, but a report has been forwarded to the Merced County District Attorney’s Office and the investigation was ongoing Tuesday.
Video clips showing the altercation have been circulating on social media platforms.
Confrontation
Police were called to the area of 5th Street and Grove Avenue at about 12:50 p.m. Sunday. A group of about 20 Blue Lives Matter supporters had been peacefully demonstrating there since about noon, Joseph said. When a group of about three to four Black Lives Matter supporters arrived in the area, the groups reportedly began shouting at each other from across the street.
The Black Lives Matter supporters crossed the street, Joseph said. The shouting continued before there was a physical altercation between a 19-year-old male from the Black Lives Matter group and a 62-year-old male from the Blue Lives Matter group, Joseph said. The 19-year-old suffered facial injuries and was treated by paramedics at the scene.
Joseph said two 18-year-old females from the Black Lives Matter group appeared to be distraught following the confrontation, but did not report any physical injuries to police.
Joseph did not release any names, citing an ongoing investigation.
Gustine Police Chief Ruben Chavez said the same group of Blue Lives Matter supporters reportedly took part in a similar demonstration in Turlock the previous day. Chavez said it is also believed that people in both groups are from out of town.
A Change.org petition titled “Justice for Gustine Teens” alleges that the three teens were physically assaulted by several older men. The petition is calling on the community to hold the men and police department accountable for the assault.
----- 3 -----
Judge orders Dakota Access Pipeline shut down, emptied of oil pending additional environmental review
By Allie Johnson
6 July 2020
https://www.fox9.com/news/judge-orders-dakota-access-pipeline-shut-down-emptied-of-oil-pending-additional-environmental-review
FARGO, N.D. (FOX 9) - A federal judge on Monday ordered the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota must shut down and be emptied of oil within 30 days because of the “seriousness” of a National Environmental Policy Act violation.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia recently found the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “violated the [NEPA] when it granted an easement to Dakota Access to construct and operate a segment of that crude-oil pipeline running beneath the lake,” the memorandum opinion reads. The court said the Corps failed to produce an Environmental Impact Statement “despite conditions that triggered such a requirement.”
In Monday’s ruling, Judge James E. Boasberg vacated the Corps’ decision to grant Dakota Access a crucial federal permit and ordered the pipeline be shut down while regulators conduct a broader environmental analysis of the pipeline the court ordered in a previous decision.
----- 4 -----
Complaint alleges that Facebook is biased against black workers
An African American manager at Facebook and two rejected job applicants are suing the company, alleging a culture of bias in promotions, evaluations, hiring and recruiting.
By Elizabeth Dwoskin
July 3, 2020 at 4:43 p.m. PDT
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/07/02/facebook-racial-bias-suit/
An African American manager and two job applicants who were rejected by Facebook filed a complaint against the company Thursday, alleging that the social media giant is biased against black employees in evaluations, promotions, pay and hiring practices.
The complaint, filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that administers civil rights laws in employment, is the latest salvo in mounting tensions over how Facebook handles issues of race.
Facebook has said in the past that it is working to promote diversity and inclusion. “We believe it is essential to provide all employees with a respectful and safe working environment. We take any allegations of discrimination seriously and investigate every case," spokesman Andy Stone said in a statement.
Currently, more than 500 advertisers are boycotting the platform for what they say is a failure to control divisive and hateful content, and employees have protested chief executive Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to leave up a racially divisive post by President Trump that many interpreted to be a call for violence against protesters in Minnesota.
----- 5 -----
Pat Fitzgerald
twitter.com/PatFitzgerald23
6 July 2020
https://twitter.com/PatFitzgerald23/status/1280217058677084160
The Ayn Rand Institute received a PPP loan of between $350K and $1 million
[LINKS TO:
Paycheck Protection Program
An SBA loan that helps businesses keep their workforce employed during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program
]
----- 6 -----
Attempted lynching sparks outrage
July 6, 2020
By Mary Claire Molloy - Special to The Bloomingtonian
https://bloomingtonian.com/2020/07/06/attempted-lynching-sparks-outrage/
A prominent Black activist was attacked at Lake Monroe on July 4th by white men who tried to lynch him.
Vauhxx Booker, 36 and a Bloomington human rights commissioner, is seen pinned to a tree by several men in a series of videos posted by him and witnesses on Facebook. Booker and at least one witness said that a man talked about getting a noose during the incident.
No one was arrested. The Law Enforcement Division of The Indiana Department of Natural Resources confirmed to The Bloomingtonian that their officers responded to the scene.
“The incident is under investigation and the final report will be forwarded to the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Officer upon completion,” Capt. Jet Quillen said in an email. The Bloomingtonian must file a public records request for more information, he said.
“I’m looking forward to the prosecutor issuing arrest warrants for these assailants today and I want the DNR to act and discipline the officers involved,” Booker told The Bloomingtonian. “They refused to make an arrest.”
Booker is being represented by attorney Katharine Liell. In a statement today, Liell said the case is under active review by the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office and that she believes arrest warrants will be issued.
Videos of the incident from Booker’s Facebook have been viewed over 2 million times. One shows him pinned to a tree by several white men, one of which begins hitting the camera and yelling at witnesses to stop filming.
“Two of them jumped me from behind and knocked me to the ground. I tussled with the two and another one joined in, then two more. The five were able to easily overwhelm me and got me to the ground and dragged me, pinning my body against a tree as they began pounding on my head and ripped off some of my hair,” Booker wrote on Facebook.
“At one point during the attack one of the men jumped on my neck. I could feel both his feet and his full bodyweight land hard against my neck.”
Booker said he sustained a minor concussion, bruises and abrasions from the incident.
Max Xam, a witness and friend, said the men tried to break Booker’s arms and told bystanders to leave.
“They wanted to lynch him,” Xam told The Bloomingtonian. “I thought if we didn’t leave, they would kill us, too.”
[SEE ALSO:
Video shows Black man pinned to tree in what he calls 'attempted lynching' at Indiana lake
Marquise Francis and Christopher Wilson
Yahoo News Staff
July 6, 2020
https://news.yahoo.com/video-shows-black-man-pinned-to-tree-in-what-he-calls-attempted-lynching-at-indiana-lake-222244516.html
Indiana authorities are investigating a report by a Black man who said he was pinned to a tree by a group of white men, an attack he likened to an “attempted lynching.”
Parts of the incident were captured on video by one of the man’s friends.
In a post to Facebook, Vauhxx Booker wrote, “I don’t want to recount this, but I was almost the victim of an attempted lynching.” He went on: “On July 4th evening others and me were victims of what I would describe as a hate crime. I was attacked by five white men [with Confederate flags] who literally threatened to lynch me in front of numerous witnesses.” Booker said he and his friends were visiting a public beach on Lake Monroe outside Bloomington, Ind., to join a gathering when a group of white men said they were on private property and began following them.
Some of the men became belligerent, he said. When he approached “sober seeming group members” to “see if we could smooth things over a bit,” the confrontation escalated. Video posted to social media shows a group of white men holding Booker to a tree as his friends plead with them to release him. In the video, one man shouts at the camera, “You happy about this, you nappy-headed bitch? You and your five white friends?” As Booker’s friends leave, one of the men follows, shouting, “Those Black boys want to start it all.”
In his Facebook post, Booker claimed there were shouts of “get a noose” and “white power.”
He said he was released after several white strangers intervened. He said he suffered bruises, abrasions and a “minor concussion” in the incident.
]
----- 7 -----
‘People are tired of the injustice:’ Yakima protesters talk about the fight for change
By LUKE THOMPSON
Yakima Herald-Republic
July 7, 2020
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/people-are-tired-of-the-injustice-yakima-protesters-talk-about-the-fight-for-change/
For more than a month, hundreds of people in Yakima and Selah have put on masks and braved the ongoing pandemic to join others protesting across the country.
Through protests and vigils, people are speaking out against racism and police brutality, and fighting for the rights of Black people, the LGTBQ community, and people of color. These crowds feature people from many different backgrounds, all with their own reasons for joining the movement. The New York Times estimates there have been more than 4,700 demonstrations nationwide, or an average of 140 a day, since Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd was killed by police on May 25.
Starting the weekend of May 30-31, multiple protests and demonstrations have taken place in Yakima County each week. Protesters have gathered in downtown Yakima and at Nob Hill and Fair Avenue near Fiesta Foods. More recently, protests have moved to the Selah Civic Center and Selah City Hall, after opposition by some Selah city officials.
Here’s a closer look at four Yakima protesters committed to speaking out, and what inspires them to keep protesting.
----- 8 -----
Overwhelmed California hospitals sending COVID-19 patients to SF
By Amy Graff, SFGATE Published 12:04 pm PDT, Monday, July 6, 2020
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-hospitals-transfer-COVID-patients-15389470.php
As coronavirus cases in California continue to climb, hospitals in a handful of counties are filling up with COVID-19 patients, and San Francisco is taking on some of the overflow.
As of Monday afternoon, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), said it had three patients from Imperial County and five from San Quentin.
At San Francisco General, 69 people were hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 as of Monday afternoon and 16 are transfers. Of those, six are in acute care and ten in the ICU.
Last week, the city said in a release that the number of hospitalizations has increased more than 50% over seven days, "rising from 43 on June 22 to 67 on June 29, including 18 patients transferred from San Quentin State Prison, and Fresno and Imperial counties."
Stanford Hospital just south of San Francisco has also taken in some patients from outside the Bay Area.
UCSF professor Peter Chin-Hong said it's not unusual for hospitals to care for patients outside their counties in emergency situations.
"It’s part of the response that we have set up in hospitals in California," said Chin-Hong. "If there’s a wildfire or any other disaster, hospitals share resources. It’s typical in disaster situations."
----- 9 -----
The US government is considering a TikTok ban, says secretary of state
The comments follow months of rising tensions over China
By Makena Kelly
Jul 7, 2020
https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/7/21316062/tiktok-ban-app-mike-pompeo-government-china-bytedance-communist-party
The US is considering a ban on Chinese social media apps like the popular video-sharing platform TikTok, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News on Monday.
“We are taking this very seriously. We are certainly looking at it,” Pompeo said. “With respect to Chinese apps on peoples’ cellphones, the United States will get this one right too.”
Over the last few years, US lawmakers have grown increasingly concerned over TikTok’s handling of user data and the relationship between its parent company - the Beijing-based ByteDance - and the Chinese government. Lawmakers allege that TikTok could be pressured into handing over data or other intelligence to the Chinese Communist Party.
A TikTok spokesperson responded to Pompeo’s remarks Tuesday in a statement, writing “TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the U.S. We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked.”
----- 10 -----
White House refuses to denounce Confederate flag as Trump bemoans NASCAR's ban
By Betsy Klein and Kevin Liptak, CNN
Updated 3:37 PM ET, Mon July 6, 2020
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/06/politics/trump-nascar-bubba-wallace/index.html
(CNN) The White House press secretary refused to denounce the Confederate flag during a press briefing Monday after President Donald Trump bemoaned NASCAR's recent decision to ban it from all races and events.
The White House attempted to cast his message as one of support for the racing sport's fans. But Trump's declaration bore little resemblance to the White House's explanations for it. And his spokeswoman's refusal to voice an official stance on flying the Confederate flag was itself an indication of Trump's continued attempts to use racist symbols as an appeal to some white voters as he attempts to resuscitate his reelection bid.
Kayleigh McEnany said Monday the President was not "making a judgment call" about the flag in his tweet.
"He has not given an opinion one way or the other on that," she said. "I just spoke to him this morning."
Earlier Monday, Trump had tweeted: "Has
bubbawallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX? That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!"
----- 11 -----
White Michigan Couple Charged After Pulling Gun On Black Family
By COREY WILLIAMS and SARA BURNETT
July 3, 2020
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/white-michigan-couple-charged-after-pulling-gun-on-black-family
A white couple face criminal charges after one of them was captured on video pulling a handgun on a Black woman and her daughters in a restaurant parking lot in Michigan.
Jillian Wuestenberg, 32, and Eric Wuestenberg, 42, were arrested after Wednesday night’s confrontation and charged Thursday with felonious assault, Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said in a release. They were later arraigned and are free on a $50,000 personal bond, according to the Oakland County sheriff’s office. As a condition of the bond they must turn over all firearms, not engage in “assaultive behavior” and not leave Michigan, Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement.
...
Cooper, the prosecutor, told The Associated Press that her office viewed the available video before filing charges.
“It is an unfortunate set of circumstances that tempers run high over, basically, not much of an incident,” she said of what led to the confrontation.
“There’s a lot of tension in our society, a lot of tension among folks and people with each other,” Bouchard, the sheriff, said “I would just say this, we are asking and expect our police - and rightfully so - to deescalate every situation they possibly can, and we should be doing that. But I would say that needs to happen with us individually in our own lives and situations, that we interact with each other and deescalate those moments.”
Also posted to ソ-ラ-バ-ド-のおん;
comments at Dreamwidth. Please comment there.
Meanwhile, the giant slough of evictions is starting now, and the Republicans who control the Senate show no sign of budging on aid. This will get riotously ugly in the next couple of months.
- Facebook says threat to throw gay people to their deaths does not violate its standards [EDITOR: Facebook has changed their mind on this, according to updates at the end of the article. However.]
- Blue Lives Matter meets Black Lives Matter in Gustine in confrontation that gets physical
- Judge orders Dakota Access Pipeline shut down, emptied of oil pending additional environmental review
- Complaint alleges that Facebook is biased against black workers
- The Ayn Rand Institute received a PPP loan of between $350K and $1 million, because of course it did.
- Attempted lynching sparks outrage
- ‘People are tired of the injustice:’ Yakima protesters talk about the fight for change
- Overwhelmed California hospitals sending COVID-19 patients to SF
- The US government is considering a TikTok ban, says secretary of state
- White House refuses to denounce Confederate flag as Trump bemoans NASCAR's ban
- White Michigan Couple Charged After Pulling Gun On Black Family
----- 1 -----
Facebook says threat to throw gay people to their deaths does not violate its standards
LGBT+ campaigners in Middle East and North Africa demand Facebook acts against endemic hate.
01 Jul 2020
https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/facebook-says-threat-to-throw-gay-people-to-their-deaths-does-not-violate-its-standards/
Facebook is turning away complaints against LGBT+ hatred on its platform, even when its users clearly advocate murder.
Now, LGBT+ campaigners from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are demanding the company acts.
They complain that hate speech is increasing on the platform. And it comes as Facebook faces unprecedented commercial pressure to tackle hatred.
Around a third of big advertisers, with a buying power of around $100billion, are planning to boycott Facebook for a month. The Stop Hate for Profit boycott insists Facebook must tackle hate speech.
So far, most of the debate has, understandably, been around racist hate on Facebook. But the LGBT+ campaigners from the Middle East and North Africa say homophobic and transphobic hate is endemic in their region.
One post they highlighted to GSN reads (translated):
‘If you think it’s your right to act on sodomy/ homosexuality, then it’s my right to throw you off the roof.’
- Abdullah's Facebook post.
Racist and homophobic images
The campaigners complained to Facebook about the post. However, the social media giant replied that ‘it doesn’t go against our community standards, including hate speech’.
----- 2 -----
Blue Lives Matter meets Black Lives Matter in Gustine in confrontation that gets physical
By Andrew Kuhn
June 30, 2020 07:08 PM , Updated July 01, 2020 01:24 PM
https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/article243914827.html
Blue Lives Matter supporters and Black Lives Matter supporters squared off Sunday afternoon in Gustine in a confrontation that got physical.
No one was detained or arrested, Gustine police Lt. Sam Joseph said, but a report has been forwarded to the Merced County District Attorney’s Office and the investigation was ongoing Tuesday.
Video clips showing the altercation have been circulating on social media platforms.
Confrontation
Police were called to the area of 5th Street and Grove Avenue at about 12:50 p.m. Sunday. A group of about 20 Blue Lives Matter supporters had been peacefully demonstrating there since about noon, Joseph said. When a group of about three to four Black Lives Matter supporters arrived in the area, the groups reportedly began shouting at each other from across the street.
The Black Lives Matter supporters crossed the street, Joseph said. The shouting continued before there was a physical altercation between a 19-year-old male from the Black Lives Matter group and a 62-year-old male from the Blue Lives Matter group, Joseph said. The 19-year-old suffered facial injuries and was treated by paramedics at the scene.
Joseph said two 18-year-old females from the Black Lives Matter group appeared to be distraught following the confrontation, but did not report any physical injuries to police.
Joseph did not release any names, citing an ongoing investigation.
Gustine Police Chief Ruben Chavez said the same group of Blue Lives Matter supporters reportedly took part in a similar demonstration in Turlock the previous day. Chavez said it is also believed that people in both groups are from out of town.
A Change.org petition titled “Justice for Gustine Teens” alleges that the three teens were physically assaulted by several older men. The petition is calling on the community to hold the men and police department accountable for the assault.
----- 3 -----
Judge orders Dakota Access Pipeline shut down, emptied of oil pending additional environmental review
By Allie Johnson
6 July 2020
https://www.fox9.com/news/judge-orders-dakota-access-pipeline-shut-down-emptied-of-oil-pending-additional-environmental-review
FARGO, N.D. (FOX 9) - A federal judge on Monday ordered the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota must shut down and be emptied of oil within 30 days because of the “seriousness” of a National Environmental Policy Act violation.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia recently found the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “violated the [NEPA] when it granted an easement to Dakota Access to construct and operate a segment of that crude-oil pipeline running beneath the lake,” the memorandum opinion reads. The court said the Corps failed to produce an Environmental Impact Statement “despite conditions that triggered such a requirement.”
In Monday’s ruling, Judge James E. Boasberg vacated the Corps’ decision to grant Dakota Access a crucial federal permit and ordered the pipeline be shut down while regulators conduct a broader environmental analysis of the pipeline the court ordered in a previous decision.
----- 4 -----
Complaint alleges that Facebook is biased against black workers
An African American manager at Facebook and two rejected job applicants are suing the company, alleging a culture of bias in promotions, evaluations, hiring and recruiting.
By Elizabeth Dwoskin
July 3, 2020 at 4:43 p.m. PDT
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/07/02/facebook-racial-bias-suit/
An African American manager and two job applicants who were rejected by Facebook filed a complaint against the company Thursday, alleging that the social media giant is biased against black employees in evaluations, promotions, pay and hiring practices.
The complaint, filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that administers civil rights laws in employment, is the latest salvo in mounting tensions over how Facebook handles issues of race.
Facebook has said in the past that it is working to promote diversity and inclusion. “We believe it is essential to provide all employees with a respectful and safe working environment. We take any allegations of discrimination seriously and investigate every case," spokesman Andy Stone said in a statement.
Currently, more than 500 advertisers are boycotting the platform for what they say is a failure to control divisive and hateful content, and employees have protested chief executive Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to leave up a racially divisive post by President Trump that many interpreted to be a call for violence against protesters in Minnesota.
----- 5 -----
Pat Fitzgerald
twitter.com/PatFitzgerald23
6 July 2020
https://twitter.com/PatFitzgerald23/status/1280217058677084160
The Ayn Rand Institute received a PPP loan of between $350K and $1 million
[LINKS TO:
Paycheck Protection Program
An SBA loan that helps businesses keep their workforce employed during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program
]
----- 6 -----
Attempted lynching sparks outrage
July 6, 2020
By Mary Claire Molloy - Special to The Bloomingtonian
https://bloomingtonian.com/2020/07/06/attempted-lynching-sparks-outrage/
A prominent Black activist was attacked at Lake Monroe on July 4th by white men who tried to lynch him.
Vauhxx Booker, 36 and a Bloomington human rights commissioner, is seen pinned to a tree by several men in a series of videos posted by him and witnesses on Facebook. Booker and at least one witness said that a man talked about getting a noose during the incident.
No one was arrested. The Law Enforcement Division of The Indiana Department of Natural Resources confirmed to The Bloomingtonian that their officers responded to the scene.
“The incident is under investigation and the final report will be forwarded to the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Officer upon completion,” Capt. Jet Quillen said in an email. The Bloomingtonian must file a public records request for more information, he said.
“I’m looking forward to the prosecutor issuing arrest warrants for these assailants today and I want the DNR to act and discipline the officers involved,” Booker told The Bloomingtonian. “They refused to make an arrest.”
Booker is being represented by attorney Katharine Liell. In a statement today, Liell said the case is under active review by the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office and that she believes arrest warrants will be issued.
Videos of the incident from Booker’s Facebook have been viewed over 2 million times. One shows him pinned to a tree by several white men, one of which begins hitting the camera and yelling at witnesses to stop filming.
“Two of them jumped me from behind and knocked me to the ground. I tussled with the two and another one joined in, then two more. The five were able to easily overwhelm me and got me to the ground and dragged me, pinning my body against a tree as they began pounding on my head and ripped off some of my hair,” Booker wrote on Facebook.
“At one point during the attack one of the men jumped on my neck. I could feel both his feet and his full bodyweight land hard against my neck.”
Booker said he sustained a minor concussion, bruises and abrasions from the incident.
Max Xam, a witness and friend, said the men tried to break Booker’s arms and told bystanders to leave.
“They wanted to lynch him,” Xam told The Bloomingtonian. “I thought if we didn’t leave, they would kill us, too.”
[SEE ALSO:
Video shows Black man pinned to tree in what he calls 'attempted lynching' at Indiana lake
Marquise Francis and Christopher Wilson
Yahoo News Staff
July 6, 2020
https://news.yahoo.com/video-shows-black-man-pinned-to-tree-in-what-he-calls-attempted-lynching-at-indiana-lake-222244516.html
Indiana authorities are investigating a report by a Black man who said he was pinned to a tree by a group of white men, an attack he likened to an “attempted lynching.”
Parts of the incident were captured on video by one of the man’s friends.
In a post to Facebook, Vauhxx Booker wrote, “I don’t want to recount this, but I was almost the victim of an attempted lynching.” He went on: “On July 4th evening others and me were victims of what I would describe as a hate crime. I was attacked by five white men [with Confederate flags] who literally threatened to lynch me in front of numerous witnesses.” Booker said he and his friends were visiting a public beach on Lake Monroe outside Bloomington, Ind., to join a gathering when a group of white men said they were on private property and began following them.
Some of the men became belligerent, he said. When he approached “sober seeming group members” to “see if we could smooth things over a bit,” the confrontation escalated. Video posted to social media shows a group of white men holding Booker to a tree as his friends plead with them to release him. In the video, one man shouts at the camera, “You happy about this, you nappy-headed bitch? You and your five white friends?” As Booker’s friends leave, one of the men follows, shouting, “Those Black boys want to start it all.”
In his Facebook post, Booker claimed there were shouts of “get a noose” and “white power.”
He said he was released after several white strangers intervened. He said he suffered bruises, abrasions and a “minor concussion” in the incident.
]
----- 7 -----
‘People are tired of the injustice:’ Yakima protesters talk about the fight for change
By LUKE THOMPSON
Yakima Herald-Republic
July 7, 2020
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/people-are-tired-of-the-injustice-yakima-protesters-talk-about-the-fight-for-change/
For more than a month, hundreds of people in Yakima and Selah have put on masks and braved the ongoing pandemic to join others protesting across the country.
Through protests and vigils, people are speaking out against racism and police brutality, and fighting for the rights of Black people, the LGTBQ community, and people of color. These crowds feature people from many different backgrounds, all with their own reasons for joining the movement. The New York Times estimates there have been more than 4,700 demonstrations nationwide, or an average of 140 a day, since Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd was killed by police on May 25.
Starting the weekend of May 30-31, multiple protests and demonstrations have taken place in Yakima County each week. Protesters have gathered in downtown Yakima and at Nob Hill and Fair Avenue near Fiesta Foods. More recently, protests have moved to the Selah Civic Center and Selah City Hall, after opposition by some Selah city officials.
Here’s a closer look at four Yakima protesters committed to speaking out, and what inspires them to keep protesting.
----- 8 -----
Overwhelmed California hospitals sending COVID-19 patients to SF
By Amy Graff, SFGATE Published 12:04 pm PDT, Monday, July 6, 2020
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-hospitals-transfer-COVID-patients-15389470.php
As coronavirus cases in California continue to climb, hospitals in a handful of counties are filling up with COVID-19 patients, and San Francisco is taking on some of the overflow.
As of Monday afternoon, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), said it had three patients from Imperial County and five from San Quentin.
At San Francisco General, 69 people were hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 as of Monday afternoon and 16 are transfers. Of those, six are in acute care and ten in the ICU.
Last week, the city said in a release that the number of hospitalizations has increased more than 50% over seven days, "rising from 43 on June 22 to 67 on June 29, including 18 patients transferred from San Quentin State Prison, and Fresno and Imperial counties."
Stanford Hospital just south of San Francisco has also taken in some patients from outside the Bay Area.
UCSF professor Peter Chin-Hong said it's not unusual for hospitals to care for patients outside their counties in emergency situations.
"It’s part of the response that we have set up in hospitals in California," said Chin-Hong. "If there’s a wildfire or any other disaster, hospitals share resources. It’s typical in disaster situations."
----- 9 -----
The US government is considering a TikTok ban, says secretary of state
The comments follow months of rising tensions over China
By Makena Kelly
Jul 7, 2020
https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/7/21316062/tiktok-ban-app-mike-pompeo-government-china-bytedance-communist-party
The US is considering a ban on Chinese social media apps like the popular video-sharing platform TikTok, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News on Monday.
“We are taking this very seriously. We are certainly looking at it,” Pompeo said. “With respect to Chinese apps on peoples’ cellphones, the United States will get this one right too.”
Over the last few years, US lawmakers have grown increasingly concerned over TikTok’s handling of user data and the relationship between its parent company - the Beijing-based ByteDance - and the Chinese government. Lawmakers allege that TikTok could be pressured into handing over data or other intelligence to the Chinese Communist Party.
A TikTok spokesperson responded to Pompeo’s remarks Tuesday in a statement, writing “TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the U.S. We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked.”
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White House refuses to denounce Confederate flag as Trump bemoans NASCAR's ban
By Betsy Klein and Kevin Liptak, CNN
Updated 3:37 PM ET, Mon July 6, 2020
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/06/politics/trump-nascar-bubba-wallace/index.html
(CNN) The White House press secretary refused to denounce the Confederate flag during a press briefing Monday after President Donald Trump bemoaned NASCAR's recent decision to ban it from all races and events.
The White House attempted to cast his message as one of support for the racing sport's fans. But Trump's declaration bore little resemblance to the White House's explanations for it. And his spokeswoman's refusal to voice an official stance on flying the Confederate flag was itself an indication of Trump's continued attempts to use racist symbols as an appeal to some white voters as he attempts to resuscitate his reelection bid.
Kayleigh McEnany said Monday the President was not "making a judgment call" about the flag in his tweet.
"He has not given an opinion one way or the other on that," she said. "I just spoke to him this morning."
Earlier Monday, Trump had tweeted: "Has
bubbawallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX? That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!"
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White Michigan Couple Charged After Pulling Gun On Black Family
By COREY WILLIAMS and SARA BURNETT
July 3, 2020
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/white-michigan-couple-charged-after-pulling-gun-on-black-family
A white couple face criminal charges after one of them was captured on video pulling a handgun on a Black woman and her daughters in a restaurant parking lot in Michigan.
Jillian Wuestenberg, 32, and Eric Wuestenberg, 42, were arrested after Wednesday night’s confrontation and charged Thursday with felonious assault, Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said in a release. They were later arraigned and are free on a $50,000 personal bond, according to the Oakland County sheriff’s office. As a condition of the bond they must turn over all firearms, not engage in “assaultive behavior” and not leave Michigan, Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement.
...
Cooper, the prosecutor, told The Associated Press that her office viewed the available video before filing charges.
“It is an unfortunate set of circumstances that tempers run high over, basically, not much of an incident,” she said of what led to the confrontation.
“There’s a lot of tension in our society, a lot of tension among folks and people with each other,” Bouchard, the sheriff, said “I would just say this, we are asking and expect our police - and rightfully so - to deescalate every situation they possibly can, and we should be doing that. But I would say that needs to happen with us individually in our own lives and situations, that we interact with each other and deescalate those moments.”
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