Not my monkey, not my circus. I've never said that there weren't people committing criminal activity who "identify with the movement". Which in no way actually says they are members of that group.
What I've said is that there are also outside groups from the right included in those protests you refuse to recognize.
You also don't seem to recognize that Wray is also speaking out about just how hard Russia is working to get trump re-elected.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
FBI director says antifa is an ideology, not an organization
WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Chris Wray told lawmakers Thursday that antifa is an ideology, not an organization, delivering testimony that puts him at odds with President Donald Trump, who has said he would designate it a terror group.
Hours after the hearing, Trump took to Twitter to chastise his FBI director for his statements on antifa and on Russian election interference, two themes that dominated a congressional hearing on threats to the American homeland.
Referring to antifa, the president wrote: “And I look at them as a bunch of well funded ANARCHISTS & THUGS who are protected because the Comey/Mueller inspired FBI is simply unable, or unwilling, to find their funding source, and allows them to get away with “murder”. LAW & ORDER!”
The Twitter barbs thrust Wray again into a spotlight that he has spent three years trying to avoid after his predecessor, James Comey, became entangled in politics before being ultimately fired. Though Wray said as recently as Thursday that the FBI made unacceptable mistakes during its investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Trump nonetheless has intermittently lashed out at Wray over the pace of fixing those problems and continues to regard his intelligence community with suspicion because of the Russia probe.
Wray did not dispute in his testimony Thursday that antifa activists were a serious concern, saying that antifa was a “real thing” and that the FBI had undertaken “any number of properly predicated investigations into what we would describe as violent anarchist extremists,” including into individuals who identify with antifa.
But, he said, “It’s not a group or an organization. It’s a movement or an ideology.”
That characterization contradicts the depiction from Trump, who in June singled out antifa — short for “anti-fascists” and an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups — as responsible for the violence that followed George Floyd’s death. Trump tweeted that the U.S. would be designating antifa as a terrorist organization, even though such designations are historically reserved for foreign groups and antifa lacks the hierarchical structure of formal organizations.
The hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee — established after the Sept. 11 attacks to confront the threat of international terrorism — focused almost entirely on domestic matters, including violence by white supremacists as well as anti-government extremists. The topics underscored the shift of attention by law enforcement at a time of intense divisions and polarization inside the country.
But one area where foreign threats were addressed was in the presidential election and Russia’s attempts to interfere in the campaign.
Wray sought to make clear the scope of the threats the country faces while resisting lawmakers’ attempts to steer him into politically charged statements. When asked whether extremists on the left or the right posed the bigger threat, he pivoted instead to an answer about how solo actors, or so-called “lone wolves,” with easy access to weapons were a primary concern.
“We don’t really think of threats in terms of left, right, at the FBI. We’re focused on the violence, not the ideology,” he said later.
The FBI director said racially motivated violent extremists, such as white supremacists, have been responsible for the most lethal attacks in the U.S. in recent years. But this year the most lethal violence has come from anti-government activists, such as anarchists and militia-types, Wray said.
Wray also affirmed the intelligence community’s assessment of Russian interference in the November election, which he said was taking the form of foreign influence campaigns aimed at sowing discord and swaying public opinion as well as efforts to denigrate Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
He said that the U.S. had not yet seen targeting of election infrastructure like in 2016, but efforts to sow doubt about the election’s integrity are a serious concern, he said.
“What concerns me the most is the steady drumbeat of misinformation and sort of amplification of smaller cyber intrusions,” Wray said. “I worry that they will contribute over time to a lack of confidence of American voters and citizens in the validity of their vote.”
“I think that would be a perception,” Wray added, “not a reality. I think Americans can and should have confidence in our election system and certainly in our democracy. But I worry that people will take on a feeling of futility because of all of the noise and confusion that’s generated.”
Trump has resisted the idea of Russian interference aimed at benefiting his campaign and has been eager, along with other administration officials, to talk about intelligence officials’ assessment that China prefers that Trump lose to Biden.
He responded on that front Thursday evening, tweeting: “But Chris, you don’t see any activity from China, even though it is a FAR greater threat than Russia, Russia, Russia. They will both, plus others, be able to interfere in our 2020 Election with our totally vulnerable Unsolicited (Counterfeit?) Ballot Scam. Check it out!”
Though intelligence officials said in a statement last month that China prefers that Trump lose, they appeared to stop short of accusing Beijing of directly interfering in the election in hopes of swaying the outcome.
7 Myths About Black Lives Matter That People Need To Stop Believing
HuffPost Casey Bond HuffPostSeptember 18, 2020
In the wake of police violence against George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake and countless other Black men and women, the Black Lives Matter movement once again has the national spotlight. But with so much confusion and disinformation plaguing the conversation, not everyone understands what BLM is or how it works.
At best, myths about Black Lives Matter prevent people from giving their support. At worst, these myths actively detract from the movement and the anti-racism work its members have been doing.
“What some people might call myths, I don’t see them as myths ― I see them as tools by other groups used to do harm, stop change and maintain the status quo,” said Richard M. Cooper, a clinical assistant professor at Widener University whose work centers on race and social justice issues.
In other words, myths don’t just fall from the sky. They’re created. “They are a tool to provide misinformation, to incite fear, to get people to misunderstand an issue so that ...we don’t have to promote structural change,” Cooper said.
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With that said, here’s a look at the most harmful untruths surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement that need to end.
1. It’s new.
The phrase “Black lives matter” wasn’t really part of the modern conversation until the killing of Trayvon Martin, when writer and activist Alicia Garza included the phrase in a Facebook post and it was amplified by others. But the idea has been fought for over the past several hundred years.
“It’s really a continuation of the legacy of fighting for civil rights and social justice by people of color, particularly Black people.... It just happens to be called ‘Black Lives Matter’ now,” Cooper said.
He added that the only thing that’s really changed is the access activists have to platforms, particularly online, and the speed with which people can get that information. “But we are still talking about an ethnic group of people who have had to constantly and consistently fight for social agency and human rights in a society that continues to find ways to deny them of such,” Cooper said.
2. It’s disorganized.
There are three well-known founders of the Black Lives Matter organization, including Garza, but the general movement by that same name is a decentralized, grassroots effort that spans regions, demographics and mediums. For that reason, some critics say that it lacks leadership or a clear agenda. However, Cooper said this is largely a generational misunderstanding.
When it comes to the fight for civil rights, older generations were accustomed to seeing it unfold a certain way: A national or regional leader would serve as the spokesperson, organizing protests, sit-ins and other methods of demonstration, and lead the charge for change.
Black Lives Matter, on the other hand, exists in pockets across the country (and the globe). There’s no “right way” to get the message across, and members from hyperlocal chapters and other organizations rely on a variety of methods, including sustained protesting, social media campaigns, art and poetry.
The "Black lives matter" cry rises fully at protests now across the nation, including this one in Detroit on May 29, just days after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Photo: SETH HERALD via Getty Images) The "Black lives matter" cry rises fully at protests now across the nation, including this one in Detroit on May 29, just days after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Photo: SETH HERALD via Getty Images) According to Cooper, the criticism shows a lack of understanding about the particular features of the organizers and their strategies. “They have been very smart and organic,” Cooper said.
For an outsider, it might seem disorganized. But like demonstrations of the past, such as the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott in the 1950s, many strategic choices have been made that people of color don’t get enough credit for, Cooper said. “It shows a level of sophistication, actually, and an understanding of nuances and regional differences that this group has organized far better than past movements.”
3. It’s pro-violence.
About 93% of the 10,600-plus racial justice protests in the U.S. this summer have been peaceful. Those that did become violent involved aggression by police or by counterprotesters from extremist groups, researchers noted. But one-off instances of violence, looting and aggressive demonstrators have been conflated to suggest the Black Lives Matter movement employs and condones violence.
“It’s absurd because it’s the thing we’re protesting against,” said Michelle Saahene, co-founder of the activist group From Privilege to Progress. “People need to be able to differentiate between protesters and rioters, or protesters and opportunists.”
The unfortunate truth is that there will always be outliers who look for opportunities to cause chaos or harm during tense times. Looting and riots also occur because of hurricanes, sporting events and for many other terrible reasons. That doesn’t excuse the violence surrounding Black Lives Matter protests, by any means. But it is important to understand that the actions of these individuals are not aligned with the mission of the movement.
And sometimes the violence is strategic. The riots that took place in Minneapolis following the police killing of George Floyd, for example, were stoked by a white supremacist. Two people were killed and a medic was wounded by a white teenager with a semiautomatic rifle at a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last month.
“Because there’s so much anti-Blackness, and white supremacy wants to be protected at all costs, people go out of their way to make it look like this movement is a violent movement,” Saahene said. “People really need to just think a little bit deeper... about what Black Lives Matter actually stands for and what they’re fighting against. Violence just doesn’t make any sense.”
4. It’s anti-police.
Law enforcement’s track record with Black Americans is troubling, to say the least. Not only are Black men and women disproportionately stopped, arrested and killed by police, many of these instances of violence occur following 911 calls for fairly routine issues.
But the Black Lives Matter movement is not about retaliation or eliminating police. Rather, it’s about examining the structure of law enforcement and how it can better serve communities, especially Black and brown ones.
Defunding the police is a big part of that goal. And that idea is scary to a lot of people, often because they don’t understand what it means. Defunding isn’t about abolishing law enforcement. “It’s to look at how police departments have been funded to do things that they shouldn’t necessarily have to do anyway and don’t necessarily do well, that would be better met by other groups who’ve been trained differently and provided better resources,” Cooper said.
For example, domestic disturbances or mental health crises could be responded to by social workers or medical professionals rather than armed police officers. “If you come to a situation with a weapon, there is a possibility, even with a particular police officer who may be well-intentioned, for something to escalate if for no other reason than you’re coming with a gun,” Cooper said. The goal would be to deescalate these types of situations without the need for force ― and hopefully save lives in the process.
5. It’s racist.
The phrase “Black lives matter” is not meant to be divisive. And yet it ruffles some (white) people’s feathers. Some even go so far as to claim that prioritizing Black lives is a form of reverse racism (which, by the way, is not a thing).
“Because our lives are treated as if they don’t matter, we have to specifically say that they do,” Saahene said. “It’s just a phrase to get people to understand that because you have black skin does not mean that you should be treated any differently and certainly doesn’t mean that your life should be cut short.”
“We’re not saying Black lives matter more, we’re saying they matter too,” added Melissa DePino, who co-founded From Privilege to Progress alongside Saahene. “It’s not about giving someone more and someone else less. It’s about creating a situation in which everybody has the same privileges.”
6. It’s a front for Democratic funding.
Saahene said that there is a misconception that the Black Lives Matter movement arose for the purpose of gaining political control.
One of the biggest contributors to this idea is likely a now-deleted Facebook post that claimed donations to Black Lives Matter were being funneled to a “Democrat Super PAC.”
The claims were based on a video circulated on social media that showed that attempts to make donations on the Black Lives Matter website redirected users to a website called ActBlue. The video then showed a page on OpenSecrets.org that tracked how ActBlue spends its money, highlighting several multimillion-dollar contributions to campaigns for Democratic presidential candidates such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Vice President Joe Biden.
What is misunderstood in this video and the subsequent Facebook post is that ActBlue is simply a donation processing platform. Though it is popular among Democratic politicians and progressive nonprofits, it acts similarly to PayPal or other online payment systems. ActBlue doesn’t actually pocket any of the donations or decide how they’re allocated. A donation to Black Lives Matter goes to Black Lives Matter.
Though members of the movement do seek to change many of the laws and policies that harm Black people, Saahene said, it’s not a political group. “They’re activists like me.”
7. It’s on Black BLM supporters to fix racism.
Though it can be tempting for white people to lean on Black friends and colleagues to educate them about racism and point out where it’s happening, the truth is that it’s not their job to fix racism. There’s enough emotional labor to dealing with racism in everyday life; the last thing white allies need to do is add to that burden.
“When you’re doing anti-racism work, you can’t always have the victims doing the work,” Cooper said. “It’s those who have the advantages, structurally and historically, who need to be rolling up their sleeves.”
DePino agreed that racism is not a “Black problem” and it’s up to white people to learn history, acknowledge and understand their biases, and figure out how to stop causing harm, even if it’s unintentional. “That’s the work that we have to do. And we can’t just pay attention when someone gets murdered. We have to pay attention all the time and integrate it into our everyday life.”
The following is a facebook post by Simone Michelle If it matters, she is a Civil Rights attorney
Note: I added spacing to make it easier to read
Lessons learned from my NFL anti-racism post being shared over 500 times in the past 48 hours....
1) The most common argument is "don't bring politics into [insert: work, football, NFL, entertainment]" - to which I ask, when did racism become political? That implies Republicans are pro-racism and Democrats are anti-racism. And if that's the case, it's incredibly sad that in 2020 America we have a major political party that is openly the "pro-racism party." But the reality is, being opposed to racism, inequality, and oppression is not "political"... it's human, it's decent, it's American.
2) Another common argument is "they are disrespecting [insert: the flag, the country, the military]" and "I was in the military and kneeling/standing/silently protesting disrespects ME" - to which I say, thank you for your service, but many fought and died for our right to live in a country that allows freedom of speech and freedom of expression, and what is more American than standing against the evils of oppression, inequality and racism? This nation was founded upon the principles of freedom, equality, and opportunity, so every time we stand up and speak out against tyranny, oppression, and systemic racism, we are honoring this country, we are honoring our flag, we are bringing our nation one step closer to fulfilling its promise of liberty & justice for all.
3) One of my favorites is "if black people would stop committing crimes, resisting arrest, and simply follow the law like the rest of us, then police wouldn't kill them" - to which I say, Breonna Taylor was asleep in her own apartment when police shot her 8 times, Botham Jean was sitting on the couch in his own living room eating ice cream when he was shot and killed, Stephon Clark was standing in his grandmothers back yard holding a cell phone when the police shot him 20 times, Philando Castile was pulled over for a traffic stop and told the office upfront he had a concealed carry license before he was murdered in front of his 4 year old daughter, Atatiana Jefferson was shot through the window of her home in front of her 8 year old nephew. What were they doing wrong? Furthermore, if your knee jerk reaction to another black person being murdered by police is to immediately look for justification, search for a criminal history, seek out different footage from a different angle that provides some excuse for the cop's actions...you need to ask yourself "why do I feel compelled to justify the actions of a stranger just because we share the same skin color or the same profession or the same political affiliation?" Do some soul searching.
4) Unfortunately, after engaging in discussion/argument on dozens of threads with folks who shared my post, my takeaway is that there is no manner in which to protest racism that will ever be acceptable to racists.
"Don't riot and loot! Protest peacefully and quietly." "No, Kaepernick, don't kneel." "Well, no, Chiefs/Texans, don't stand either..." "Don't do it during the national anthem." "Well, no, don't do it after the anthem either..." "Don't be so loud about it." "But also, don't take a moment of silence..." "NBA, don't go on strike." "But when you do play, don't wear 'I can't breathe' shirts..." "Celebrities, don't discuss racism in award ceremony speeches." "Why can't you people be more like Martin Luther King!"...you mean the guy who was assassinated for leading the peaceful movement to end racism, whose peaceful protests were met with tear gas, fire hoses, police dogs, and unspeakable violence and bloodshed at the hands of the police?
When it comes to protesting racism, what you mean is: we don't want to hear about it, we don't want to see it, and we will not acknowledge its existence. "The loveliest trick of the Devil is to persuade you that he does not exist."
Last edited by Jester; 09/19/2009:18 AM.
Am I perfect? No Am I trying to be a better person? Also no
Once again, I encourage people to research the organization that is Black Lives Matter rather than just rely on what the media tells us about them. Please take the time to look at their demands and consider the consequences.
It is my belief that there is a huge difference between the phrase "Black Lives Matter" and the organization Black Lives Matter. I am not asking anyone to take my word for it. I'm just saying that it might be important to educate yourselves on the demands and practices of the Black Lives Matter organization.
Lol @ a trump supporter telling anybody to do research. You can’t even properly research the scumbag you’re voting for.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
The following is a facebook post by Simone Michelle If it matters, she is a Civil Rights attorney
Note: I added spacing to make it easier to read
Lessons learned from my NFL anti-racism post being shared over 500 times in the past 48 hours....
1) The most common argument is "don't bring politics into [insert: work, football, NFL, entertainment]" - to which I ask, when did racism become political? That implies Republicans are pro-racism and Democrats are anti-racism. And if that's the case, it's incredibly sad that in 2020 America we have a major political party that is openly the "pro-racism party." But the reality is, being opposed to racism, inequality, and oppression is not "political"... it's human, it's decent, it's American.
The problem is that's not how many people see it framed. Many on the right see the left as anti-white, not anti-racist. Some even only pro-black, but still not really anti-racist. Yet others see the left as anti-police or anti-law and order.
Sadly, most people see things in terms of themselves. By insisting on the rallying cry of "Black Lives Matter," many people are getting the message that it's not about them (as over 80% of the US population isn't African American.)
It sucks, but intended messages really don't matter (politically speaking). To many on the right, "Black Lives Matter" is a dog whistle.
You mess with the "Bull," you get the horns. Fiercely Independent.
(Jester) 7. It’s on Black BLM supporters to fix racism.
Though it can be tempting for white people to lean on Black friends and colleagues to educate them about racism and point out where it’s happening, the truth is that it’s not their job to fix racism. Uhh that's Bull, it' on everybody's job to fix racism, we have a situation where Black people think they can continue to be racist and this, the institutions, the schools, are trying to encourage it saying their racist behavior doesn't have consequences.
And the start of the 2nd paragraph is trying to define white people and tell them how to think, and behave, blame white people, that's Bull also.
There’s enough emotional labor to dealing with racism in everyday life; the last thing white allies need to do is add to that burden. Here we have another case of trying to tell white people what to do, and pretend it's not being racist!
“When you’re doing anti-racism work, you can’t always have the victims doing the work,”
It's Bull to say the victims are one side, that's so Racist! Cooper said. “It’s those who have the advantages, structurally and historically, who need to be rolling up their sleeves.” Yes exactly, Black people have the advantages, structurally and historically, BLM, Black Caucauss, NAACP, Afirmative Action, on and on and on, and they need rollup their sleeves and realize until they stop hating white people for the color of their skin they will continue to be racist, and think they are fighting racism,? How can they think that.
DePino agreed that racism is not a “Black problem” and it’s up to white people to learn history, acknowledge and understand their biases, and figure out how to stop causing harm, even if it’s unintentional.
Gimme me a Break, even people on the side of the writer, whoever wrote this comment have to agree that that is ALL society has done for 50 years+ and "causing harm", look what side is doing it, Look Around. Racism is not a black problem? Racism is a Black Problem, and a white problem, it's on everybody, and in my opinion, there is nothing more white people can do, So until Black People stop being racist, we won't have a return to what all of life could be. I agree we have to acknowledge the harm, from both sides. “That’s the work that we have to do. And we can’t just pay attention when someone gets murdered. We have to pay attention all the time and integrate it into our everyday life.” What! There's finaly a sentence I can agree with? The Huffington Post is Bull.
And people who have a problem with my view, have a problem with the word "All"in All Lives Matter.
Yet still some think they are fighting racism and not being racist, This is the major problem, the problem is people don't see.
That can apply to me too, that's why I'm looking so HARD at it from the other sides opinion.
---- Understand their biases and figure out how to stop causing harm? There is not a dang thing any white person can do along those lines that has not already been done.
Look at it, MLK day, People getting fired for saying the wrong word, No white people haven't, (All White People Have), spent 50 years already doing these things, but the industry, it's an industry, of making white people feel bad, is the bias and the causing of the harm, So if Black People, making a living in the industry of making white people feel bad because black people feel they are victims of racism, want to actually end the racism, then , they need to, Understand their biases and figure out how to stop causing harm.
And the biggest problem is, these (bulldoziers), like who wrote this article, are in charge of the education system in the United States.
Revealed: pro-Trump activists plotted violence ahead of Portland rallies Patriots Coalition members suggested political assassinations and said ‘laws will be broken, people will get hurt’, leaked chats show
Leaked chat logs show Portland-area pro-Trump activists planning and training for violence, sourcing arms and ammunition and even suggesting political assassinations ahead of a series of contentious rallies in the Oregon city, including one scheduled for this weekend.
The chats on the GroupMe app, shared with the Guardian by the antifascist group Eugene Antifa, show conversations between Oregon members of the Patriots Coalition growing more extreme as they discuss armed confrontations with leftwing Portland activists, and consume a steady diet of online disinformation about protests and wildfires.
At times, rightwing activists discuss acts of violence at recent, contentious protests, which in some cases they were recorded carrying out. At one point, David Willis, a felon currently being sued for his alleged role in an earlier episode of political violence, joins a discussion about the use of paintballs.
Where other members had previously suggested freezing the paintballs for maximum damage, Willis wrote: “They make glass breaker balls that are rubber coated metal. They also have pepper balls but they are about 3 dollars a ball. Don’t freeze paintballs it makes them wildly inaccurate” [sic.]
Willis did not immediately respond to voice and text messages sent to his listed cellphone number.
Another prolific poster is Mark Melchi, a 41-year-old Dallas, Oregon-based car restorer who claims to have served as a captain in the US army.
Melchi has been recorded leading an armed pro-Trump militia, “1776 2.0” into downtown confrontations in Portland, including on 22 August. At several points in the chat he proposes violence in advance of those confrontations, and appears to confess to prior acts committed in the company of his paramilitary group.
In advance of the 22 August protest, Melchi wrote: “It’s going to be bloody and most likely shooting, they’re definitely armed… so let’s make sure we have an organized direction of movement and direction of clearing or other Patriots will be caught in the possible cross fire. When [censored] hits the fan.”
He advised other members to ignore weapons statutes, writing, “I saw someone say bats, mace, and stun guns are illegal downtown. If you’re going to play by the books tomorrow night, we already lost. We are here to make a change, laws will be broken, people will get hurt… It’s lawlessness downtown, and people need to be prepared for bad things.”
Following these comments, several rightwing demonstrators were recorded using gas and bats on 22 August, where Melchi and his militia were also present.
In other remarks ahead of the day, Melchi draws on what he claims is his group’s history of traveling to multiple states to engage in violence at protests.
“My Group 1776 2.0. Has been fighting Antifa in Seattle, Portland, for months”, Melchi writes, adding “this won’t be a simple fist fight. People will get shot, stabbed and beat.”
He also claims police cooperation in interstate violence, writing “Yes, going after them at night is the solution… Like we do in other states, tactical ambushes at night while backing up the police are key. You get the leaders and the violent ones and the police are happy to shut their mouths and cameras.”
Melchi nevertheless recommends that members disguise themselves to avoid the consequences of homicide.
“We must be ready to defend with lethal response… Suggest wearing mask and nothing to identify you on Camera…to prevent any future prosecution.”
We are here to make a change, laws will be broken, people will get hurt Mark Melchi In response to detailed questions about these contributions, Melchi responded with an email that falsely suggested his comments might have been photoshopped, and concluded with direct threats.
Melchi wrote: “I suggest you don’t threaten combat veterans sweetheart, might get a little uncomfortable for ya big guy!”
Melchi’s sentiments in the chat logs were in keeping with fantasies of, and plans for, violence, which are constantly discussed by group members.
Although some members are connected with extremist groups or militias, on the whole they describe themselves as “patriots”, and they express no clear ideology beyond a hatred of the left, and a preparedness to use violence. The shared allegiances expressed in the group are mostly to the police, the United States and Donald Trump, a person whom some say they are prepared to kill for.
Ahead of 22 August, a user “Paige” says “I’m waiting for the presidential go to start open firing”.
Melchi, the militia leader, responds, “Well Saturday may be that go lol”.
Alex Newhouse, the digital research lead at the Center for Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute, said of the group that “the main mechanism that makes these communities so dangerous is the incessant desensitization to the idea of political violence”.
Newhouse said that the ideas expressed in the group were entrenched in “extreme nationalism – that a few strong men with guns can together take out an evil that is at once imagined as an existential threat, and pathetically weak”. Newhouse added that the group’s discussions “fit within a broader trend of rightwing extremists becoming more accelerationist over time”.
The chatlogs became fractious at the peak of Oregon’s recent wildfire emergency. While some members said they had gone to rural areas to “hunt” imagined antifa arsonists, others became concerned about the dangers.
As early as 9 September, the baseless idea that the fires were a coordinated arson attack was treated as settled fact, with Melchi writing: “People have officially died from these Antifa Fires. I’d shoot them on site” [sic], and another user, Dub, responding: “Yes sir if I see them they are getting dropped where they stand.”
When adverse consequences of vigilantism became evident, leadership attempted to bring the group back under control. After a member of the group reported that an associate had been arrested in Lane county for “holding [someone] at gunpoint”, the group’s administrator, who used the user name Patriot Coalition, wrote “STOP HOLDING PEOPLE AT GUN POINT- STOP PULLING YOUR WEAPONS… VIDEO- TAKE PICTURES AND CALL 911.”
Mary McCord is the legal director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law School, which on Wednesday released a series of fact sheets on anti-paramilitary laws in all 50 states.
Given details of the content of the chats, McCord said that “this is the kind of thing that might allow authorities to take action”, and that members of the group may “already be in violation of Oregon’s anti-paramilitary laws”.
The group also talked about coordinating at the rally with the Proud Boys, an extreme rightwing group. One user, identified as Bravo91 and a part of the group’s leadership, spoke of phone calls with the Proud Boys.
Along with antifascist demonstrators, Democratic politicians are also the target of violent fantasies in the chats. In particular, Portland’s mayor, Ted Wheeler, is demonized and nominated as a possible target for assassination by the group.
On 24 August, a user identified as “Trent-Medford” writes, “F*** wheeler… guess what soon as we are done with these punks. He’s next freakin coward !!!!!!”
User T Durden went further. In response to news that an alleged arsonist had been released on bail, and without encountering disagreement, they wrote: “Maybe we need to start taking care of the justice ourselves!”, adding, “Start with justice on our DA and then move on to the governor. Maybe by the time we get to the first judge, they will have changed their tunes.”
Oregon is filled with rural meth heads, trump hicks, and mega wealthy libertarian land owners/ranchers. You get out of the Willamete Valley, Portland to Eugene, and it’s a red state. They don’t like us. Lol
Oregon is filled with rural meth heads, trump hicks, and mega wealthy libertarian land owners/ranchers. You get out of the Willamete Valley, Portland to Eugene, and it’s a red state. They don’t like us. Lol
But one part I noticed....I love how it said that because Wheeler is getting harrassed, it must be right focused. Antifa HATE Wheeler and call him to resign almost daily. All established government, really/ Plus, you should see all the people that are getting arrested from the riots and come to your own conclusion of who is doing the vast majority of activity.
But it's 93% peaceful, so.......no big deal for either side.
At DT, context and meaning are a scarecrow kicking at moving goalposts.
'Her boyfriend shot a cop': Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal are attacked on social media for defending police officers who killed Breonna Taylor and blaming her boyfriend who opened fire first
Cities like Portland and Seattle have become crap holes. The Dems have ruined those once-great cities for many citizens. Both have huge homeless populations due to the political decisions made by the Dems. Many citizens and the police are devastated. In one of videos I posted in the Homeless thread, there was a Town Hall Meeting where the city council members were laughing at the concerned citizens. Drug dealers go unpunished. The drug use among the homeless is off the charts. Feces in the streets. Robbery. Muggings. Tent camps. And the police are unable to do their job. Now, one of the candidates for Portland's mayor race has come out and said she supports Antifa. No wonder the rest of the state hates Portland.
Proud Boys Rally Has Portland in State of Emergency
(Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of the right-wing Proud Boys group were expected in Portland, Oregon on Saturday as police prepared for clashes in a city that has become the epicenter of sometimes deadly political violence in the run up to the Nov. 3 election.
Governor Kate Brown on Friday declared a weekend state of emergency for Oregon's biggest city, saying "white supremacist groups" were traveling from out of state to attend an event the Proud Boys say was organized to "end domestic terrorism."
Local and state leaders said in a letter to the community that many participants have openly discussed tactical operations and military-style formations and planned to cause chaos and violence while claiming to be acting in support of police.
"The event poses a physical danger to Portland residents, as clearly shown by the organizers' long track record of assaults, confrontations, and threats against elected officials and the citizenry of Portland," the letter said.
"We clearly state, once again, that law enforcement do not want or need any help from paramilitaries or vigilante groups."
President Donald Trump, who has made law and order a principal theme of his re-election bid, has singled out Portland as one of several Democratic-led cities he denounces as "anarchist jurisdictions" that should have federal funding cut.
His Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, said Trump's rhetoric was stoking violence.
The self-declared "Western chauvinist" Proud Boys group has publicized the protest on Facebook for weeks, despite the social network's pledge to block such pages, according to images provided by the Tech Transparency Project seen by Reuters. Facebook said on Friday that it had removed the pages.
The pro-Trump, pro-gun rights Proud Boys publicly denounce violence, but members wearing trademark black and yellow polo shirts often brawl with left-wing opponents at rallies.
Portland has become a magnet for right-wing counter protesters following four months of anti-fascist and Black Lives Matter demonstrations against police violence and racism.
Left-right clashes have escalated across the United States since mid-August, a self-declared anti-fascist shooting dead a right-wing Patriot Prayer member in Portland on Aug. 29 after a teenage vigilante killed two protesters and wounded another in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Aug. 25.
Facebook and other online platforms such as Parler have buzzed with calls for protesters to arm themselves and wild talk of civil war, according to pages monitored by Reuters.
In their letter to the community, local and state leaders said that for three years Portland has had to endure rallies like the one planned for Saturday, with participants threatening "takeovers" of the city and touting their "combat unit" capacity.
The letter said paramilitary and alt-right activity was a challenge to Portland's inclusive and democratic values, but that city and state leaders would not be intimidated.
"Portland has a long and proud history of opposing far-right organizing and standing up for Black lives in the Rose City, and Saturday will be no different," the letter said.
Under Brown's emergency declaration, a state and local law enforcement task force is authorized to use "proportional force," including tear gas, to keep the peace.
The Proud Boys will gather at noon at Delta Park, about 6 miles north of downtown. Left-wing groups will hold a counter protest about 2 miles away. Police aim to keep them apart.
The men-only Proud Boys group describes itself as a fraternal organization that is "anti-racism" and "anti-political correctness."
Civil rights group The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) classifies the Proud Boys as a hate group, citing its members' anti-Muslim and misogynist rhetoric.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Anyone believe A&E destroyed the footage? We have footage of commercials, news, shows from the 1950's, and they want us to believe that in the digital age of near limitless storage, they deleted it?
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
Glad they caught this scum. Too bad professional athletes don't protest the shootings of police officers. Btw...this is the same case where protestors tried blocking the ambulance from the hospital entrance.
Quote:
Convicted Felon Deonte Murray Charged In Compton Ambush Shooting Of 2 LA Deputies By CBSLA Staff September 30, 2020 at 1:55 pm
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – An ex-convict pleaded not guilty Wednesday to attempted murder and other charges in connection with the ambush shooting of two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies earlier this month in Compton.
Surveillance video shows a gunman open fire on two L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies parked in a patrol vehicle in Compton, Calif. Sept. 12, 2020. (LASD)
Deonte Lee Murray, 36, pleaded not guilty to two counts each of attempted murder of a peace officer and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the Sept. 12 attack on the deputies, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
He was previously charged Sept. 17 with one felony count each of carjacking, second-degree robbery and assault with a semi-automatic firearm involving a Sept. 1 carjacking in Compton, in which he allegedly shot a man in the leg with a high-powered rifle and stole his black Mercedes-Benz. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and has remained behind bars since his Sept. 15 arrest.
Two additional charges stemming from the earlier crime — attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a felon — have since been added, prosecutors said.
Murray’s bail was increased from just over $1 million to $6.15 million as a result of the new charges.
He is due back in court Nov. 17.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva and L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced the arrest of Murray at a news conference Wednesday morning at LASD headquarters in downtown L.A.
Murray was arrested on Sept. 15, three days after the deputies were shot, but in connection with an unrelated carjacking and shooting which had occurred in Compton on Sept. 1, Lacey said. Forensic evidence later linked him to the shooting of the two deputies.
A ghost gun used in the shooting of the deputies was recovered by investigators, sheriff’s Capt. Kent Wegener told reporters.
Furthermore, Murray fled the scene of the deputies’ shooting in a black Mercedes Benz sedan, the same vehicle which Murray had carjacked on Sept. 1, Wegener revealed.
On the evening of Sept. 12, the two sheriff’s deputies who were shot in an unprovoked ambush while sitting in their patrol car in Compton.
The deputies were in their patrol vehicle parked outside the Metro Compton Blue Line station at Willowbrook Avenue and Elm Street when a lone suspect approached the front passenger side of the car and opened fire, wounding them both.
A standoff with a carjacking suspect in Lynwood, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2020. Authorities later identified the suspect as Deonte Murray, wanted in the ambush shooting of two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies. (CBSLA)
The deputies, a 31-year-old mother and her 24-year-old male partner, were rushed to St. Francis Medical Center in critical condition. Both survived and have since been released from the hospital.
In the Sept. 1 carjacking, which occurred on Bradfield Avenue in Compton, Murray shot a man in the leg with a high powered rifle and stole his Mercedes, Wegener disclosed.
Prior to his capture, investigators suspected that Murray may have been responsible for both the carjacking and the deputies’ shooting.
“The carjacking suspect’s photograph, when compared to the suspect’s image in the surveillance video of the attempted murder, strengthened the possibility that he was involved,” Wagener said.
Murray was arrested Sept. 15 following a 10-hour standoff. At around 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 15, detectives located Murray, but he fled in a 2006 Toyota Solara. During the pursuit, he threw a pistol from the car.
He then ditched the car in the 3100 block of Carlin Avenue in Lynwood and ran. Law enforcement officers swarmed the area. Several hours later, just before 10 p.m., Murray was found hiding in some bushes and was apprehended, Wagener said.
Meanwhile, the stolen Mercedes Benz was also found nearby.
Wegener said that ballistic and forensic evidence from the scene of the deputy ambush linked it to the ghost gun which Murray had thrown from the car during the chase.
“It was determined through ballistic comparison, that the pistol recovered was the pistol used to shoot the deputies, additionally that pistol was conclusively linked through forensic testing to suspect Deonte Murray,” Wagener said Wednesday.
Murray’s ghost gun was loaded with eight rounds when it was recovered, Wagener said, and the gun is capable of holding 13. There were five shots fired at the two deputies on the night of the ambush.
Wagener defended the department’s decision not to immediately bring charges against Murray following his capture, even though detectives suspected he may have been responsible for the ambush shooting.
“At the time of the arrest of Deonte Murray on Sept. 15 following the vehicle pursuit…we had no evidence that he was responsible for the assault on our deputies,” Wagener said.
Wagener also added that publicly identifying him as a suspect may have compromised the investigation.
“There was insufficient evidence to support an arrest, much less a criminal filing for the charge of attempted murder on a peace officer and to label him in the media as the person responsible,” Wagener added. “Additionally, bringing the public focus on him at that point in the investigation may have influenced the pending witness interviews.”
Along with the charges in the ambush, Murray has also been charged with one count of attempted murder in connection with the Sept. 1 carjacking, along with second-degree robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He also faces allegations of association with a criminal street gang, discharging a rifle inflicting great bodily injury and personal use of a rifle.
Murray has an extensive criminal history that includes convictions for sales of narcotics, firearm possession by a felon, burglary and terrorist threats. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted as charged.
Thanks to private donations, the reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the ambush was estimated at over $700,000.
It's weird how much I live in your head. You and 888 spend an inordinate amount of time replying to my posts even though I almost always ignore you both. I'm going back to ignoring you both, but your obsession is weird.
Btw----------it's telling that you completely ignored the shootings and the protestors blocking the ambulance and chose to call me out. Typical left hypocrisy.
Unlike you, I actually address you. You know, they way a man acts. You go around saying my name over and over to others while avoiding manning up to me or addressing me. I don't know what you call that.
And of course you missed the fact I liked your post. Just to clear that up for you, that means I'm glad they caught the guy.
You're welcome.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
And Jester..........I always thought highly of you, but damn man, you defend guys like Pit, 888, Perfect, Rocket, OCD, etc and trash posters on the right who are not nearly as biased as those guys.
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