Tag: systemic racism

Leader of House GOP Police Reform Push Supports Racist and Violent Police Union Leader

Pete Stauber has tweeted support for Bob Kroll, who swore to ‘fight for jobs’ of officers who killed George Floyd

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Representative Pete Stauber, who House Republicans just tapped to lead their police reform efforts, has a history of supporting Bob Kroll, the head of the Minneapolis Police Union, whose career is full of racist, inflammatory, and outright violent behavior.

In late 2019, Stauber tweeted a photo of himself and Kroll and declared that he’s “proud to stand by” the police union head, whose controversial career has included: Continue reading “Leader of House GOP Police Reform Push Supports Racist and Violent Police Union Leader”

Virus, racism pose more mental health risks for black Americans

The twin challenges pose a problem as mental health providers are in shortage

Kendrick Sampson attended a peaceful protest in Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles two weeks ago, which left him scarred in more ways than one.

During that protest against police brutality, he was shot by officers seven times with rubber bullets and beaten with batons, leaving him with lingering mental and physical wounds.

“We have never prioritized mental health in this country,” said Sampson, an actor and activist, speaking Monday at a Los Angeles City Council meeting where he and other Black Lives Matter Los Angeles representatives advocated for changes to the city’s budget. “Black and indigenous and brown folk in this country need healing, deserve healing, but instead are met by more trauma by these systems.” Continue reading.

Historian explains the bizarre racist theory behind the far right’s hysteria over the George Floyd protests

AlterNet logoExtremists on the far right are deeply troubled by the name Black Lives Matter, viewing it as an assertion that white lives don’t matter — which, of course, it isn’t. Saying that black lives matter isn’t saying that white lives, Asian lives or Native American lives don’t matter; it’s simply pointing out that black lives do matter.

But to far-right extremists, attacking racism is attacking whites in general. And historian Peter Mitchell, in an op-ed for the Guardian, notes some of the ways in which attacks on the George Floyd protests are drawing on the racist Replacement Theory.

According to white nationalists who promote the Replacement Theory, enemies of the white race are seeking to “replace” whites with non-whites in the United States and many other countries. That far-right conspiracy theory, Mitchell notes, was promoted by French writer Renaud Camus in his 2011 book “Le Gran Replacement.” Continue reading.

CrossFit CEO Resigns After George Floyd Tweet Prompts Backlash

The CEO of CrossFit is stepping down after his tweet about George Floyd sparked a social media backlash and led to affiliated gyms and Reebok cutting ties with the exercise brand.

Greg Glassman said in a statement posted on CrossFit Inc.’s website late Tuesday that he decided to retire. Glassman had apologized earlier for tweets that sparked online outrage by connecting Floyd, a black man who died at the hands of Minneapolis police, and the coronavirus pandemic. He said he had made a mistake and should have been more sensitive, but denied being racist.

“On Saturday I created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its members,” he said. “I cannot let my behavior stand in the way of HQ’s or affiliates’ missions.” Continue reading.

Fox News Chart: Killing Black People Boosts Stocks

On Friday evening, Fox News displayed a bar graph showing how well the stock market performed after historical instances of attacking and killing black people. It’s a somewhat ghoulish graphic to release following the murders of George Floyd and Jamel Floyd (no relation) by police and the nationwide protests that have received even more police violence.

“Historically there has been a disconnect between what investors focus on and what happens in the rest of the country,” the Fox News anchorwoman said of the graphic. “For instance in 1968, the week after the tragedy of Martin Luther King, the S&P 500 rose over two percent. Also, up the week of the Rodney King ruling.”

The chart’s data seems to have been taken from a Fortune article entitled, “The stock market has a long history of ignoring social upheaval” in which investment research CEO David Trainer said, “Social unrest issues have very little long-term impact on markets.” The article went on to say that the stock markets tend to look ahead to fiscal responses to international trade conditions and support from the federal government rather than immediate civil unrest. Continue reading.