fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
You(th) and the Police
By: Nnamdi O. Madichie
Tags: Police Brutality, Academic Research, Youth, Police Reform, Police

Looking back at our paper “A critical analysis of the dialogic communications potential of sub-Saharan African (SSA) Police Service websites,” which investigated one of the groups designated as keyworkers, is the police – not bound by the lockdowns – our focus was primarily on the public’s perceptions of, and attitudes towards, the police.

At the time of writing in 2013/2014, we examined the socioeconomic challenges, and more importantly, opportunities for SSA Police Force (Service) to win the hearts and minds of the general public by engaging in a dialogue built on trust. This is something that is much needed at this time of lockdown enforcement prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the attendant violations of human rights across many parts of the SSA sub-region, and beyond.

Our study highlighted the need for the institutionalization of collaborative efforts between the police and the general populace, and the need to “tone down” the use of “force” to something more appealing such as “service.”

Some key highlights from our study revolved around the following questions:

How many of Africa’s police forces have managed to label themselves police services? How effective has this been? How many of these, hopefully renamed police services, have managed to engage the citizenry across all communications touchpoints?

Full article available:

Madichie, N., & Hinson, R. (2014). A critical analysis of the “dialogic communications” potential of sub-Saharan African Police Service websites. Public Relations Review, 40(2), 338-350.
In the northeastern Iran, a man was sentenced to 74 lashes for insulting police officers in Torbat Heydariyeh.
By: Joie Cooper
Tags: Iran, Human Rights, Police Brutality

In the northeastern Iran, a man was sentenced to 74 lashes for insulting police officers in Torbat Heydariyeh. Joie Cooper ·Dec 7, 2020

A man was sentenced to 74 lashes for insulting police officers in Torbat Heydariyeh, northeastern Iran. Flogging in Iran is regularly handed out for petty crimes such as theft, as well as to dissidents and for 100 other “offences”.

According to the state-run IRIB News Agency, the man’s father was sentenced to 600 hours of public service, in exchange for a prison sentence of 3 months and 1 day for “excessive hunting”. His son, whose name has not been mentioned in the report, was sentenced to 74 lashes and a fine of 20 million rials ($76) for insulting police officers and disobeying the police.
As we all know that Black Lives Matter has become a serious issue during these recent times.
By: Rubinstein Joseph
Tags: BlackLivesMatter, George Floyd, Police Brutality

As we all know that Black Lives Matter has become a serious issue during these recent times. We should come together and actually put our hands in to make changes. The purpose for them to come to realize the force being put on colored men and women. Being on this land is all about equality and it should push people to go and realize “man this isn’t right, we must do something”. I believe if it’s not dealt with soon, it will get worse over time. George Floyd is an example where the police academy must change the way they handle people in custody.

Such as the picture shown at the bottom of the text, could many things. He’s obviously in custody and they could’ve approached in other ways. Due to some reasons where I can’t show the video but it was shown that he had mentioned he couldn’t breathe but didn’t approach to see if he was okay and also didn’t seem to be resisting. Does that show lack of training on the officer’s end? Is killing another way to keep control of one? Even I and my family are scared to walk the streets without being worried about bullets flying because of our skin colors.

George Floyd in “custody” by officers mentioning “I can’t breathe”.
We Bad
By: Matthew Eid
Tags: Race, Poetry, Police Brutality

we bad.

we real bad.

we bad to bone marrow

bad.

aparteid rhythm

beats black power

bad.

we bad.

we real bad.

police shoot blood bullets

at our breasts

but like black jesus

we rise back from our tombs

badder than before.

we real bad.

we real black.

we real bad.

we real black.

june jazzes

a minor melody

that rings from newark

to angola. we real black

and ready to come back.

amerika don’t want us.

we’d live forever

if she’d stop killing us.

but like sweet jesus

we rise above blood-stained

sidewalks and soar

to africa,

where the people

are real bad,

real black,

just like us.
Blood On Their Hands.
By: Mara Annalitickah
Tags: Politics And Protest, Poetry, Police Brutality

We all view the world through a unique lens. Politics is in literally everything from our churches to our social organizations to news events and crime to our governments. This is the place to share your view, regardless of your political leanings: all are welcome.
The Words ‘Defund the Police’ Is Not The Problem
By: Cj Howard
Tags: Police Brutality, Politics, Politics And Protest, BlackLivesMatter, Racism

Recently on “Good Luck America,” President Obama said that, you lose people by using snappy slogans like ‘defund the police.’ I have always respected Obama, but he’s on one here. Defund the police is 3-words, so is Black Lives Matter. Do we vote on propositions after only hear 3-words; is the fight against police brutality, merely a slogan? No, it’s not and it’s very far from that. There is no name or slogan for this fight number one. Number two, Some activists say Black Lives Matters, there’s say his/her name; there is no one saying or organization name, that is fighting police brutality. Just yesterday, people were calling Colin Kapernick anti military for kneeling during the national anthem, in protest of police brutality. His message was very clear, but was dismissed by a bunch of racist folks. Those same people called Black Lives Matter racist, as they claimed it meant only Black lives matter; despite the fact that it was never said. And here we are again with ‘defund the police.’

For decades, we have been protesting against police brutality and for decades it has been ignored. Now people claim that it’s due to poor messaging. Activists have been discussing solutions to ending police brutality by: adding mental health professionals to the police, demilitarizing the police, moving funds from police to other community needs, bringing in community leaders, adding more oversight, and more. Yet, all people want to hear is the word ‘defund.’ They know good and well it means moving funds, not ending the police. Activists for abolishing the police want that. While on that topic, it should be noted that in Camden, NJ, they disbanded their police and created a new law enforcement, and reduced crime by nearly 50%. Neither means have absolutely no law enforcement. What’s happening is simple; the critics do not want changes with the police, they want to pretend that everything is okay. Again, they said no to BLM protests, they said no to kneeling; so what is okay exactly?

I personally do not use ‘defund the police,’ but I also do not pretend that it is distancing people from it. If you only hear 3-words, when so much more has been said, can you say you’re serious about the cause, that you’re listening? If people are not interested in listening behind 3-words, should we really care what they think? Obviously they will never support serious police reform. What we should be making noise about is how we pretend the issue is messaging, rather than white frugality. If people were killing white folks like they do Black people, this conversation would be different. We are being murdered and beaten, while white folks want to blame election loses on us and say the lack of progress is on us. Progress hasn’t been made, because most white folks don’t care. Meanwhile, Black folks (largely Black women in particular) have saved the country from another Trump term, created the Me Too movement, and lead the LGBTQ+ fight. When will white people show up for us?
#RefundTheCommunity would be a better slogan than #DefundThePolice.
Tags: Defundthepolice, Police Brutality, Obama, BlackLivesMatter, Refund The Community

Let me start with this — Obama is right. Right about what? I will tell you.

Yesterday, I woke up to a clip on an interview of President Obama saying “defund the police was a snappy slogan and not effective.” Outrage ensued. People tweeting snarky responses “yes we can defund the police,” etc, etc.I have had a day to think about it, but my original impression remains. I just have one question — Why are folks coming for Obama because he doesn’t think “defund the police is an effective national political slogan?”

Not ONCE, did he say he disagreed with the goals of the slogan, the movement, or the activists who are pursuing reform. His comment refers to the marketing of the movement, NOT the substance. Activist short hand and policy initiatives can have different language AND achieve the same goal.

President Obama said that “you lose an audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that you're actually going to get the change you want done.” He went on to say that “the key to deciding, do you want to actually get something done? or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?”

Translation: Do you want the RT’s, shares and 100 emoji comments OR do you want the change to happen?

This outrage isn’t even warranted. This is outrage for the sake of outrage. This outrage about the purity of the phrase also outrages those needed to build a coalition to build the change we want to see. He seems to have hit a soft spot, because this is a serious tension that MUST be resolved for those policy prescriptions to potentially become the cure.

Obama is NOT saying the policy goal of defunding the police is wrong. He is saying there is a political/policy messaging issue to actually get it done in City Halls, State Legislatures and Capitol Hill because the phrase is polarizing.

A frequent rebuttal that I hear is that “Defund the Police only loses the audience because opponents take the easy route and knowingly misinterpret the meaning.” This exact rebuttal communicates the central problem with the slogan — the fact that you have to explain it 400 times and it always means different things to different people. You’re not gaining support for your cause if people don’t understand the defund really means reallocate, restructure and reform.

You can only win with a clear message. I personally don’t care if a politician ever utters the words “defund the police.” Especially, if they are actually shrinking police budgets, reallocating police dollars to education and healthcare and mental health services, ending qualified immunity and having mental health professionals and social workers answer certain 911 calls.

This is precisely why I always order a regular Lyft or an Uber X (anything more is a rip-off) — I don’t give a damn what car it is, just get me to where I got to go. How I arrive is much less important to me than whether I get there at all.
The Young Man Who Taught Me The Truth About Empathy
By: Laura Silverstein
Tags: Police Brutality, Empathy, Personal Growth, Beyourself, Pyschology

A Mutual Experience of Surprise

He kept talking and I kept listening with authentic curiosity.

I was outraged and incredulous that law enforcement was breaking the law.

He was equally dumbfounded that this was a surprise to me.

At the end of the interview, I thanked him profusely for participating in our study. Then right as I was on my way out, he said something I will never forget:

Thanks for coming out here, man. I’d take a bullet for you.

As I re-write history I laugh and say something witty like, “Hey, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, okay?” But instead I’m pretty sure I just looked at him blankly, unable to process the gravity of what he just said.

I’m not sure what shocked me more; the idea that anyone would ever try to shoot me, or the idea that someone I knew for 20 minutes was telling me he’d be willing to die for me.

What started out as my earnest desire to save the world turned instantly upside down. He saw me as the one who was vulnerable and needing to be saved. And he was right.

“Putting Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes” is NOT Empathy

It would have been downright arrogant for me to think I could put myself in any of the shoes of the people who were brave enough to attend that mediation 25 years ago.

How would I feel if I were standing on a corner and law enforcement came and stole cash out of my purse?

I have absolutely no idea how I would feel, because it simply wouldn’t happen. (not to me)

It hasn’t happened in my 50 years so far and I don’t think it ever will. Officers checked in on me all the time when I was doing home visits. A patrol car might approach me to ask if I was okay. “Are you lost?” As if to say,

“Do you need a ride to the suburbs perhaps?”

So the answer is a resounding NO. I do not know how I would feel if I were robbed by a cop. And if I tried to empathize by starting to think about how I would feel, my mental energy would be pulled away from the conversation, to exactly where it doesn’t belong: myself.
Obama is Right on Defund the Police
By: Ben Heinrich
Tags: Police Brutality, Politics

I know many people have criticized Obama for his view on Defund the Police but he is correct on the issue. Defunding the police is not popular according to polls. Five 38 picked polls from other polling sites and found that the average approval for defunding the police was 31% so no defunding the police is not popular.

However, I do think the police budgets in large cities need to be cut for other stuff. I have read that the budget for the New York City Police Department was 6 billion dollars compared to Ukraine's 5.4 billion dollars military budget.

Many police departments have access to military-grade weapons that are not necessary. Most of them are from the US military who gives all their extra military equipment to the police departments. So the guns that are not for shooting brown people in the Middle East are for dealing with black people and criminals in the cities. So yes I do think the police need to be defunded by getting rid of their military equipment.

I don’t mind them carrying handguns or anything like that for defense but they shouldn’t carry machine guns or assault rifles all the time unless if there is an emergency or they need to deal with a far right-wing militia or anything like that.

Many people including Representative Jim Clyburn have said that defunding the police slogan has cost many Democrats their House seats. Which no one actually ran on or supported Defunding the Police. The only person who did was Cori Bush in a Safe Democratic District.

The reason why the Democrats lost seats in the House was that they blocked the stimulus from passing because they believed it will help Trump and ran on nothing besides Trump's bad.

I do think the more people know what defund the police actually means the more they approve of it.

America has a long history of racism in its police and criminal justice system so I am going to write tomorrow what needs to happen with its police and criminal justice system so it is not racist and doesn’t have the largest recidivism rates in the world.
Police Training Manual calls Black Lives Matter a Terrorist Group
By: John Rivera
Tags: Racism, Black Lives Matter, Police Brutality

This is what blacks are up against in America. And this is why protests continue to be necessary. Despite years of nonviolent protests Black Lives Matter continues to be labeled as extremists and radicals intent on overthrowing the government by the right-wing — including law enforcement groups.

It’s nothing new for any black group protesting racial injustice in America. And it’s still a danger to the lives of African-Americans. The political system in America continues to be controlled by racists. And that won’t stop until political power is finally shared by all Americans. The struggle continues:
Cops Have a Moral Duty To Do What Is Right
Tags: Libertarianism, Police Brutality, Staten Island, Police, Covid 19

It pains me to say this, but not all those in blue are worth “backing”.

When violent criminal thugs attack the police, I stand with the police. When the police have to use extreme or lethal force, I have traditionally given them the benefit of the doubt and a lot of grace. I can’t imagine the amount of stress that is introduced into the life of someone who decides to be a law enforcement officer.

But…

Not all law enforcement officers are people of high moral character; and those who break their oaths should be identified as morally bankrupt paid thugs that hide behind a badge.

Law enforcement officers swear an oath to uphold the Constitution.

The Constitution supersedes the edict of a governor.

The Constitution supersedes the edict of a mayor.

The Constitution supersedes the edicts of a legislative or governmental body.

The Constitution supersedes State laws.

The Constitution supersedes local laws.

The Constitution supersedes public opinion.

The Constitution supersedes conditions brought about by environmental variables.

The Constitution supersedes an edict of the President of the United States of America.

The First Amendment enumerates the right of Americans to peaceably assemble, without conditions or constraints. The Fourth Amendment secures the right of Americans in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Many of these COVID restrictions violate Americans rights in both the First and Fourth Amendments.

It is the moral duty of law enforcement officers to put country before their station and to reject any fiat, order, law, or mandate that violates those Constitutional principles. Any law enforcement officer who honors the Constitution and its clearly articulated civil liberties is my friend and ally.

Any law enforcement officer who is willing to violate the Constitution for the sake of employment or who (God forbid) is in favor of tyranny, is an enemy of the Constitution. They are an enemy of America. And, as such, they are an enemy of mine. They are active foes of our republic. They are cowards. They are thugs. They are the scum of the earth.

The premise of “just following orders” didn’t pass muster 80 years ago; and it doesn’t pass muster now.

You have the option to call in sick. You have the option to protest and refuse an order. You have the option to resign.

The same people you are subjugating in the violation of these Constitutionally-defined rights are the very ones who would have your back if you needed an advocate.

I would encourage all law enforcement officers to remember who your friends are, and to do the right thing if you are called upon to violate your conscience and oath to the Constitution of the United States.
When will police brutality come to an end
By: Regi White
Tags: Police Brutality

In the photo are protestors demanding for police brutality to end.

Police brutality has always been an issue in America for centuries and unfortunately, it continues to still happen today.

There have been too many killings of the black society. The “Black Lives Matter” movement continues to fight for basic human rights when they should be already given to all citizens of America.

It is unfortunate that the black society is not treated with equality, as America is supposed to be a free country. Every day the number of killings caused by police officers is expanding before our eyes. Families of the victims of police brutality are being paid no justice. Police officers are still walking freely after their murderous actions.

Police officers should be reformed because it is flat out wrong for killing innocent lives.

On November 22, 2014, Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy, was shot in Cleveland, Ohio by a police officer for playing with a toy gun. An innocent child’s life was taken for playing with a toy. Sadly, nothing was done for the police’s actions. There were no prosecutions after Rice’s murder.

Tamir Rice

Michael Brown, an 18-year-old male, was killed on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown was shot six times by a police officer who allegedly accused Brown of stealing a box of cigars. The officer eventually resigned from his position, but there were also no prosecutions after Brown’s death.

Michael Brown.

26-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed on March 13, 2020. Officers raided Taylor’s apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, and shot Taylor eight times in her sleep. Taylor’s family has been granted a settlement however the officers involved with her killing are not imprisoned.

Breonna Taylor.

George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020. He was accused of using counterfeit money in a store. Floyd was killed by an officer that held his knee over Floyd’s neck, even after Floyd pleaded for several minutes that he could not breathe. The officer was charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter.

George Floyd.

These are only just a few of the many individuals who are victims of police brutality. The number of deaths caused by police brutality keeps expanding and has to come to an end. The black society is just as equal as any other race and should be treated with the same respect and should have the same basic human rights. Stop police brutality!
I am a BLACK MAN!.....
By: Leavie Scott
Tags: Police Brutality, BlackLivesMatter, Content Marketing, Justice, Help

I am a BLACK MAN!..... I build .... I don’t tear down other BLACK MEN! ....I have felt the pain of being torn down and I have decided I will be deliberate about building others! If I didn’t tag you, please don’t be offended. I tried to pick people I thought would do this challenge!! All too often, we men find it easier to criticize each other, instead of building each other up. With all the negativity going around let’s do something positive!!🌟 💫

Upload 1 picture of yourself...ONLY you. Then tag as many brothers to do the same. Let’s build ourselves up, instead of tearing ourselves down.

🖤🖤 COPY AND PASTE 🖤🖤

If I tagged you, don’t disappoint me!!
Nalufenya
By: Bridget Nakuya
Tags: Uganda, Police Brutality

/ “I have nothing to offer anyone except my own confusion" Jack Kerouac Bridget Nakuya is a Ugandan based Artist and store owner / @africanstar_bookstore /
I will beat you again and NOTHING will happen
By: Richard Oluwo
Tags: Endsars, Nigeria, Gender Based Violence, Police Brutality

Those were the words uttered ever so confidently by rookie military men performing security guard duties at the gate of a Nigerian Naval Officer after bruising my sister’s arm for ignoring a cat-call.

It’s much easier for men like this to carry out female oppression and gender-based violence because the average Nigerian is rendered powerless more so a woman and our voices essentially mean nothing. Women are more vulnerable to these sort of attacks due to their perceived physical weakness. Multiple issues similar to this occur far more regularly (uniquely to women) than you’d think without the well-deserved attention it needs to be resolved.

Here’s a video on what happened on Twitter

The truth depends on who tells the story (to support the government) or the official in this case. More and more people should feel confident in the power of using the law to sue people for violation of our human rights because if we do not, we fall into the trap of the monkey experiment.

If you haven’t heard about the Five Monkeys Experiment, it goes a little something like this:

A researcher puts five monkeys in a cage. There’s a bunch of bananas hanging from a string, with a ladder leading to the bananas. When the first monkey goes for the bananas, the researcher sprays all five monkeys with freezing water for five minutes. Sometime later, when a second monkey inevitably tries to go for the bananas, the researcher once again sprays all five monkeys with the cold water for five minutes. The researcher then stops spraying the monkeys. But, when a third monkey tries to go for the bananas, the other four attack him to prevent him from climbing that ladder. They are afraid of the punishment that may come. Even when we get to power we’re too comfortable with the norms to do anything about it. I remember a video during the #EndSars protests about the wounds some police officers inflicted on the daughter of a military officer in Abuja, I’m not sure if anything happened.

No internal affairs investigation, checks and balances. Living in fear in your own country, living in fear out of your country, tears falling on deaf ears, mass destruction, mass corruption, rinse and repeat the process every other week. Our legal system has limits when it comes to things of this nature, it’s almost as though its common knowledge that nobody sues the government, the rule of law does not apply to uniformed men and it never swings in the favour of the just.

The fight for freedom is a just cause and should be taken seriously regardless of stereotypes, race and most importantly gender. Most people have grown to want to oppress another person given the slightest chance, to what end? Gaining social currency, respect, fear?

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere- Martin Luther King Jr.

If you think you’re above it, just wait, e go touch everybody. Stop all forms of brutality, no human being deserves to be a victim of randomly being brutalized walking down your street.
FALSE: This photo does not show a Uganda police officer assaulting a civilian
Tags: Kenya, Uganda, Elections, Police Brutality

FALSE: This photo does not show a Uganda police officer assaulting a civilian

A Facebook post with a photo of a police officer dressed in anti-riot gear assaulting a civilian, with the claim it was taken in Uganda, is FALSE.

Protests rocked several parts of Uganda following the arrest of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party’s presidential flag bearer, Robert Kyagulanyi, for allegedly flouting COVID-19 campaign guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and the Electoral Commission.

As a result of the arrest, riots broke out and several deaths and injuries were recorded as police clashed with supporters agitating for Mr Kyagulanyi’s release.

The post suggests the incident involving the police officer assaulting the victim was captured during these protests.

However, a Google reverse image search indicates that the photo was taken in Kenya, after demonstrators who had gathered outside the offices of Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), clashed with police officers who were trying to disperse them.

Also, Uganda Police Force spokesperson, Fred Enanga, has dismissed the claim as false.

“That is not Uganda. It is most likely Kenya,” Mr Enanga said in an interview with PesaCheck.

PesaCheck has looked into the Facebook post with a photo showing police brutality, and claiming the incident was captured in Uganda, and finds it to be FALSE.
FALSE: This photo of people running away from police was taken in South Africa, not Uganda
Tags: Elections, Police Brutality, Bobi Wine, Campaign, Uganda

FALSE: This photo of people running away from police was taken in South Africa, not Uganda

A Facebook post claiming that photo showing a cloud of smoke and people running was taken in Uganda, is FALSE.

The post says the image was captured around Mpanga central market, in the Fort Portal City, Uganda, moments after the arrival of presidential aspirant Robert Kyagulanyi in the area.

On November 23, the Kyadondo East legislator and flagbearer for the National Unity Platform (NUP) party took his campaign to the districts of Kyegegwa and Kyenjojo, before holding a rally in Fort Portal City — where the Mpanga market is located.

His campaigns were met by the heavy police presence, and officers reportedly fired teargas occasionally to disperse supporters that contravened the ban on gatherings of more than 200 people as a measure against COVID-19.

The post suggests that the photo of people running after what looks like a teargas canister was lobbed, was taken at the Mpanga Central market located in Fort Portal city, Kabarole district, during this campaign trail.

However, a Google reverse image search indicates that the photo was taken in Gauteng province, South Africa in August, 2014.

It was taken near the Heatherly Cemetery in Mamelodi East, following fracas over a housing controversy, and credited to Oupa Mokoena of Pretoria News. Police were ‘forced’ to use a stun-grenade to disperse the crowd, sending people running for cover.

PesaCheck has looked into a claim that a photo showing people running from what seems to be a teargas explosion at the Mpanga Central market in Uganda, and finds it to be FALSE.
FALSE: The case of police brutality seen here happened in Kenya, not Uganda
Tags: Kenya, Uganda, Police Brutality

FALSE: The case of police brutality seen here happened in Kenya, not Uganda

A Twitter post with an image of a woman who appears to be cowering behind a door to avoid policemen close by, and a claim that this shows police brutality in Uganda, is FALSE.

The post runs with the hashtag #UgandaIsBleeding, a campaign against the use of force by police officers in Uganda against civilians protesting Bobi Wine’s arrest.

Bobi Wine, known formally as Robert Kyagulanyi, was arrested on November 18, while on the campaign trail for election to the presidency in Eastern Uganda. Police said he flouted COVID-19 guidelines prescribed by the Ministry of Health.

The picture in the claim has also been shared by another Twitter account.

But a close look at the image shows an orange poster in the background. The poster advertises the candidature of Lawrence Otieno Odhiambo, an aspirant vying for the seat of member of the county assembly, under Kenya’s ODM (Orange Democratic Movement) party in 2017.

The colour and design of the soldiers’ uniform appears to match those of Kenya’s anti-riot police and not the Ugandan forces.

A Google reverse image search shows that the photo was first seen online on August 12, 2017, and was published by Reuters and also shared by BBC on the same day.

The image is credited to Reuters photographer Goran Tomasevic and shows a woman crying as she hides during post-election clashes between supporters of Kenya’s opposition leader, Raila Odinga, and policemen in Kibera slum in Nairobi.

Riots among opposition supporters broke out following the announcement of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory at the polls, prompting police to respond, in what was widely condemned as use of excessive force, shooting and beating protesters.

PesaCheck looked into the Twitter post with an image of a woman hiding behind policemen in fear and claiming to show police brutality in Uganda and finds it to be FALSE.
Evolution of Protests after George Floyd’s Death
By: Lauren J Womack
Tags: George Floyd, Police Brutality, George Floyd Protests, BlackLivesMatter, George Floyd Death

Protestors in Indianapolis.

Lauren Womack, Frederick Guevara and Elizabeth Wilcenski

November 20,2020

George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, sent shockwaves through our country as millions of people watched his final moments unfold in the police body camera footage. Black Lives Matter protests sparked up around the country demanding justice for Floyd and protesting against police brutality. The case developed quickly with protests in many areas of the country, President Trump threatened to take action if the states didn’t handle it, and the National Guard was mobilized in many of the states. Another big topic of conversation was the violent police response to the protests about police brutality, including tear gas and flash-bang grenades. The media were quick to cover protests and events surrounding the death of George Floyd, which left citizens with abundant information on the subject. One of the things that made Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed so widely talked about was the amount of video evidence that was put together. It is one thing to read about topics like this, but it is another to watch them unfold before your own eyes.
She was only 26
By: Danita Hall
Tags: Police Brutality, Injustice, Justice, Breonna Taylor, Sayhername

She was only 26

Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash

Full of life. That’s what I would use to describe my 26-year-old self. I had already been married for 5 years. I had two (of my three) children. I had moved across the country and was ready to take the world by storm. Mid-twenties is a time where exploration of life starts to come to an end and goal setting in life begins. It’s the age where most people start dreaming about where they will be 10, 15, and 20 years from now. It’s also a very fun time in life. You are comfortable clubbing with your friends. But, you’re also comfortable staying at home and watching shows on television. You are learning about yourself and what you really like and love and who you really are.

As I read stories about Breonna Taylor, all I can think about is “Who was I at 26?” Was I even concerned with life-ending? Did I even think about the possibilities of no longer being around? Did I ever consider how my story would end?

Photo by LOGAN WEAVER on Unsplash

Breonna Taylor was shot and killed as she slept in her apartment on March 13, 2020. Did she know on March 12, 2020, that her story would end? Or, was she like any other mid-twenties person planning for her future? She was a healthcare worker. Spending her time as an ER tech and possibly setting up her future. Her future was cut short.

Photo by LOGAN WEAVER on Unsplash

Breonna Taylor is only one of way too many Black Americans that were unjustifiably killed by those sworn to protect. Did she plan on becoming one of the many? Did she plan on her name being over all of our news outlets? Did she plan on being featured on shows like S.W.A.T highlighting police brutality?

My answer would be no. My answer would be that she just like me at 26 years old. Full of Life. Achieving and setting goals and planning her future.

Was she just like you at 26?

Watch her ABC Special

Danita Hall is a human by day and a Humor, Parenting, Lifestyle, Ranting, Poem Writing Blogger by night. Click here to read past blog posts and stay connected on Facebook and Twitter
What I think about Kyle Rittenhouse
By: Ben Heinrich
Tags: Police Brutality, Politics

Kyle Rittenhouse was released on bail on November 20th and I am going to explain what I think of Kyle Rittenhouse.

For starters, it is very stupid to carry a weapon to a protest especially a Black Lives Matter protest which often turns into riots often.

However, I watched the video and there was a video of him being chased by protesters and he fell down and then the gun fired killing three people

Joeseph Rosenbaum

Gaige Grosskreutz

Anthony Huber.

If you watch the video it is clear he acted in self-defense and yes I do support police reform and I am not a white supremacist or anything. However, I am not going to support locking him up just for partisan reasons that will mean I will just be a partisan hack.

I have the video here.

However, he is super far-right and he supported Blue Lives Matter which supports making killing a police officer a hate crime. So I disagree with him a lot.

So I think he is too young to have a firearm in public much less use one or own one so I think he should be convicted for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Also according to US law self-defense does not get people off the hook and it would be considered manslaughter.

So US law says you must serve at least 12 months for a count of manslaughter and that will mean that since three people died Kyle Rittenhouse shall serve 3 years for manslaughter.

So if I got to decide Kyle Rittenhouse's fate that will be 3 years in jail.

Also about the cash bail, I don’t support cash bail and I believe that if you win bail you shouldn’t have to pay money. The only reason why Kyle Rittenhouse was able to leave on bail was that he has wealthy people like the MyPillow guy funding his bail.

Also saying he is a hero and is trying to maintain law and order is stupid as hell. Vigilante justice is not okay and the police did its job by arresting Kyle Rittenhouse.

The murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Jacob Blake has resulted in increased polarization and has resulted in civil unrest and riots. Political polarization will get worse because Joe Biden is seen by many Trump supporters as illegitimate and former Bernie supporters and Progressives don’t like Biden despite Bernie and the Squad willing to work with Biden despite his lack of interest in them.

America is divided into many ideologies that despise anyone that doesn’t share with them and the Kyle Rittenhouse trial just shows that.
If these grounds could talk They'll speak of a crying mother All she could do was cry and cry…
By: Makinwa Victor
Tags: Politica, Nigeria, Police Brutality, Nigerian Politics

If these grounds could talk

They'll speak of a crying mother

All she could do was cry and cry watching her son lifeless on the ground

They'll tell the tales of heroes being shot at while singing the national anthem

Fighting for their right of existence

Where does it end?

Where does the bloodshed of my brothers and sisters end?

Freedom is non-existent in a country where our lifestyle is not accepted

We know our rights but that goes out the window if he has a uniform and a gun

Tell me, where does it end?

Rights listed in the constitution are nothing but a reference

Can you give me a reason why it is but only glanced at, not abided by

You’ll find us tweeting, marching through the streets yelling "End SARS!" because we don't know where it will end

And it's funny because, you didn't even know it began

It all starts with an empty ​dining​ ​room​ ​chair​ ​and​ ​no​ ​one ​to​ ​fill ​the ​space

All ​because​ ​a father,brother,sister,daughter,son is gone,​ ​and​ ​no​ ​one​ ​can​ ​hide​ ​the pain ​from​ ​their​ ​face

Please tell me where it will end officer

Give me a good reason why Jimoh Isiaka was killed?

Why Tina was raped and murdered?

When will it end?

Can you guarantee that my brother can walk down the street without being deemed suspicious as well?

Just let my brothers and sisters be free

Let​ ​it​ ​all​ ​end​ ​but​ ​the​ ​fight​ ​for​ ​us​ ​to​ ​be​ ​free

In​ ​this​ ​fight​ ​I​ ​hold​ ​out​ ​my​ ​hands​ ​for​ ​whoever ​​cares​ ​to​ ​join​ ​me

But until​ ​there​ ​​​is​ ​a​ ​change,​ ​I​ ​will​ ​not​ ​quiet,​ ​I​ ​will​ ​not​ ​back​ ​down​ ​at​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​my​ ​fight
Up to now (Poem)
Tags: Life, Anxiety, Feelings, Poetry, Love

Up to now (Poem)

Up to now

I’ve been keeping expectation

In obligation

For my fragile ego

Up to now

I’ve been writing on the walls

Inside my head

Theres nothing at all

I wish I could say

It’s been easy

Getting my heart torn to bits

And throwing impulsive fits

I wish I could say

It’s been hard

Leaving my self in dark

And running from my demons

Catch me by the side of the river

Where glass turns to skipping stones

And trees turn to royal thrones

Catch me running from nothing

Tell me I’m something

Remind me I’m something

Tie me down

To a field of roses

And leave me there for eternity

Until you return to me
Why I Had to Google “How to Cry”
By: Kristina Jancar
Tags: Life, Life Lessons, Feelings, Self Improvement, Growth

There’s no crying in quarantine

Nine months ago, the stay-at-home order sent me into a tailspin. I didn’t know how to create an engaging learning environment for my children, stay productive at work, and be the wife and mother I needed to be.

Like many of you, I embraced a new mindset. I made it my mission to embody a gratitude attitude.

I thought to myself, I might have zero control over what’s going on in the world right now — but I can control my response.

I blocked the pain. I held back all the feelings. But, looking back, I can see how I needed to just fu*king cry.

My tough chick mentality wouldn’t allow me to cope with the circumstances in any other way than to avoid the darkness. I couldn’t cry. That was pretty typical for me. Even after my mother’s life-threatening heart attack right after Christmas in 2019, my eyes were completely dry.

I was aware of the disembodied feeling, but some invisible force pushed them down every time the tears would bubble up. There was just lots of numbness. Which I thought was healthy compartmentalization. After all, this technique has allowed me to succeed in my career without fearing rejection. It allowed me to compete as a collegiate athlete without feeling broken when I didn’t set a personal record at a swim meet.

Dry eyes have always served me so well, or so I thought.
Heavy Mamulat (Café Name)
Tags: Life, Care, Life Lessons, Feelings, Love

Sometime some places will become more precious and noteworthy even they are not too renowned. Same like it Heavy Mamulat is for me. Its the first time when I sat at that area but its not that café, I was sitting in front of it. Its late at night but there was gallop place. And fore me its Heavy Mamulat, I was too probing about its name. That environs made me more quizzical. Here I said about environs there was too many people sit around for the purpose of dinner and fire in a tin is afore every table for easement to sit in open air at this winter’s night. We also there for blowout but one of us has a special intentions to make eye contact with me.

A while ago he said me “api! ap k alfaz buhat asar rakhty hainn bola karain (Firstborn! Your words have efficacious so talk)”. I guess he was right. He gave me that precinct where everything is from my standpoint . I feel so lucky when I thought that I am out of ordinary for someone.

Blessings, charm , love

I think its charmed if you are beau for singular. He edify me how eyes will orate and demonstrate for bae. Feel free to tackle if you endearment luminary.
It doesn’t feel like Christmas.
Tags: Christimas2020, Feelings Become Words, Feelings, Christmas, Homesick

It doesn’t feel like Christmas.

Honestly. 2020 has made us feel in such different ways, shapes, forms, that I don’t feel we have reached December 24, 2020.

Okay, fine. I woke up, dressed up, make up is on, food is in the oven. I even called all my long distance family to make sure: 1) everyone is still alive and healthy (first thing that comes in my mind, every single day), and 2) to let them know that I am okay and that someway somehow I’m hanging in there. I have never been a party person myself, but with the years and grey hairs appearing faster than my time to take care of them, I have been feeling homesick of those parties that I used to think: WHY?!

I think it is because we start to notice that in those occasions what mattered most was the sense of having people around, hear laughing across the room, and the smell of food – the ones you hate and the ones you are craving for as you read this text. I know, I am craving myself for a piece of carrot cake homemade by my grandma. So, in the end, it was not about the party, but about the ones you missed the most.

So, 2020 has made me not feel. Not feel that today is Christmas Eve. It doesn’t feel like a party to me. It it just feeling like another day we wish to end to be a little more closer to the day we all are aiming for: the together-again party.
Peoples are like Onions.
Tags: About People, Feelings, Happiness, Relationships

Peoples are like onions. Covered with layers of structural layouts once we start to peel down those layers of the layout we are going to reach a point where there’s going to be nothing more left to peel down anymore. Like the onions, some peoples are covered with layers of characters and nothing other than that but not all the peoples belong to the same kind. Some tend to cover their golden personality inside those layers of structure to know what we are peeling down all we need is a little patience over the onion while peeling down those layers. While doing so at times we are going to have tears rolling down our cheeks like the rains dropping down on the earth from the heavy dark cloud but after that, it’s going to be the best sunshine but not all those rainy tears consist of sadness in some case it’s going to be the drops of happiness, success, out of love, respect towards each others feeling and the list goes by without any saying. To find that kind of onion or an iconic person all we need is a little patience over time while we peel down those layers once you peeled it down you are going to end up with only either one of these two things and nothing other than those. One of those two is which is going to be either a person who is going to stick by your side for the rest of your life or a rotten onion that is pretty on the outside but deep dead on the inside. Peoples are so intense about finding the perfect person who could complete them but the impeccable truth is, there is no such thing as perfect or made for each other. There are only two things which are either a golden onion or a deep dead onion. All we need to do is find the one with whom you wanna face the upcoming struggles. Some times you may have your situations where you wanna make a decision which is okay but the decision may seem like a Christopher Nolans movie (I’m just being sarcastic) but it’s not that hard just analyze the facts right in front of you and go with the flow like dancing to a song and after a certain time we are going to reach the end of that song just like that. No matter what we do or how much committed we are to the person there is nothing we can do that is going to stop them from leaving you to your hallow heart. There’s only very little which we can do to balance that pain but it will make a greater impact on your life towards finding happiness which is to make the separation of the task and the separation of interpersonal relationship problem and the courage to happiness. That’s all for today folks let me wrap this up, for now, stick with us for a little longer to know about the separation of the task and about the courage to find happiness. Thank you guys for sticking up this long.
Hi I’m Shruti Sinha & I feel so lonely, I don’t have anyone who can listen to me so I thought that…
By: Shruti Sinha
Tags: First Post, Blog, Blogging, Feelings, Blogger

Hi I’m Shruti Sinha & I feel so lonely, I don’t have anyone who can listen to me so I thought that I should just talk about everything & just open up by blogging maybe someone will learn a lesson or two from a million mistakes of my life.
Ready to break down
By: Christina Snow
Tags: Feelings, Poetry, Love, Overthinking

Ready to break down

Furious with my mind

Afraid of my feelings

Tired of thinking so much

Just want to stop feeling

Or feel less

Just want a happy medium

All I can do is cry

Just tired of feeling

Feeling or not feeling anything

Afraid of all of it

My mind doesn’t see the good feelings

Just want to think happy thoughts

I’m not who I was

I’m not who I planned to be

I’m not even sure who I am though

Holding in my confusion

Hiding from myself

Hiding from everyone around me

Loving them

Hating who I am

Hating how I am

Afraid to learn who I will be

Terrified of trying to be happy

Happy in my own skin

How do I live not knowing?

Why am I still here?

So many people deserve it more than I ever will

But I know there is a reason for everything

I just hope I figure that reason out

Hopefully I’ll understand someday
An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)
By: Shaler Houser
Tags: Relationships, Feelings, Lust, Poetry, Love

Photo by tabitha turner on Unsplash

Enamored with the perspective, seeing all the tastes I can muster

Oozing with the enlightenment, smelling the sounds of blackness

Colored with the pastel paralysis, charmed with the symphony

Embarrassed by the naivety, swallowing prideful desires

Grateful of the grace, conveyed with care from Hunter Road

Selling peace for the price of practicality, waking dead with the rusty lug-nut

And the daisies flow while the poppies yield, wondrous momentum

Degenerate souls, my fiends, reverse debauchery reigning

Castles of coinage, stretching foolishness for abundance

Justice chasing her hide, skipping flip flop

Skinned need aside, she won’t stop this ride

Delicate morsels, her seeming innocuous behavior

Ruffling me, confusing consternation of curiosity

Moist and tender, opening to the emotion

Feeling release, releasing the feeling

Letting go