But racism is encouraged in a
definite social context, of deepening social inequality
under 21st century capitalism, where the ruling class
makes every effort to divide and split the working class.
More than 1,000 people are victims of police violence in
America each year, and while a disproportionate number
are black, the largest number are white. What nearly all
have in common is that they come from the working
class, most from its poorest layers.
Blackburn: Senate Judiciary Committee Will Hold Hearings on Policing
1:28
On Saturday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) stated that “everyone grieves” over the killing of George Floyd and that the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on policing, use of force, police-community relations, and other subjects.
Blackburn said, “Of course, everyone grieves over what we saw with the video with Mr. Floyd. And you want to see justice for that. His family wants to see justice, and deserves it.”
Blackburn also pointed to the damage done to communities by rioting, adding, “So, you will see us, at the Senate Judiciary Committee, under Chairman Graham’s leadership, begin to hold some hearings and look at what is happening with the use of force, with policing in cities, and working to build bonds, how we can build these bonds between communities to reach a time of that peacefulness, of productivity, of opportunity, and of understanding between communities.”
Blackburn further stated that she thinks the committee will look at law enforcement training, the relationships between different law enforcement agencies, relations between law enforcement agencies and the different communities they serve, police use of force, and “These riots and destruction of property and lawlessness.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
Pentagon Puts Military Police on Alert to Go to Minneapolis
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DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — As unrest spread across dozens of American cities on Friday, the Pentagon took the rare step of ordering the Army to put several active-duty U.S. military police units on the ready to deploy to Minneapolis, where the police killing of George Floyd sparked the widespread protests.
Soldiers from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Drum in New York have been ordered to be ready to deploy within four hours if called, according to three people with direct knowledge of the orders. Soldiers in Fort Carson, in Colorado, and Fort Riley in Kansas have been told to be ready within 24 hours. The people did not want their names used because they were not authorized to discuss the preparations.
The get-ready orders were sent verbally on Friday, after President Donald Trump asked Defense Secretary Mark Esper for military options to help quell the unrest in Minneapolis after protests descended into looting and arson in some parts of the city.
Trump made the request on a phone call from the Oval Office on Thursday night that included Esper, National Security Advisor Robert O’ Brien and several others. The president asked Esper for rapid deployment options if the Minneapolis protests continued to spiral out of control, according to one of the people, senior Pentagon official who was on the call.
”When the White House asks for options, someone opens the drawer and pulls them out so to speak.” the official said.
The person said the military units would be deployed under the Insurrection Act of 1807, which was last used in 1992 during the riots in Los Angeles that followed the Rodney King trial.
“If this is where the president is headed response-wise, it would represent a significant escalation and a determination that the various state and local authorities are not up to the task of responding to the growing unrest,” Brad Moss, a Washington D.C.-based attorney, who specializes in national security.
Members of the police units were on a 30-minute recall alert early Saturday, meaning they would have to return to their bases inside that time limit in preparation for deployment to Minneapolis inside of four hours. Units at Fort Drum are slated to head to Minneapolis first, according to the three people, including two Defense Department officials. Roughly 800 U.S. soldiers would deploy to the city if called.
Protests erupted in Minneapolis this week after video emerged showing a police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck. Floyd later died of his injuries and the officer, Derek Chauvin, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday.
The protests turned violent and on Thursday rioters torched the Minneapolis Third Police Precinct near where Floyd was arrested. Mayor Jacob Frey ordered a citywide curfew at 8 p.m. beginning on Friday.
The unrest has since spread across the country, with protests, some violent, erupting in cities including Washington DC, Atlanta, Phoenix, Denver and Los Angelas.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz ordered 500 of his National Guard troops into Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding communities.
But a Pentagon spokesman said Walz did not ask for the Army to be deployed to his state.
“The Department has been in touch with the Governor and there is no request for Title 10 forces to support the Minnesota National Guard or state law enforcement.” Title 10 is the U.S. law that governs the armed forces, and would authorize active duty military to operate within the U.S.
Alyssa Farah, the White House director of strategic communications said the deployment of active-duty military police is untrue.
“False: off the record – title 10 not under discussion,” said Farah in an email response. No off-record agreement was negotiated with The Associated Press.
The 16th Military Police Brigade forwarded the AP’s questions to the Defense Department.
The three officials with direct knowledge of the potential deployment say the orders are on a classified system, known as the Secret Internet Protocol Router or SIPR for short.
Active-duty forces are normally prohibited from acting as a domestic law enforcement agency. But the Insurrection Act offers an exception.
The Insurrection Act would allow the military to take up a policing authority it otherwise would not be allowed to do, enforcing state and federal laws,”said Stephen Vladeck, a University of Texas School of Law professor who specializes in constitutional and national security law.
The statute “is deliberately vague” when it comes to the instances in which the Insurrection Act could be used, he said. The state’s governor could ask President Donald Trump to take action or Trump could act on his own authority if he’s determined that the local authorities are so overwhelmed that they can’t adequately enforce the law, Vladeck said.
“It is a very, very broad grant of authority for the president,” he added.
Oakland Police: 2 Federal Officers Shot, 1 Fatally During George Floyd Protest
2:53
Two Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents were shot — one fatally — Friday night during violent unrest in Oakland, California, as protests spread across America over the case of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer pinned his neck for nearly ten minutes.
“Two Federal Protective Services officers stationed at the Oakland Down Town Federal Building suffered gunshot wounds. Unfortunately, one succumbed to his injury,” Oakland Police told CNN Saturday morning. Federal Protective Services is a division of DHS tasked with defending the federal government’s “critical infrastructure, services, and the people who provide or receive them.”
According to police, over 7,000 protesters demonstrated Friday night and descended into vandalism, damage to businesses, arson, and assaults on several officers.
Interim Chief of Police Susan Manheimer shared a message to social media Saturday morning, urging more Californians to join the protests and keep them peaceful.
[Protests] started out peacefully and we stood with our community here in the city of Oakland to provide safe spaces and respectful spaces for our demonstrators. What we saw later on in the evening turned violent and disruptive, and we want to call on everyone who would come to Oakland and stand with us to respect the memory of George Floyd and the community — to ensure that they are peaceful and are respectful of the city of Oakland and especially our downtown businesses, which have been suffering since the pandemic began.
After several nights of violent riots in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, protesters across the nation destroyed property and assaulted police, and officers fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators.
In Atlanta, a crowd smashed windows and threw fireworks into the lobby of CNN’s headquarters. In Washington, DC, rioters attacked Breitbart News videographer Matthew Perdie, who was capturing a clash with Secret Service at the White House for a live stream.
Other demonstrations occurred in Portland, OR, Los Angeles, CA, Dallas, TX, Louisville, KY, Charlotte, NC, New York, NY, and Minneapolis — in defiance of an 8 PM curfew order.
Derek Chauvin, one of the four officers involved in Floyd’s detainment, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter Friday afternoon. Chauvin was caught on tape putting his weight on Floyd’s neck as the man pleaded for him to stop and said he could not breathe. All four were fired the day after Floyd’s death.
While announcing the charges, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman told reporters that the three other officers remain under investigation.
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