Texas Progrs talk more national-level policing, minorities, etc

As noted in the lead-in to state half of this week's Wrangle talking about policing, brutality, and racism issues, I noted that Camden, New Jersey, has been touted as the model for "defunding" and starting a police department over, from scratch. The truth, though, is more complicated. That reminds us that this is not a simple issue. With that, let's dig in.

Alex Vitale talks about how neoliberal mayors have turned over problems created by their acquiescence in neoliberalism to police departments. He also discusses defunding or abolition vs other reform angles.


Why does Starbucks hate Black Lives Matter? Why does it lie when it claims it's not singling it out as a movement? Finally, when will librul (not leftist) whites find the principle to kick it to the curb.

Potential Status Quo Joe Biden veep nominee Klobberin Klobuchar has yet more splaining to do from her time as Twin Cities area DA, over a case rife with jailhouse snitches, police witness intimidation and more. The fact that the Klobberer refuses to withdraw her name from consideration shows how much she, as well as Biden, just don't get it, speaking of white librulz.

Wesley Lowery, booted from the pre-Bezos Post, talks about Black Lives Matter, reform vs defunding and White Lives Getting It.

Why is Trump warning against falsely labeling people as racist if other than he doesn't like being accurately labeled as racist? Like I hope many black Tulsans label him as, loudly and vocally, if he's stupid and arrogant enough to show up there on Juneteenth.

Mad Dog Mattis is still a mad dog, but his comments about Trump have freed more active-duty military to distance themselves from Trump.

A White House divided over how Trump should respond to unrest over George Floyd's killing? Those who appeal to his baser instincts will win, as they usually do. And, people of color in his White House staff who "fear a backlash" will likely continue to be Toms, Tacos and Auntie and Tia Jemimas. (Aunt Jemima is being pulled from the grocery store shelves but not from the White House and RNC ones.)

Fox is willing to break photojournalism ethics (until caught) to tell lies about protestors. And, then, it tells lies about how it used the photos.

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigned after the third incident of police brutality or over-enforcement in six weeks, per Atlanta's mayor, this one fatal. I'm not sure this incident alone constituted a need to resign, but I'm not going to argue against it, and think that in the light of the history that Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms mentioned, this had to happen, for the good of the city and the future good of the Atlanta PD. And, I definitely think murder charges in the Rayshard Brooks case are an overcharge. That was even before reading that Fulton County DA is in a runoff and also faces corruption charges. We don't need politically biased policing against minorities, nor politically biased prosecutorial actions either for or against cops.

Many Zionist groups hate Black Lives Matter, and have so from the start, primarily because of fears of situational parallels between, and budding connections with, Palestinians.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott wants some sort of federal action on police reform, but without any real regulatory oversight. Shock me.

Long read: The devil's bargain between police unions and the larger organized labor movement.